What is the first thing you are told when you are set to register yourself on the rolls of that engineering college ,medical college or the dreaded Defence Academy, the parents wince and educators mince. The R word Hydra monster, its various manifestations, all the verbal rhetoric doing rounds, I thought few simple questions to ask the seers of law, logic, the luminaries who chose to chasten ( after having “fun” in their years ) the campuses.
The following shall remain sacrosanct :
1. The right to life
The term life not only includes upholding one’s right to live, sustain his dignity, integrity.
Also i must point out here we need to examine the spirit behind Ragging and not look at it incident wise.
To the honourable court i put forth the following points
A. The verdict handed out was a result of a criminal act, the honourable courts observed that the a felony had been committed with the a person imposing his whims on other based on a hierarchal arrangement and thus the status acquired. The courts rightly pointed out that this premise is skewed, and hence if students have the temerity to violate someone’s integrity then it needs to be addressed, so we go for a blanket ban, phew so if bureaucracy gives me powers to decide the fate of people in my district, i wonder whether supreme court would take cognizance of the fact that bureaucracy is causing suicides in Vidharbha, ban it as well my lord!
But its inefficiency at someone’s part!!!
Hell yes!! you don’t ban cars when someone mows down people on footpaths, or worse you dont even ban alchohol, when a drunk driver crushes urchins on roads. We dont ban arms when murders take place in our “civil” society. So if people choose to misuse powers invested ( say a bureaucrat) you don’t pull down the system.
B So does that means that Ragging as a institution is right, and some powers can be invested into college seniors, merely because they have an advantage of position and time.
This is a tough one( i spent most of my time on this, feedback needed on this point) The time invested in under graduate study varies from 3-5 yrs. After this individuals labeled as doctors, managers, engineers work in diverse fields where even human life may be entrusted upon them. Now considering by your point B: does the 4-5 semester exams give imbue in a person a sense of duty, responsibility?? gosh! why didn't they get this in schools they cleared 12 exams. Colleges were not meant to provide merely rote learning of another set of books, they are an institution that make an individual out of you, an individual ready to face all challenges of life, understand the vicissitudes of life, (yeah! this was before we allowed anyone with 10 crores in belly to open a college ) we have opened schools again, so when you are opening the wrong kinds of institutes, wrong things are bound to happen.
You are deviating from the point
Fine! People who are entrusted with lives of people are assumed to have certain conscience of their own which was certainly not in a high school product, this transformation needs more than upgradation of academic faculties of an individual, ragging is a mere abrasive meant to point out to a high school weirdo, that hey! college is not a fairly tale fella, come real joining college does not mean you have won the world or something, time to come real!
C: So its a moral duty! Bah! Humbug
I wish it were a moral duty, its a ritual sir, i admit with alas an intention to uphold what the education stands for.
D. and all this calling of lowering of eyes, what about that! making them wear formals what is that?
Sir with all due regards, i hope the shimmering black waistcoat, with the V shaped wing collar, the elaborate wig, and the statemtment of “My Lord!” is enough to soothe your appetite at your age, please allow your grandsons to have some fun as well. Why this clinging my lord!( i love it) or is your super sized stature immune to such vervbal rhetoric. Alas what gave you this stature, the society my lord! the same society that is still fraught with hierarchies, we just brought it in our colleges my lord, is that too much to ask for??
E: So what is the way out of the predicament?
Please leave it on the individual, let him experience it, tell him, that he has the right not to become a part of it, but only based on visceral observations, but deduce himself, the mark of a true individual and not a spoon fed kid! There is a need to of a regulation not a blanket ban, which mocks at the efficacy of our institutions to produce nation builders!!
I SUPPORT RAGGING IN INSTITUTIONS please sign below if you agree. Comments from both sides are invited.
I had to be succinct here! your are free to chat at length at my gmail id: mailcooltarang@gmail.com
Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
- Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption
November 9,1989-Somewhere In Palestine
The warden darted into the cell, bows knitted, beads of perspiration clearly visible, it was rather unusual for him to be there yet the onus of responsibility of this task the deportation of this inmate was no ordinary moment, for the watershed moment of the career sat there in a tattered camisole, offering prayer in cell number 18. The frail, pale looking prisoner, with sunken eyes was no ordinary catch, the Fuhrer of Germany had hailed this as the single most important moment since the victory of Third Reich in the Second World War. The Americans acquiesced to this development as an important step to “universal purging”. Sanguine crowds from Japan to Italy were gathering to mark this moment. what was supposed to a mere pilferage, snow balled into into the discovery of the last echelon of Jewish resistance. The rabid Jews were to be eliminated in what would become a towering edifice of Fuhrer’s determination. Sources close to the Fuhrer described how Fuhrer felt an infusion of life hearing the news, The Vatican hailed it as a miracle, and yet the whole world seemed to be limited to the four walls for Jehovah. The “Great Extermination” was to have a fitting end. After decades of weeding, and several years of guerilla war, all seemed to come to an end. The warden shrugged as he entered the cells. This was his destiny; his limelight moment. The warden had handpicked the guards and had chosen to personally escort to the scaffold. as the crowds sat baying for blood, few chose to ponder on the futility of the exercise(promptly arrested next day), most harangued on how elders of Zion plotted to poison wells. some choose to meekly point out the loss of a provenance of fine music, literature, academia(promptly executed) most chose to vilify how Jews were insidiously controlling business, outlets of public opinion, and so did people in confabs( what is history, alas! a fable agreed upon) wondering how how treacherous would have had existence become had Jews survived, sniggered at the Allied suicide at Normandy, count merits of eliminating invalids, advocating the merit of eliminating debauchery practiced under the veil of homosexuality. and as they sat glued to their TV sets waiting for the swastika encrusted vehicle to arrive at what was once believed to be a Wailing Wall. The SS had made elaborate plans to lend the moment historical credulity. and yet warden shivered for what lay in store, one night, one night had changed it all, he reflected at his over zealously guarded secret, his act of sacrilege, marrying a Jew, and then abandoning her. And today, his son stood in front of him, as the warden tried to conceal his tears. It had to done today, he concluded, the planning was right, the men were trust worthy handpicked having impeccable credentials and owing allegiance to him. The point had to be the bridge over the creek, the warden would free the Jehovah and the vehicle would skid over the bridge to fall into creek, the warden thought as he gazed into hopeless eyes of Jehovah.
The convoy left for the SS outpost where Jehovah was to be handed over to SS, things had to move fast, everything had to fall in place, for the SS would leave no stone unturned. the warden had to devise a perfect alibi, give his own life to give Jehovah life .the creek was now a mile away, when the helicopter hovering above noticed a glitch, and before they could make out or even jehovah could construe the tumultuous developments, the van plunged into the creek. Jehovah without handcuffs froze for a moment,almost dumbfounded,suddenly the warden’s cry rang into his ears,” Run son,................. RUN” the warden gave out a vehement cry, as Jehovah found himself running into forest with no idea what lay ahead, and the last words almost made him stop “tell your mother.... ....i loved her, ......so much that i never married any one else”............................. and then a loud bang silenced it all…………..
Hitler died that night.
PS: The story is set in a world where Nazis won the second world war, Holocaust is called the Great extermination, the Date november 9 marks the fall of berlin wall in our world..... just in case u missed the context... as many did....
Congratulations, our apathy just turned 63, how about bringing a homage wreath to commemorate this! so what did you do on this "holiday", had an independence cocktail?, watched the independence day "special" movie ?, enjoy the extended hours of shopping bliss at the neighbourhood mall offering 80+20% discount on inflated prices ?, or just woke @ 11 rubbing eyes basking under the glory of the "independence" of not having to work on a weekday and prospects of an extended weekend, or enjoy the near customary 15th august rains....... ( why do you have to sit and kvetch the whole day crackatdawn). it is easy for people to cite the vicissitude of life as alibi, some take the easy route, denounce the country talk about political demagoguery and feel exonerated. To begin with the succinct argument for all this is " cut the crap! get real"
This is what people say
Excuse 1: Its about having it in hearts, "i dont believe in showing of! it so kitsch!"
Hell yes! the best subterfuge for all the lassitude associated with this day, it's dil ka maamla afterall, scores of our flicks have justified lame plots on this ground. ( "I don't have to watch the independence day parade to prove my "patriotism", it's in my heart....uh! it hurts") and so right are these people, they are doing their bit! they are part of our burgeoning IT industry, service industry or whatever, and they are bringing greenbacks for "us" oh! i missed that, YOU are building the nation and not doing a JOB!, silly me, its always "others" who are flouting traffic norms, paying bribes when caught without license, rigging electric meters to run 3 ACs 24 hours, enchroaching public land, embezzling money meant for the destitute. Our Indian-ness is worth a kick in ass, as plain as it can be, and the earlier we learn it the better.
Excuse-2: "Yaar! no one is doing anything around me! what difference would it make"
Bingo! no one is doing anything, and one will ever do anything, such narcissists we have become that the only thing that matters to us is " i don't wanna make of fool of myself" by hoisting flag in my backyard, and "embarrass" myself by singing the anthem "alone" while "others" watch..... yeah that's for the octogenarians, they did whatever they wanted, no point in staying rooted to the past anyways,isn't it? and about the difference, we have never made any, all we can do is traduce about everything around us, shrugging off in the end, and walking way satiated! Patriotism has become a night stand for us,or better its like the latest tad of fuck-friend, enjoyment without strings attached... we screw the mistress called "liberty" everyday and the irony is prostitution is illegal.........
Excuse -3: I cannot stand the crap they show on TV or those silly Independence day Dance competitions, karaoke nights
That should have had been good, but turned out to be worse. The mavericks of our generation who lambast procedures and traditions as stifling ,take refuge in something 'liberating' and carry the "hip" tag. while the good thing is that they want to change things, yeah we need it, but what do they do, well......um.......um........um....... nothing...... runaway from reality....... i agree everyone has its own set of preferences choices, but the fact is that we celebrate diwali, holi for whatever reasons we have to, we do it year after year, and when it comes to our identity( yeah we remember our dark blue passports when we are racially abused, profiled at airports)what are we doing? its about doing things, and not just being hypocrite, yeah that's what we are, plain truth!
Excuse-4: There is nothing that will do to change anything lets move on!
and you read through all this! enjoy your slumber, amen for the decadent nation.......
However pessimist i may sound, this is the truth, the everything of our banal existence..... change is however plainly a matter of discretion for those who wish to be caught unnerved when the juggernaut of change rolls in.............
Turned 21.... big story.... on the rolls of eligible bachelors.... applications being considered...lolz....
Main Entry: or·thog·o·nal
* Pronunciation: \ȯr-ˈthä-gə-nəl\
* Function: adjective
* Etymology: Middle French, from Latin orthogonius, from Greek orthogōnios, from orth- + gōnia angle — more at -gon
* Date: 1612
1 a : intersecting or lying at right angles b : having perpendicular slopes or tangents at the point of intersection (orthogonal curves)
“Car accident kills three” screamed the morning paper, the mediamen hounded the hapless police commissioner, as he tried to explain that it was a case of reckless driving under the influence of alcohol. The people were served with grotesque images from the crash to prove who has the most ‘exclusive’ news. “Will the police press charges on the lone survivor”, asked one. The son of an industrialist, who categorically denied his son being inebriated at the time of the incident, already boxed after the crash of the pillar at the site of his project, “he had little to do but present a brave face”, commented one social expert citing lack of parental guidance and a plethora of other excuses, while structural experts argued on the other end of spectrum. Cases were filed as expected, sting shows telling how victim’s family was paid to be quiet were aired as expected, the son-father duo came out clean…… as expected…….. justice had been done……as expected…………………
X
“Baba get up, malik bula rahe hain”, the boy stammered wondering would the brat even twitch a muscle, “must have had another of those hangovers”, as he placed the glass of juice on the sidetable before slithering out of the room. “ring …ring”, “ hey karan big party at Elevate just after college what say” “dude, its just 9, just woken up, yeah I’ll see” as he tottered his way to the bathroom knocking down the glass of juice, “chotu” he hollered “clean this mess in my room”, “ damn! The last night rocked” he had tried “stuff” that night, one smooth line inside and out of the world, he was ‘man’ now, he smirked as he got ready for the college. And just what he hadn’t wished, there was Dad again giving out his “perfection” speech to chotu, “damn” he thought now getting money won’t be easy what after all comes in thousand bucks, not even a decent shot! “ Ah! You are up finally, so what do you want end up like these men” “ Dad I am just 19 please don’t gimme your ‘change the world’ talk right in the morning” as he stuffed the toast in his mouth. “Karan, it is my ‘change the world’ shit that gives you your binges, you better straighten up before its late” said the father giving up any hopes he had. “ Dad, I needed some money, college has a freshers’ and all have to chip in”, watching his exasperated father stare at him. “I am not earning for your late night revelry, karan, you better mend your ways, I got this meeting I’ll talk to you later” as the father hurried off the table. “Chotu, just what do you think you are doing staring the roof, did you put the golf kit, you lousy bastard”, as he got into the car wondering what was more worrisome the servants these days or the kids. He had a minister to tackle, the project was already under so many lenses, a few crores and it will be all, why can’t they just ask straightway and ‘get over’ it, as he speeded to the course. Meanwhile karan fretted away to college, wondering how to get away from all this bickering, wondering if he could take some money from ‘friends’, the stuff was too good to resist. So when in the evening he headed to the disc, life was at ease now, as he sunk into the plush sofa, eyes preying for the ‘nigger’.” The night rocked!, you got anything in boot, dude” exclaimed one as they returned back loaded with girls and coke. “holy crap, what’s coke doing in your boot asshole” as he drew neat lines. “Damn chotu, I asked him to get the stuff out of car”, Guys not here not ,here please” as he turned back, “ hey watch out, jesus Christ karannnnnn!!…………………………..”
Y
“ get up chotu its six already you will be late for work”, the father kicked him “ that should set you right”. “why don’t you stop jabbering, I am tired of these daily squabbles”, as he fumed while leaving to his place of work. He changed his clothes after reaching the sahib’s bunglow, “what is the point in dressing like an idiot” as he feared his immaculate sahib and prepared toast for him. “chotu… chotu”, the voice boomed as he rushed to take instructions from ‘malik’. “see whether karan has gotten up or not and take juice as well, I am sure he came late drunk”. He bowed his head and tip-toed to ‘baba’s’ room. “There lies the bastard”, he sneered as he walked into the room, looking for the elusive wallet. He had barely placed the glass and slipped in two crisp 500 notes when he froze to death, “chotu” the voice boomed again, he rushed out only to find that he had applied less butter on the toast, even the tea wasn’t served right. So all he had to do was to stare down as the ‘sahib’ cussed at him. “Ah! There he comes…. Bastard he never knows where his money goes” as he sniggered to himself watching the son nibble toast. “ another chore, damn clean the glass “ as he dragged his feet to the room again thinking if luck would smile again. He picked pieces of glasses watching the fancy mobile on the bed. “ I will gift a mobile to chameli”, thinking about the girl who lived near the site which sahib owned. “ow!” he exclaimed in pain, a piece had sliced though his hand. He went out and stood at the levee nursing his hand wondering whether this life was any good, kicks from father, abuses here, staring pointlessly to the roof. And just when he was thinking of slipping by, he had another dose of the day, that heavy bag which he hated had to be ferried now, “ I can meet chameli now” trying to cheer himself up as now ‘malik’ would get busy and he can slip to the site which was so close to the course. So as he lugged the kit along the course, he was asked to leave as ‘sahib’ was talking to an important man. “This is it” as he ran out of the course took an auto to the site. Today he will buy her a fancy dress, he had money. The urchins chased the auto as he entered the lane where chameli lived. “ lets go market and get an anklet for you” he exclaimed to her. So after an hour of trying the trinket chameli found what she was looking for. He was the man!, he had a decent job, money everything she wanted, so when he asked her to come to that lonely place at the site she had little to do but to solicit. And then there they were finally, the place was an irony in itself, so quite and desolate amidst a sea of anarchy. She had heard that work had been stopped there and that’s how she had found a place to meet her, where chotu would come and satiate her. He had just started to undress her when she heard a slow, painful guttural, and before she could reckon…………………………..
So you don't know were you're going and you wanna talk
But you feel like you're going where you've been before
You tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored
Nothing's really making any sense at all
Let's talk
-Coldplay Talk
It begins as a simple day, the usual humdrums of your daily life, and then as if someone had conspired surreptitiously for the moment to happen, you see something you hadn’t seen for years together, a song being played somewhere, a high five or knuckles thumping to that sudden unannounced entry that is strikingly similar to something or someone. I know that pit in the stomach at that time, that feeling of colour flushing from the face, and eerie sort of feeling at first as you turn back those pages in memory, bursting into weak smiles and yes then there you go, your steering wheel, the office table, that dumb printer( reckon printers and steering go for insurance cover) wondering if that moment never happened or just cussing yourself for being so lame at times and even irresponsible! So where do you start from. Ah! That innocuous smile!
Stage I
Have seen it start at both ways most originate from that single almost nondescript encounter, and yeah! For some, a bang( I wonder how do they turn it that way) it may have had been for that fresher’s party or the usual bird watching or even that lab session for an impromptu conversation about the impending assignment, and yes for some a bang! From that going all outs to propose( always asking to become a friend of some kind, and yes its lame) to that mis(sed)understanding, the squabbling after that( is usually a dead end) and yes for the record it’s not about those I made it moments it’s those moments when you flustered at the mere sight knew nothing as it was your first and yeah! Blew it!!!!! But that first stuck and hell yes it went like a stake across your heart. That bolstering by your friends ( and how you wished to kick your ass after that) that palpitation of hands, an hour before the mirror and ( you are making your own list now) and for the silent admirers, goodness done it all, for ‘em. Finding out the timetable to the lists of favourites yet keeping it under wraps ( only for that damn beer session) you adore, you blush, you go out of all ways for that glimpse, trying to make your you go unnoticed, mustering every last bit of strength to go to talk only stopping dead in the middle of tracks,( damn the professor, your batchmate to her friend) some other day and a quick exit. And yes you get to talk to her one day, it may have had been just a laconic reply but that was world, to that little victory lap on the way back to hostel, to the samba dance once she is out of sight you remember it all, smiling all the way………………
Stage II
“Sorry not interested’ to peals of laughter( how much do you wish to run away) and even as your heart sears you stand there to hear that, and yes my friend girls talk about it later, and yes they make fun of it the same way you friends do when you tell your plight ,and your gloom sinks between those schadenfreude remarks. And in moments of solidarity those ahh!-s as you fizz out like a steam engine while on the other hand it’s party time for the friend in the next room, the girl just talked ( and if you tell this ever, I bet it’ll be only you who would remember that she had asked for the lab readings, upto 3 decimal places) and now that preparing before hand to even reading topics beforehand( your percentage dips on the contrary that’s the Catch-22 situation), so you contrive to create those encounters on a more frequent basis and yes its beautiful……….
Stage III ( discretion advised)
Its bad! And that’s the reason for that fist banging. You saw the girl out with that moron sitting on the last bench to where did he come from, nah! It must be just a friend, and then you see more and you see more of them (why are you following them everywhere) as you wave back to her because she has seen you (finally!) and yeah you sneer seeing her smile, bursting into giggles every now and then. And you howl in your room fella! And you let out those curses so loud that the entire block knows about it. Seen myriad cases of guys walking in mess, shoulders drooping, head lying low, that façade you try to carry and now everyone knows that another man is down in the battle of sexes. And the bang guys end it in bang to that vexing ( this is what the girls feel dude! Me totally on your side) presence to those requests to mellow down, to yes ( why do you do it man) that burst of expletives. And you look for catharsis in some form or the other and you get mean dude! Doing the most reproachable things, any piece of figment becomes possible as your friends traduce about the girl. What is the duration of this well a couple of weeks and then a couple of drinks after you see the girl hanging out with that !**@@@***! And here goes out what all happens, you talk to her friends, try to send favorable reviews across the other side, to that threatening to the guy to receiving them……..
Yeah that’s the unabridged story of How I Went through the first two months in my college, still good when you talk about it with peers on that Friday night hangout…. And( I may sound a bit avuncular but I’ll take this chance) talk to her again I know you would do that little victory lap again or feel those hots again…. (turn 18 for a few moments)………. Carpe Diem!
And yes Happy Friendship day (start like that maybe!)
I couldn’t believe what my eyes saw, no this can’t be true, as if a behemoth stood in front of me, and I stood dumb founded, the enormity of this left me gaping, imagine falling from a cliff, imagine the decibel of the yell as the lump of the throat swells to the size of a baseball, think of the screech of the car waiting to sweep underneath chunks of human flesh, juxtapose your eyes in those blank eyes, imagine never ending farms units lined in perfect arrays spread across the length and breadth of the gaze and stretching beyond…. Imagine being stranded, feel the drops of sweat sliding across the palms, imagine the palpation shredding your confidence as you look around, looking to grope the first strand of hope, clinging to your web of assurances, imagine being a part of what they call the ‘it’, the ignominy of being shoveled around, a never ending loop and worse winding towards the center as you break the last bone of your body to move out of it, think of the hollowness of the assurances of “ I know what I am doing” or the futility of “ I will do this, the day I reach X” put yourself in a world of zombies all responding to a single call, all guided by the same beacon, working unabated, synchronized at the same tick of clock, think of the helplessness of the fallen, blinded by the shine of the sword watching death approach, dancing nimbly like a deer in forest and ‘it’ stood there exactly like that right in front of my eyes as I gazed at the sight and yet it was there mocking at me, every inch of me screaming to get out of the place, I wish I were in a mortuary atleast the place told you that there are conclusions, finishes, last laps but this wasn’t it either, it was a utopia to me before I came here and just like a refugee dreaming of his very own Elysium complete with the hymns those nymphs chant as you enter, and as you must have had realized( phew!) i was…… well……. shocked….( all this drama for this pathetic word, hate crack@dawn) I was in gurgaon to do my “obligatory” industry training and the place is the same, its where the free waves of the ocean crash on the hard land yearning to go back to the ocean again, yes there are two worlds here the world of dream companies, flashy suites, lines of escalators to take you “there” and there is a dreamy soul and yes, there is a world of this soul…. And standing on the roof of the PG accommodation where my friend lived I felt the same, a farm of brains, a world of zombies, an echo of the knell being sounded, and the black cross had been served and it had a name…. my name….. as it said yes you too would be here another one in the list of rolls of some “organization” doing what is being done by everyone, responding to the same clicks of mouse taps of keyboards, boarding the same cabs all heading to the same place ending in the same accommodations like all, with absolutely no idea what the future would be, and yes always trying to “figure out” the path to top and everyone seems to know it, everyone is smiling, to what I am still unaware, but certainly not to the corporate discount @Dominos for eating their stupid pizza as one is tired of the undercooked tiffin in front of the eyes everyday, and albeit in the matchbox rooms in PGs spread in all dimensions they curse, they booze, rant about the never ending fits of HR or TL, missing projects, lost years in B.Tech, they are there, because maybe only that was the course of the meal, rest were just crumbs meant for few, yeah there is a mushy world as well, yeah there is a world of giants, big stories, big names but just like this city all of this is on the other side of the road, and just symbolically everyone is waiting, wishing ‘if only the traffic moved my way’………………
Tip: Next time you visit Gurgaon/B’lore/Pune/Noida look at the malls, watch the honey eyed tepid girls and come back, don’t discuss about those bawdy “engineers” you saw, they are doing exactly what they always did “doing what they were “told” was best for them”………..
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