Ten Myths about Ragging

Dear nikki7777

Are you sure you were `ragged` in the US? Or was it hazing when you joined ceratin frats?
Anyways, ragging is often in extremes, and people like you who insist that it can be fun, ignore the extremes. You said, ``However, there are always those who will push society`s buttons and there is nothing one can do to prevent that.`` So let the world demolish itself, let society condone everything anti-social, we`ll just enjoy life. That`s what you are saying?

You said: ``There are more pressing problems such as poverty and indifference in our society that seemingly intelligent and caring persons...`` No dear, I leave poverty eradication to even more intelligent people to you. I`m happy being dumb enough to be a human rights activist.

You said: ``A little `horseplay` never hurt a fly!`` But it is not `little`, and it`s not being done to flies. We`re talking about sexual, physical, abuse, we`re talking about mental rape here. All this in the name of ragging. Suicides, and even murders! How can you be so insensitive to it?

You said: ``Moderation in all things is the key to an eventful and productive life, not denial.`` Okay, so we won`t kill 100 people, we`ll be moderate, we`ll kill only 10 in the name of ragging. No?

Shivam,
Ragging is a part and parcel of college and univ life...but the extremes to which it has been taken is most appaling.
When I had stepped into college, I was told that ragging will help me get to know my seniors-something that you had also mentioned in the article. The little ragging (singing, wrong directions to the class, treats in the canteen) did not bring me close to my seniors at all. In univ as well, the ragging was not very extreme with anyone, but it didn`t help towards fostering friendship...
I haven`t been ragged nor have I witnessed any form of extreme ragging. But I do know places where ragging has led to disastrous results.
Any form of activity that hurts people, physically or emotionally is wrong.
A good effort by you all to bring this issue to light.

I remember my time being ragged. It was no fun. For one reason that i used to refuse to do whatever my seniors used to tell me. That of course led to more hostility on their part. Suffice to say, I never really got to know them and still don`t talk to any, even if i do meet them here or there, and btw, this was Very Mild Ragging, compared to the accounts given here.

Call me over-sensitive, but why should i humiliate myself, to satisfy someone else`s `Power Dreams`. Plus, I was always a little out-spoken for my own good, when younger. :)

This practice of ``making a man out of boys``....never tried it on others, never liked it myself. I`ve grown up to be perfectly well without it. So just a thought but i think others might grow up well without this practice too.

Good Article, and Good Topic.

i like the article.

though there are some good points that one gets out of ragging, it is more like the silver linign from a looming cloud.

nevertheless, this teenagish desire to look ``macho`` and ``in`` are sustaining ragging.

Well written article, Shivam. I like the style of putting things down point-wise. And then running a synopsis at the end. Easier to read and react to.

I think ragging as a tradition had a time and a place in history, which may not really be relevant or required anymore. But then, we can get into another discussion on whether history or tradition have more truth!!

This tradition, in evolved/older institutions, probably had self-correctives, like finessing the difference between exploitation and evolving. In my own case, ragging as a junior for a year on a Merchant Navy training ship helped me evolve highly required survival skills as well as the habit of not assuming anything, always going back to the last known fact before proceeding. It also honed my risk-taking abilities. Most of all, I learnt.

Today, learning (and information) is available from a variety of sources, not just seniors and peers. What would pass of as acceptable a generation ago, would simply not be acceptable anymore. Likewise with ragging.

Finally, I do not think change in ragging scenarios can be enforced. These have to come from within society.

saminashah

I`ve heard that Elvis Pressley was your student. True?

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

May I briefly respond to some of the interacts on my article on ragging. Firstly, let`s not drift into hazing. Hazing and ragging are different because every fresher has to undergo ragging, whereas only those frehers undergo hazing in Western countries who wish to join certain clubs, called fraternities or sororities. Hazing therefore, is partly voluntary, whereas ragging is forced on you.

Secondly, I was struck by the sexist comments of `nikki7777`. The pointless association of ragging with archaic notions of `manhood` has been dealt with in my article. Yes, MEN should be welcomed with flowers. Why not? The subcontinentaal tradition says that a guest, a newcomer, is like god.

Those of you who are speaking in favour of ragging are requested to clarify whether you have yourself been raggers. If yes, then I can understand why you are justifying ragging. Obviously, your conscience doesn`t allow you to admit that you committed a crime, that you had been sadistic in college.

And to those who have praised my article, many thanks.

The website of our campaign is under construction. In the meantime you can join our maailing list by sending a blank mail to anti-ragging-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You will get to read a lot more articles that are pro- or anti-ragging. Be prepared for some heart-wrenching stories.

Shivam
shivamvij@gmail.com

my my..looks as if uve been ragged real bad..
but seriously...a good topic uve chosen.

on a side note...atif1 ur i-log is pretty entertaining!!:p

shivam,
Good to see you brought your struggle against ragging to chowk.I think you can see that some people will believe that ragging is healthy and ``makes you a man``.Probably these are the day scholars from big cities.The point that cant be emphasised enough is the necessity of tehelka like expose to bring out the ugly face of ragging in front of everybody.I would not be surprised if then I see the so called men peeing in their pants.
Ragging, and degrading tortures like Abu Gharaib, seem like a devious psychological ploy in which the victim is degraded in such a way, that
a) he tends to think that something is wrong with himself
b) tries to cut out that memory with from his mind, and this can have enormous psychological consequences.Cutting away sexual ragging from your mind, will result in shying away from exploring ones sexuality and gender identity.This may result in fear of the unknown which results in bigotry against homosexuals and male chauvinism.
Thanks for writing this excellent article
More later.

Fuji,

The worst types of frats/sororities reflect Lord of the Flies mentalities; and the rationale for them is that ``its a dog eat dog`` world out there...but then how do you explain frats and sororities who work closely with social service programs? In addition, which type do you want as your neighbor/employee/wife/husband/future industry leaders?

Ragging/hazing is abusive behavior. Why dance around it?

all you guys are missing the point:

ragging is a way to establish the ranking of a new male in the pack

dogs, wolves, apes, humans all define the hierarchy of the pack

better to do it formally than to duke it out!

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Sadna #14,

Okay :)

I hope you are not lamenting that government issued an order against ragging.

What happened in your case was only a temporary blip that comes with any new order.

MaheshG #13
``You think you can not get close to your seniors without ragging?``
I don`t understand how you inferred that about what I think. Read a bit carefully, please?

``You think you can not get close to your seniors without ragging?``
No of course not, but in our case that had to wait for the second year(our first 2 sems. were combined). Since there was a standing government order against ragging, any fresher could have complained and gotten seniors into trouble even for simply talking. So they kept their distance as I said.