Posted by Dhruv Raj Sharma
on May 12, 2004, 4:21 am
The Psychology of Ragging
Dhruv Raj Sharma
38 Hashimpur Road,
Allahabad 211002.
Following the IIT-Delhi incident, a lot has been said, and much is being done, about imposing complete and absolute bans on ragging. And why not! The things that Harsh Agarwal (medical college drop out) had to endure; the events, last year, that led a Luknow University student to end his life; and all the horrible incidents of raggers resorting to physical abuse, are terrible enough to deserve such action.
But who are these raggers? Are they men who used to assist Hitler in his concentration camps; are they Pharaohs, back from the dead; or are these the extraordinary Martians that we have been looking for, who move around in UFOs and have antennae on their heads? Think about it. Of all those of you reading this article, there would hardly be anyone for whom ragging is something new. Most of you have gone through it. Even in all-girls colleges like Lady Shri Ram, Miranda House, and Gargi, there have been age-old traditions of ragging. And, therefore, if one is faced with a phenomenon as common as ragging, is it not necessary to ask the basic question, Why? Why does one group of students wish to harass another group of students?
A sociologist, I heard on television, attributed ragging to our innate tendency for one-upmanship to establish our supremacy over others by crushing them. This may be true, in its own right, but it is a less responsible explanation because it does not offer any solution to the problem of ragging.
Had the institution in question been an insignificant one, where teachers are indifferent, and students, completely detached, the above explanation could have been accepted. But since ragging is prevalent in institutions as prestigious as IIT-D, we have to seek a deeper answer.
The psychology of a college sophomore appropriates closest to that of the elder child. After having enjoyed being the sole focus of his parents attention, it is quite natural for the first child to feel threatened by the arrival of the new baby. And these first children have even been known to inflict mortal injuries upon their new siblings. This, in psychological terms, is commonly known as sibling rivalry, and can successfully be prevented by responsible parental intervention. In fact, such rivalry can indeed be channelised towards developing a sense of responsibility in the elder child.
In the case of the sophomore, the rivalry may have been reduced to mere curiosity. But even this meagre emotion, if neglected by the guardians, is potent enough to keep ragging alive. And, therefore, let me turn your attention to the guidelines issued by the Honble Supreme Court, 3.3.2001 [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 656 of 1998]:
1. Ragging cannot be cured merely by making it a cognizable criminal offence.
2. Students acts of indiscipline must primarily be dealt with within the institution.
3. Students going to educational institutions for learning should not remain under the constant fear of being dealt with by the police.
4. Moreover, the management should devise such positive and constructive activities to be arranged, so that the seniors and the juniors can interact with each other in a healthy atmosphere
and behave like members of a family in an institution.
And it is this last point that needs to be carefully adhered to. Institutions must realize that it is their responsibility to provide this healthy atmosphere, apart from the regular classes. Those who disagree must ask themselves as to why there is no ragging at the intermediate level. How do those angelic school-goers become monstrous tyrants in just one year? Our society is full of perceptual defenders, who refuse to look the problem in the eye, and do things like imposing blanket bans. But Sirs, when dealing with the future of our country, we need to be a little more responsible.
Dhruv Raj Sharma,
Allahabad,
Phone: 2465244
email:dhruvrajsharma@hotmail.com
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