Manipal: First day excitement clouds ragging fear

Manipal Aug 2: "We avoid the term ragging, instead we call it Personality Development Exercise (PDE)." The self explanation by a senior student may not bring relief to over 1,000 anxious freshers of the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT). But their first day excitement helped them overcome all fears. The intake of over 1,000 students is the highest in the MIT’s history.

As freshers looked forward to exposure, the immediate concern for some of them was how the seniors would treat them. Would there be ragging? There is a ban in place, but it still happens in professional colleges in some form or the other. What Is it going to be like here? Parul Sukreet, from Patna, will pursue Information Technology. She was delighted about the new campus and atmosphere. She told The Times of India, "The MIT campus is amazing and I have never seen such a huge set-up in my life time. The seniors appear friendly. They seem to be the encouraging so I do not fear there will be any drastic ragging.
Manohar Pai, HoD of Information and Communication Technology, has been reassuring and has instilled a lot of confidence in us."

New faces, new home away from home and an altogether different world. Everything was exciting for students coming from different parts of the country and abroad. There were a whole lot from Delhi. Achin Bhatia was one who traveled all the way to see his dream come true. Pranika Kapur, a student of G D Goenka Public School, New Delhi, said she is not worried about ragging. But the first impression she has gathered is that the seniors are all good.

The first day was meant for orientation, to fill forms, to get accommodation and for a word or caution from the top brass of Manipal University. Both Pro-chancellor H S Ballal and pro-vice chancellor S S Pabla, who is also the director of MIT, briefed the students.

While encouraging them with everything nice, they also spoke of the Lakshman Rekha which they should be careful not to cross. They did not mince words and said if any student was found using drugs or found guilty of indiscipline, they would be expelled immediately. Madhavi, a third year student was seen guiding the newcomers. But a senior student who did not want his identity to be disclosed said ragging will only help the freshers to gain self-confidence.

"We avoid the term ragging, instead we use, "Personality Development Exercise (PDE)." S S Pabla said this year MIT has seen a largest contingent of freshers, precisely 1,458 under-graduate students were enrolled for I year BE.

link to report : http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=49393