I start today with a personal recollection....I remember,on my first day at St.Xavier's,whilst I expressed indignation at the attempts at ragging by our seniors,i was rebutted in unison unequivocally by my peers.I was told to chill because there was nothing serious going on,nothing in comparison with the great Jadavpur University.
Over the length of the next week,I was educated by my friends and seniors alike that whatever was going on in my college,however disgusting,humiliating and reprehensible,was nothing compared to Jadavpur University and its battalion of merry men.Some even expressed disgust at the feeble attempts at ragging in our college...Xaverians are novices,it was said;the real expertise lay elsewhere.
Last week,Jadavpur University added another "feather" to its "ragging cap" and in doing so,firmly ensured itself of the position of fear mixed reverence that most people my age treat that institution.A young girl,enrolled in the Architecture department,was being "educated in the way of the university" ,also called "ragging" by some fools,by her seniors.The seniors,innocent and pure,assaulted her physically,pulled her hair and forced her to chew cigarettes and smoke a few cigarettes herself.(The Statesman,The Star News Service)...Some rumours have also blasphemously suggested that the cigarettes contained some form of drug.
Of course,immediate action was taken and the authorities "scolded" the seniors!I wonder why The Supreme Court didn't think of scolding as the ultimate punishment for ragging.
As news began to spread and crowds gathered outside those hallowed gates,the college authorities responded in a manner in which most Indian problems are tackled...They formed a probe.Of course,the media was fended off for the moment and in any case,when the probe turns in its report,if ever,the media won't be around to examine it.
The name of the girl was withheld as was the names of the felons because,apparently the college was worried about the reputation of the "poor" girl!I wonder,if they had shown the same concern earlier,the whole incident might have been avoided.
What have the great University management done to combat ragging?According to The Times Of India and Expressindia.com,they have done a lot!They have put up the supreme court notices on billboards,they have formed committees and they have scolded people in general!
And their ideas to stop ragging?Even better!Ensure freshers don't get free periods and stop them from remaining on the campus after classes.Wow!So all we have to do is to turn colleges into military camps!
This isn't a slur against a particular institution.i have nothing against Jadavpur.I am just plain amazed that the students of such a prestigious institution indulge in such heinous acts without even a twinge of conscience.Knowing my peers,they must have just gloated about the whole incident....the more perplexing thing is the attitude of the authorities;they seem hardly serious about the whole incident.Their primary concern seems to brush the whole thing under the carpet.
But that isn't the saddest thing...the saddest thing is the way in which people will remember this incident...A few months down the line,the same story will probably be repeated to juniors in all colleges across Calcutta with more amusement than empathy.A few months down the line,the girl's fate will probably be exemplified as what happens to people who don't listen to seniors.A few months down the line,the story will probably be used to further bolster Jadavpur's fearsome reputation.
Maybe nothing will happen...maybe a small thing here or there of no consequence will change at the university.But what fills me up with regret is that we shall chant with glee next year,to our newly admitted juniors,that the prize of the best ragging in 2008 went to Jadavpur University.And life shall go on.
.JPG)
