RAGGING...........REALLY?
Some freshies think that ragging is another way by which frustrated seniors vent their maniacal urges for cheap thrills . Most think they could better utilize the time trying to understand Schrodinger?s Equation. All freshies think of ragging when they first enter the hostel.
Think again freshies?
Which set of names is easier to remember ? K.Karthik , L.Karthik , D. Karthik and S. Karthik or Guitar, Goofy, Dildo and Condom. Yes?the most invaluable thing we get out of ragging is our (nick) name---the first step in our metamorphosis from a dull-witted , equation-mumbling JEE nerd into a confident and cheerful IITian.
What is it that makes this tribe in the midst of the jungle cheerful ? Isn?t it the extra curricular activities - the inter-hostel treasure hunt, the innumerable quizzes( the CLT types , not the CRC) , the six-a-side hockey tournament, the Schroeter ? And weren?t our seniors instrumental in encouraging us to participate enthusiastically in all these activities? In fact, most often seniors ask freshies about the sports they play , their hobbies and their interests in literary activities.
Another frequently visited topic during ragging sessions is sex. As freshies we wonder what sadistic ( or is it sexual?) pleasure a senior would derive out of knowing our shagging frequencies. We now realize that, thanks to our seniors our own inhibitions about sex have disappeared ( not to mention the ?affections? some of us develop for our wingmates).
Most seniors are enthusiastic to befriend freshies as they are the ones they will share their lives ( or should we say bogs?) with for the next few years. Ragging thus provides an opportunity to interact with freshies. The first few exchanges are generally one-sided, probably even unpleasant, but they form the foundation for bonds which we carry to our graves.
On the first few days the conversation between freshies themselves hovers around their various experiences with various seniors at various mess tables. The freshies suffer from ( what we take the liberty to call) the Brothers-in-pain syndrome, which unites them in the face of a common ?foe?. This syndrome dies a natural death , only to emerge again almost exactly a year later as the ? I-am-now-a-senior? syndrome. For some this syndrome never dies.
Living in the hostel with seniors initiates a freshman into the IIT way of life---using expletives wherever not unnecessary, conserving water by giving up on bathing, going to sleep early in the morning, skipping grub on Fridays, and innumerable other virtues. And whilst the GCU brochure usually confuses freshie
With a students affair council and a students amenities center, an Establishment A and an Establishment B, a ChLT and a PhLT, it is the seniors who often come to their rescue. And it is usually the seniors who educate the freshies on the characteristics and behaviour of a blood sucking devil called the CGPA, which some say is easier to increase than to calculate! And can one forget the heirlooms of drafters, textbooks, tutorial sheets and quiz papers that are handed down to the freshmen every year?
Finally, a 'freshman-senior interaction session' teaches us humility. Fresh from our JEE triumph, we enter IIT with that ?I am the monarch of all I survey? attitude. All of us will agree that this needs to be crushed. It requires intelligence to crack IIT JEE. It requires humility to co-exist with hundreds of others who have. Ragging can prove to be that much wanted humbling experience.
Now that we have glorified ?ragging? so much, we wonder whether the word 'ragging' itself is appropriate to describe what goes on in our hostel. We feel that the term is still in use just for the sake of that feeling a senior experiences when he says to himself-?I ragged a freshie." Actually what he does is miles away from ragging. Some of you freshies might feel that we seniors are trying to justify our actions, but don?t tell us you haven't heard of spine-chilling tales of terror prevalent in other colleges.
We agree that the picture isn?t as rosy as we have portrayed so far. There is a small fraction of seniors who abuse their seniority. It is ironical that these seniors are slaves of the same ego that ought to have been crushed long ago. How else would you explain seniors demanding treats from freshies, or forcefully selling them books at exorbitant prices.
Sometimes, seniors force freshies to carry out illogical tasks like buying condoms, humping trees and goal posts, etc, which do not serve any purpose whatsoever. These are shining examples of the "I-am-a-senior syndrome."
Hey freshie, you might be getting irritated putting intros on mess tables when all you want is a quiet meal. We sympathise with you, yet isn?t it important that everyone gets to know you? Compare yourself with a Tapti or Narmada freshie who has no seniors, and hence remains without a foundation on which to build his IIT life. He isn't prodded to play cricket or footer in the quadrangle every evening. He does not taste the joy of hurling colourful abuses at other hostels in Sangam. And he does not 'put intro. '
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Mammo @163, Romi @155, Satcho @161