Rag Rag Rag !!

The title of this post sounds like a Blitzkrieg !!

Okay.Definition time !!
Ragging (verb) - a process wherein seniors of an institution get to know the new joinees through informal methods.

"Informal Methods" is the part of that definition that is not clear to me.What are informal methods ?? The kinds of informal methods that have been applied on me (during my NDA stint & Engineering college) dont sound too convincing to me to believe that the senior got to know me !! It was more like he was having a bad bad day !!

Before I elaborate any further , I might as well tell you the kinds of ragging I have gone through.In chronological order :

At School - Can you believe it ?? In DPS , I was ragged when I joined in standard XI !! Anyways , I was asked to stuff my trousers in my socks and sweep the basketball court.I did that.Not because I was enjoyin it but there were atleast 40 senior gals n guys rooting for a Gung Ho senior who was ragging me !! And he was atleast 2 feet taller than me and proportionally wider too.Also I was made to carry 15 school bags to the bus stop.Phew !! That was some hardwork.

At NDA - With due respect to the Academy , I wouldnt call it Ragging as such.Its part of their training program(some of it official but most of it unofficial) .Physical excercises , they were kinda cool cos they give you a feeling of growing up strong.Then there were those Hot water-Cold water bathing sessions !! Now what kind of "excercise" is that ?? You bathe in Hot water , roll roll roll , then bathe in Cold water , roll roll roll and it carries on until the water runs out or the senior feels like doing something more exciting with the new guinea pigs.There were many more but I dont wanna get into trouble with Gen J J Singh !!

At Engg College - I had a handicap advantage.My cuz Bro was the Goondaa Almighty of my college so all the second years had pre-instructions to treat me like "their own brother".Since I am a fair soul , I allowed myself to be ragged.What was I made to do ?? Nothing !! Just stand where others were being ragged and make observations and giving points !! Sometimes I got the oppurtunity to rag my batchmates too.Although now they hate me like anything , still I have no qualms.Chance pe Dance.

All this rubbish that I have written is to point out one big doubt that has cropped up in my head since the time Ms Monica Sethi (my would be senior @LBSIM) has told me that "Akash bete , party to hogi par Ragging hamara haq hai !!"

The doubt is - How in the name of Jesus can you get to know a person by making him sweep the corridors !!!??? Ok , not being cynical , I accept the interaction like singing , proposing to same sex , introductions , whatever.But some of the idiotic ways of ragging I have come across just point out one thing.

The people who indulge in beating up juniors (I have seen that) or threatening with "dire consequences" are frustrated souls who cant even pick up a fight with a dog , let alone a person.All they can do to vent out their frustration (just because they didnt have the balls to protest when they were beaten up) is to get into physical ragging.

Ragging can be fun too !! One of my senior in college told us to dress up as some character or the other. People dressed up as Ram , Ravana , Gandhi , Dharmendra , Ajeet and there was one girl who dressed up as Monica Lewinsky (dont ask) !! Imagine Ravana taking an Applied Science tutorial !!

Bottomline is : Ragging is something everyone looks forward to while joining an institute ! Its the first time jitters that prevent some people to get the hang of it but soon enough they too start enjoying it.But the sanity of ragging should not be lost.Sane ragging where everyone goes home happy is the best one.When people turn back with grudges against someone or the other - things work out bad.

What say you ???

PS: Me coming up with a ragging article days before our session starts does not mean I am scared !! I am game for it as long as my Integrity is preserved !!!