KOZHIKODE: The notorious practice of ragging is still being practiced in most of the colleges in the region. Though there is an Anti-Ragging Committee in every college, much more needs to be done to combat the issue, say educational experts.
When asked about the increasing incidents of ragging in city, Dr. D.P Godwin Samraj, Princi-pal of Malabar Christ-ian College, Kozhikode said that drugs, movies with extreme violence and DJ parties play a big role in instilling violence in students. “We have banned DJ parties in the campus as we had sufficient evidences for its ill-influence over children”, he added.
“In recent movies, the usage of alcohol and drugs are indirectly encouraged. Youngsters are easily influenced by them”, he said.
“Our Anti-ragging committee is strong. We take immediate action whenever a complaint is lodged. We have come up with new initiatives to reduce problems.
Teachers are given strict orders to maintain two WhatsApp groups. One group is for the teachers to interact with the students and the other to communicate with the parents.” He added
Dr. Byjubai T.P, Princi-pal of Government Engineering College, Kozhikode commented that ragging can be avoided to an extent if proper mentoring and monitoring is executed in colleges. She said that the mental trauma that the victim undergoes can be life-altering. “For those engaged in ragging, it is a celebration but for the victims, it is a case of ignominy,” she said.
The impact of ragging may vary depending on the extent of indignity one faces. Students who are frequently subjected to ragging may develop serious psychological issues that can last a lifetime. Dr. P. N Suresh Kumar, a noted psychiatrist said that most students indulging in ragging have a sadistic personality. They do not bother about the psychological affects it can foist on the victim.
“Students who have undergone ragging will have a revengeful attitude. They continue the process next year. We have to provide proper education to these students to avoid such attitudes”, he said.
Mr Sureshkumar also added that the usage of alcohol and drugs have a strong influence. “Each of us has an anti-social element in our personality. But our active prefrontal lobe will inhibit this. But for those addicted to drugs, this inhibitory effect will not work. They will lose the sensory effect of the brain. Eventually, they develop disinhibition, due to which they fail to control themselves.”
