Feature
Ragging- the crushing blow to freshers
Sanjida Khanam
As I walked into the brightly lit cafeteria of one of Dhaka's most renowned private universities I was anything but apprehensive. Everything seemed new. Being a graduate of a small private American school in Chittagong, university was something we were looking forward to with hope and excitement. When I walked into the campus, I was thinking of a new beginning, a good beginning. However, my utopian views were shattered. As a "fresher" (in other words, a promising ragging victim), I didn't know the inner dealings of universities. I did not know that certain places were "out-of-bound" for "freshers" (despite the idea that university is open and has opportunity for all). I did not know that I will defile the dwellings of the Senior Gurus, the guys (and sometimes, the girls as well) who is anything but worthy of being called seniors. With no idea about what was coming towards my way, I happily entered the auditorium with one of my male friends. There were students sitting here and there, some playing, some just chatting. We were taking it all in, and discussing the next class. From nowhere, six or seven "Seniors" appear, taking my friend and me by surprise. They nicely ask him whether he's a "fresher" or not, and upon his answer, they take him to a corner. I looked on, not sure what to do. From my vantage point, I could see they were giving him a hard time. One of them were pulling at his shirt, the others were just surrounding him. I asked a guy beside me what they were upto, and he replied me with the dreaded words, ragging. As the scene proceded, I couldn't stand the humiliation of my another fellow friend anymore. Being a girl, I walked upto those towering seniors, and confronted them about what they were doing. The other guys there called the raggers off, and me and my friend left with our cheeks burning, and tears welling up in my eyes.
Is this what we went to university for? So that others can insult us in the name of "initiating"? Is disrespect for a student, despite his number of semesters attended, a trend? Does anyone understand the denigrating feeling that ragging brings? I wonder, those raggers who did it, whether there's any decency left in them or not. Those who get enjoyment from the discomfort of others, university is not a place for such people. University stands for everything good, everything beneficial, everything educational. Ragging definitely is not educational, no matter how much logic you throw at it. I request the university administrators to take this matter seriously before it's too late.
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