Ragging... Myths and Reality

After seeing lot of bullshit on TV's newspapers magazines etc etc... i am taking this opportunity to set the record straight. The purpose is not to justify ragging as such.... but to ensure that we donot throw the baby with the bath tub and keep our colleges as places where we become what we eventually do. lets start off with the myths:

1> Seniors are all subhuman creatures filled with harted
2> All ragging is brutal, vulgar and emotionally cruel
3> Ragging causes kids to commit suicide
4> Juniors walking into college are all innocent kids
5> Ragging is unfair on young minds

lets Start with myth No1

"Seniors are all subhuman creatures filled with harted"
Reality: NO... remember we all were once freshers and became seniors. Remember your first day in college.. walking along in long queues with heads looking down... doing a mugal style 90 wish to all seniors who cared to look along? I am sure u do.... Do you remember your first day in school?? (I changed a lot of schools and so i know) It took almost 2 months for me to know all my classmates in school. How long did it take in college 1 day.
The point i am trying to make here is:
--- We all walked in as "innocent" kids in first year and not as inhuman creatures and i refuse to believe that i became one after 1 year. (Innocence in first year is also relative i was not !!! and that amused my seniors a lot.. but that's another story)
--- The real danger of being caught alone in college made us all from the first year stick together in groups enabling us to become best friends and pals. Some of my greatest pals till date are from college and not school.

Myth 2

"All ragging is brutal, vulgar and emotionally cruel"
Reality: NO In almost 99% of cases ragging is more about witt and intelligence. Thinking of amusing ways to make an audiance laugh in the most unfriendly scenarios. If u sieze up during ur first interaction with your senior... things become tough naturally.... But as far as i have seen/ragged/got ragged i know its never physical abuse and generally there is enough goodies at the end of it to make you get over your mental abuse. The point i am trying to make is:
--- Its easy to blame ragging for all suicides that happen and blame it on cruel forms of ragging. And like everywhere else... policing and laws will only drive the activity underground/make it more brutal.
--- Seniors generally use this opportunity to spot newer talents for that quiz forum... college band etc etc and enables seniors and juniors to mingle together and know each other. Else there is no way to enable so many people to know each other. (apart from fresher parties... but in my college they also were banned along with ragging)

Myth 3

"Ragging causes kids to commit suicide"
Every year thousands of kids all over India join Engg/Medical/Science/Arts colleges... How many commit suicide? One? two? in 4-5 years? I mean why blame everything on "Ragging" why not say that some people are just too weak emotionally. I mean more people commit suicide after getting betrayed in love... . Put in place a ban on all forms of love (sexual asexual bisexual homesexual). The point i am trying to make here is:
--- Poeple who donot value their life will commit suicide... if ragging doesnot get them something else will in long life ahead
--- being emotionally/mentally weak is not enough excuse to ban something which is as harmless as ragging (put in place measures which allow esclation in case it goes overboard)

Myth 4

"Juniors walking into college are all innocent kids"
I will say just one line which was repeated many times by my english teacher ~! In this world noone is innocent.... when a kid is born first thing it does it catch his mother's breast !~

Myth 5

"Ragging is unfair on young minds"
Yes it is... and so is life. Your company.. your boss your coworkers/competitors will not treat you with kid gloves which your parents used. Ragging helps you to get emotionally stronger... keep your cool even when things donot go your way... maintain focus on the larger goals/objectives regardless of background noise... keep your mind working even when the chips are down. The point i want to make is:
--- you walk in a boy in college.. you walk out a man ragging is an important part of that metamorphosis
--- its easy to get carried away when tragic incidents like students' committing suicide happen in colleges which are supposed to be places of learning. But putting in a blanket ban against ragging is tantamount to throwing away the baby with the bath tub.
--- ragging forms should be treated as just another part of the growing up process of children. Its more like learing to ride a bicycle for the first time.... just because you may get hurt doesnot mean it should be banned. Poeple who get ragged/do ragging turn out same as others if not better... they donot deserve to be treated like criminals and psycho killers.

Think about it... If you have a chance to relive your college days... will you like it to be ragging free? bland and boring like corporate culture? Come on we all know its just too much fun.. nothing to freak about or go paranoiod about. Think and only then arrive at an answer.