WHAT I THINK ABOUT RAGGING ……………..
Posted on May 10th, 2016
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
Recent news item about ragging a fresher in a university drew my attention >>>>>
It is a pity that incumbent government ceased the military training ( hitherto called leadership training) of youngsters who are selected to the university .
This training would have made them more confident and foster courage to fight back if and when they are subjected to inhuman ragging .
I remember my younger brother who had martial art training ,has beaten the hell out of some seniors who were trying rag them .They got so scared and never tried to rag him ever again
In place of military training state should train all youngsters in martial art so that when they enter the university they can fight back the seniors .
In Chinese and Buddhist traditions even monks are given martial art training to develop concentration and endurance
I had education in a foreign country where ragging is never heard of ,and now I interview many young engineers in my field who have studied in local institutions .I note that they most of them ( there are very good ones ) are not so forward thinking and energetic ,and with less fighting spirit ,most probably due to the trauma they undergo during their infant –stage in the University ??
How nice it could be if the seniors get together and have party, welcome the fresher’s and give them confidence that they are welcome ? ( or all freshers get together and fight back)
If all the student unions take a bald step and decide not to perform ragging or not to allow the somewhat stupid seniors for just one year ,I am sure it will cease .
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
May 10th, 2016 at 4:48 pm
Few minutes ago I watched a documentary on Ninja on BBC ( these BBC guys are good in bringing out all sort of things out of all corners of the world which are useful information). There were few Buddha statues behind the scene in a monastery. The Ninja guru was training the marshal art to the disciples how to defend themselves. Perhaps that was a way of protecting the religion itself in Japan.
I also believe that the leadership program initiated by Gota should have been continued.
May 10th, 2016 at 6:37 pm
DR SARATH !!
Just my point of view. Schools, Colleges, Universities, are all places of LEARNING. I was a Josephian, and we never had any kind of ragging. If any student attempted to rag a new student, the punishment would be *sacked*
Parents send their children, WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS, to School to study, pass their exams, enter Universities, Medical, Engineering Faculties, and enter a Professional Life, to live a fairly comfortable life, and help retired Parents to survive.
Unfortunately, POLITICAL BANK-RUPT IMBECILES enter these institutions invisibly, and brain wash students in sadistic ideologies, with a view to increase their followers. This gives rise to Student Unions, that add their own perverse idealogey, which includes RAGGING.
Martial Art will help an individual male, to Fight it out, but not Females. Hence, this is not the option.
The Universities should totally ban ragging, in the Legal sense, and declare that breach of the discipline, amongst others, would be punishable by dismissal from the Institution of Learning. This RULE should not be allowed, to be tampered by Politicians, for their Political gain. Any protest by a Student, or Students, should be *summary dismissal*
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SAFGUARD ALL THESE INSTITUTIONS BY PROMULGATING THE AFORESAID RULES AND REGULATIONS, BY AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT. EMPHASIS TO BE LAID, * NO RAGGING WHATSOEVER*
THIS SADISTIC RAGGING HAS TO BE STOPPED, ONCE AND FOR ALL. THIS WILL PREVENT STUDENT SUICIDES, AND STUDENTS LEAVING THEIR PLACE OF LEARNING FOR FEAR AND FRUSTATION.
Media reports that there have been 20 suicides, and 27,000 leaving their place of Learning, in fear and frustration.
May 10th, 2016 at 8:20 pm
I went through RAGGING in my wonderful dorm Jayatillaka Hall at Peradeniya as a freshman, and survived to tell this tale!
But, I TOTALLY AGREE with Susantha Wijesinghe: The PENALTY for RAGGING should be SUMMARY DISMISSAL.
The OPPORTUNITY to Enter University and gain a FREE education is too valuable a privilege to WASTE.
Students in SL STRUGGLE NOW HARDER THAN EVER BEFORE against SEVERE COMPETITION to GAIN ADMISSION TO A UNIVERSITY, and that EFFORT should be PROTECTED & REWARDED by GUARANTEEING them a SAFE place to achieve their educational dreams!
For me, the opportunity I received to study Engineering at the Engineering Faculty at Peradeniya was easily the MOST VALUABLE GIFT IN MY LIFE that enabled every subsequent success I have had.
Being a HARD HEADED person even then, I was not going to let RAGGING deny me that CHANCE.
I attracted more than my fair share of RAGGING because the Colombo School I came from, and … horrors … because my sisters and mother accompanied me to the dorm on the first day. That was a BAD STUPID mistake for it helped the seniors target me for special attention! But, I gritted my teeth and went through it knowing that it will not kill me … can’t be worse that cadeting and having challenge fights after school every Wednesday … can it?? In fact, as a result of that ragging I got to be friends with many of the seniors in other study disciplines that without that ragging, I would NEVER HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW. On the whole, I view the EXPERIENCE as FORMATIVE & CHARACTER BUILDING … shall we say? (LOL!)
But, we are all different in our emotional make up; some students are more sensitive than others and more fearful, and they respond differently to psychological torture, which is what it was mainly. Some of my classmates who could afford to do so, especially those with relative in nearby areas, dodged the whole thing by lodging outside the campus during that time. But all of us could not afford to do that. We submitted like sheep to slaughter!
RAGGING & POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS ON CAMPUS MUST BE BANNED, SEVERELY PUNISHED and ERADICATED TOTALLY so our young people can get on with their education in PEACE & SECURITY.
The MOTTO of Royal College should be APPLIED HERE: Disce’ Aut Discede’ … LEARN or DEPART!
May 11th, 2016 at 9:13 am
The sad part is that the freshman if this year become seniors next year and they do the same ting to that years freshmen. It is a never ending cycle. Ragging has been practiced as far as I remember without so much perversion.
May 11th, 2016 at 10:13 am
D.B. !! When ragging is now complete with so much Perversion and Sadism, it has to be stopped in its tracts.
Ananda !! I was in Kandy for a long time. I used to visit Mrs Ram Aluvihare, Bungalow just adjacent to the Jayatilleke Hall, and also my Uncle, The Late Carl Gunawardene, Professor of History, living next to the USO. I knew the whole crowd in USO. Later Carl Uncle was in another Bungalow. Aunt now lives in Maharagama.
SOMEONE IN SRI LANKA SHOULD POST THIS TO THE PRIME MINISTER.
May 11th, 2016 at 3:52 pm
Susantha,
Ananda has have learnt to play the game. !
I was a bit fortunate in facing ragging. I chose to stay in Colombo (katubedda campus)for economic reasons ( I had some tut ion income to support my family).
As day students, as I learned, we were not subjected to the same ‘wake up at night’ type ragging, but wee too were given some severe exercises and abusing in filth which I never had experienced. I was a weakling with a weight of less than 50 kg. They forced us to wear white and the only one trouser I had was tight. Possibly because of this, one day I got a severe unbearable pain in the lower part of the abdomen. Somehow I escaped and left the campus.
While I was changing bus at Mt.Lavinia, the worst senior thug ( he was actually a thug in Moratuwa feared by people, later I heard) came in to sit in the same bus and saw me ! He started abusing me in filth and as I was in pain, real anger hit me and somehow I told him “don’t try to rag me outside campus” with my worst angry face and very firm voice. To my surprise this final year “THUG” somehow got scared. He said ” බලමු. උඹ වරෙන් කො කැම්පස් එහෙනම්.” but I read he got scare as no one possibly talked to him like that before. Thereafter I was not scared anymore and ready to face any kind of ragging. I saw him may times but he did not even look at me ! Later there was a serious incident in the campus and police came to catch him once.
I agree with you and Ananda severe punishment is the way. Same thing shall apply to politicians who rob the country.
May 11th, 2016 at 3:56 pm
Excuse the double typing ‘has and have’ together.
May 11th, 2016 at 4:08 pm
DHAM !! FILTH is not compatible with decency, and it is the FILTH they learn from their Mothers and Fathers that is emulated in the Campus. Filth then leads to criminality, and extremely perverse, Sadism, which the Male and Female students are subjected to. There is no half way to solve ragging. KICK THE IMBECILES OUT OF THE PLACE OF LEARNING. As Ananda has quoted the Royal College Motto;-LEARN OR DEPART….. There can be NO rowdyism in the HALLS OF LEARNING.
May 11th, 2016 at 4:20 pm
Roayalists have to learn to play the game. We the “peeditha panthiya” are part of the game.
May 12th, 2016 at 5:35 am
ANANDA !!! DHAM !!!!
WHETHER RAGGING IS DONE IN A UNIVERSITY, TEMPLE, CHURCH, KOVIL, IN A SCHOOL OR ON THE STREET, IT IS A CRIMINAL ACT. THE GOVERNMENT OR THE UNIVERSITY DONS HAVE FAILED TO REALIZE THIS. THEY HAVE FAILED TO MAKE A FORMIDABLE DETERRENT, BY PLACING **SUMMARY DISMISSAL** AS THE ONLY TOOL AVAILABLE TO STOP IT DEAD ON ITS TRACTS. ** WHY WAI TILL THE LIGHTS OF ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL STUDENT IS SWITCHED OFF. DO THEY THINK THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE QUITE SAFE, WHILE THE OTHERS CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO SADISM WITHOUT MERCY.?? HOPE THE BIG HEAD, NO NECK, BIG FAT STOMACH, FREE LOADERS REALIZE THIS SOON, AND ACT RIGHT NOW. NOT LATER.
There is no ”peeditha panthiya now. That was in NMs era. Please wake up.
May 12th, 2016 at 2:04 pm
Susantha,
“Peeditha Panthiya” is bigger now. “Dhanapathi Panthiya” now includes all politicians “Paalaka Panthiya”. Whilst “Peeditha Panthiye” people struggling in jam packed busses moving at snail pace, they can see “Paalaka Panthiye” thieves, after stealing their money, zipping pass them in 5-10 cars per person carrying their 20-50 “security panthiya”.
May 12th, 2016 at 3:21 pm
Dham Sahodaraya,
Ayioo … apita nan Panthi Behedeyen aduwak naha neda? JVP-karayo Panthi haddanna harima dakshai!
Mama bus-ekay yana kota, matath 50 denek vithara puravasi security-karayo kandayamak nomilay labenawa!
Kisi-bayak nathiwa mata yanna puluwan visala bus-ekaka habai bohoma hemin.
Superhighway-ekak thibunanan eeta wada veygayen yanna puluean wei .. neda?
Mokoda kiyanne, Dham sahodaraya?
May 14th, 2016 at 8:30 pm
Let us keep our finders crossed and hope that this Govt response will be IMPLEMENTED & SUSTAINED in the future.
…………………….
Sri Lankan government to strictly enforce law against ragging
Sat, May 14, 2016, 11:19 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
May 14, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government will strictly enforce the law banning the ragging in state’s higher education institutions, Leader of the House and Minister of Higher Education and Highways Lakshman Kiriella said.
Although the law banning the inhumane practice of ragging has been passed in the parliament ragging still continues in Sri Lanka universities as the law is not strictly enforced, the Higher Education Minister said.
“Ragging is prohibited through a bill in Parliament. The Parliament has passed a set of laws that allow students who engage in ragging to be punished. But what has happened is that the law is not operational,” the Minister has said in a statement.
Sri Lanka parliament in 1998 passed the “Prohibition of Ragging and other forms of violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998” banning the practice and clearly specifying the punishment including prison terms for violators.
“As a government, we will enforce the law accordingly. This is good governance; it was in the past that the law wasn’t operational. During the previous regime journalists were killed, media organizations were set ablaze, people were kidnapped, the Chief Justice was removed, etc. That was a time where injustice ruled, but as a good governing regime we will enforce the law accordingly,” he has said.
Minister Kiriella said authorities will take action according to the law against university ragging.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan universities have also decided to fully implement the Charter signed by the Commonwealth University Union and the University Grants Commission to eliminate ragging and violence against women and to take stern action against ragging from the 12th of this month after a freshman female student of Kelaniya University was assaulted by a group of senior students during ragging.
Vice Chancellor of the Kelaniya University, Professor Sunanda Madduma Bandara said last week under the Universities act, the offenders can be sentenced to two to five years in prison.
May 14th, 2016 at 8:47 pm
Ananadaya,
සිංහලෙන් ලියපං බං. කියවන්න අමාරුයි.
මගේ පවුල (වයස 45 ක් ඒ දවස් වල) ටිකක් ඇහැට කනට පෙනෙන කෙනෙක්. ඔය සිකියුරිටි කාරයෝ 50-60 එක්ක බසයේ ගිහිං එකෙක් ජැක් ගහන්න ආවාලු. එයා මූට බැනවැදි ලා එවිටම හොඳ සිංහල කොල්ලෙක් මූව ඇදලා අරං කන පැලෙන්න ගහලා. (මම හිටියේ නැහැ). මට දූ ලා 3ක් එක්ක උඹේ බසයේ යන්න බැහැ. තනියම යනවිට යනවා. සිංහලයින් ගේ හැදියාව නිසා. රැග් එක වගේම තමයි ගැහැනුන්ට ගරුකරන්න සිංහලයාට අලුතෙන් උගන්වන්න වෙලා.
May 14th, 2016 at 8:55 pm
Ananda,
Please consider myself a ‘born again’ viplavakaraya. I have never like JVPers until your big brother left me with no choice.