Curbing the Menace of Ragging

With the blessings of:

Guruji H.H. Ramakrishnanda Saraswathi Swamiji Vedaravishangar

First Draft Created By:

Lt Col Prashant Mishra (Retd)
Dated: 30th Sep 23

Section 1 : Introduction
Moral values serve as deterrent for bad conduct. They help creating a moral response to any action which is
contrary to inner truth, something we call Conscience. They manifest themselves in a sense of uneasiness and
deep grief every time we do wrong. They continuously monitor our behavior in day-to-day activity and help us
to be a man or a woman of courage. This is what we call ethics, the practice of doing what we ‘ought to do’.
But moral values become effective only after the supporting self-regulatory mechanisms have been activated.
Sometimes many different social and psychological processes prevent the activation of these regulatory self-
sanctions which allows for a wide range of behavior, including promotion of inhumane conduct. Ragging in
colleges/ institutions/ organisations is one such behavior that grows out of corrupted moral values.
Ragging is an immoral act. It exerts pressure on newcomers, through unethical, unlawful and inhuman
activities. Rather than being a means of familiarizing with freshers, ragging sessions often cross all barriers of
human decency and degenerate into gruesome incidents. They have negative repercussions on the victims
pushing them into feeling low self-esteem, depression, anxiety and frustration at being helpless in defending
oneself. This not only affects the academic performance but also the daily life of the student.
The excuse that ragging is a harmless interaction of senior with juniors is not tenable. Though institutions have
enacted guidelines and taken strict actions against the culprits, the demon of ragging still continues to make
rounds across the campus. How do we control it?
Section 2 : Ragging and Its Manifestations

Ragging and Murder of Pon Naavarasu – The Case that Started it All
17 years old Pon Naavarasu was a very bright young man. He had excellent tastes, a brilliant mind, lofty ideas
and admirable human qualities. He was a creative painter and a good cricketer. He loved Nature, despised
falsehood, abhorred crime, but did not hold slightest hatred against criminals out of love for humanity.
Amiable, unassuming by temperament he had no reasons to be hated by someone. He had all the potentials
to shine forth as a distinguished medical researcher and make an indelible mark in life by his contributions.
On Deepavali day, 10th Nov 1996, his parents were worried as he had not yet reached home for celebrations.
Little did they know that the 1st year Medical student of the Raja Muthiah Medical College, Chidambaram, Tamil
Nadu, had been brutally murdered during a ragging incident on 6th Nov 1996. Prof P. K. Ponnusamy, who was
at that time Vice Chancellor of the Madras University, filed a police complaint on the same day, 10th Nov 1996.
A 3rd year Medical student John David later confessed to the killing. Naavarasu had refused to submit to a
humiliating demand, in the name of ragging, to lick the soles of his chappals. The 19-year old senior student
used his karate skills to fatally attack Naavarasu. He then dismembered his body, cut it into pieces with surgical
instruments and dispensed with them in different parts of the state…" as reported in the FRONTLINE on 13th
Dec 1996. The judge described the offence as "hair-raising, extremely brutal and diabolic”.
David's college mates testified that David had a reputation for being a bully and humiliating fresher. The
gruesome nature of the murder caused a public outcry and the Tamil Nadu government passed an anti-ragging
ordinance criminalising ragging. Later this ordinance was formalised as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging
Act, 1997. Thus Tamil Nadu became the first state in India to ban ragging in educational institutions and
criminalise the act.
In his son’s memory, Prof PK Ponnuswamy established the Pon Naavarasu Trust. The prime objective of the
trust is to bring about a change of heart and foster a humane disposition of the mind with a hope that in the
long run such values will percolate and create a movement turning the young people in positive directions. The
trust runs educational institutions, motivating students towards an inner culture by strengthening a sense of
fellowship among them. The endeavor is to help shape a generation of fine citizens who will be conscious of
their role in enriching society and life. The trust takes up projects that assist aspiring youths to enrich their lives
through appropriate application of Science and Technology coupled with the inculcation of cultural, ethical
and moral values. It is guided and supervised by a group of illustrious persons from different walks of life. i

Ragging Definition and Rules - as per Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and UGC
Aman Kachroo, a first-year student of the Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital in Tanda, in Himachal
Pradesh’s Kangra district, died in Mar 2009 after being severely beaten by inebriated seniors in his college. An
autopsy revealed that the 19-year-old died of a brain hemorrhage. The case resulted in a judgement given by
the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, 8th May 2009, elaborating upon a number of anti-ragging measures
recommended by the Raghavan Committee to be implemented immediately.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement directed the UGC to formulate regulations for curbing ragging. The UGC
published extensive regulations on 17th Jun 2009, subsequently followed by three amendments in 2012, 2013
and 2016. The regulation defines ragging as one or more of any of the following acts:
a. any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has
the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness a fresher or any other student;
b. indulging in rowdy or indisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to
cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof
in any fresher or any other student;
c. asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which has
the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame, or torment or embarrassment so as to adversely
affect the physique or psyche of such fresher or any other student;
d. any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any
 other student or a fresher;
e. exploiting the services of a fresher or any other student for completing the academic tasks assigned to
an individual or a group of students.
f. any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student by
students;
g. any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping,
forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person;
h. any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, post, public insults which would also include deriving
perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the
discomfiture to fresher or any other student;
i. any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or
without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by a
student over any fresher or any other student;
j. any act of physical or mental abuse (including bullying and exclusion) targeted at another student
(fresher or otherwise) on the ground of colour, race, religion, caste, ethnicity, gender (including
transgender), sexual orientation, appearance, nationality, regional origins, linguistic identity, place of
birth, place of residence or economic background.
The regulations further detail out the anti-ragging measures to be taken to “prohibit, prevent and eliminate”
ragging. On 24th May 2023, compact list of preventive mechanisms was issued which included:
• Baslc Measures:
o Constitution of anti-ragging committee, anti-ragging squad, setting up of Anti-Ragging Cell and
adequate publicity for these measures through various media are to be undertaken.
o Mention of anti-ragging warning in the institution's prospectus and information booklets
/brochures shall be ensured.
o To create E-admission booklet or brochure, E-leaflets giving details on guidance in case of
ragging to admitted students instead of print/hard copy of your institutions.
o Updating websites of institutions with the complete address and contact details of nodal
officers related to anti-ragging committee.
o In compliance with the UGC Regulations and its 2nd Amendment regarding submission of
undertaking by each student and every parent, an online undertaking in every academic year
to be submitted.
o Installing CCTV cameras at vital points.
• Counseling and monitoring measures
o Regular interaction and counseling with the students can detect early signs of ragging and
identification of trouble-triggers.
o Surprise inspection at hostels, students accommodation, canteens, rest-cum-recreation rooms,
toilets, bus-stands and any other measure which would augur well in preventing/quelling
ragging and any uncalled for behavior/ incident shall be undertaken.
• Creative Dissemination of the idea of ragging-free campus
o Events like Anti-Ragging workshops, seminars and other creative avenues to spread the idea.
o Safety and security apps without affecting the privacy of individuals can be creatively deployed.

UGC Funded Study on Impact of Ragging

On 1st Dec 2015, JNU submitted a report on “Psychosocial Study of Ragging in Selected Educational Institutions
in India”. The study was funded by UGC. It brings out the following aspects:
 • Ragging is a disturbing reality in the higher education system of our country. Despite the fact that over
the years ragging has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and has ruined careers of thousands of bright
students, the practice is still perceived by many as a way of ‘familiarization’ and an ‘initiation into the
real world’ for young college- going students.
• By rough estimates, from reports in English media alone, there are more than 10 deaths, 40-50 cases
of serious injuries leading to hospitalization, several cases of rioting in colleges due to ragging every
year. Given the extent of denial and subterfuge, this figure is just the tip of an iceberg.
• Despite the Government’s ban on ragging since the late 1970s and three subsequent interventions by
the Supreme Court (1999, 2006 & 2009) which resulted in UGC Regulations being published in Gazette
of India, it is still found that a significant section of stakeholders continue to support ragging. They
justify it by stating that ragging is a rite of passage that helps young people to grow up and prepare for
the harsh world outside.
• Disturbingly, people in positions of responsibility to understand and implement anti-ragging policy and
guidelines are often ambivalent in their beliefs, and therefore, approach.
• Although it has been more than three decades since we recognized ragging to be an entrenched
problem causing profound damage in our institutions of higher learning and have been looking for
viable solutions through this time, it continues to make news at worryingly regular intervals. It makes
one question our understanding of this phenomenon, particularly in the context of the deeper
psychological and sociological determinants that eventually manifest as ragging behaviors.
The study derived a lot of data from an NGO, Coalition to Uproot Ragging from Education (CURE). CURE was
started by two students in 2001, evolving from a Discussion group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/noragging
and a website, www.noragging.allhere.com. However, post 2007, the site has gone offline and data is only
available on internet archives page.ii At the time of this study, the NGO CURE was still active.
As per the study, the reported incidents of ragging between 2001 and 2013 have been as follows:
Year Nos Deaths Attempted Suicides
• 2007 93 10 5
• 2008 62 8 4
• 2009 163 17 3
• 2010 118 12 9
• 2011 129 9 2
• 2012 93 7 7
• 2013 (upto Sep) 59 8 0
During this period, there were 199 cases of ragging that led to major and minor injuries to students, including
81 incidents leading to hospitalization and causing permanent disability. A total of 128 cases reportedly
involved sexual abuse of freshers. Furthermore, 129 cases of ragging led to serious group clashes, protests,
strikes and violence between students. Drugs and alcohol abuse, and forced smoking was noted in 35 cases
while 25 cases involved caste, region or religion as determining factors. iii
Based on the data from the study, Indian Express reported in Jan 2016, “While close to 40 per cent students in
colleges across India faced some kind of ragging, only 8.6 per cent reported the incidents, a study funded by
University Grants Commission (UGC) on the directions of Supreme Court has found out.” While many colleges
teaching general degree courses may remain unaffected by ragging, many of the colleges/ institutions/
organisations appear to be badly affected.iv

Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE)

Gaurav Singhal, Vice-President of the Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE), an anti-ragging non-profit
led by alumni of various IITs, lawyers, engineers and other professionals, says, “Victims are afraid to complain
against seniors as they have to live in the same college premises and hostels over the next few years. There is
no way to provide protection to victims.”
In their response to application under the Right to Information (RTI) act seeking details on the number of phone
calls received by the Anti-Ragging cell, following data was revealed:-
• 2013 (3 months) - Phone calls made : 1,65,297, complaints formally registered : 190
• Jan 2014 to Jan 2016 - Phone Calls made : 13,49,437, complaints formally registered : 770
• This shows the extremely low reporting ratio.v
As per information on the SAVE website, total of 511 complaints of ragging or hazing were reported from across
the country’s colleges in 2021, compared to 219 in 2020, according to the University Grants Commission’s anti-
ragging cell. These were lower than in previous years only on account of the closure of colleges during the
pandemic. (Reported cases in 2019 and 2018 numbered 1,070 and 1,016 respectively.) vi
SAVE website give some short incidents of ragging faced by famous personalities as follows: -
• Sundar Pichai, Google CEO
o Sundar Pichai, Google CEO was subjected to “jump on a table and do something absurdly self-
deprecating or lean out of a balcony and hurl… epithets (at a senior’s bidding) at some
unsuspecting passer-by” at IIT Kharagpur.vii
• Arindam Chaudhary, Management Guru
o The management guru Arindam Chaudhary writes about his IIT Delhi friends “Well, their first
months in IIT were traumatic to say the least. They would cry in front of me. They couldn’t take in
the humiliation of ragging. The humiliation of being stripped totally naked and being made to run
around the IIT Delhi campus… The engineering and medical colleges of India are the havens of the
worst possible ragging in this country.” viii
• Prakash Rajpurohit, IIT & IAS topper
o Prakash Rajpurohit, ranked 4th in IIT-JEE 2003 and later IAS second topper, ran away from IIT Delhi
hostel hitting the headlines. In his complaint lodged with the police, Rajpurohit had said students
were asked among other things to enact a honeymoon scene, strip and consume alcohol. [9]
• Suresh Raina, Cricketer
o The ace cricketer Suresh Raina candidly reveals a ragging past in many interviews to the media. He
says, “I remember in the college hostel (Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow) in the first
year. The seniors used to beat me heavily. There used to be a lot of ragging. I’ve washed so many
clothes I don’t even remember. “ixxxi In another interview, Suresh Raina’s brother Dinesh Raina
reveals, “Suresh’s cricketing career could have ended within six months of his joining the Sports
College… shaken by the experience, the young boy became withdrawn…. He was so shocked and
nervous that he never wanted to go back to the (sports) college. He stayed at home for nearly six
months, but I finally talked him out of it. I spoke to his coaches in Lucknow and only after getting
complete assurance did I take Suresh back to the college.”xii Had it not been for his elder brother
Dinesh, Suresh Raina would have returned to his home in Muradnagar and a promising cricketing
career would have been nipped in the bud, due to ragging. The event marks the beginning of a
lasting partnership with the participating institutions – management, teachers and esp. students
in their journeys to make ‘ragging-free’ campuses.
• Anurag Kashyap, Writer-Producer-Director
o The Bollywood writer-producer-director was the youngest in his class at the Scindia School,
Gwalior. He was often at the receiving end of severe ragging. He would run and hide in the school
library. Sexually abused and bullied as a child, he brooded over his anguish – for years. Kashyap
says,“Sexual abuse is common in schools, especially residential ones… Then, I was deeply affected
by it” adding,“As a direct effect [of the abuse in school], I built muscle in college, started playing
sports, and would often be seen with a hockey stick in hand. I would get out of the oppressive
college cliques, forming my own parallel world, all the while protecting those who weren’t strong
enough,” he says.xiiixivxv An example how brutal, sexual ragging distorts the minds of young.
• Sujit Saraf, Film-maker
o Sujit Saraf, a California-based filmmaker and playwright studied at the IIT-Delhi between 1987 and
’92. He reveals “we crawled on all fours and barked like dogs; we brought cigarettes and Campa
Cola for our seniors; we cleaned their rooms; we dropped our trousers so they could measure our
penises; we formed human trains — each car holding the penis of the car in front — and whistled
our way through hostel corridors; we simulated orgies; stripped naked” xvi
• Imtiaz Ali, Film-maker
o Noted film-maker Imtiaz Ali has a similar experience, “In college, a lot of guys had stripped me
naked during the ragging… At that time it was terrible….Craziest thing I’ve ever done – we’ve all
walked naked…in those days … it was part of mass ragging that everyone had to do” xvii
• Manish Gupta, Director
o “I was a day-boarder in an engineering college in Bandra and my friends who stayed in the hostels
were forced into sodomy with other boys as part of a ragging ritual.”xviii
• Aditya Datt, Director
o “My cousin who had gone to pursue studies abroad had become a victim of bullying. He was made
to pull down his pants and was molested by his seniors….” xix
• Amitabh Bachchan, Actor:
o The legendary Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan in a media appearance said, “Ragging has
happened with me too. I passed out my college in the 60s, and at that time also, ragging was
existent in colleges, sometimes worse… I really can’t tell you guys what kind of ragging I have been
through. Please don’t ask me.”xx
• Arjun Rampal, Actor
o Another Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal reveals that in the summer of 1990 he walked into his
college and had mistakenly asked a senior to carry his luggage into the hostel. The actor was
subsequently ragged for a long time and vowed never to rag his juniors in turn. Rampal is
admittedly very much against ragging.xxixxiixxiii
• Rahul Dev, Actor
o “I did my engineering from Bangalore and stayed in a hostel there. Though the seniors with their
presence sparked off fear telling us to jump around holding our crotches, we challenged them and
did not give in to their unreasonable demands. But I can’t describe the tension that we went
through at that time”.xxiv
• Shakti Kapoor, Actor
o Shakti Kapoor, a Kirori Mal College (Delhi) alumnus, didn’t attend college for 10 days after a few
seniors tried to rag him. “I studied in KMC, the same college where Amitabh Bachchan studied.
Ragging was common then. I remember a group of … seniors tried to rag me. They took me to the
hostel and wanted to do something weird with me. They asked me to pull my pants down and go
around the college. But I escaped,” he recalled. xxv Another example how sexual ragging has been
prevalent in Indian colleges even in 1960s.
• Sona Mohapatra, Singer
o “I was horribly ragged in my engineering college in Odisha. Ragging is deplorable, and must be
banned. Be it physical, mental, minor or major, ragging is a very perverted show of power, conrol
and humiliation, and not way of get in anyone to join a community and blend into it. There are
more interesting ways of doing that.”xxvi

A Ragger’s Justification
When questioned, the justifications given by senior students in favor of ragging are:
 • It is a tradition and essential part of student community culture.
• Juniors would not respect them or be scared of them unless they are ragged.
• It is nothing more than purely for fun and entertainment. Singing, dancing, mimicry, playing the fool,
are all very trivial things that juniors would never mind to perform.
• Since they have been ragged in the past, it is their traditional right to rag others.
• It helps the freshers to become friends with them, which enables seniors to help their juniors in studies,
placements and other extra-curricular activities.
Way too much ragging goes on under the claim that it is “mild”, but clinical psychologist Shobna Sonpar, who
counselled ragging victims at IIT Delhi for 13 years, says that the idea of ragging is that it has to hurt. She
remembers one student telling her that the “fresher has to be stretched like a rubber band until he breaks”.
“Mild ragging” is clearly an oxymoron and the practice should be met with a zero-tolerance approach if the
severe cases have to be stopped.xxvii
“Mild” ragging plays a vital role in the subjunctivization of the perpetrator and the victim and sustain the
practice as a normal, acceptable, and invisible form of abuse. Most of the times, it starts with joking, teasing,
asking the ragged to sing songs, act various scenes etc., to severe levels leading to sexual abuse and physical
abuse. The distinction between “Mild” and “Hard” physical or brutal ragging is blurred in absence of
measurement techniques.
Howsoever trivial or “Mild” form it takes, ragging exerts physical and psychological pressure on the victim. Those
who are brave enough to come forward and take up the issue legally, are targeted later because of pressures
from various fronts. They get segregated from fellow students and the senior group.
For those who are ready to compromise with their dignity and the ragging experience is not very dreadful, their
self-confidence deteriorates, resulting in lack of attention to studies and a loss of career. Such affected students
resort to various “escape” mechanisms (like drugs etc) or in extreme cases end their life, feeling that it is the
only option to get rid of the scar. The physical and psychological trauma extends to the victim’s whole family
and they too suffer the burden of ragging.
Looking at the gruesome outcomes raggers cannot justify their acts.
Section 3 : Understanding the Root Cause

The Miligram Experiment and it’s Linkage to Raggers’ Mentality

The ragging mentality was evident during Milgram experiment. Milgram experiment on “obedience to authority”
were a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram in
1961. They measured the willingness of “subjects”, 40 men in the age range of 20 to 50 from a diverse types of
occupations with varying levels of education, to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts
conflicting with their personal conscience.
The "subjects" were told that they were taking part in "a scientific study of memory and learning", to see the
effect of punishment on a "learner's" ability to memorize content. The "subjects" had to read a list of word pairs
to the "learner", who was expected to memorize the pairs. Then the "subject" would read only the first word of
each pair and give four possible choices. If the answer by the "learner" was incorrect, the "subject" had to
administer a shock to the learner, with the voltage increasing in 15-volt increments for each wrong answer. If
correct, the "subject" would read the next word pair. The volts ranged from 15 to 450. The shock generator
included verbal markings that varied from "Slight Shock" to "Danger: Severe Shock." The electric shocks were
actually fake, but a tape recorder was played to make the "subject" believe that the "learner" was actually
feeling the pain of the shock and making audible protests. As the shock voltage increased the levels of screams
and banging on the walls of the room/ floor also increased, all of course recorded sounds.
The "subject" was supervised by an "administrator" who was the part of the experimentation team. Every time
the "subject" expressed uneasiness in delivering the shock, the "administrator" assured them that there was no
problem and they should continue the "test".
Milgram summarized his experiment in 1974 article "The Perils of Obedience", writing: The extreme willingness
of adults to go to almost any lengths on the command of an authority constitutes the chief finding of the study.
Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents
in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently
clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively
few people have the resources needed to resist authority.
The ragger also starts as a “subject” under the supervision of the “administrator”, who actually is the “thought
leader” of the ragger’s group.

The Stockholm Syndrome and it’s Linkage to Raggers’ Mentality

Stockholm syndrome is also closely related to the phenomenon of ragging. In August 1973, two bank robbers,
in Stockholm held 3 women and a man hostage for a period of 6 days. In those 6 days the hostages developed
emotional bonds with their captors and exhibited shocking attitude. They not only resisted the attempt made
by the police to rescue them but one of the woman hostages later got engaged to one of the kidnappers and
another arranged fund for the legal defense of the kidnappers. This incident baffled many across the world.
According to evolutionary psychology, capture-bonding, or social reorientation after capture, is an essential
survival feature. The captives who reorient survive, and those who did not form social bonds with captors were
killed. Psychologists say that anyone can become a victim of Stockholm Syndrome if the certain conditions are
met:
(i) Perceived threat to survival
(ii) Captive's perception of small kindnesses from the captor
(iii) Isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor
(iv) Perceived inability to escape
People who have worked on Stockholm syndrome agree that it helps in establishing emotional bonds termed
as 'traumatic bonding' and “manipulative behavior”. It is a similar psychology that helps in establishing bonds
between students during ragging. The bonding helps justification of use of destructive methods by the raggers
even at the cost of other’s liberty, dignity and personality.
The Stockholm syndrome explains why a victim is eager to bond with his tormentor after becoming a legit group
member. This results in the group growing up and the mindset spreading like cancer. As the group grows, it
stacks up history and traditions. As a result, there is no rebellion from peers on the ragging activity, enforcing
an attitude of passive acceptance among newcomers. Milgram's research reminds us how eager to obey
humans can be.
This “thought leader” is aware of the individuals’ need to belong to groups and that in order to integrate with
the desired group they would let themselves be ragged as a proof of their commitment or a will for an entry
ritual. After some time, members become veterans and start playing an active role in the group thereby hiding
the actual “thought leader”. However subtle it is, the authority of the “thought leader” remains irrefutable.

Moral Decadence – In General

The state of failing moral health has manifested itself in various forms, one of them being the act of ragging.
Schools/ Colleges/ Institutions/ Organisations have tried to control ragging incidents by constructing rules and
codes of ethical conduct. These rules and codes are mere guidelines and provide the basic framework for do’s
and don’ts to obviate misuse of power, authority and privileges. The legal-managerial approach being adopted
by the government and higher education authorities to grapple with the issue of ragging in the past several
decades has not achieved expected results. The complex nature of the malady makes reaching the root cause
or prime suspect difficult.
Despite all laws, guidelines and strict measures by colleges/ institutions, the pillars that support the concept of
ragging are still intact. Forbidding ragging does not appear effective, mostly because it finds ways to remain
hidden and thus become more difficult to be detected. The more the curbs, the greater is the group cohesion,
even if it is on a symbolical level.
Students have the tendency to take inspiration from their direct environment, which can be their peers, parents,
friends, hostel mates etc. The fact that students tend to use alcohol and violence during ragging is a symptom
of our societies, and could invite us to rethink our values and educational habits. xxviii
One of the impediments to checking ragging remains the academic community’s tacit support to the practice
in the name of college tradition and, at the same time, its compulsion to cover up serious cases lest the
institutional reputation suffer. When institutions do take action, however, the parents of delinquent seniors are
up in arms. In Sep 2012, BITS Pilani’s Dubai campus suspended 12 students on charges of ragging. One student
was later expelled; his family told newspapers that they were planning to go to court against the decision.
Should they do so, the judges would have a precedent from Kerala to go by. In 2001, the Principal of
Trivandrum’s College of Engineering had suspended five students for physically assaulting a fresher. The
students went up to the Kerala High Court, which upheld the decision. xxix
Section 4 : Where do we go from Here

Epigenetics and Morality

A strong foundation of firmly rooted ethical system takes multiple years to build and mature. It creates a moral
compass that helps differentiate right from the wrong. A part of that moral compass is genetically engineered
and rest of it is shaped over time by different forces at work, like compassion, sense of justice and empathy. It
gets sharpened through repeated exposure to real life moral dilemmas and making series of right moral choices
over time. A bad primary moral decision spring loads the moral trap, resulting in an increased potential for
personality decadence.
Effective neural proliferation requires two key ingredients – a healthy genetic pool and an enriched
environment. Both are vital to facilitate the development of a healthy brain that has the capacity to survive,
problem solve, excel, establish interactions, and flourish. Traditionally, genetics and the environment were seen
as unrelated, in line with the Darwinian theory of natural selection, what has been called “survival of the fittest”.
Building on this analogy, ragging can be thought of as a form of natural selection where the weak will perish
and the fittest survive. This process ensures a stronger genetic make-up that will enhance the superiority of the
species.
In 1809, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck suggested another theory whereby an organism acquires certain traits by
adapting to the environment and the offspring subsequently inherits these traits. This theory is commonly seen
as the birth of the study of epigenetics – the interdependent link between genetics and the environment. In his
introduction to the study of epigenetics, Adrian Bird describes this process as: “The structural adaptation of
chromosomal regions so as to register, signal or perpetuate altered activity states”.
Science of epigenetics conclusively proves that repeated experiences, ancestral cultural/ traditional practices
and the environment alters gene expression. This is a big advancement of our understanding of factors
impacting human nature and behavior. For example, the serotonin transporter gene has two variants – a
shorter (S) allele and a longer (L) allele. The (S) allele has less transcriptional efficiency and the (L) allele more
effective transcriptional efficiency. The epigenetic factors can enhance or reduce the production of “S” or “L”
type allele. FMRI studies indicate that the (S) allele is associated with enhanced amygdala activation due to
environmental danger. The (S) carrier also picks up/ learns fear quicker and retains fear for longer, and is
therefore less likely to be extinct from the pre-frontal regions of the brain. On the other hand, people with the
(L) variant have a stronger tendency to activate selective avoidance to threat. This response – which may also
be attributed to more effective cortical connectivity – has been dubbed the “look at the bright side of life
approach”.
Research on environmental stressors, such as parental abuse, prenatal maternal stress, or mental trauma in
general has incorporated epigenetic data to investigate the hypothesis that stressors affect the molecular
configuration on and around the DNA, thereby influencing its functionality, with potential downstream effects
on mental health. Increased interest in subject has expanded the research for differentially methylated sites
identifying candidate genes firmly implicated in neurotransmitter and hormonal functions that enable
establishment of potentially novel biological and neural pathways.xxx
The behavior and habits that get formed due to changes in gene expression as part of the epigenetics process
get embedded as semi-permanent neural memories. From an epigenetic perspective, “ragging mentality” can
be controlled to a large extent by enhancing certain neural developments or inhibiting other neural
mechanisms. Epigenetics can play a positive role in evolving and activating the “moral compass” by promoting
compassion, empathy and spiritualism.

Rejuvenating our Curriculum

Reforms are never anticipatory; they are always a reaction against existing circumstances. It is an uphill task
for vast and modern Institutions/ Organisations to correct themselves before plunging into near disaster.
However, a corrective action taken in time can save the day. Educational Institutions and Organisations need
to continuously re-discover a new sense of community, a sense of the ‘Dharma’, required to build an invincible
moral code and an adequately evolved value system.
 There is a serious concern of what we have become and what we will undoubtedly remain unless the right
solution is implemented.
From time immemorial we have always sought solutions to our problems from our spiritual base, which was
ever in tune with truth, ever in line with human evolution and ever congenial for the welfare of the community.
We have to regenerate such a spiritual awareness in the schools/ colleges/ institutions/ organisations to address
the present-day vicissitudes.
A multitude of ‘Yoga’ techniques and exercises promise amazing results in ensuring a sound moral development
– scientific proof of which is available through multitude of researches done in epigenetics. ‘Yoga’ recognizes
that much of our moral and ethical constitution is conditioned by forces deep below the conscious levels of our
mind. In Sanskrit these forces are called ‘Samskaras’, which means a conditioned, automatic way of thinking
and responding to the events around us. It is possible, through the practice of meditation and the other
disciplines of yoga like ‘Pranayama’, to re-awaken the moral sense and strengthen our will at such deep levels
of the subconscious that no compulsion or addiction can sweep us away. xxxi

i
http://www.ponnaavarasutrust.org/index.htm

ii
http://noragging.com/index.php/CURE/About/About-CURE.html

iii
https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/7661310_Psychosocial-Study-of-Ragging.pdf

iv
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/40-are-ragged-less-than-9-speak-out-ugc-fundedstudy/

v
https://no2ragging.org/ragging-status-in-india/

vi
https://article-14.com/post/sleep-deprivation-slapping-miming-sexual-acts-inside-the-murky-world-of-ragging-in-indian-colleges-
6321389fe534f

vii
http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internet/when-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-was-ragged-by-seniors-at-iit-
kharagpur/48527504)‘”

viii
http://www.businessandeconomy.org/09122010/editordesk.asp?sid=5805&pageno=2)“

ix
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-would-never-date-an-actor-
SureshRaina/articleshow/12381805.cms?)”

x
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-24/newsinterviews/31230637_1_cricketer-suresh-raina-dream-girl-talks

xi
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-would-never-datean-actor-Suresh-
Raina/articleshow/12381805.cms

xii
http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/kid-off-the-blocks/story-CAdQjnlXZnGwKGPFZaoISL.html)”

xiii
http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/anurag-kashyap-the-godfather/storySW0CUzKTN8ElmqC7WKjPxL.html)‘”

xiv
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Brunch/Brunch-Stories/Anurag-Kashyapthe-Godfather/Article1-1087684.aspx

xv
http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/anurag-kashyap-the-godfather/story-SW0CUzKTN8ElmqC7WKjPxL.html

xvi
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main20.asp?filename=hub101406personalhistories.asp)’”

xvii
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-11/delhi/29758414_1_hostel-hindu-college-college-days)“

xviii
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/parenting/Just-stop-this-ragging/articleshow/17901007.cms

xix
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/parenting/Just-stop-this-ragging/articleshow/17901007.cms

xx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSGZ02ef45Q.youtube.com/watch
xxi
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/When-ArjunRampal-was-in-
DU/articleshow/7082892.cms?)”

xxii
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-12/newsinterviews/28248877_1_arjun-rampal-anurag-kashyap-college-thing

xxiii
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/When-ArjunRampal-was-in-
DU/articleshow/7082892.cms

xxiv
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/parenting/Just-stop-this-ragging/articleshow/17901007.cms

xxv
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Shakti-KapoorRagged-in-
KMC/articleshow/10991885.cms?referral=PM)‘”

xxvi
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/parenting/Just-stop-this-ragging/articleshow/17901007.cms

xxvii
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main22.asp?filename=hub111806A_fresher.asp

xxviii
https://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/AgarwalPsychologyBehindRagging.pdf

xxix
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main22.asp?filename=hub111806A_fresher.asp

xxx
file:///C:/Users/prashantm/Downloads/Mulder_etal_2020_Epigenetics_EWAS_Bullying.pdf

xxxi
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/morality-ethics-prashant-mishra-7k-/?trackingId=j%2BJKol2QTj2k%2F6zmCFIFhA%3D%3D