Ragging in Srilankan Universities is called as practicing University’s rituals, behaviors and etc by the second year students to first-year students. Giving practices for the rituals is good but the worst is ragging hurts anyone. Sri Lanka totally banned ragging in Universities nevertheless it’s going on.We have some happy moments and pissed off moments in our ragging period. I want to share my experience with you.
I also scared of ragging when I am going to University as a fresher. I thought it is the duty of the second year students to make the first year students feel comfortable. But they are making me feel nervous on those days. We have to wear a dress code for Ragging period. Boys have to wear formal dresses with shoes. Girls have to wear long skirt & blouse with oiled and plaited hair. Really that dress code is very uncomfortable for me and my friends too. We are easily identified by all the seniors as first-year students. But what to do? We have to go there with that dress code. Dress code is the imperative thing in our ragging period.
We have to go to University in a line parallel with an opposite gender.We have to memorize our batch mates name and their hometowns and about their family members. Seniors ask questions about our batch mates. We blamed them when our answers are incorrect. We have to attend so many meeting of the seniors in the period and they blame us in all meetings for our every move. We have to see their eyes when they are talking and so on. They did some silly things like holding opposite gender’s hand while walking, singing, Proposing a tree, lightning by hands, taking photos by hands and etc.
Next, I want to share about the food. We have to eat the canteen food for our breakfast and lunch. The food price is less but the food is not good in taste. We have to wait for a long line to get the food in the canteen and also seniors will ask questions about University’s history & details, batch mates details and etc when we are eating. I still feel funny when I recalling that incident.
The worst thing in the ragging period is card name. Seniors assign the demeaning nickname to the Juniors and they have to be called by that name throughout their entire University life. In some Universities, they have to tell a poem which contains bad words and recite in front of all. Really I hate this thing in my entire life. Still, I hate some seniors for this ragging.
The best thing about the ragging is muddy bucketing. Still, I’m remembering that day. We got muddy bucket by our seniors and also we did to them as a bucket. Our head was decorated with leaves and bucketed. We did some silly thing like praying a tree. After that bucketing, Our ragging was little loosened after this incident.
After some days, Our seniors gave a social party. We dressed up with sarees and boys dressed up with formal with ties. We took so many photographs and so on. They gave a tea party and also dinner. That is the end day of our ragging. We became like freest birds on that day.
From my thought, Ragging is not helping in our studies but it helps us to move with our batchmates easily. Did you watch “Meesaya Muruku” Film? Same like, I still hate some seniors and also love some seniors who make me feel comfortable on those days.
What about your ragging experiences? Feel free to share with me.