The other day I was reading in the newspapers that a young man in his early 20s, committed suicide after months of ragging at the hands of his seniors in a medical college in north India. It was sad and shocking to read this. But it did not exactly send shivers down my spine or made me hang my head in shame because this is not something new, however horrible it may be.
Ragging in college by the seniors is a very common occurrence in a country like India where medical and engineering colleges are set up in their own campuses and youngsters misuse their new-found freedom. In most cases, these are harmless and restricted to minor jibes and fooling around. However, in a few cases it can get real serious and damaging. And mentally traumatic.
And indeed, what is most upsetting is that the people involved in this act do not realize that the repercussions can be serious – not only physically but mentally, too. The victim can be left scarred for life!
And while we discuss teenagers, let us not forget that a number of school children are also subjected to a similar kind of ragging – that is bullying.  In fact, I read this report by the Science Daily on this very site that children who are bullied at school are at a high risk of developing psychotic symptoms. According to researchers, kids who were bullied over several years were ‘up to four times more likely to develop psychotic-like symptoms by the time they reach early adolescence.”
It is believed that victims, as they grow up, start to show psychotic symptoms which include hallucinations and delusions ‘such as being spied on’. Or they tend to have strange feelings that their thoughts are being broadcast or made known to everyone. And this scars them forever because they grow up with these conditions which follow them wherever they may go.
So it sad indeed that those who target a junior or a weaker colleague or classmate do not realize that a few hours of fun can turn into a lifetime of nightmares for the victim!