Is ragging right?

Come July - Come freshers - Come 'Ragging Phobia'

What is ragging? It is the process of students getting acquainted with the freshers of the college, who are unfamiliar with the environment of the college, whose portals they have just entered. It is a sort of warming up that should ideally help freshers shed their inhibitions if carried out in the right spirit. Ragging can take various forms. Some senior may ask a fresher to dance or sing, the others to do 'catwalk'. Some freshers are happy to 'serve' the senior. However ragging may sometimes culminate humiliating sadistic practices and harassment etc. that violates the basic human ethics, causing much pain and embarrassment to the newcomers.

The freshers fear the sight of the seniors, and what should actually be a process of 'breaking in' becomes an exercise to be dreaded. There have been instances, where the ragging has been so severe, that it has resulted in total loss of confidence in the freshers. They have even lost an academic year owing to the damage done to their psyche.

Ragging is particularly severe in professional colleges. The poor fresher is caught between the herculean task of coping with exacting standards of academics and the mental torture caused by merciless ragging.

Despite stern warning and reprimands, the tradition of ragging continues. Perhaps, if the practice of ragging is carefully monitored and controlled, it may not result in trauma for the fresher. It can be made an exciting way of starting college life, provided that the senior develop a healthy attitude towards it. If they regard it as a friendly way of 'breaking ice' between the freshers and themselves, the authorities would have no objections to the practice. On the contrary, it would become a fun-filled exercise, something to be looked forward to, rather than to be dreaded as a nightmare!

Animesh Batra
8th A
La Foundation School
(Source: Various compositions)

A better way to Student's Life!!!

Student's life is that which make him/ her a best person. Student life is like a pillar on which whole of the building stands, i.e., student's carrier depends. Student's life is based on which students future depends, behind which hopes of parents lie. Every parent always want to provide best education to their children and it starts with the childhood education.

Education is never ending human activity. Students should go to school everyday and they should be disciplined. Student's life is very interesting. Student should be like a warrior and always be ready to accept the challenges. Student's life is like a upstairs and there are challenges at every step. But instead of all this, student keep on moving up and up, by gaining the knowledge which is provided to them by their teachers. Students learns all that things that are taught them by their teachers. Therefore the teachers play an important part in a student's life.

Teachers act as god for the students. Therefore each student has to give full respect to his teacher and pay attention to all that the teacher tells him/ her. The relation between the teachers and the students should be friendly so that the student can share all his/ her problems with the teacher, relating to concept which is not clear to him/ her.

The student should lead a well disciplined life. He should participate in every co-curricular activity. He should not keep bound to his books only but with all the competitions being held which are related to every field.

The behaviour of the student should be very kind to his classmates. He should cooperate with his classmates. The students should be very down to earth. He should not be proud of his achievements, but he should be confident on his achievement but if he is over-confident it will make him proud. The student should not be very boastful.

Nikhil Bansal
8th A
La Foundation School

Inspiration: हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती

लहरों से डरकर नौका पार नहीं होती
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

नन्ही चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है,
चढ़ती दीवारों पर सौ बार फिसलती है,
मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है,
चढ़कर गिरना,गिरकर चढ़ना न अखरता है,
आखिर उसकी मेहनत बेकार नहीं होती ,
कोशिश करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

डुबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है,
जा-जाकर खाली हाथ लौट आता है,
मिलते न सहेज के मोती पानी में,
बहता दूना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में,
मुठ्ठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती,
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

असफलता एक चुनौती है स्वीकार करो,
क्या कमी रह गयी,देखो और सुधार करो,
जब तक न सफल हो नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम,
संघर्षों का मैदान छोड़ मत भागो तुम,
कुछ किये बिना ही जय-जयकार नहीं होती,
हिम्मत करने वालों की हार नहीं होती।

- कवि श्रीयुत हरिवंशराय बच्चन

Definition of a School !!

(Extract from the letter written by Abraham Lincoln to the headmaster of his old school regarding his son)

“He will have to learn, I know that all men are not just, all men are not true. But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero; that for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader…Teach him that for every enemy there is a friend. It will take time, I know; but teach him, if you can, that a dollar earned is of far more value that five found…Teach him to learn to lose…and also to enjoy winning. Steer him away from envy, if you can, teach him the secret of quiet laughter. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick…Teach him, if you can, the wonder of books…but also give him quiet time to ponder…the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and flowers on a green hillside.

“In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fail than to cheat…Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him they are wrong…Teach him to be gentle with gentle people, and tough with the tough. Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon. Teach him to listen to all men…but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take on the good that come through.

“Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad…Teach him there is no shame in tears. Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness…Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders, but never put a price tag on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob…and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.

“Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire make fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient. Let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself; because then he will always have a sublime faith in mankind.”