No Ragging Please!

Our Club organised a debate on ragging, "How safe is your child?" this Monday. The chief guest was Mr. Justice Hemant Gupta of Panjab and Haryana High Court, a former Rotarian of our Club who was accompanied by his gracious wife, Mrs. Alka Gupta.  Other penalists included former Principal of DAV College Rtn. Subhash Marriya, leading High Court lawyer Rtn Deepak Sibal, and representing the parent's concern was another leading gynaecologist of our city, Rtn Dr Mangla Dogra. 

The meeting was conceived by the Program Chair Rtn PP Man Mohan Singh and Rtn. A.P. Singh, while yours truly moderated the discussions.

Rotaractors of our Club set the ball rolling with two students providing their perspective on ragging, which they deemed it as a necessary ice-breaker. 

Another surprise finds were Rtn DGN Madhukar Malhotra and visiting Rtn. PP Ajit Gulati, who turned out to be alumni of same engineering college. Rtn Gulati recalled being ragged in the room of Rtn Malhotra, while the later said that it used to be a clean fun which led to life-time of friendships with their seniors and juniors. 

Rtn. Subhash Marriya, referring to the recent death of a student in Himachal Pradesh, said that the onus squarely lies on the college administration to ensure that ragging does not happen. He informed that in his college he introduced the system of friendly interaction and a welcome party was organised to greet the freshers. 

Rtn. Dr. Mangla Dogra however felt that the ragging in professional institutions is predominant and majority of the time no one talks about it. "My son was ragged in her medical college in Himachal Pradesh, and it appears, that it is more of a psychological issue and the people coming from the rural backgrounds want to take it out on the city lads because of complex."  She said that the victims of ragging invariably become the perpetrators next year to take revenge for their humiliation. 

Rtn. Deepak Sibal informed that ragging leading to death has been termed as homicide and strict laws are being implemented with Supreme Court's clear verdict to hold the institutions responsible for the act.  He informed that though the Supreme Court had issued mandate against ragging as far back as 2001 but implementation had been lax and now many of the states are putting the law in place. 

Mr. Justice Hemant Gupta wrapping up the discussions remarked that it is not a legal issue but a veritable social problem which need to be dealt with at various levels with the involvement of the parents, teachers, educational institutions, and the society together. "It is shameful that despite living in a so-called civilised society we continue to have such heinous practices", he remarked.

Mr Justice Gupta lamented that till now everyone wanted to put these incidents under the carpet since no one wanted to be seen in the bad light. 

Police as a deterrent should be resorted to at a last resort, he emphasised, and the police force should be brought in only if all other fails. 

The need, he said, was the inculcate human values amongst the children right from the childhood, so that societal mindset can be changed against this malice. 

The panel discussion generated great interest with a very active participation from the audience, which was rounded up beautifully by a short nazm that our own poet, Rtn. S.D. Sharda penned it on the spot and recited it. 

What next? The question was posed to the Rotaractors who said that they would sensitise the youngsters in their educational institutions against this practice.  

Rtn. Man Mohan Singh and Rtn. Neena Singh suggested constitution of an independent monitoring body having respected citizens on board to check this practice in the educational instutitons, besides putting up counselling facilities. 

NID Visit Video

The group of volunteers from various countries who were with us in January for the NID returned home and have numerous pleasant memories to share with everyone back home.  Many of us had the opportunity to host them in our homes; many of us moved around with them immunising little children against polio.  Here's a video to refresh your memories of this visit. Just click here and enjoy. 

How Safe is Your Child!

An open debate on ragging requires you in the Rotary House coming Monday. Open your hearts, and interact with some of the people who had been in the thick of ragging issues.  But each one of us as a Parent is concerned. Even if your children have grown up and married, YOU have equal responsibilities as grand-ones to have a say on this issue and get our society rid of this malice. 

And those of us who are the teachers, and heads of educational institutions, have double responsibility since the parents put their little ones in the care of their teachers for most hours of the day. 

In whatever little time we have for the meeting, let us be there, to raise our voice, and make the tri-city area, or for that matter all that area within our influence, "Ragging Free".  Can we do something about this?

Show us the way.  Thrash the issue out with the panelists, Rtn. Subhash Marriya, former principal of DAV College, Chandigarh, Rtn Deepak Sibal, a leading lawyer at Punjab and Haryana High Court;  Dr. Mangla Dogra, a parent; and our view own Rotaractors who are perhaps been through this rut too. 

And to sum it up all we have the leading judicial mind and our former Rotarian, Mr. Justice Hemant Gupta, Hon'ble Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. 

Let's be there.

Blood Donation Camp

Rtn. PP K.K. Gupta and his family organised a blood donation camp yesterday at their factory in which employees of his factory participated enthusiastically. His son Vinay was amongst the first to donate blood.  Rtn. Pres Dr S.K. Duggal, Rtn PP J.B. Bhasin, Inner Wheel President Kanchan Bhasin, Rtn PP Anil Khanna, Ann Usha Gupta, and members of their family, and I were present at the camp. 

Rtn. Gupta has always been supportive of every good cause, and his dedication to Rotary ideals is exemplary. 

In all 73 units of blood were collected in which the team of our Rotary & Blood Bank Society Resource Centre, led by Dr. R.S. Shah, conducted the camp.

Slumdog Millionnaire

David Denby, the movie critic of New Yorker dismisses Slumdog as “fairy tale for adults” and states:  “What I will remember of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is a disorderly exploitation of disorder, a kind of visual salad of glowing rotten fruit, constantly tossed. I object to the way that the director, Danny Boyle, orchestrates Jamal’s life.  Boyle has created what looks like a jumpy, hyper-edited commercial for poverty—he uses the squalor and violence touristically, as an aspect of the fabulous.”

The editor of La Lassurophobe on the other hand says, “Boyle has captured the rich tapestry of Indian life, expressed how a country so mired in such extreme poverty can manage to triumph as one of the world’s great democracies nonetheless.  The Bollywood dance number that finishes the picture shows there heroic people thumbing their nose at tragedy and daring to be happy despite their circumstances.  Rather than turning into bleak, morose devils yearning to bring forth a dictator like Stalin, the people of India choose hope and defiance.”

Bravo we say to Slumdog Millionaire; it winning 8 Oscars would be a minor victory for those who struggle for democracy throughout the world.

Dear members, what do you think the movie means for India and its image? Would you like to discuss this issue with the much accomplished Ms. Neelam Man Singh who has established her forte all over the world through theatre and who has studied other societies while treating the audiences the world over to some excellent plays directed by her.

Ms. Neelam Man Singh will be our chief guest this Monday, 2^nd March 2009 and talk to us on the current debate of what Slundog Millionaire means to India and the world.

AP