My First & Last Ragging

I had escaped ragging so far. Seniors knew more about me than I thought.......they knew me as the Pilot's daughter.........Dad being in the Air Force! Seems they had been enquiring about me. They were really eager to meet me. These ragging sessions were conducted in little groups....and there were a couple of groups who were credited as being the Worst Raggers..... headed by Seniors who were BAD.

So far, I had just heard from my room mate & friends what happens in these session...and what they are made to do. So, when I got a call from this Notorious Group, I decided to check it out for myself. I entered along with a couple of other girls, the smoke filled room. There were Seniors on the beds....on the chairs...perched on the table....standing/leaning against the wall.... in short it was house full....nay, room full! They stared us down.......blew smoke from the corner of their mouth.... like the bad guys in the movies....they tried intimidating us. Was I scared? No. It was disgusting.........the bullying part....

They asked me to introduce...I didn't have a "Good Name" so far.....they couldn't come up with one either. Then, being an English Hons Student, I did the "Reading". I guess they didn't have much fun with me.

This was my first & last ragging session in Miranda House....I chose to experience it first hand.

Coo-Coo!

One of the many nonsensical things which the Seniors made the "Freshers" do was.....what I call the Coo-Coo thing. Depending on the number of "Freshers" present, each girl was made to call out an animal or a bird. The Seniors would say, "Hey! You....you be a cat....you be a cock...you.... then when the cock crows..........the dog barks....then you mew....then you say Coo-Coo!"

Some were made to stand outside the door....some in.... and one would have a bucket over her head. When one's turn came.........they were made to cry out like the animal or the bird they were representing.

The girl with the bucket had to peep out of the bucket and say "Coo-Coo!"

Cheeky, me?!

I barely got ragged. Yes, it's true. I escaped...........at dinner time, after attendance I just went back to my room....locked the door from the front & got in from the back door.........I never had dinner ..... didn't feel hungry at 7.30pm.....this was too early.....in Summer!

I remember one particular Senior who got the thrills when she was addressed as "Ma'am"......... Unfortunately for her, that was not coming from me at least! I would invariably bump into her a couple of times in a week... during the day..........and as no greeting came forth from my end, I guess she was trying to intimidate me....... "Good Morning Fresher" she would say..........and without batting an eye or stopping, I would reply "Good Morning!"..........like a General to the Private!

Hee-hee! I enjoyed that! Cheeky, me?.....oh no! I was just being myself!

The Mirandian Way

Ragging continued unabated.............not so much in the College as it was in the Hostel. This was probably because of the classes that we had to attend and so one could escape from the lurking Seniors in the corridors, lawns & of course the canteen...........and in between classes back to the sanctity of one's room........and even IF some unfortunate fresher was caught, it was but to sing a song or dance with the "dupatta" (scarf) covering the head or to woo a Senior doing all this three!

Thus, the "Day Skis" escapes the RAGGING which happens in the College Campus.........totally or with the minimum degree of it while the Hostellers are subjected to some degrading treatment in the quiet of the night which was revelry? for the Seniors..........never understood what pleasures they got out of the suffering of the "Freshers". Is this an initiation that one can look forward too? Never!

Now, everything that we had to do was to be done in The Mirandian Way......Before I proceed further, all Seniors were "Ma'am" as said earlier and Seniors from the same subject that we were doing, was our "Super Ma'am".

First came the Mirandian Introduction to the Seniors. We had to kneel and with our hands cupped together in the front at elbow level, greet all Seniors with "Good evening......" and then proceed with the introduction. "My Bad Name is.......... " our actual name & "My Good Name is...." the name now given by the Seniors after coming to Miranda. In case one had not acquired a "Good Name" this was the time they would be given one.........like "Fresher Smiley" because of the prominent smile, "Fresher Shammi Kapoor" because of the Shammi Kapoor Act which she performed....."Fresher Goofy" because you look goofy or acted goofy?...........

We had the Mirandian Prayer which was a lift from the Christian Prayer - "Our Father, Who art in Heaven.........." Now it was "Our Lovers, Who art in ......." the words were now substituted with the names of some of the Colleges which had Boy's Hostel..........

Then there was the Mirandian Walk....right foot forward with an exaggerated sway of your butt while slapping it lightly and saying "Hit the apple". Then with the left "Hit the pear" and with both feet together "And grind it" which is to roll your hips in a circular fashion like one sees in Latino dancing!

The Mirandian Exercise was quite popular and provided a good laugh to the Seniors. Some "Freshers" who were really adept at this led the rest like a Drill Sergeant. Stand with our feet slightly apart....hands brought up to the shoulder level with the elbows out....and then stretching it to the back with your chest out........all the while chanting.... "I must, I must increase my bust. The bigger the better, the tighter the sweater, for the Guys depends on us".

Lastly, there was the Mirandian Reading that one could be subjected to especially if you were majoring in English Literature. A "Mills & Boon" novel would be given and you would be asked to read a steamy part...........the Mirandian Way....after every 3 words one had to say "In my Uncle's pajamas".

The right way to be done..........nay, the best way to be done.........The Mirandian Way?!

“Square Meal”

Scene at Dinner Time, the 2nd night when the Hostel Mess opened. Having just arrived at M.H.H, we “Freshers” were pretty quite, well behaved & properly attired! The Seniors were boisterous & being the month of July & Delhi being hot, a few of them were clad in shorts & skimpy tops with a bit of cloth “dupatta” (scarf) thrown over to cover their modesty? & some were in their nightdress or in their pyjamas! They eyed us........like a cat watching & waiting for the right time to pounce on a mouse!

At the tables...there were 3 rows of tables and in each row you had 2 tables.........the Seniors took it for granted that they had all the rights to sit wherever they felt like. Thus, some of us “Freshers” got pushed around or were squeesed in between them. One “Fresher” landed at the same table with a Stuck Up Senior who thought she was very clever. This “Stuck Up” lady made the poor girl’s dinner an ordeal! And how?

Miss Stuck Up – “Hey Fresher! Do you know what a square meal is?”
Miss Fresher – “Yes, Ma’am.” (By now, some of us have been told.....and the rest of us... word passed around that we were to address the Seniors as Ma’am!)
Miss Stuck Up – “Well, have a square meal then. Do you know how?”

It turns out that the “Fresher” had to pick up her food and take the spoon over her plate tracing an imaginary square and then eat it after which she had to say “Yum-Yum”. She had to do this for the entire meal! How sick! A Bully I would call, Miss Stuck Up.....nothing less.