Campaign against ragging in Delhi University

Leaders For Tomorrow (LFT), an organisation working towards harnessing leadership skills and social volunteerism in young people, launched the campaign last week with the help of police.

The Anti Drugs, Anti Ragging Campaign (ADAR) calls on students to pledge themselves against ragging and drug abuse.

"We have reached as many as five lakh students and spoken to them of the dangers of ragging and drug abuse. In the first phase of our campaign, we are targeting 57 colleges in the Delhi University.

"By the end of the second phase, we would have taken our campaign to 250 colleges, including colleges in the Indraprastha University and other private colleges." said Suraj Nair, President for the Delhi cell of LFT.

Explaining the modus operandi of the NGO, Uma P, National Vice President of LFT said, "The idea is not to preach to the students. There are many freshers and juniors, who give in to smoking or drinking just to fit in with the crowd.

"We want to encourage them to fight the peer pressure and realise that there are ways available to fight drug addiction."

The ADAR campaign also seeks to break down the myth that ragging is the only way for interaction between juniors and seniors.

"It is possible to have healthy interactions with juniors without resorting to ragging," said Gughan M, a 2nd year B.Com(Hons) student of SRCC and an ADAR volunteer.

Ipsita Singh, a member of the LFT and someone who has experienced ragging says that she found ragging to be a 'traumatic' experience and that she would never rag her juniors.

"Juniors are more secure and happy when they don't fear ragging. There is difference between an introduction and ragging and one must learn not to cross that line." she added.