Hunting for Ragging but Hunt

That was a Sunday night 10:30 pm at Tambaram railway station – late 2001. We were at least fifteen, waiting to board the train to Chidambaram. It was actually for Sriram (olli) sister's wedding reception – all our friends were in Chennai for that weekend. A techi gang from E&I, our notorious Comp Sci and Mech Arun. The train arrived at the platform and if I remember right, it was Muthiah and Arun started scanning the name charts. They were not looking for any girl's name in our compartment rather they were looking for some one who is of a year less than us – ' Hunting for Ragging'. That was our first few days after we stepped into the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the great Annamalai University.

There were traces of freshers in our compartment. We were all getting ready to rag them. But as time went we heard the TT blowing his steel whistle. Only then we realized that two more have to join us and all our tickets were with them (that's none other than Krishna and Ganesh). It was like a movie climax – the train that we have to board started to move slowly and the electric train (in which these guys came) had just arrived. Though both the trains are next to next they have to run over the railway-steel bridge to come to the other platform. By then, our train speeded up and we guys peeped into the train one after the other assuming that either Krishna or Ganesh will get into the train with the ticket. Unfortunately both of them got in – they were faster than ever before. It was like the last ball of the match and one run required to win against Australia or Pakistan.

As they were settling down, the talks of ragging took its own momentum. Arun and some one else walked across compartments to see where these freshers are hiding (like how we did when we were in first year). They came back saying that they found the prey but the bigger lions are tasting them. Since our guys were already prepared for ragging and didn't want to miss the chance – Arun went back and requested our seniors to send them to our compartment after they are done with ragging.

Just in a minute few guys came to our compartment. They looked very scared with fear in eyes – 'fear of ragging'. It was at least for 1 hour our guys ragged those three like anything. Ganesh, Santhosh, Sriram and Arun were at peaks. Specially "the grandy's vada and the crow" story. We had asked them to tell the story and if we get any doubt then they have to clarify it and again start from the beginning. The highlight was Ganesh's question (this was asked after the story was told at least 10 – 15 times). 'Is the crow black or white?'. Then, as usual – the 'Annamalai Salute'... We were having so much fun.

'Hunting for Ragging but Hunt'. Slowly the tone of the freshers started varying. They were little funny and started pulling our legs. They said that they have their brothers in final years and as they spoke our juniors also came to our compartment. They also joined with freshers and they started to rag us. Now is the big shock. Those guys whom we were thing as freshers were actually our seniors' fellow batch mates. Also they said that they are 'Anti Ragging Committee' members for Engineering department and one of them were our then VC's relative. It was like a graveyard silence. We wished it should be a nightmare. All our faces were blank, shocked and worried. They started scarring much in telling about the consequences that we would have to face. One of them who pretended as fresher was looking for the guy in us who asked him - 'Is the crow black or white?'. After a lot of warnings they left us saying that we would meet soon in the inquiry hall.

We all were completely lost. Luckily there wasn't any blame games within us. The next day we all were scarred to go to class room. Any clerk or senior enters our class room we would only think that they have come for us – invitation to inquiry. When ever we see any one of those guys in our collider we would vanish from there. Unfortunately our seniors were also on the same floor. Every day it is like an hide and seek game. But as days went we came to know that there is no such 'Anti Ragging Committee' in our university itself.

Ragging is one of the stage in any ones college life. It is generally the way how seniors introduce them self to juniors. In our case – juniors (we) ragged seniors and had to hide from them. Though it was scary and thrilling then – it is all fun when we recollect those moments.