Anti-ragging Day celebration

Introduction

The Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD) observed National Anti-Ragging Day and Anti-Ragging Week in August 2025 as part of its commitment to providing a safe, respectful learning environment on campus. According to University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, August 12 is recognized as National Anti-Ragging Day, initiating a week-long anti-ragging awareness campaign from August 12 to 18 every year. In line with these directives and the institute’s zero-tolerance policy towards ragging, SCMHRD organized an anti-ragging awareness street play on campus on August 13, 2025. This initiative, led by SCMHRD’s Cultural Committee, was designed to spread awareness about the ills of ragging and to reinforce the message that any form of ragging is unacceptable at the institute.

Event Details

A street play was held on August 13, 2025, at the SCMHRD campus as part of the anti-ragging awareness campaign. Organized by the Cultural Committee, the event saw active participation from students across various programs, along with faculty and staff, ensuring representation from the entire institute. The play aimed to educate the campus community on the harmful effects of ragging and reinforce the institute’s zero-tolerance policy.

Highlights of the Street Play

The street play’s narrative addressed several critical issues related to ragging and student harassment through a series of impactful street plays. It dramatized realistic scenarios that new students might encounter, thereby bringing to light the various subtle and overt forms of ragging. Key forms of ragging depicted included:

• Body shaming – mocking or humiliating individuals for their physical appearance or attributes.
• Harassment of introverted students – targeting shy or introverted newcomers and pressuring them to behave against their nature.
• Psychological intimidation – verbal abuse, threats, and other forms of mental harassment that can erode a student’s confidence and well-being.

Through these portrayals, the performers vividly illustrated the emotional trauma and stress that victims of ragging endure. Each scene was crafted to help the audience empathize with the victims’ plight, showing how what may be dismissed as “teasing” or tradition can, in fact, have devastating effects on a person’s mental health.

In addition to highlighting the forms of ragging, the play also emphasized the serious repercussions faced by those who engage in such activities. One segment depicted the legal consequences for perpetrators – for example, seniors who rag juniors ending up facing police action and being sent to jail for extended periods. Another scene showed how a student found guilty of ragging could be expelled from the institute, effectively destroying their academic career and tarnishing their future prospects. (SCMHRD explicitly bans ragging in any form, with strict punishments including expulsion for offenders.) By presenting these outcomes, the play delivered a strong warning that ragging has severe, life-altering consequences and thus must be completely avoided.