Student Goons

Baba Gyani Triviani said

"The purpose of education is not just to disseminate information, but to instill values"

Everyday, we read in the newspapers about rowdy sheeters hacking one another to death due to gang rivalries and personal grudges. At the outset, we just look at this as habitual offenders committing crimes, and don't pay much attention to it as we consider it to be irrelevant to us, the civilised people... However, hooliganism or "goondagiri" seems to be coming closer to people of the civilised society as well. There have been several disturbing cases of college students resorting to hooliganism on campus.

Why do college students develop an inclination towards hooliganism? One of the main reasons, perhaps could be due to Attention Deficit Disorder. They want to be seen as famous "cool" people. Conventionally, cool people are depicted to be moving around in gangs, with people turning their heads around to get a glimpse of them as they walk past stylishly. They want to be seen as icons, and being unable to gain that status, use forcible means such as bullying and instilling fear in the minds of people. Ragging and trying to show off by getting meek juniors to do their work to project themselves as heroes is quite common on college campuses.

Speaking of heroes, several movies are based on lives of rowdies and underworld dons, supposedly portraying reality. However, these movies seem to glorify the protagonists, and somehow end up giving them the image of a role model. These movies should be shown with the moral that, going through this dark path of crime is not going to get us anywhere except hitting the cul de sac, where only death on the streets in the hands of a rival gang member or the long arm of law awaits us. Movies and movie stars inspire a lot of people although the educated population claims that they are capable of thinking on their own. College students copy a lot of things from movie stars, starting from their hair styles, actions, way of talking or walking and so on. It does not take a student too long to mimic an actor playing a rowdy. Therefore, movie makers must be very careful about the message that is being delivered.

Politicians also tend to exploit a situation where they make use of these students in fighting a proxy war for them. Being under the canopy of politics shields these students from police action. This makes them feel they are above law, resulting in a snowball effect. Doing what they want, and getting away with it also encourages more people coming under this influence. Students getting into politics is not bad per se, as this is likely to bring good and young leaders into our polity. However, responsibility should be shown in harnessing the immense power of the youth, by channelling it for constructive purposes only.

When children show an inclination towards bullying others, they should be immediately reprimanded. Many times, small instances ignored will make a child to believe that this is acceptable. This can be extended to adolescents as well. When hooligan tendencies are forgiven, the goons take it as a sign of acceptance. However, the question that arises in the minds of most people would be - How to oppose this? The reason the hooligans are able to throw their weight around is mostly because people are too meek or scared to question them. Most juniors don't mind getting ragged as they believe being prudent avoids getting into unwanted trouble.

Are there any solutions to hooliganism on campuses? Yes. First, political influence should not cloud the judgements of the college management or the police. The colleges should make strict rules regarding discipline and any kind of misbehaviour on the parts of students should be dealt with severely. The police should be very discreet when complaints about rowdies are being filed. This way, the complainant will be able to lodge a complaint without fearing repercussions. Counselling could be a useful tool to understand why students haven chosen this path. Moral education and parental guidance play key roles in development of personality in today's environment of degrading morality. Teachers should not look at students through the glasses of suspicion or sneer, but should inspire a student. In the end, the purpose of education is not just to disseminate information, but to instill values