Ragging At NDA and Its Psychological Impact?

Editor's Note

This piece by Brig Poonia brings out a very sad and unpleasant chapter of ragging at NDA. It highlights the reality and bitterness that actually pervades the environment while  grooming the cadets at NDA, particularly in the Squadron premises for which there is an unofficial sanction. Unfortunately, unchecked and unhindered, these activities  have continued unabated for the past 76 years. As a result, these evil and illegal practices have adversely impacted  the training environment and ruined the lives of many cadets who still carry the scars and bitter memories of the same.   While the past cannot be undone, there is certainly a scope for a new dawn for NDA. The author has revealed what he  harboured in his heart and mind for the last 55 years.

Editor, MVI

Background

When Joint Services Wing (JSW), later rechristened as NDA in Jan 1955, was raised at Clement Town, Dehradun in Jan 1949, its training schedule was worked out by a team of officers, based on their experience of World War ll. But ragging was not a part of this official training. It was started by the young matriculate cadets of JSW - 1 Course, who had no military experience whatsoever. Its basis was nothing more than an ego-satisfying exercise by bossing over their juniors, ie the cadets of JSW - 2 Course.

Over a period of time, it became a tradition, and kept on increasing in intensity till it took a virulent form to include front-rolling, making the cadets hang on the cabins' wire-mashes (termed as Seventh Heaven), asking them to report at odd hours like 4.0 am in the morning in different rigs like Field Service Marching Order (FSMO) or Bajri Order, making them undergo puttee parades by asking them to change into different rigs in a short time frame, asking them to do bend stretches, cycle lifting, and above all subject them to man-handling. All these activities had no scientific basis and were simply based on sadistic psychological satisfaction of senior cadets, covered up under the guise of toughning up the cadets, physically and mentally.

"So the 'assumed aim' of ragging actually amounts to situating an appreciation rather than appreciating a situation, only to justify a wrong practice that has been continuing under the garb of tradition for the last 76 years."

Aim of Ragging

Any training schedule when introduced in a military Academy, has to have a specific aim. But the ragging at NDA has never had a 'stated aim'. Its only 'assumed aim' by the senior cadets, just to justify the continuance of a wrong tradition has been : "To toughen up the cadets physically and mentally". But wasn't the official training adequate enough to achieve this aim, or was the ragging introduced to fill in the missing gaps in the official training? Moreover, who identified the missing gaps, and the necessity to fill in the same?

Was any study team ever detailed to analyse the advantages of, or the ill-effects of ragging, like deprivation of adequate sleep, added unrequired mental and physical stress and strain, and the psychological effects of the unauthorized punishments, especially affecting the self respect, self-confidence and self-esteem of the cadets? No, it was never done. So the 'assumed aim' actually amounts to situating an appreciation rather than appreciating a situation, only to justify a wrong practice that has been continuing under the garb of tradition for the last 76 years.

Are the Cadets Not Subjected to Ragging, Inferior in Quality?

Let's start with JSW - 1 Course. This was the only Course that had not been subjected to ragging. So was it inferior to the Courses that followed it in any manner? The 1st JSW Course, comprising 191 cadets turned out to be a remarkable one, which produced 63 Flag Rank officers. Gen SF Rodrigues, Admiral Ramdass  Katari, and Air Chief Marshal NC Suri rose to become Service Chiefs. It also produced officers like Lt Col (later Lt Gen) Hanut Singh who was awarded MVC in 1971 Indo-Pak War for his performance in the Battle of Basantar. Even 2Lt Arun Khetrapal of his Regiment, received PVC under his inspiring leadership.

Moreover, are the officers of all other entries, including the officers ex IMA and OTA inferior in any manner just because they were not subjected to ragging? If not, then how is ragging justified?

"A cadet being manhandled suffers silently, with a bruised ego and eroded self-esteem, which totally numbs his soul. No human being deserves this state of affairs, since it destroys the very sense of pride, self-confidence and self-esteem of a cadet, which the NDA aspires to develop."

Ragging at NDA

While we all have had different kinds of experience at NDA, it would be agreed that the dignity of a person supersedes all other considerations, and ragging, which includes manhandling, is one evil practice which is a direct attack on human dignity, amounting to violation of human rights. Even the prisoners of war are not supposed to be manhandled but treated as per the Geneva Convention.

A cadet being manhandled suffers silently, with a bruised ego and eroded self-esteem, which totally numbs his soul. No human being deserves this state of affairs, since it destroys the very sense of pride, self-confidence and self-esteem of a cadet, which the NDA aspires to develop. Hence ragging negates the very aim of developing a cadet's all round personality. It's a wrong practice, and a wrong teaching.

Now the question is not whether the cadets who underwent ragging at NDA made poor senior officers or not so competent General Officers, but whether such wrong practices had contributed anything positive to their personality development. Ragging undoubtedly dented our pride and self-confidence, and has left a lifetime scar. Yet we emerged strong enough, not because of ragging, but rather in spite of ragging, and that is where lies the strength of the official training at NDA.

Unfortunately, ragging at NDA during our training period had assumed disproportionate dimensions, and the juniors used to take out their pent up feelings against the sadist 6th Term cadets during the 'Social Night', prior to passing out, since that was the only occasion during which they could do so. As a consequence a few 6th Term cadets of our Squadron were beaten up so badly that two of them were unable to attend the Passing Out Parade the next morning. This led to an officially organized 'Anti-social Night' the next day, in our Squadron under the supervision of the Division Officers, who were present in their Squadron offices, while the 6th Term victims punished us in retaliation to settle their personal scores in top floor corridor of the Squadron.

That night we were punished by the 6th Termer victims to their heart's content, which involved kicking while front-rolling, punches delivered on our stomachs after making us hang on the cabins' wire-mashes, and making us front-roll down the Squadron stair cases. We were fortunate enough not to injure our spines or break our backbones. But had it happened, who would have been responsible - the respective Division Officers, or the Commandant? Who would have compensated, had any one of us been medically boarded out?

Moreover, the bigger question is, "Was this the ultimate achievement of our training together at NDA ?" What kind of Squadron spirit or NDA spirit did it end up creating, and what sort of bonding did we develop?

The Warning Signals

We were trained under three different NDA Commandants : Rear Admiral RN Batra, Maj Gen SD Gupta, and Air Vice Marshal MB Naik. When AVM Naik took over as Commandant during our 6th Term, a warning para was introduced at the beginning of the Academy Routine Orders, which read, "Ragging is a punishable offence and any one found indulging in this malpractice would be relegated or withdrawn." About a year and half after we passed out of NDA, one of the 6th Term cadets died during the 'Social Night', since he was bashed up so badly by his juniors. When it comes to ragging, you can't expect the cadets to draw the line which should not be crossed; not everyone is matured enough to do so. No wonder, the root cause of the death of the cadet was nothing but ragging, in which he had indulged to his heart's content throughout his NDA tenure, that ultimately led to he getting killed by his juniors as an act of revenge for ill-treating them for no fault of theirs. So was ragging worth it?

Why Ragging Still Remains Shrouded in Mystery?

If ragging has any thing positive to contribute, why not make it a part of the official training schedule, under proper supervision of the Division Officers, to be undergone for 40 minutes every day or night? If it has not yet been done so far, obviously there is something radically wrong. It is a wrong perception that ragging builds a bond of comradeship. In fact, forced humiliation fosters fear and resentment towards seniors.

We had a cadet in our Squadron, two Terms senior to us, who used to derive sadistic pleasure in ragging us, especially those cadets, for whom he developed a disliking. Some of us had to suffer him for two years, every day. Imagine the avoidable tension he created in our aspiring and creative young minds, but he conveniently killed our aspirations and creativity. I happened to meet him 22 years later, while we both were still in service. Obviously he didn't know what to talk, since there was nothing pleasant to remember or recollect about our NDA days. In fact, he couldn't look straight into my eyes; the guilt was more than evident. While I gave him due respect, which he didn't deserve, was this the kind of spirit that was supposed to be developed during NDA training?

"An element of human understanding is an all-pervading factor in military life, which needs to be promoted right since the Academy days. No matter how great an officer’s qualifications, or how high the rank or appointment he holds, his overall competence is reduced if he lacks the personal qualities of a gentleman, which need to be inculcated right since the Academy days. Ragging does just the opposite."

Training at IMA Dehradun

In IMA Dehradun, we were known as Gentleman Cadets (GCs) and were not subjected to any kind of ragging at all. While the 4th Term cadets holding appointments were empowered to punish cadets, including their own course-mates, each punishment was officially specified. What a refreshing change it was; we really felt like officer cadets. We regained our self confidence. That is how it should have been in NDA too.

An element of human understanding is an all-pervading factor in military life, which needs to be promoted right since the Academy days. You can't train a horse by beating it, and expect it to obey your verbal commands. No matter how great an officer’s qualifications, or how high the rank or appointment he holds, his overall competence is reduced if he lacks the personal qualities of a gentleman, which need to be inculcated right since the Academy days. Ragging does just the opposite.

The Acid Test of Training

While NDA training was tough, the IMA training was a shade tougher, but the toughest training was the one imparted during the Commando Course soon after getting commissioned, during which we developed the highest degree of physical and mental stamina, not to mention that every part of the training was official. So the farce of developing physical and mental stamina through ragging at NDA stands totally exposed.

If the parents of cadets, both boys and girls, were to watch every aspect of training at NDA, won't they will feel immensely proud to see their children undergoing training, irrespective of its toughness, even if it was as tough as the Commando training? But would any parent feel proud watching his son or daughter getting ragged? They would rather prefer to have them withdrawn immediately from the Academy. Why? Because that amounts to lowering their dignity and self-esteem, which no parent would like to accept, for that's not what they had sent their children to NDA for.

Conclusion

If ragging has anything positive to contribute, let it be made a part of the official training schedule, and be conducted under the supervision of Division Officers. If not, there is no justification to continue with this malpractice under the garb of tradition. Continuance of the same just because it has been a tradition for the last 76 years is not justified in any manner. Wrong traditions must be discontinued forthwith.

(The author is ex 44th NDA Course)