• ‘Rag – the Musical’ writer & director Jehan Aloysius on ragging in universities being more prevalent than ever

Ragging is ingrained in Sri Lanka’s State university culture and is almost the norm – 59% of university students are ragged, with 54% suffering one or more health-related consequences (per A. Wickramasinghe, B. Essen, S. Ziaei, R. Surenthirakumaran and P. Axemo's ‘Ragging, a form of university violence in Sri Lanka — Prevalence, self-perceived health consequences, help-seeking behaviour and associated factors’). Some brave the storm while others succumb to it. Mental and physical abuse, including the rape of boys and girls, is commonplace. 

One of the more creative criticisms of ragging has got to be the ‘Rag – the Musical’, written and directed by Jehan Aloysius and reviewed as an excellent blend of fact and fiction when it was on the boards 20 years ago. CentreStage Productions is back with ‘Rag – the Musical’, staging it at the Lionel Wendt on 19 and 21 July. 

This week on ‘Kaleidoscope’, writer, choreographer, composer and director of the ‘Rag – the Musical’, dramatist Aloysius delves deeper into this scourge that has befallen our higher educational institutions, resulting in dire consequences.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

‘Rag – the Musical’ deals with a subject that most do not want to even acknowledge – ragging in our universities. It is very rampant, violent and debilitating. What made you delve into this subject? 

It was a very personal story for me, because, at the time I wrote it, I had just received my letter of entrance into the University of Kelaniya. That very year, there were three incidents (of ragging) that really shook me and shocked me and made me realise that I needed to do more through art. First, there was a physical ragging which led to the death of a student when his kidneys failed. Then, there was the Technical College incident where pushups were done and alcohol was poured down a student’s throat and he died. There was also this one incident in the 1970s of a girl who jumped from the second floor and was paralysed; she died by suicide that same year. All this came to mind when I got this letter and in fact, I set these incidents to music in my play in a song called ‘I’m In’, because I thought that I really needed to do something through theatre. I hid my letter for four months. I was already working in advertising and very happy. However, my mom discovered the letter, shaved off my beard, chopped my hair off, and took me to the Kelaniya University. There, I saw the ragging taking place first hand and eventually I transferred to the University of Colombo. While I was in University for the first few years, the play started to write itself because of what our batch went through. It is written through the perspective of the English Department in that University; my friends and I were called the ‘ala (potato) gangsiya (gang)’. 

Are there patterns to this ragging? And is it universal? 

It’s a vicious cycle which seems to be a part of academic institutions – from schools and offices to factories and the military – and it has its roots in the military. In Sri Lanka, it’s regarded as a great equaliser. It’s where people can break certain barriers and unfortunately, there’s a class element in it as well. Even now, students are asked not to speak in English. English is called ‘kaduwa’ (sword) – the language of the oppressor. It is also the language that can steal jobs. However much you learn and study in university, those with cars and those who speak English are going to steal your jobs. That was the thinking back in the late 1990s and early 2000s and it still continues. The ‘freshers’ who undergo ragging in their first year – which is this initiation process, this rite of passage, if you will – become the raggers in the next year. There is also definite political backing and ignorance from the higher-ups, so, unfortunately, it’s not something that will disappear. 

When we launched the Musical recently, there were some who said that even though we had staged this 20 years ago, it was sad that 20 years later, the content was still relevant. There are more cases and more suicides. When I first wrote the play, there were less suicides, but now, there are more suicides that are directly attributed to ragging. At the same time, there are more people willing to come forward and speak about it. When I first staged it, some people thought that some of the harsher elements in it were probably too strong, but they wanted it out in the open. Hopefully, the legal process will take its course. But, we need more support from the authorities who should not turn a blind eye and allow it to happen.

In researching this, what did you find most difficult to digest? 

One of the darkest elements of ragging is the violence and also the politicisation of it. It’s institutionalised violence. Within the universities, there are factions that are more pro-ragging than anti-ragging and, as a result, there has been ragging-related violence and even death. My play proved to be strangely prophetic in describing scenes that almost happened or actually happened. People get injured or die because of ragging-related violence or ragging itself. It becomes a battleground. It’s so sad that intellectuals, the cream of the intelligentsia, find it very difficult to get into university for free education. My mom had to educate one of her two sons and she chose to educate my brother, supporting him financially, so I did all my education through scholarships and free education, which I am so grateful for. For many, they get into university to save the family from their status quo or issues in the village or their homes. Parents work very hard to send these children to university and end up with mental issues for the rest of their lives. It’s not just one or two cases. There are many who opt out of university because of ragging. I know that fear. It’s actually worse than what you imagine. One of those who spoke at the launch was a renowned film and teledrama actress. She relayed her personal experience. It was particularly horrible and very physical, affecting her family to the extent that her father had a nervous breakdown and passed away. Others were ragged because they were from an English-speaking background. Some were rebellious and didn’t conform to the dress code of long skirts and rubber slippers. I believe that those who are the most violent are those who get bullied at home. There’s a cross section of people who engage in ragging. Some make a private issue so much bigger, using it as payback time. From what I can see, there is a massive mental health problem that needs to be addressed – on the part of both the oppressor and the oppressed.

What do we need to do? 

Make students in high school aware of what happens rather than waiting until they get into university. For the last 20 years, I’ve been doing forum theatre workshops to get the message out. This Musical was in the world press when it was staged and helped to spread the news of the issue worldwide – but, it’s still a Musical. We need more workshops if we want to make a change because these are hubs for social change. The participants understand the vicious cycle of ragging, playing the roles of the ragger and the victim. We must get the community engaged and mobilise people to take a stance. It’s the community that can give solutions. Since 2005, CentreStage Productions, which is our amateur theatre troupe and a non-profit, has been conducting workshops around Sri Lanka using theatre as a tool for social change to mobilise communities to grapple with various issues. Ragging is one issue that definitely can be addressed this way. Counselling can come afterwards, but, right now, through performance, young people can get into that mindset of the oppressor and the oppressed. There’s of course the adrenaline and camaraderie of doing something rebellious that drives people to do reckless things but it’s especially unfortunate if those mistakes can harm someone for life and take away opportunities for individuals and families and generations beyond. 

What did you learn about yourself and about today’s Sri Lankan youth while working on the play? 

I found that I’ve got so much more respect for the young people who are involved in volunteerism. Peers can help peers, so I’ve been trying to do that more in the last year (2023) to try and establish peer leaders to do masterclasses so that youth can help youth. Sometimes, young people don’t want someone of authority telling you what to do, because it’s all about rebelling and being your own person. So, when there’s someone your own age who can show you that alternative path, that should have far more success for the people in that age group. Trying to educate through doctors, lawyers, the Police, and politics has been ineffective and is not going to work. It’s about understanding the psychological trauma behind why people do this. It comes from our primal instinct and desire to be in power and to engage in violence. That’s a realist theory. My play, in an ideological sense, is a conflict between idealism and realism. Joseph is the ideologist – a character who has a dream and who will not look to a knife, but will use his words to solve a conflict. Then there is Kumar, who is the realist. Both come to a middle ground, since they’re on two extreme sides. Some of the characters you wouldn’t expect – the peripheral ones – are very strong. The female presence is felt in the periphery and it’s important because sometimes, when it’s two men in a room, it’s all about who is the alpha. The peripheral characters make a big impact on the main characters, because they can see that these two extremes are all about deciding who has the bigger authority. 

For those who have seen ‘Rag – the Musical’ 20 years ago, what are they to expect? Is there anything new? 

This is a very tight, streamlined edition of the play because we have to move with the times. It’s a new, fresh cast celebrating all the music, songs, and lyrics that we had. As much as we speak about the negative elements of ragging, the play is a Musical at the end of the day. And you take home the melodies with you with some amazing singers and performers dazzling you with their prowess on stage. Some of them have made a name for themselves in reality shows and have come to the top 10 in competitions. I’m very proud to be working with them. The ages range from 16 to the late 40s, because we’ve got actors who were in the original production as well and the subsequent productions in 2005 and 2017. It’s really nostalgic for some of us. There are no stars here – everyone is equal and it’s about sharing and building everyone up. It’s the peer culture we have and the best version of the play we’ve done, I think. We want to take this to schools and even overseas if possible because it has so much energy and it’s structured to make it ever more vibrant than it has ever been. 

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media)