It was in mid 2011 that I stepped into a new, much-anticipated phase of my life - I joined a top private medical college down South. I had always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Clicking a photo at the beautiful fountain on campus topped my to-do list.

I had been assigned the hostel with AC rooms, reserved for those from defence families. The Dracula-faced warden warned us that if he noticed lights in our rooms after 11pm, we would be thrown out for two days.

The first day was spent getting to know classmates and roaming around the campus. While lunching with my brand new friends, some seniors came up and told us about a freshers' party that evening. An obedient child, I went straight to the warden to seek permission. Much to my surprise, not only did he deny it but also suggested that I warn my friends that the freshers' welcome was always arranged in broad daylight. At dinner I noticed some of my batchmates missing. At lunch the next day I learnt that at the party they had been given weird tasks to perform on stage in minimum clothes. They had been forbidden to use the word ragging and were told to call it "intro" instead.

Time passed. The freshers' welcome fiasco was forgotten, or so I naively thought. This despite my seniors always reminding me - albeit with a smile - that "the kids of the defence family hostels will have to pay for not being ragged".

Soon it was time for semester exams and we studied together every night till late. After one such study session, a friend asked if he could stay in my room. I hate sharing my bedroom but he insisted and I was forced to relent. He asked me to leave the door unlocked so he could enter later.

I do not know how long I had been asleep when some whispering woke me. I realised that there were two scantily-clad girls in bed with me. I jumped up and grabbed my glasses. Three seniors, the warden and my "friend" were clustered around the bed. Before I could recover from the shock, the warden slapped me. He asked me why the door was unlocked and how the girls had got to the room for sex. I told my story and turned to my friend for confirmation. He denied having even met me after dinner. He said he had gone to bed early that night.

The warden escorted the girls out, leaving me alone with the seniors. That is when one of them said the whole plan was theirs. "Did you think the defence quota would save you from ragging? Sorry boy, you thought wrong," said a senior before they left. I sat there stunned, wanting to disappear, wanting to cry, wanting to talk to my mother. When the warden returned, I pleaded my innocence. He said that another such incident would be enough to rusticate me.

The next day, I realised that my nightmare was far from over. My resourceful seniors had posed the girls in my bed and recorded the whole thing before I woke up and then sent every member of my batch an MMS. Fortunately, my professors realised I was innocent. Meanwhile, my parents came to know of the incident and reassured me that I could return anytime.

For seven days I lived through the titters of my batchmates, the sniggers of my seniors and random non-teaching staff asking me for contacts of "hot girls". I put up a brave front but was shattered inside and could concentrate on nothing.

Finally, I spoke to my mother, applied for leave and left the campus without checking if it had been approved. I made time to meet my friends and I asked the one who had betrayed me why he had done so. "It was just for money, brother. Why are you overreacting," he asked. That was the last straw.

According to college rules, if a student misses classes for more that three weeks without intimation, he or she is suspended. It took me much longer than that to recover, so my dream of becoming a doctor was over before it even began. Perhaps, I was never destined to be one.

I later joined an institute for media studies and now have a motivational vlog. But not everyone can step away from the traumatic situation caused by ragging.

Unlike mine, many parents might be unable to support the student emotionally or financially. I am in touch with those seniors of mine who are now doctors. I may have moved on but they haven't been able to overcome their guilt at the part they played in the death of my dream.

Handle with care

• Maintain a low profile to avoid being picked on
• Don’t show your fear. If you are asked to introduce yourself or show your talent, do it confidently 
• Don’t be afraid to raise your voice if they cross the line
• Stay with friends — seniors mostly rag the person who seems weak and alone
• Seek help from college authorities. Every college has an anti-ragging community