Though anti-bullying campaigns are popping up everywhere, JWB’s Uncornered is one of a kind to have executed in Jaipur. Along with Jaipur’s The Palace School, this Friendship Day campaign will make students all over the city understand the impact bullying can have on an individual’s mindset, and how friendship can cure it.

Of course the campaign required some bold steps and we couldn’t thank Ms. Urvashi Warman enough for the trust she had put on us. Known as one of the most open-minded Principals in the city, we reached for her support and described our idea. She instantly liked the concept and even gave us suggestions to infuse it.

Below are the excerpts from our chat with her:

JWB: We want to know exactly why you are supporting JWB’s anti-bullying campaign ‘Uncornered’.

Urvashi Warman: Bullying is not acceptable in any form. I, for one, have zero tolerance for it. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group, etc. Even if we face a case of bullying in the school, we make sure to erase it following our effective procedure.

JWB: What kind of procedure?

Urvashi Warman: The person who bullies is of course the offender; however, we also meet the student who is being bullied. Our program includes counseling both the parties taken by an experienced counselor along with the concerned class teacher.

So that this problem doesn’t arise, we have teachers interacting with students during the class and spreading awareness. We have got ‘Peer Sensatisation Group’ wherein we teach students how to stand against bullying. I am glad that students in our school are vocal about the issue and discuss every problem with teachers.

JWB: What kind of psychological traits are commonly found in school students who bully?

Urvashi Warman: That’s a very curious matter. I strongly believe that such kids have something really big disturbing them. It can be anything – from terrible family situations to lack of friends. It’s frustrating for them. It can also be someone oppressing them, making find their happiness in terrorizing someone else.

JWB: That’s something to ponder upon.

Urvashi Warman: Indeed.

JWB: You also said ‘lack of friends’? How ironic.

Urvashi Warman: Lack of compassion and support can be disheartening.

JWB: We don’t want to sound sexist, but is there a differentiation between girls and boys when it comes to bullying?

Urvashi Warman: Over these many decades of working in the educational system and constantly interacting with every kind of student, I have figured out that it is boys who quickly pick up the act of bullying. Since they are not as good as women in expressing themselves, they generate a deep feeling resulting in aggression. Furthermore, kids these days love to copy their favorite TV and movie stars.

JWB: Can you express a little on how family situations ignite bullying among children?

Urvashi Warman: A bully is not a natural bully, he is forced to turn into one. The bully sees someone in the family insulting others constantly. This can be parents fighting with one another or too much showcasing of the saas-bahu soaps in the home or discussing the neighborhood/family politics in front of the kids. All this inculcate a feeling in the child that it is okay to insult, shout, laugh and demean someone.

JWB: Talking about the children who get bullied, do they have any common characteristics?

Urvashi Warman: Children with poor self-esteem and lack of self-confidence are usually the ones who attract bully, just like the bully himself! I personally feel both the bully and the victim suffer from lack of positive attention and love. As an teacher and parent, one can spot the victim as someone who is timid and quite all the time. We must reach out to such people and try to talk to them in the most compassionate manner.

JWB: What is your kind of solution?

Urvashi Warman: Just as I mentioned, bullies are kids who find happiness in others’ weakness. It is because their values are such. The home is a child’s first school, therefore we, as parents, must check our actions & words before scolding them.

Every word of Urvashi makes sense here. If you have a story related to bullying, write to us. We would like to feature it on our page for our readers to spread awareness.

It’s time we talk about the campaign ‘Uncovered’. In the middle of the past week, we went to The Palace School. We met its 25 students; and after explaining them about the campaign, took their portrait photographs that were later printed into posters with #Uncornered written on them. Next, we pasted these 25 portraits across the campus inside the wall corners.

Looking like this:

Pasting the posters like this literally shows how a child feels on getting bullied. Once done, the respective best friends of these 25 youngsters were asked to spot the portraits and uncorner them. Confused?

We will tell you all about it in the next story which is coming up tomorrow on the occasion of Friendship Day! Stay glued!