Rowdyism Sub- Culture
Rowdyism is a sub-culture that originated in India. In Chennai, rowdyism began when the British people arrived. The British people wanted their luggage to be offloaded from the ships to the main land using catamarans. The local fishermen took the British people’s luggage and put them in the small boats that are also known as catamaran. When they reached the deep sea, they started to ask for money from the British people. If the British people were unable to pay them, they would threaten to drop their luggage in the sea. This was started by auto-rishway fellows and later spread to the masses in Bazaar, and eventually even political parties began adopting the rowdyism strategy. Rowdiness in political spheres led to the extortion of people by the government officials. Kidnapping cases also began to be reported more frequently.
Rowdy people are a nuisance on the street since they spend most of their time there. They have no alternative but to stay on the street. The Rowdy people are usually marginalized and not included in the affairs of mainstream society. They do not have any significant employment opportunities or means of livelihood. They spend their time engaging in unlawful activities like pick pocketing at the market centre, weddings, and birthday parties in order to get something to eat.
Rowdy people are incapable of getting an adviser or a mentor who can steer them in the right path to take in life, and to advise them on the correct life choices and decisions. They usually see their age mates and schoolmates who are well off and admire them, but it seems impossible for them to be able to reach where their wealthy friends are both socially and economically.
There are various types and forms of rowdyism depending on the situation. Some of them include:
Uneducated Rowdyism
These are the rowdy people who have not gotten an opportunity to go to school to get education. They start being rowdy at a very young age and some of them even go to the extent of escaping from home due to high levels of poverty to go and live in the streets.
Educated but not employed
These are the rowdy people who have gone to school, and received education but have not been successful in getting a meaningful employment opportunity or means of livelihood. They turn to being rowdy and spending their time on the streets in order to escape from the harsh realities of life and feelings of depression caused by unemployment.
Rowdyism to attract the opposite sex
It is common to witness rowdy men engaging in unlawful activities just to attract the attention of women.
Rowdyism for political parties
This is mostly witnessed during political rallies. People start being rowdy and cause chaos, especially if the political rally is in favor of an opponent of the candidate that they support. They do this in order for the political rally to be dispersed.
College Rowdyism (Bus Day)
Rowdyism is also witnessed in colleges. When students from Pachaiyappa’s College were denied authorization to celebrate ‘Bus Day’, they went on a rampage in their campus after locking the campus gate. They threw stones at police officers injuring them. Properties, such as vehicles were also damaged during the incident.
Rowdyism in court
Rowdyism can also be witnessed in court. When judgment is passed and it does not favor one group, the group may result in being rowdy in the court, destroying property, and injuring people as a way of protesting.