/> Ragging has just got a new face. That of filmmaker Manish Gupta who made the film on ragging Hostel earlier this year. Gupta met president Pratibha Patil on Thursday morning at her residence at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

Gupta spoke at length with the President about the serious issue of ragging. And now the director will be joining hands with the President Of India for several anti-ragging initiatives.

To begin with Ms Pratibha Patil has asked Gupta to start a major anti-ragging campaign through interviews with victims of ragging and their family, to be telecast on national television. Manish Gupta says this is just the beginning of several anti-ragging ventures which are being formulated by the President's office.

Says the charged director, "Pratibhaji has sanctioned two aggressive nation-wide anti-ragging initiatives deploying me and my film Hostel to spread the anti-ragging message. The President also spoke to me about a meeting with Kapil Sibal (the Minister for Education) to question him why ragging is not being handled in the campuses on a war-footing. "

Manish says he plans to "rock" the Indian parliament. "Dr Raj Kachru the father of Amar Kachru who died of ragging and and on whom my film is based, is supporting my anti-ragging drive. I now realize my film Hostel is a weapon I am going to use it to rock the Mantralaya.