Bullying is an international issue that is only just beginning to be researched in India and
anecdotal evidence in Punjab, India, has suggested that most schools in the Punjab are in denial about bullying on campus. Our aim was to investigate the nature of bullying in
this region using the PhotoStory Method. We sought to discover how young people in
India perceived and experienced incidents of bullying. Three Punjabi schools were
issued with ipads that students could use to email the researchers their illustrated stories
about bullying. Using the Pic Collage App, 33 students aged 12-15 sent PhotoStories
about experiences of victimization. Many stories described incidents of physical
harassment, name calling and ‘Eve teasing’, which left students feeling sad,
embarrassed, depressed and helpless. However, only four PhotoStories described
incidents that met the definition of bullying i.e. that involved repetitive, hurtful
behaviour perpetrated by a person or persons that could be considered more ‘powerful’
than the victim. Nonetheless, the stories, while not lengthy and overly descriptive, did
indicate that physical acts of aggression between peers were common in and outside
school. The findings are discussed in relation to definitional issues and the need to
implement anti-violence programs in Indian schools.peer-reviewe
