Ok, here r the numbers: The last 5000 years in the hands of the upper-castes with preferential reservation in all walks of life going only to the upper-castes and what do we have to show for it? Rabid caste system, under-developed nation, child-marriage & sati, abysmally low literacy, lack of infrastructure, poverty, lack of helth-care or even access to drinking water (seperate wells for the shudras)....the list is too long to enumerate...comparing that to 25 years or even 59 years (post-independence) is really illogical & unscientific. Let the lower castes now show us what they can do - its their time. Vive la reservation. As a corollary, I would like to also add that now everyone wants a piece of the reservation pie - maybe we need to focus on which castes really should come under the banner.
Arre yaar (Hindi), let there be variety in life. Why should all the people around you be stinking full of merit? Please tolerate your neighbour who may not be as meritorious as you are. Your nation is not going to suffer because caste-based reservation is going to be implemented in IITs and IIMs. If you are that bothered, why should you sit in the US and do dis(service) to the poor dalits here by circulating hate-mails? Join the Bharat government and do something. The Bharat govt. will have enough posts for you, because the dalits occupy only such posts as post-men or railway cleaners, etc., etc. Train your eyesight to take in the presence of dalits also in your antiseptic, awe-inspiring, intimidatingly elite IIMs and IITs, where all those jeans-clad yuppies study hard, speak conventish-English, come out, and then start making dollars. Please dont think that the sky, these spaces, this brave new world, where U r making an impact (because U r capable of that) should belong only to U. Sorry, I just wrote it because I couldnt tolerate this anti-dalitism anymore. If I offended any, plz forgive me. When I get time I will reflect further on this issue. Now just wanted to point out these things to you. Thatz all.
And if you find the dalits not using up the resources the way you use them, that the money spent on them is a waste, and all your usual hate-arguments against the lower caste, please think of the fact that they dont have the kind of cultural capital that you have, which helps you invest your cultural capital in profitable and intelligent ways. (Incidentally, it is only because of the work going on in some academic institutions like universities that even culture has come to be understood as plural). A university like the Central University of Hyderabad is a h(e)aven for all kinds of people; there is no elite peer pressure on you here; it is a 5-star university but not one of those elitist educational institutions, which are not the least guilty about their elitism and upper-caste-ness-and-class-ness. But do you think if you are a rural dalit (your very appearance -complexion and apparel- will sideline you) you can survive in a college like St. Xaviers Mumbai, or St Stephens Delhi or Fergussons Pune, or IIT Delhi?! No! you would feel like a fish out of water, a Jew in those old days. Hope you people wont influence the US Govt. and ask them to repeal their Affirmative Action Policies (which is just another name for our Reservation Policies here).
Somebody sent me a newspaper cutting where Nehru is seen to oppose reservations. Yeah, I would like caste to disappear from our society a la Nehruji and I know a complete non-recognition of it would be one of the ways for it. Letz not have reservations on the basis of caste. But ----- reservations would go. Caste will remain. It will remain in your mind when your kith and kin marry. It will remain in the newspaper matrimonial columns. It will remain in your minds. It may go only from elite educational institutions, which in the long run would breed only the well-bred kids. Look at the India Today June 5, 2006 issue. Can you point out there any rural or dalit face or figure in Indias top ten colleges? And as for Nehruji he didnt like his daughter marrying out of caste, a Parsi. Only because of Gandhis approval and encouragement Nehruji let the guy in, whom he hated during family dinners because the Parsi was obviously not as well-bred as Nehruji was: the poor guy used to laugh boisterously; talk loudly during dinner, etc., etc. - - - all non-elite characteristics!
If you think caste is no longer an issue in our lives, please take up the matrimony columns of newspapers where all the Brahmins want to marry only Brahmins and all the people want to marry only within their own castes and sub-castes. And you think caste is a non-issue!! Shame on your lack of knowledge of ground reality. At least please read your Vivekananda well and stop getting restless when arjun singh implements something which Vivekananda envisioned long back and which has not yet become a reality. Swamiji said the coming ages should be that of women and shudras, and that the future belongs to them. Please note: he used the word Shudra, which of course refers to caste.
Dear Guys&Gals who r up in arms against reservations, All the responses to rashmis article support her which shows the kind of ppl who have access 2 such gadgets as a pc/ laptop and have such soft & hard skills needed 2 do this kind of posting articles on rediff and what not!!! All yuppies have been circulating hate mails about the reservation issue 4 quite some time. I receive them from many, including my successful relatives and friends in Delhi, Haryana, Hyderabad, the US. They are scared the standards of higher education would suffer if merit is not the criterion. But their own children study for medicine and engineering not through merit but because they have paid high capitation fee to get them admitted into these courses. In Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka guys and gals of wealthy upper caste families who do not use their brains enough to know that 1+1= 2, get into higher educational institutions just by paying 25 lakhs or more for their admission, and come out as doctors and start serving in super-specialty hospitals (where the mortality rate is anyway less than in govt. hospitals where the merit-wallah-doctors serve). So that doesnt bother them!!!!! So there you are silent about merit!!!!! But if a lower caste person is around, you start getting nightmares about the well-being and welfare of the nation and pull out the merit-argument out of your hat. Shame on your double standards.
Re: anti-reservationism of...
by Horizon Man on Mar 15, 2009 09:33 AM Permalink
Dear friends, this is indeed an interesting topic. Should not the reservation criteria slowly be shifted from the caste-religion based system towards a system which is based on whether or not an individual is rich or poor. There could be chances of misusing it. But if correctly implemented and monitored this will be more fruitful in the long run. Also would not it give atleast some respite from a lot of debates and hatred which happens just because of the current system which reminds everyone of this unfortunate caste system which is still holding back our country in this 21st century. Also thinking about it, is n't that the obviously simple and correct solution?! in the sense to provide a helping hand to someone who could not make it just because he could not afford it?
Dear Guys&Gals who r up in arms against reservations, All the responses to rashmis article support her which shows the kind of ppl who have access 2 such gadgets as a pc/ laptop and have such soft & hard skills needed 2 do this kind of posting articles on rediff and what not!!! In fact, all yuppies have been circulating hate mails about the reservation issue 4 quite some time. I receive them from many, including my ealthy, happy, successful smug relatives and friends in Delhi and Haryana and the US who have only been respected throughout their lives due 2 a combination of various lucky factors in their lives. And they are scared the standards of higher education would suffer if merit is not the criterion. But their own children study for medicine and engineering not through merit but because they have paid high capitation fee to get them admitted into these courses. And in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka guys and gals of wealthy upper caste families who do not use their brains enough to know that 1+1= 2, get into higher educational institutions like medical colleges and engineering colleges just by paying 25 lakhs or more for their admission, and come out as doctors and sta
It is a very enlightening and logical article, specially coming from one who is not from the so called upper caste. I am sure the politicians who have only their pure selfish interest at heart, will neither read nor try to understand the basic facts or truth of the society. The main reason of our backwardness is due to lack of basic education especially of girls, lack of good schools where teachers will teach without private tution, dowry system in the society, and lack of opportunities caused by excessive population encouraged by fanatic religous groups backed by secularists, unchecked migration from Bangladesh etc. These are the real causes for the backwardness of the country. Those who encouraged illegal immigration for personal gains(vote bank theory) are the people behind the kind of reservation being proposed.
Well, Rashmi, appreciating you for your point of view, I would like to share my experiance. Quite recently, I was asked to interview SC/ST students for Corporate training which would be sponsored by the S.C employees of a big Public Sector unit of our country.
From hundreds who came, It was difficult to identify a minimum of 36 for the training. Moral of the story is, the conditions back there in their villages, the way colleges are run, the way teachers laze in the staff room, a worst evaluation system, the malfunctioning of SC/ST commission are the main reasons. Reservation, which was like a freshwater lake, due to the different malfunctions,has become a salt water lake and now slowly dying. The lake remains, the water is still there, but it becomes a dead sea.
Attitude building measures were never taken at any SC/ST free training centres. No leader thought of this. Only cadre developnment and movement development was and is the agenda. this must change for a total change. Existance of Reservations doesn't change if social stigma is removed. Can any one do that? Can the Kanchi Seer or the Chinna Jeer talk against not allowing dalits into the temples. Mr.Advani talk.
