M S Gopinathan's views are excellent. Politicians for the sake of votes are making OBC's weeker year after year so that they they remain ignorant of their designs and keep on voting the manipulaters to power. If any party want to raise OBC's up teach them to fish, don't give them fish, you will provide food for life
It is high time they stop crying about it, they can raise from their slumber & understand the evil designs of their manupulators
iam very sad to read such a short sighted ostrich minded article by Prof M S Gopinathan . he is no doubt tecnically superior intellectual but poor in his grasp of indian socio-politico-economic dynamics . such intellectuals are cut of from contemporary social reality and live in their own elitist ideas generated in airconitioned atmosphere no matter if they are born in dalit ,tribal or backward cates. castebased bias in our society is a bitter reality and shamefully these intellectuals deny it.i request every rediffian to go through recent praful bidwai's article on this issue or writings of scholors such as gail omvedt , mark gallanter etc for a broader perspective. my heart bleeds when as a journalist i become witness to horrible plight of people who encounter implicit discrimination on the tacit grounds of caste ,religion and gender where as a small chunk of mediocres thrive with their cash ,caste,connections based 'merit'.may be we should wake up quickly to undo this centuries old monstrous legacy by giving the deprieved their due or else face severe social unrest.
RE:re:OBCs should throw away the demeaning crutches offered
by CV on Jun 11, 2006 09:17 AM Permalink
Typical lawyer-speak. What bull-shit are you talking about. What socio-economic bias are you talking about. Even in the US, they try to integrate the African-Americans and the Native-Indians into the mainstream, but I have not seen a single incident of that violating time-tested and universal laws of MERIT, unlike in India where the politicians dole out reservation and concessions as if education and seats are their father's property and some people shamelessly lap it up.
It is not the question that OBC, SC, ST dont have merit.Reservation is the social justice to undress the grievences made by upper caste to the downtroden since many years . Oterwise the poor wiil remain poor in the hands of upper cate and so called rich people who are are invariably at upper post and have the ulimate power to decide the fate of downtrodden.
PKL. June 10, Saturday , 2006. Prof Gopinathan is a celebrated member of IIT faculty and has shared Academic work as he informs us around the various reputed icons like Oxford(U.K.).Macgill Canada and Germany.He apparently is entitled to believe that the reputed academic excellence of IITS is unproblematic.A diehard Sceptic Like yours truly is not convinced. But his suggestion for seven hundred segregation of Caste Centres of Excellence is just ridiculous. IITS, IIMS ,Or Virtual Information Technolgy by the Wire.. If he is that connoisseur of Academic "Traditions" as of Seven century Old Oxford Lawns , I am sure ,he would have noted the vibrant Tutorial method of Personal inter-action so halloed an institution of that Ancient Seminary of White Biped's eminence.What we need are Courses designed in Indian Dialects for our disadvantaged Desi Bhashis including students from amongst the swarnas as well, at the same pertinacious levels as MITS and Gottingens of the world D. Goel and this include Sawarnas too.
Dr. K Sarvana your view is glorifying the author's point in full spirit. Todays world is highly competitive one and so even after enjoying the benefits like that (if) the state provided to Gopi, it would be very very difficult today to make yourself like Gopi or to reach where Gopi has reached without the competitive attitude that is reflected in Gopi's writting. Thanks to the elite group of Indians like Gopi who has made Inida to be known as the knowledge power in todays compititive world. Thank you sir for a such eye opening article. Gangesh
Part II IITs will be shunned as Paraya or Backward Class Institutes by serious academicians of all castes and by the international academic community. This is mere pre-liberalization and pre-privatization logic. The author is sour-grape over the whole reservation issue therefore he offers us to believe them as useless, humiliating backdoor entry. It should be understood that he is speaking to uc. Do that for seven hundred years: His back is broken in 50 years itself. About his concluding remarks where he is reciting facts then what is stopping him from accepting the fact that the caste consolidation is perfect in Indian society and is not likely to change for the millennia ahead. Empty promises and un-willingness to end the practice did not end in Independent India then why he doesnt ask the question: why did the people (and I mean UC) failed it. As solution he is offering only the cosmetics (agitate for decent schools, good teachers and scholarships, better training, better running shoes, better coaches). He is also offering to create further centers of untouchability in the guise of suggesting 100/100 reservation situation. The end-analysis: casteism is practiced by illiterate, literate and highly educated in equal measure. To make it irrelevant caste based reservation is a necessity f India wants to maintain peace and progress at the same time.
Part I It is very clear that this author is doing an ivory-tower-talk. He is a brand creamy OBC therefore no one asked him about his caste in India. Abroad they are not concerned about anybodys caste but ones ability. In India this situation does not exist to begin with. The author is wrong in portraying that the whole lot of OBC is asking for charity. There is a talk of parity and equality. So there is no question of demeaning the giver or the receiver, it is only the upper caste (uc) would do so because it takes great pride in it. If there is proportionate faculty also from the lower caste (lc) there wont be any danger of demeaning anything. When you are student you are at the receiving end from the uc teacher. I do not want to comment on his personal experience with his teachers because it is very subjective area. The unfilled lc quota is occupied by the uc (lc do not have any objection to this so long as lc are taken according a set criteria/JEE score).
Independent India has miserably failed to deliver quality universal school education in over 50 years. How long did it take to abolish sati, temple entry, etc. What was the problem with these in the fi
RE:Re:OBCs should throw away the demeaning crutches offered
by CV on Jun 11, 2006 09:12 AM Permalink
In that case, that physically challenged person should not dream of competing in the Olympics alongside the other athletes who have been slogging their lives out in pursuit of glory. He should compete among the special olympics and if he wins among them, he should be content with being called the Special Olympics athlete, and that is what is conveyed in the article. Thinking of an on-par treatment with the normal athlete is stupid.
I would not like to comment much on the reservation issue though i feel oppurtunities should be extended to OBC's, but the current form of reservations is one of the worst and ineffective ways to do this.
though not related to caste, I myself belong to an underprivileged class.. but am hesitant in branding myself as such even if to enjoy certain benefits.
but your thoughts make me hold you in respect for your courage and your spirit.
