No man is born in a caste of his choice. From time immemorial, man has been divided in terms of his colour, caste, creed and sex. The backward classes were ill treated, denied all opportunities, and most of all given a tag of social stigma that stinks everywhere that they go. Time went fast forward, the question is, did the society go at a similar pace.
The 2001 census has not taken any census of the OBCs. But, according to the B.P.Mandal Commission, they form around 52% of the Indian population. Moreover, SC/ST form 25% of the population. So, this becomes not the issue of a handful of people with fewer opportunities, but a national arousal of more than three by fourth of the population.
Let us take a look at the present educational system prevailing till high school. It is not about how sharp a student is. It is about how much the student works to attain a goal. It is about how much coaching and tuition they undergo, to reach their goals. These too without any distractions. How can a student, in a low economic status, still lower social status, who can only think about survival, of how to tide over this life, compete with no distractions, ever-blissful student hood?
The Constitution of India promises the nation equality, irrespective of caste or creed. Then, why reservation?
How can the lame compete against an athlete? On what grounds can they be put on adjacent tracks and asked to run and be equal? The aim of reservation is to make sure of this equality. Reservation is not about enhancing the colour of the already present social tag. It is about making sure that the lame at least walks. By putting backward classes in the mainstream, it ensures that human rights are met.
But, here the criteria of reservation need to be clarified. Reservation was first implemented in Karnataka 50 years back. More than 50 years have gone by. We need to assess the social scenario at this juncture. As time went by, the society changed. It adapted itself to suit the needs of the day. There is a section of the upper class, where there are many bright children, but their poverty stands in their way to higher education. They stand on the same balance with the bright children of backward classes. Similarly, there is a section of the backward communities, which is educationally and culturally emancipated. They stand on the same balance with the upper classes, which have plenty of opportunities and the means to get them.
The ongoing anti-reservation movement asks a question-whether a person who becomes a doctor through reservation can take spur of the moment appropriate decisions concerning a patient on the operating table, whose life depends on those decisions! Reservation does not ensure that people who does not have the skill reaches the operating table. Reservation ensures that if there is any student worthy of higher education, who has been impeded by his/her social, cultural, geographic and economic backgrounds, that student gets an opportunity to get to the top. Its role stops there. The rest is in the hands of the student.
Let us think about the future, if reservation is not implemented. The backward communities will remain as backward, not because they are ‘not fit’ to climb the ladder of progress, but, because the nation will become a monopoly of the already emancipated classes, who will not raise a finger against poverty or injustice but will take any step to ensure that they remain socially superior. Is that what this nation deserves? Think about it.
The 2001 census has not taken any census of the OBCs. But, according to the B.P.Mandal Commission, they form around 52% of the Indian population. Moreover, SC/ST form 25% of the population. So, this becomes not the issue of a handful of people with fewer opportunities, but a national arousal of more than three by fourth of the population.
Let us take a look at the present educational system prevailing till high school. It is not about how sharp a student is. It is about how much the student works to attain a goal. It is about how much coaching and tuition they undergo, to reach their goals. These too without any distractions. How can a student, in a low economic status, still lower social status, who can only think about survival, of how to tide over this life, compete with no distractions, ever-blissful student hood?
The Constitution of India promises the nation equality, irrespective of caste or creed. Then, why reservation?
How can the lame compete against an athlete? On what grounds can they be put on adjacent tracks and asked to run and be equal? The aim of reservation is to make sure of this equality. Reservation is not about enhancing the colour of the already present social tag. It is about making sure that the lame at least walks. By putting backward classes in the mainstream, it ensures that human rights are met.
But, here the criteria of reservation need to be clarified. Reservation was first implemented in Karnataka 50 years back. More than 50 years have gone by. We need to assess the social scenario at this juncture. As time went by, the society changed. It adapted itself to suit the needs of the day. There is a section of the upper class, where there are many bright children, but their poverty stands in their way to higher education. They stand on the same balance with the bright children of backward classes. Similarly, there is a section of the backward communities, which is educationally and culturally emancipated. They stand on the same balance with the upper classes, which have plenty of opportunities and the means to get them.
The ongoing anti-reservation movement asks a question-whether a person who becomes a doctor through reservation can take spur of the moment appropriate decisions concerning a patient on the operating table, whose life depends on those decisions! Reservation does not ensure that people who does not have the skill reaches the operating table. Reservation ensures that if there is any student worthy of higher education, who has been impeded by his/her social, cultural, geographic and economic backgrounds, that student gets an opportunity to get to the top. Its role stops there. The rest is in the hands of the student.
Let us think about the future, if reservation is not implemented. The backward communities will remain as backward, not because they are ‘not fit’ to climb the ladder of progress, but, because the nation will become a monopoly of the already emancipated classes, who will not raise a finger against poverty or injustice but will take any step to ensure that they remain socially superior. Is that what this nation deserves? Think about it.
5 comments:
The idea of affirmative action in general is to help the deprived section catch up. Two students with same innate abilities will perform differently depending on if they were deprived (socially, economically or gender wise) or not. In order to bridge the gap, we need affirmative actions.
Now, in case of caste based reservations in higher education, when you offer reservation to people for a number of generations, you are not really providing affirmative action to the deprived. That's what I think.
Would like to discuss.
hey SHRUTHI.. i am speechless...you write tooo well!
it is me Garima...from orky..:)
touching but yet debateable....
enthonnadeith nannayikkoode??????
good.
people are alive these days /
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