Sastry's Corner on the Web: RESERVATIONS IN INDIA

To deny, to believe, and to doubt absolutely -- this is for man what running is for a horse.

--- Blaise Pascal

Introduction
As soon as I came to India, I have been observing several interesting things. How our TV channels keep on harping on same thing again and again until it gets on to your nerves. At the same time I have been thinking that with the independence that the media is enjoying in this country, it can do wonders towards the country's progress and countrymen's awareness by being more responsible.

Anyways, recently, the topic of interest in India is Reservation Issue. I have been trying to follow it closely and learn more about the issue, its implications etc. I defintiely am not knowledgeable on all the intricate details but I am definitely making progress. I will try to put together the things I have found in newspapers etc. At the same time, I will try to provide my thoughts too.

I started being terribly against the reservation policy, thinking the way most people in agitation are thinking. But with time, I have also been simultaneously educated by my knowledgeable friends with the other side of the story. I sit back, in awe, with uncertainty, as to what stand shoudl I take? What should be the right thing for the country to do to lift the downtrodden masses, to create a a society without caste, creed and discrimination.....

I dont know the art of writing .... All I know is to jot it down as my heart speaks out. May be one day I will learn the art of articulation....

Do our Institutes connect with real India?

Political Agenda
Several people, including some senior members in the congress are of the opinion that Arjun Singh brought this up for scoring poilitical mileage against Manmohan Singh and he had to do this since he was almost on the verge of getting shunted out into some less important corners of Congress. Is there any doubt in it? But lets put politics aside.

White Privilege Shapes the US

Caste and Society
However educated we are, we have not been able to get out of this caste disease. You open up some of the Governement forms to be filled up, you will be asked for your Caste. For example, look at the form to be filled to register your marriage. While we are fighting or trying to fight to eradicate this menace how can a sane society not work towards making sure that caste is indeed not an important factor to filled in a form? An interesting story in the same line is, one day I happened to meet a person who was also telugu. Immediately he asked me am I a Brahmin? When I said yes, his next question was , "whats your surname?"..

ABCs of the OBCS

Reservation
If anyone thinks that reservation is the way to solve the caste problem and hence supporting the plan of the government, I definitely think thats the most foolish decision. I would rather sit, spend time and come up innovative alternate solutions rather than supporting the concept of reserving positions in higher centers of learning.

Economically Backward? --> Provide economic assitance so that they can take training towards the career they want to pursue. These days every profession, college etc. has entrance. We should look towards providing economic support to the person to be able to prepare for the exam rather than ensuring that a seat will be kept in the institution for him her.

Socially Backward? --> Its true that "Creamy Layer" concept is brought forward by the government to exclude those who are already established in the society and can sustain themselves, from taking advantage of the reservation. For the remaining, I definitely think they can be considered economically backward too.

CREAMY LAYER

Some Government Decisions

Government, in an effort to take a middle path has said that even the general category seats will be increased. In the institutions like IITs and IIMs, where there is already a severe crunch in the number of faculty, how do they expect to increase the faculty to take of this increase in the number of seats? This is going to force these institute of prominence to dilute their constraints in choosing the faculty. The standards of the institute in turn will take a hit. This is going to definitely show up in the research contributions of the institute. In turn the interest of the global industry in these institutes will definitely take a dip. Someone aptly quoted, “Faculty do not grow on trees”.

Are we refreshing the traumatic moments of 1990? Are we in the process of giving birth to more Rajiv Goswamis in a much larger scale? I fear this is going to lead into a huge conflagration.

Either we correct ourselves or Good luck India for your great “Unity in Diversity”…..

KEEP READING.....

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