STATUS QUO-TA

The recent increase in reservation for the “Christian Minority” at St. Stephens prompted me to write this. I do not hold anything against any religious group.

I studied in a Jesuit institution, St.Josephs and hold them in highest regard as they are great benefit to society at large. I do not deny that there was reservation for Catholics at St.Josephs. But I’m guessing I did not feel affected by this while I was there, because and only because I was one of the lucky ones that got selected in the institute despite the quota.

This is no longer about any community reserving seats in institution for members of their community. The TA Pai Institute in 2002 got a Supreme Court ruling in their favor for the same. Therefore, legally, St. Stephens has all authority to implement the reservation.

Its been hardly a few months since the Supreme Court, which came as a shock to several students and even more anxious parents implemented the idea of the Mr.Arjun Singh, the messiah of the “socially backward” – Reservations for OBC candidates. The implementation of the “extra” quota in St. Stephens has rubbed salt into the wounds of the tiring warriors.

Can we do without reservations? The answer is obvious. NO! India despite its long, glorious heritage has certain flaws. I don’t intend to say that other cultures are flawless. For, the reason that our culture has been different from others, we cannot do without reservations. Historically, education was limited to “Brahmins”. This has been implanted so deeply in our culture that even today when we see a successful intelligent person, we hear “Oh! That guy, he’s so brilliant because he’s a Brahmin”. To me that’s baloney. We are all born equally intelligent or may be even equally stupid. What we become depends on circumstances, environment, education and all of these cascading on a single platform in the name of opportunities.

India according to sources still has almost 6,00,000 villages. In several of these villages, where the current “Education system” has not really impregnated, the caste system and system of unfair equality still persists. Until, this has been done away with we cannot eradicate the current system of reservation. Yet, however noble the intentions of Mr.Arjun Singh were, few can deny that it was a simple act for political mileage. Mileage reminds of the one liner, Reservations are like petrol prices, it generally goes only upwards. It takes an enormous amount of effort and will power to get it down. Few of the forthcoming governments will have the guts to repeal the reservation.

So what’s the solution? The first step to solving any problem is to accept the existence of a problem and then attack it at its root. The root of this problem lies mainly in our villages and primary education. The reservation does not have the desired effect only because of the lack of empowerment of the person really deserving the reservations. What is needed is strengthening of the primary education system in order to help the socially backward compete with economically forward. The irony of the current system is that a majority of the socially backward benefiting from the system are also economically forward. I may sound cynical, but the bitter truth is that the so called system of excluding “the creamy layer” is unreal. I see no solution to this in the short term. Even in the long term, our Prima Donna politicians offer no solution. It is very disheartening that not a single member ruling or opposition has or even claims to have a vision to solve the problem at its root.

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel and it’s the head light of the train of globalization. Globalization has driven NGO’s and several private companies in the field of CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility. Depending on politics and the democratic system to make a difference at the grass root level would not be prudent and almost stupid. The Public-Private enterprise is the way forward. It’s not a quick fix, but it’s the best solution in the long run considering that India will have 500 million persons in the age group of 9-22 in by 2020. No denying the fact that several of the CSR programs. Yet, society at large will stand to benefit. So who cares? I don’t.

So all you wannabe graduates and post graduates out there (I’m one of them), there’s no solution, not even a remote chance of a solution in the near future. So, pray and hope for opportunities or settle for the next best option. We are the sacrifice, only hoping that generations to come will benefit. Though we may not live to see the difference, our small actions can make a difference. So hope and pray, and of course slog your bottom off to beat the “competition”!

The British followed a policy of Divide and Rule. No love lost, yet an ‘l’ was lost as our government implements a policy of Divide and Rue.