Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Reservation row

I got an email forward of the interview on Devil's Advocate between Karan Thappar and Arjun Singh (You can read it here).

Dumb politicians! They have no vision, only caste based politics is in play. To me, reservation should not be caste based. In fact, there should need be none. There is this quote by Nehru, that Thappar mentions in the interview -
dislike any kind of reservations. If we go in for any kind of reservations on communal and caste basis, we will swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost. This way lies not only folly, but also disaster.
This was after his idea of reservations failed to help the people who needed it most.

Would I want a barely-passed physician/surgeon doing a surgery on me? How many politicians would be willing to do that? If they need to help, they should help the brilliant but economically backward students. A rich sc/st guy's spoilt brat doesn't deserve it!

Would you drive on a bridge knowing that the engineer who built it was not qualified to do so?

I rant on this because I failed to get a seat in maths undergrad even though I had 91% in the subject whereas, my friend who got 70% had no such problems!!! I was lucky to have other options. But how many others lack that advantage!

Let the deserved get it. If we want to eradicate casteism, this is definitely not the right way to go about it.

Provide educational facilities to economically backward kids, provide them a good education until high school. Once they are out of school, it should be each to his/her own, if he/she is smart enough and DESERVES it, provide financial assistance for higher studies. This way, we not only help the ones who deserve it, but we make sure that jobs go to qualified people, improving the whole society eventually. And need I say, no quotas on job postings anywhere. Period!

9 comments:

Munimma said...

:-) upps, no vithanda vaatham pliss!

ps: long time no see

Kumari said...

I agree. I couldn't get into Anna Univ coz of all this FC cut off. My uncle who is doctor has been trying for years to do his MD in India but apprently only a handful of seats are available for FC and one needs to score almost a centum to get in. Every year he loses his seat by 0.1 :(

Like u said, it is the economically backward who need all the help and we don't really progress with such caste-based reservations.

Syam said...

Yebba which ever the blog I go this is the HOT HOT topic..It wouldn't make sense until the resevation is by economical basis rather caste..

Munimma said...

syam - the reason this is a hot topic is because it is personal for a lot of us. It is a system that no longer benefits (rarely if so) the people it is supposed to.

Munimma said...

Upps, What you are effectively saying is it should be based on economics, not caste. Same difference. In an ideal world, you can all that, but practically speaking, the simplest approach is the best. The PhD doesn't help here ;-)

Syam said...

UG, practically its not that easy for a country which is highly populous , they started the reservation system to have it until early 80s (that my understanding) and keep on extending it, if they wanted to go by your approach then corruption will very well play its role....

Syam said...

Oops...Pls don't yell at me that "they" means our politicians....

Ponnarasi Kothandaraman said...

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Nice name :) Is tht ur real name>? :D Jus curious ;)
And u have a nice blog..Well maintained.. Would like 2 tag you. Check out my blog and pls write the tag if u wish 2 :)

Has to be me said...

Hmmm yet another one on reservations! The same link is up on Chandni's as well.

I've also blogged on the reservation issue.

Damn this....wish v cud all do something abt it.