Ok so this might be the last post with the common link that ran through this and the past posts - the bingo code in the title (not the hidden sarcasm - I would die without that!). For those who haven't got a clue of how it started, I would suggest you advert to the first post. For those who have read, and for those lazy enough not to click the link and read it, i shall come to the reason for it.
"The only thing constant in this world is change"
Its funny how this explains the greatest and weirdest of actions. A wise thought. An engrossing idea. A pair of stylish jeans. A bad hairdo. A recent version of firefox. The Lead India campaign. And now the Teach India campaign. A rise in prices. A fall in sensex. A young cricket team. A new Wimbledon champion.
I believe you got the gist. Darwin got lucky to have been born before, and with a keen sense of observing things added to a clever brain and he formulated his famous theory of adaptability, which now seems so obvious to us. (the great irony being that this theory hasn't changed yet :P ) But not being too poetic about it, I come to my point. The world is changing and we have to adapt. As an individual, as a society and as a nation.
Focusing more on the last one, I would say its a collective responsibility. A responsibility to adapt and change. This change has to be internal - that is, we decide it by our policies, not by politics. So leaving aside the vote bank, we have to rethink the way the system functions. Here comes the great challenge - to reserve, or not to reserve: that is the question.
A few excerpts from Mr Nehru's letter to his chief ministers:
"They deserve help but, even so, I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in service. I react strongly against anything that leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards."
"... if we go in for reservation on communal and caste basis, we swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. I am grieved to learn of how far this business of reservation has gone based on communal or caste considerations. This way lies not only folly, but disaster. Let us help the backward groups by all means, but never at the cost of efficiency. How are we going to build our public sector or indeed any sector with second-rate people?"
Not to take me, or him, to be against any caste, I would say that this is again an example of "right goal wrong path" theory. History is laden with such examples: the crusades to capture the holy land, the twin atom bombs to end the war, or even hating cricket to boost hockey for that matter. The goal here too is correct: To boost the backward sections of the society. But where this policy has gone horribly wrong is when it had to "define" the backward sections.
Caste seems the easier choice but not the appropriate one. We should remember that "help should be given on economic considerations and not on caste." I have seen a lot of students take advantage of the reservation to get into colleges even though they could afford the education and were also willing to study. This in turn blocked the seat of maybe a more meritorious student. Think about the one who lost out - was it his fault he wasn't "backward"? On the other hand, I also have a friend who didn't use his caste certificate during the admissions, just because he realized the individual responsibility.
So what do we do? An ideal scenario would be to take a nation-wide survey to make a new list of backward classes, not backward castes. Also, phase out the reservation till the survey is done. The admissions have to be on merit only. But then the question arises that how do we encourage their willingness to study? The point to understand here is: we don't need to. A meritorious student is himself willing to study. The only problem he faces is economical. For this, the government should introduce scholarships for the backward class students who get admissions on merit. The cost involved would be large, but the juice is worth the squeeze if we realize the long-term profits involved. This way merit and progress both survive and we get a "first-rate country".
Think about it - India is the only country in the world where people fight to be backward!
"The only thing constant in this world is change"
Its funny how this explains the greatest and weirdest of actions. A wise thought. An engrossing idea. A pair of stylish jeans. A bad hairdo. A recent version of firefox. The Lead India campaign. And now the Teach India campaign. A rise in prices. A fall in sensex. A young cricket team. A new Wimbledon champion.
I believe you got the gist. Darwin got lucky to have been born before, and with a keen sense of observing things added to a clever brain and he formulated his famous theory of adaptability, which now seems so obvious to us. (the great irony being that this theory hasn't changed yet :P ) But not being too poetic about it, I come to my point. The world is changing and we have to adapt. As an individual, as a society and as a nation.
Focusing more on the last one, I would say its a collective responsibility. A responsibility to adapt and change. This change has to be internal - that is, we decide it by our policies, not by politics. So leaving aside the vote bank, we have to rethink the way the system functions. Here comes the great challenge - to reserve, or not to reserve: that is the question.
A few excerpts from Mr Nehru's letter to his chief ministers:
"They deserve help but, even so, I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in service. I react strongly against anything that leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards."
"... if we go in for reservation on communal and caste basis, we swamp the bright and able people and remain second-rate or third-rate. I am grieved to learn of how far this business of reservation has gone based on communal or caste considerations. This way lies not only folly, but disaster. Let us help the backward groups by all means, but never at the cost of efficiency. How are we going to build our public sector or indeed any sector with second-rate people?"
Not to take me, or him, to be against any caste, I would say that this is again an example of "right goal wrong path" theory. History is laden with such examples: the crusades to capture the holy land, the twin atom bombs to end the war, or even hating cricket to boost hockey for that matter. The goal here too is correct: To boost the backward sections of the society. But where this policy has gone horribly wrong is when it had to "define" the backward sections.
Caste seems the easier choice but not the appropriate one. We should remember that "help should be given on economic considerations and not on caste." I have seen a lot of students take advantage of the reservation to get into colleges even though they could afford the education and were also willing to study. This in turn blocked the seat of maybe a more meritorious student. Think about the one who lost out - was it his fault he wasn't "backward"? On the other hand, I also have a friend who didn't use his caste certificate during the admissions, just because he realized the individual responsibility.
So what do we do? An ideal scenario would be to take a nation-wide survey to make a new list of backward classes, not backward castes. Also, phase out the reservation till the survey is done. The admissions have to be on merit only. But then the question arises that how do we encourage their willingness to study? The point to understand here is: we don't need to. A meritorious student is himself willing to study. The only problem he faces is economical. For this, the government should introduce scholarships for the backward class students who get admissions on merit. The cost involved would be large, but the juice is worth the squeeze if we realize the long-term profits involved. This way merit and progress both survive and we get a "first-rate country".
Think about it - India is the only country in the world where people fight to be backward!
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