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Kancha Ilaiah created a sensation with his book Why I Am Not A Hindu. There he critiques the Hindu caste system and consequently rejects Hinduism. Prof Ilaiah does such a good job at castigating Hinduism that he, as it were, throws the baby along with the bath water. No doubt a certain section of Hindus at certain points in history have wrongly reinforced the hitherto fluid caste system into something despicably ossified. But because of the actions a few we cannot blame a whole people; can we blame either all Christians for either the Crusades or Bush’s Iraq antics? Can we blame all Muslims for isolated terrorist attacks? Ilaiah’s solution is to escape his own religion; similarly our policy makers would rather give the poor their daily breads without teaching them to earn it with toil. Keeping this little preamble in mind I’d wish to draw your attention to the recent Supreme Court direction to the IITs and the UGC to rethink job quotas in the teaching profession.
Before I proceed further I would like to first set out to admit the wrongs done to many in India:
a)It is true that in the past much wrong has been done towards those who did essential manual work for an elite priestly class.
b)It is true that there still exist rigid marriage rules which prohibit racial dilutions.
c)It is true that our nation is still suffering from these caste distinctions.
But it is also true unlike say Britain, where Lords continue to sneer at commoners and a Queen ultimately mocks any pretension to democracy, we are a nation willing to redress our own sins. Thus we have the quota/ caste - reservation system. This system is necessary for the welfare and correction of many of the socio-economic diseases which still haunt us. But here are some hard truths; like every human system, this too has becoming a burden in some cases.
Scene I
In one of our states, there is taken a regular Public examination for recruitment of school teachers. Candidates have to clear the first paper with a certain percentage for having their subject papers (2nd) papers marked. Whereas General Category candidates need to get often at least 16 out of 50, candidates under the quotas need not score any marks for their second papers to be corrected. So who will be our future teachers?
Scene II
Mr. R has a First Class MA & a PhD to boot but is teaching school for all the universities he has applied to have no place for him since he is from the General Caste. His monthly income is less than 2 lacs per annum. The nation loses out on his years at research.
Scene III
Mr A has been teaching in a premier university in Kolkata for the last three years. Recently Masters Students complained about his teaching. He cannot spell Shelley. Oh well, he is from a rich family and never bothered to study for the quota-system is his ticket to higher academics.
There is a definite need of the quota system which does not base the sins of our forefathers as the beginning for brining justice to our marginalized. But rather we need economic quotas now. Let merit be patronized, not caste-origins. Otherwise we are pushing our nation to another scarred future where the only solace will be that the circle of injustice would have come full circle. Let the meritorious poor be helped by the State and anyone using caste-distinctions be punished with life-imprisonment.
There is another insidious manner in which the quota system hurts some of those who are forced to take advantage of it. A brilliant doctor told me recently that he is not going to apply quota-cards for his daughters. You see, he had topped every examination he had given in life but while in India he always felt an intruder amongst his general-category peers. Abroad he just felt like a successful Indian. It is time we overhaul the quota system, political hobnobbing notwithstanding. One can understand St. Stephen’s College desire to put mediocre Christian teachers in its faculty lists only if one sees the scurry in the nation at large to finish off all meritocracies everywhere. Brilliant students, both from reserved and unreserved categories are not spared. And the poor keep on being poor.
PS If my Western readers think that they are free of such biases, then please read Edward Said to begin with!
Image: Thanks for the Image.
RSS 
a) Teaching
b) Armed Forces
c) Doctors
d) Engineers
There may be more, but the above four comes first and foremost.
St. Stephen's College is a much-hyped college that takes proud of being seen as an elitist college much different from others when it comes to giving admissions to students etc. The fact of the matter is that the college is not half as good as it seems from outside. The college's governors know this and therefore has no qualms appointing mediocre Christian teachers to teach the brilliant students who were foxed to take admission there through hype. I pity them.
Then the sad thing is only the scoundrels go on to become rogue politicians who play populist politics showing complete disregard for national interests. They don't have anything to do with India's future. All they think about their own interests of the day.
And yes, St. Stephen's of Delhi sucks.
Such a scholar still caught in caste? So pathetic.
& for the sins of our fathers we are made scapegoats...
Notice how the Missonary Colleges would earn money from the rich by patronising them as students but when giving the jobs its only for their own.
It is fine to change one’s religions but it is certainly not right to denigrate or highlight the worst in another’s religion.
It is mature to critically demonstrate alternatives to any faux pas but only destructive criticism to find faults and then run away. Incidentally KI is a professor at Osmania.
Which other religion forgives and forgets the rebellions of some Sikhs and the growing Ismanic radicalism? In the west all Laden-lookalikes are attcked and all Muslims are viewed with suspicion. In India, a Muslim is made Vice president.
And I think lot of us (read general class) are anti-reservation since we feel that we are deprived of equal opportunities. We should instead look it as a measure to correct imbalances in the society. It should not necessarily be interpreted as a negative process but as a positive process that aims at the betterment of the deprived lot.
But this argument is lost until the logic behind reservations is corrected.
And I think lot of us (read general class) are anti-reservation since we feel that we are deprived of equal opportunities. We should instead look it as a measure to correct imbalances in the society. It should not necessarily be interpreted as a negative process but as a positive process that aims at the betterment of the deprived lot.
But this argument is lost until the logic behind reservations is corrected.
I can’t understand why good and free education cannot improve merit of all, irrespective of caste? Why do people need special ’quota’ crutches?
And yet, because the OBC, SC and ST quotas could not be filled up (as enough applicants could not get the generously-relaxed pass marks set for these categories), as many as 432 seats will go abegging, but who cares?