Is Indian education system effective?

Many people say that Indian education system is faulty. In my opinion it does not sound appropriate. Any system which is operational is a successful system. This applies to Indian education system also. It has produced and is still producing good doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers..... Many of them are experts in their respective fields. Their achievements are commendable. Seeing the result, one can not say that the system is wrong or faulty. Then what is the problem? Why Indian education system is not able to provide expected results?

The answer is not simple. Indian education system is a dynamic system. It has evolved in the past and is still evolving. It should be judged on its good points and bad points on a long term basis. In other words one should try to determine whether the system is effective, and effective to what extent, and whether any improvements are needed to make it more and more effective. Let us analyse Indian Education System. In doing so, it should be noted that I am using the term 'effective to what extent' and not 'ineffective'. The purpose is to adopt the positive approach in analyzing the system. However, I accept that present Indian education system is proving ineffective if seen from what is happening in educational institutions and the quality of people these institutions are turning out.

What is the meaning of education - is it studying or practicing? Now-a-days the education is being looked as an instrument of only acquiring knowledge. We have forgotten that the basic meaning of education is practicing. The term 'prcaticing' includes acquiring knowledge and then properly using it through practice. Acquiring or knowing is also education but it is not the whole of education. Putting to proper use what one has acquired or learnt is an important part of education. I will go one step further. Use of acquired knowledge should result in larger benefits to the society and people. In this respect one would say that Indian education system is effective to some extent and needs lot of improvements, in properly understanding the basic meaning of education and the right methodlogy of practicing it.

Education has four dimensions - development of body, the mind, the intellect, and emotional development. In short education should result in overall development of the people. Present education system is effective to the extent that it puts stress on two aspects, physical and intellectual. In this sense it needs improvement to put stress on other two aspects also, mental and emotional development. This means that due importance should also be given to the building of character and to discipline.

Another improvement required here is that people should start desisting from putting all the blame for problems in society on the system of education. It should be realized that it is futile to seek the effect when the cause is absent. On one hand, people are not making any effort to include character building and discipline in education system, but on the other hand they blame the system for any problems in the society, seen as a direct or indirect result of characterlessmess and indiscipline.

Present education system does not put stress on refinement of outlook, behaviour and feelings. Right outlook, right behaviour and right feelings are essential for progress in any society and nation. In one word we can say that education should result in development of a positive approach towards life and people. If the education system develops even a feeling for need of refinement it will be a major improvement in its effectiveness.

Education is being seen as a business these days. Considering India a major customer base, many foreign educational insstitutions have opened their centres in India. Indian government is also putting more stress on providing inceasing number of seats in educational institutions. But in doing this, quality aspect of education is missing. No doubt, UGC, AICTE and other bodies are boasting of their systems for improving quality of education, the result is not seen as expected. This will not happen untill people understand the basic purpose of education. If considered as a business, educational institutions should be run in an ethical manner.

Making mockery of social justice - creamy layer is still backward!

UPA government, it seems, is out to create records in introducing unethical and backward legeslations . The cabinet has approved quota bill, another backward step by UPA government. A very good opportunity has been wasted. It was the right time to review reservation policy and introduce alternative schemes to lift backward groups in Indian society. But for short-term political gains, the govt has sacrified long-term social gains of creating harmony in the society.

It is very unfortunate that cabinet has not agreed with socil justice ministry's view that it should be ensured that benefits go only to most backward classes. The creamy layer has already taken benefits of this quota raj. Why they should be allowed to take it again and again where a large majority remains without any benefit so far? It is umethical and immoral on behalf of those OBC ministers in the cabinet and other polticians and groups to blackmail the govt to not to exclude the creamy layer from quota benefits. Just imagine, children of Lalu Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan and others getting in colleges through quota route as though they are still backward.

These politicians have made a mockery of social justice. In the name of quota for backward classes they garner every benefit themselves. Shame on them.

Ensuring social justice through information

I wish to congratulate YFE for seeking information, under RTI Act, from HRD ministry and other government bodies about Ramadoss’s misuse of his powers and anti-people actions, and also ill conceived anti-people reservation policy.

The office-of-profit act will surely nail Ramadoss. He has parked himself in AIIMS Guest House, appointed an OSD to be paid by AIIMS funds and brought his relatives into the AIIMS governing body. If this is not office-of-profit then ……

YFE application also seeks information on – “we want to know exactly what he is entitled to and why. SC has ruled that the health minister could become the President of AIIMS by default but the AIIMS Act was later amended to say that no body in the governing body was allowed to hold a government position.

YFE also want a clarification on why the minister landed up in AIIMS during anti-reservation strike for treating patients there. How could he treat patients at AIIMS just like that? Does that mean that any doctor can come and start practicing at the institute?

Other YFE application seeks all relevant data about reservation. This I am sure will expose the government and Arjun Singh.

Wonderful YFE, keep it up…….. This is the right way to ensure social justice.

Democracy and Nationalization of Higher EducationAn article by

An article by Shree S. Vinekar, MD

“Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness,” and “EQUALITY”, of course -- These are the fundamental rights and the virtues of democracy. Over the last few centuries many civilized democracies have attempted to redistribute the national and individual wealth to reduce inequalities in their populations. This is accomplished through taxation, increasing national productivity, industrialization, and other peaceful measures. Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru chose the path of socialism for India. Shri Vinoba Bhave attempted to redistribute land. There are many peaceful measures to uplift the deprived and the disadvantaged, and, as such, these are all noble efforts. Over the last fifty eight years in “Independent” “India that is Bharat,” such gradual efforts to combat poverty have succeeded, to some degree, in spite of the rapid population growth. In keeping with all the progress and successful reforms, India’s politicians and policy makers say, “NOW IT IS TIME TO REDISTRIBUTE THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES on a larger scale than ever before.” On the surface, it sounds like a very noble objective, designed necessarily to redress the injustices of the past. It is high time that the evils of caste system or even the caste system itself be entirely overthrown in modern India. There seems to be no justification for such system in the modern world that is going through global shrinking. For seekers of the vote-bank, however, overzealous “affirmative action” is indeed an opportunity to appease the “minorities.” Politics is now directly entering the universities and institutions of higher learning. What is different about these just and noble sounding thrusts? The OBC reservation and quota system is an imposition on the current higher education systems both private and public. What is different about this protectionist proposal is that many deserving, hard working, meritorious students not belonging to OBC, classified as OC, both rich and poor, will be deprived of opportunities to further their careers that they have earned through their hard work and merit. Instead “their” “SEATS” in the universities and other institutions of higher learning will be offered by RESERVATION POLICIES in large numbers like 49 TO 70 PERCENT to students, for many of whom the only qualifications and admission eligibility may be their scheduled caste or minority classification, and not their merit nor their lower socioeconomic level. Needless to say that many students from the so-called “creamy layers” the well-to-do of OBC classes will claim access to these seats based upon their caste rather than merit. Significant number of non-deserving OBC students lacking merit will displace many deserving and meritorious students of the OC class as there are no current plans to sizably expand the current absolute number of educational opportunities or seats. This is the price the new generations of the OC class have to accept to pay to undo the injustices perpetrated by their past generations! Fair enough? Why do these OC brats whine and threaten to commit suicide when they lose opportunities, while their underprivileged brethren have lost a myriad of opportunities for many generations because of their caste, it may be asked. There is a basic fallacy that underlies this policy. It views the “SEATS” in the universities as if they are equivalent to ownership of land or property, guaranteed by the phrase “Pursuit of Happiness.” By generously offering the “seats” to the non-meritorious underprivileged it is assumed that the recipients of these seats will graduate (and no doubt some will be sincere, hard working, students and will graduate with distinction) and acquire the necessary knowledge base and skills given simply an opportunity to progress in the educational field of their choice. This is a simple minded selling point for the proposed policy. Educational opportunities, when made available to meritorious and deserving students of all classes and castes, no doubt, enable them to acquire cognitive abilities but COGNITIVE ABILITIES CANNOT BE REDISTRIBUTED. Moreover, if such attempt to redistribute is made, it will be a caricature of communism in the intangible domain of educational psychology. During fifty eight years of social and educational experiment with 15 to 27 percent of total seats allotted to OBC students, one would assume the Government or the Ministry of Education would have both demographic and achievement related accumulated data to arrive at intelligent, scientific, and evidence based recommendations to uplift the deserving students of the OBC class. Such recommendations with altruistic and philanthropic intentions as well as for “social engineering” purpose will be welcomed by any and all reasonable and thoughtful people. Arbitrary imposition of numbers for reservation and quotas on all educational institutions and private employers without regard to any logic or evidence based results of past social and educational experimentation in this area of social reform, however, would lead to questioning the motivation of the politicians. Even the most developed older democracies of the world have their large sections of society that are not privileged to partake in higher education, not because of caste or class, and not even because of economic background. Some democracies are well endowed to provide free education and/or generous scholarships to their meritorious underprivileged students. Yet, not all are either equipped with prerequisites or are motivated to learn. Uneducated and/or undereducated sections within the society do not necessarily reflect discrimination of the minority by the majority. It must be clarified that this fact alone is not a justification for deliberate discrimination and deprivation of educational opportunity for low income meritorious students on any basis, caste, creed, color, or socioeconomic background. OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SHOULD BE EQUAL FOR ALL. However, while these opportunities must be made available to all deserving students on the primary basis of merit, some concessions and allowances need to be made for the underprivileged by lowering the admission standards to facilitate their entry. That is, certain admission standards of most educational institutions understandably need to be lowered for those underprivileged students who show promise, but in whose case if it can be determined that they may have earned somewhat lower marks due to their social and economic circumstances. Sincere efforts must be directed to focus on minimizing, and if possible, eliminating cheating and fraud in the educational testing systems to ensure that merit is authentic, if all admissions to higher education are merit-based. There will need to be monitoring system in place to ensure compliance with regulations ensuring non-discrimination and affirmative action in the educational system. Those who need scholarships based on their lower economic status would best be served by providing financial assistance or educational loans that could be written off, if their performance and achievement meet certain expectations. And, even then, such concessions must be contingent upon sustained satisfactory performance in their studies, e.g., minimum level of performance must be maintained for a set number of consecutive terms in order to qualify for the waivers. In this manner the deserving students of the minority class can be better served to bring about the social reform. Such policies for social reform implementing affirmative action in higher education to raise the educational levels of the underprivileged are laudable and all political parties will welcome and endorse such policies. One of the goals of education is also to foster broad-mindedness to maintain harmony and cohesiveness within the society at large. Unfortunately, the self-serving interests of some political parties and their alliances to appease the vote-banks will only further divide and fragment the already fragmented society. The transparent motivation for such short-sighted and self-serving reform is to create an increasingly manipulative spiral trend wherein the underlying intentions of any future policy will be more heavily weighted on how it will keep the party in power rather than how it will inherently help the society as a whole. Therefore, over time the political party in power desiring to sustain this authority, will exploit the current inequality in the educational status of the minorities for its political gains, implementing such policy designed purely to consolidate and maintain its position of control. As such these power politics motivated exploitations of all kinds of rifts in the society based on castes or other identities are not new tactics in politics. Unless all Bharateeyas wake up and view themselves as ONE FAMILY, such tactics of ripping apart India more than what the colonial rulers and missionaries have done over the centuries by coming into the country and instigating hostilities between different castes and social classes will be perpetrated unchecked. If united to gain political power, the majority in India will become truly independent at last after thousand years. Ultimately and in the long-term, social progress will be stunted or even halted by ill designed social reform of reservation and quotas which in reality is calculated to create more rift between the minority and majority than there ever existed. Any social reform whether affirmative action or social welfare projects must lead to social progress that is allowed to grow into an increasingly beneficial and self-sustaining feature of India’s further growth as a world power. Any social reform that further divides and weakens the very fabric of Indian society is inimical to the progress of Bharat. The best way to eliminate inequality is to create an even playing field. One possible way to do this is by stressing the implementation of policies to ensure free and easy access to elementary and secondary education and high quality academic experience to all children. Such college preparatory education needs to be made available to all children. The bell-curve will again show that, given the basic opportunities, within all classes, (poor and backward as well as the rich and privileged), will be found a few students in the extremely high achieving range who will merit admission to institutions of higher learning. There are many “Institutions of Excellence” competing in the world educational industry that may be best left alone to select only the best but required to be non-discriminating. Some professions allow only a very narrow margin of error in their work. For example, neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists or nuclear physicists, higher level Information Technologists and experts in artificial intelligence, etc., are not to be chosen on the basis of their castes. As these prerequisite policies to uplift all lower socioeconomic class children to qualify them for higher education are put in place, fair and just policies addressing admission requirements to higher educational institutions of excellence should be effected concurrently to retain their pride of place in the country and also internationally. These private institutions of higher education need to be given free reign to select the best candidates and compete at the international level. Private industrialists, entrepreneurs and technocrats will thus have an incentive to fund and finance their own educational institutions that do not depend on the Central government financing and yet excel. These institutions could feed their own enterprises while they select their students purely on merit without any discrimination. If the burden of bureaucracy becomes excessive they may set up their institutions outside the country. The economically disadvantaged must be given free tuition and scholarships. The admissions to the universities and higher education need to be merit based and should present as equal-opportunity for the rich and for the poor, the majority and the minority. Significant allowances may be made to redress the injustices of the past for the meritorious students of the disadvantaged classes. Examples would be arranging free room and board, pocket money, books and journals, special tutoring and instructions to bridge the gap with the advantaged students, etc. and not merely giving OBC students an admission to a college. However, let it be stressed that the principal intent behind any and all educational policies should be for the good of the students, themselves, and for the progress of Indian society, as a whole. And, above all, at no time should India’s youth be used as a political weapon wielded by the parties to further their vote-bank agenda. Good democracies help facilitate the evolution and progress of societies, and do not instigate revolutions. If care is not taken to ensure that educational structure, and policy-making, benefit the student first, and not the political party’s ability to sustain its position of power, then India could very well be faced with a slow but powerful transition from “the world’s largest democracy” to a state of despotism disguised as a democracy. The allotment of a significantly large number of seats to less than meritorious minority students by reservation, especially if it is at the expense of other well-deserving students, will not result in directly proportional and significant increases in the number of highly educated intellectuals or professionals in the underprivileged classes. Neither do social promotions and the offering of phony degrees lead to a better educated or highly technically skilled population that is prepared and ready to compete in the global market. Rather, another possible solution that should be considered is for the government of India to first empower the minorities to start special universities and institutes of higher learning for their students. This enables educators and policy makers to better monitor and evaluate the progress and performance of these segments of the student population in comparison to the national standards before inundating the present classrooms filled by meritorious students with low achieving minority students. In all fairness such minority sponsored educational institutions will then be required to enroll a sizeable section of “majority” students in their student bodies on merit basis, if India is viewed as one family that is truly secular. India is on a winning path, gaining increasing respect as a world presence. The reckless policies in the educational domain, with hidden political agenda secretly embedded throughout, will sabotage India’s progress in the world market. From this point of view, the reservation policy and the quota system in higher education is a prescription for failure, both in the economic domain and in the domain of social reform. Besides, the rifts created by such policies will be capitalized upon by the political parties endorsing such reform for corrupt gains in the ensuing elections, and will simultaneously be sacrificing the futures of a large number of bright and deserving, hard working, meritorious students who will unnecessarily harbor bitterness in their hearts. However, it must be strongly stressed that violence and revolution are not viable or even acceptable answers. Self-immolation, suicides, etc., are not constructive solutions. Eccentric fanatic speeches and weird or violent comments on the web-sites for free _expression of hostilities directed at the majority or the minority are only indications of social immaturity, besides discrediting the web-site of “Youth for Equality.” Political dialogue, debates, facilitation of widespread awareness of the issues, and the bringing about of changes in the voting patterns: these are more adaptive democratic strategies. As regards the advocacy for the undeserving non-meritorious students of the underprivileged class, the political parties will probably gain some votes, but, this will lead to not much else as far as the betterment of the society. Instead of educationists advising the politicians regarding educational policies, it seems that the politicians are advising the educationists. This trend, if it continues, will eventually irreversibly and irreparably weaken our nation’s economy. The caring and concerned, compassionate, youth is emerging to begin a "Bharat Abhyudaya Yajnya” in a typical Bahrateeya peaceful manner on a national scale, viewing it not as a “kranti” but rather as an “utkranti,” with heartfelt love for the poor and the downtrodden. Good education for all deserving Bharateeyas should be the primary objective to be accomplished through this Yajnya. II Vande Mataram II

India unravelling

An article written by an academic

India unravelling

Dr. Gautam Sen,

Writer and former academic London School of Economics & Political Science.

Secularists and communists may imagine they somehow control India’s future, but this belief is a chimera. Perhaps they are smart enough to know the truth, but too cynical to care. India is spinning out of control and the spoils of political office are likely to evaporate suddenly. How exactly this will come about is not entirely clear, but there are historical precedents that provide pointers.

The decisive antecedent pre-condition is the inability of the ruling order to retain domestic control and ward off external predators militarily. This is how Mogul primacy ended for India in devastating chaos during the eighteenth century, after the grand rewards of imperial conquest. But such a grim scenario is inevitably preceded by a collapse of political authority and the credibility of the ruling order. India is now in this perilous phase as the public standing of its ruling order ebbs. There is now real prospect of accident and design unfolding in combination to disable state power and curtail its political reach significantly.

Various regional political factions across India are engaged in savage competition for the spoils of office. Very little else motivates their endeavours except corrupt enrichment, chicanery and criminality to seize power, however temporarily, and crass bribery to hold on to it, no matter how briefly. After each abysmal episode the ruling groups, barely distinguishable from each other, emerge shamelessly enriched. What these regional political parties also share with each other, beyond the desire for rule by themselves and their families, is a singular lack of any conception of India’s nationhood. Yet they are a critical influence on policy at the federal Centre and vying for the ultimate crown of dominating national government itself.

The Congress party in power at the federal Centre today is remarkably similar to the regional political parties seeking to replace it. In fact, they run the country jointly as partners in crime. The nominally national Congress only differs from them in the inconsequential detail of having its constituents less geographically concentrated than the largely regional political parties, be it the malevolent communists, the unspeakable celluloid Tamil monstrosities or indeed the cartoon strip nationalists of the Hindu fold. Shorn of pomp and symbolic pretensions, the name of the game in New Delhi for the incumbent ruling combine is to create the conditions for Rahul Gandhi’s anointment as the next celestial authority in India. The second preoccupation is to manage foreign affairs with sufficient sleight-of-hand to stop the national apple cart from being embarrassingly overturned.

It is possible that India’s diabolical international predicament will not turn into immediate rout and Rahul Gandhi may claim his rightful place in India’s embryonic monarchy. The prime minister himself may not be interested in cash or sexual conquest, but he suffers terribly from the third affliction of humanity, which is to be in the public eye. This is the equivalent of the fifteen minutes of sordid fame that the country is paying for so very dearly. He wields no political power and a sort of Page Three fame apparently suffices. In the pursuit of such dishonourable ambitions, the meaning of secularism been twisted beyond recognition. A supine media connives, eager for crumbs from the table of the ruling family and its shameless minions. However, neither India’s faltering durability, for the present, nor the new Sun King’s impending accession are likely to stop the rot as far as its long-term future is concerned.

The indefensible OBC reservations that do nothing for the many underprivileged of India, and inflict grievous injury on many who are also underprivileged, but capable, will be remembered as the critical moment when India’s endgame began.

It is a tragic final denouement for India’s future as a polity and economy when the only persevering social structure was delivered a mortal blow. In a country in which few things work properly (from domestic plug points to road lights, to pick two things randomly) and virtually nothing in the public sector functions effectively the resilient Indian family’s deepest aspiration has just been criminally decapitated. The ruling elites cannot provide adequate electricity at any price nor an airport in the national capital that does not fill one with despair, nor schools that have toilets or even teachers. Yet they allegedly occupy the moral high ground and spew arrant nonsense about secularism and communal harmony.

Despite its many faults, the Indian family alone has overcome the formidable obstacles placed in its path by a dysfunctional State and vicious ruling order to educate their children. Modest middle and lower middle class family incomes and awe-inspiring parental efforts, often against overwhelming odds, have lovingly nurtured human capital and turned around an economy with dim prospects. Even a driver on five-thousand rupees a month is prepared to send his two little girls to a school that teaches only in English by allocating a fifth of his monthly income. If there were no goddess of learning she would have to be contrived and imagined in gratitude, for infusing such a noble thirst for learning in ordinary Indians. This is why the possibilities of applied science are infinite like the skies above our bowed human heads.

The grotesque policy of swingeing reservations that does nothing for the majority, which does not receive basic schooling, can only have been undertaken by people of very low intelligence. But these are the same people whose village cunning led to the office-for-profit debacle that continues to haunt their very own hold on political power. The insane reservation policy, based on rank political opportunism and illiterate conjecture, will trigger socio-economic mechanisms that may well kill the goose currently laying golden eggs despite the brigandage under the garb of socialism and humanity. Such a policy measure is also likely to provoke dangerous disaffection among the many that cannot escape to foreign universities, unlike the children of politicians, who themselves go abroad for medical care too. A hard look at the origins of the brutal civil war in Sri Lanka is a salutary reminder of how one reaps as ye sows when a sense of injustice burns in the hearts of those who understand it and have the wherewithal to respond.

A vast swathe of Indian citizens has been effectively disenfranchised and no longer owes any loyalty to the Indian State and its overseers. A fundamental right of paramount importance has been taken away from them. The right to education and the recognition of fair criteria, which must mean that merit remains pre-eminent, has been erased. The rightness of reservations at the margin has been replaced by complete marginalisation of merit. No matter what social class and economic circumstances, the accident of birth will deny the children of many of the poor their basic rights on grounds of Caste alone. Such a policy echoes the exclusion of Jews from German higher education in the mid-1930s merely because of their religious identity. Why should these young people feel any commitment to a society that has in unison, across the political spectrum, declared outright war on them?

For a start, they would be justified in refusing to join the armed forces since those being granted extraordinary unmerited privileges should now defend the country they are vindictively making exclusively their own. Nor should any of the excluded Castes join the police or indeed the bureaucracy. In this free for all dog eats dog world that their fellow citizens and their venal representatives are determined to bring about, something will give. In all likelihood economic growth will falter and India’s defence will be in the supposedly competent hands of affirmative action candidates alone, including the so-called minorities, already imperiously demanding special privileges, eager to displace all semblance of fair play. Which foreign predator will soon find irresistible the prospect of re-uniting with their co-religionists and an army of the reserved ready for monotheism, free of the burdens of Caste?

Such demands for reservations have an old history, from government jobs for

Muslims in late nineteenth century Bengal to separate electorates, followed by partition itself. The young and talented of all Castes should begin a long march towards any Indian state that promises them elementary justice in exchange for their prodigious intellectual skills and the economic success that will cascade as a result of it. They will also have the last laugh when the children of politicians in the forefront of casteism are displaced themselves by those for whom nothing but reservation matters. Their India will surely prosper without the presence of so-called upper Caste oppressors, some cleaning public toilets in Delhi while harassing rich OBC ministers and successful entrepreneurs part-time. The resulting weakened federal India may eventually find its individual parts going their separate ways. Those who strive primarily on the basis of merit need have no inclination to pay taxes to the rest of the country, denying their basic human rights simply because of their Caste.

OBCs should throw away the demeaning crutches offered

An article written by Prof M S Gopinathan

OBCs should throw away the demeaning crutches offered

June 09, 2006

I am by brand an 'Other Backward Class'. I did my PhD at an IIT and taught at another IIT for 27 years before retiring. It is to the credit of the IIT system that it never asked me my caste brand, neither when I entered as a student or faculty nor when I was promoted. It is sad that these things are going to change. It may not be irrelevant to note that they didn't ask my caste or religion at Oxford University in the UK, McGill University in Canada or the German Universities where I went to work.

If you are socially disadvantaged, you must strive to overcome that disadvantage and the only way to do that is to educate yourself and your children. Ask for good schools, good teachers and scholarships. If you opt for charity and crutches, you will always remain for generations to come, a receiver of charity limping on borrowed crutches. Charity demeans both the giver and the receiver.

I was born to poor, virtually illiterate parents in a remote village. But I was lucky to have a great science teacher in our village school who excited me about science; not just to learn textbook science, but to do experiments after school hours and on holidays and to do Socratic debates about science with him. Whatever modest success I have had in my professional scientific career, I can trace to such early fortunate circumstances and influences.

If you haven't had proper schooling and if you are just airlifted into an IIT by virtue of your scheduled or backward caste, you will be a miserable misfit in the intellectually and socially elite IIT atmosphere. You cannot cope with the courses; you cannot speak the campus lingo. You feel ostracized, intellectually and socially. I am saying this based on my decades of long experience with such students at IIT. Even after special coaching for a year at IIT and being exempted from the dreaded Entrance Examination, the SC/ST reserved students cannot perform. Often they require further academic concessions, albeit unethical, to barely pass the courses. It helps nobody, least of all them. I do not know what happens to them in their post-IIT life; some commission should study it. But I doubt whether many second generation SC/ST IITians make it to the IIT directly through the JEE.

It takes enormous, dedicated, and sincere effort for decades on the part of the government if quality universal school education is to be provided to all, as decreed by the Constitution and as Independent India has miserably failed to deliver in over 50 years. But it is far easier to shortchange and hoodwink the SC/STs and OBCs by making a legislative flourish of the pen offering useless, humiliating backdoor entry to them in the Institutes of higher learning. This political gimmick even distorts the meaning of 'higher' learning.

Even the sanctioned SC/ST quota in IITs today goes unfilled to a large extent (50 per cent?).

IITs cannot attract quality faculty (current vacancy is probably 20 per cent or more). Imagine the scenario when 49 per cent admission is reserved on the basis of caste and not on the basis of the academic potential of the students. IITs will be shunned as Paraya or Backward Class Institutes by serious academicians of all castes and by the international academic community.

The brand IIT has been created through about 50 years of dedicated, serious academic work of world quality by the faculty and students. Such institutes cannot be created overnight by legislative actions like opening a new IIT in a remote but politically correct location or just by renaming as IIT an existing university with its century-old caste and nonacademic baggage.

Oxford colleges are famous for their meticulous lawns. When asked by a visiting American student how you make such a lawn, the Oxford gardener replied: 'It is easy. You just regularly mow it, weed and water it. Do that for seven hundred years. Then you get a lawn like this.' What is true for the Oxford lawn is true for its academic excellence too.

So what should the OBC students, for whom the politician's heart has suddenly started bleeding, do? They should join the anti-reservation agitation and agitate for decent schools, good teachers and scholarships and refuse to be taken for an easy ride by the vote seekers. They should maintain their dignity and refuse the segregating ignominy of backdoor entries into institutions of higher learning. They should ask for better training, better running shoes, better coaches and show that they too can race with the others.

They should throw away the demeaning crutches offered.

I know this will not come to pass. The IIT campuses will be made 50-50, 50 backward and 50 forward, splitting it in the middle along the caste divide, the handicapped and the non-handicapped crowding, jostling on the same race track, nobody going anywhere.

If segregation is a legislative imperative, I suggest that it is better to have it on different campuses, rather than on the same campus. That is a win-win, 100-100 reservation situation. The SC/ST, OBC, BC and FC all having their own IITs with 100 per cent reservation, not only for students, but for faculty and staff too (why stop at students?). Maybe we could thus have healthy academic caste wars. Each group on its own racetrack.

Another possible win-win scenario for all comes from the use of high tech IT, satellite communication etc in which India is strong. We could close down all existing caste-ridden IITs and replace them with a single secular, egalitarian, virtual IIT. Virtually any number from any caste can enroll and have the same professor lecture to thousands over the high tech wires. It ensures a level playing field for all up in the sky.

Swami Vivekananda was shocked by the horrendous caste divisions in Kerala and called it a mad house. We now have a whole mad nation!

Caste -- forward, backward or scheduled -- is a shame of our country. It is an indelible indignity that brands an Indian for life at the moment of his birth. The higher castes may flaunt their caste through caste markings and last names and the lower ones may try to hide it except when it can be cashed in for favours like admissions, concessions or jobs. Egalitarian pretensions notwithstanding, caste has become an organizing principle of modern Indian society. It determines who will marry whom, who will eat with whom, who will touch whom, who will vote for whom and of late who will get into IIT!

CONGRESS SHOULD DISOWN RAJIV

Congress as a political party and the main partner in UPA government should pass a resolution in distancing itself from the views of Rajiv Gandhi expressed during his speech in parliament in 1990 on Mandal report. It is in bad taste that congress is supporting reservation when its former leader & Prime Minister was opposed to it. Congress should disown Rajiv’s views on reservation or else it should stop supporting reservation. This political opportunism (double standards) of having one view when in opposition and then taking a 180 degrees opposite view after coming in the government is unethical.

RESERVATION IN GIVING CREDIT FOR RESERVATION

A war has started in congress for claiming credit for introducing 27% reservation for OBC. Before this war turns uglier, congress should frame a policy for giving credit to its ministers for their self-less service to Indian society for introducing and/or supporting reservation.

Existing reservation percentage for SC, ST and OBC should be introduced in this case also. All SC, ST, OBC and general category ministers should be given credit only as per this percentage. This will be an example for other parties and groups to follow. To further honour these social reformers, UPA government should start an award, in line with Padma awards, for these people.

It will be another milestone in ensuring social justice congress way.

Ministers are provoking caste wars

I was surprised when I found that it was said by Rajiv Gandhi in 1990, when he was participating in the debate in Parliament on Mandal report. Now after 15 years, the ministers in the government of his own party are doing this - provoking caste wars. Arjun Singh and Meira Kumar are competing with each other in doing what ministers in V P Singh government did at that time. The chairperson of congress at that time opposed it. Now the chairperson of congress is supporting this. And incidentally, they are husband and wife. The politics of power brings out surprising attributes in peoples' thinking. If caste-based reservation was wrong at that time then how it can become right now in a span of just 15 years. Is this the real face of congress - divide the society on caste lines and rule?

Read it - PM, Sonia and other Congressmen

I received it in my e-mail. "Reservation: Break casteist formula to save the nation By M.V.Kamath Both Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are very busy persons and may not have much time to read old documents and hence this respectful attempt to help them out. First, may one point out to a paragraph in a circular to the presidents of all Pradesh Congress Committees issued by none else than Jawaharlal Nehru, on 26 May 1954? That paragraph said: “In particular, we must fight whole-heartedly against those narrow divisions which have grown up in our country in the name of caste, which weaken the unity, solidarity and progress of the country....” When the British Government sought to give separate electorates to the Scheduled Castes, Gandhi went on a hunger strike that is old history now which ended in the Poona Pact in 1932. Some seven and a half decades later, on 6th September 1990 Rajiv Gandhi made a similar, though not as sensational, effort to promote national unity in a speech in parliament criticizing the Mandal Report, lasting, to his eternal credit, some two and a half hours, Rajiv Gandhi, like the Mahatma before him, was not opposed to enabling the Scheduled Castes, make progress in all fields. Addressing the Lok Sabha he said: “If you believe in a casteless society, every major step you take must be such that you move towards a casteless society. And you must avoid taking any step which takes you to a caste-ridden society. Unfortunately, the step that we are taking today (accepting the Mandal Report), the manner in which it has been put, is a casteist formula. While accepting that is a reality, we must dilute that formula and break that formula by adding something on to it”. Attacking the then Janata Prime Minister V. P. Singh whom he charged with not having the guts to stand up and say whether he believes in a casteless society or not, Rajiv Gandhi said: “This government is creating a vested interest in casteism and the country is going to pay a very high price for it”. The Mandal Commission had recommended that “with a view to give better representation to certain backward sections of Other Backward Castes (OBCs) like Gaddis in Himachal Pradesh. Neo- Buddhists in Maharashtra,fishermen in the coastal areas, Gujjars in Jammu & Kashmir, areas of their concentration “may be carved out into separate constituencies at the time of delimitation”. An angry Rajiv Gandhi shot out: “Does the government subscribe to the Mandal Commission view that political constituencies should be carved out on a caste basis? Are we going back to the Round Table Conference for having separate electorates? That was designed to break our country, Sir”. Warming up in his address, Rajiv Gandhi said that “even at this late hour (and this was in 1990) there is time to pull the country back from this caste division....Ministers are provoking caste wars”. Continuing, he said: “The Raja Saheb’s (V. P. Singh’s) statement doesnot command wide acceptance in the country. They (the Ministers) have weakened our national fabric and to add to that, the Central Government, the Ministers, have deliberately provoked the caste confrontation and caste wars....”. Rajiv Gandhi said that “an issue like reservation cannot be treated in a piecemeal manner. We must look at the whole picture.” He quoted Mandal himself who had said that “the aim is to overcome historical and geographical handicaps, not to create new vested interests” and admitting that “the categorisationA of backward classes has always been difficult”. The concept of “Other Backward Castes” has always been a joke. Attacking the Mandal Report, Rajiv Gandhi has said: “I know for a fact that Reddys are included, Vakkaligas are included,Kammas are included, Lingayats are included, Gounders are included, Chettiyars are included. Are these Backward Castes? Do they need help?” Mr Chidambaram was not around then but were he there, he would no doubt have had a good laugh.He would properly have been described as belonging to the OBCs. Asked Rajiv Gandhi : “On what basis has the Mandal Commission defined caste? How has the Mandal Commission reinterpreted the Constitution and changed Backward Classes to Backward Caste?” Rajiv Gandhi noted even the Mandal Commission Report had noted that of those whose views were sought on the reservation issue, only 28 per cent of the respondents favoured caste as the sole criterion and that nearly 70 per cent were in favour of evolving “multiple criteria based on social status, political influences, educational attainments, economic level, employment status” etc. Even, according to Mandal, “most of the respondents who were OBCs have said that they do not want caste as the single definer...” Rajiv Gandhi reminded the Lok Sabha of an earlier Kakasaheb Kalelkar report which had said that the upliftment of the Backward Classes are extremely wideranging and comprehensive and covered such diverse fields as extensive land reforms, re-organisation of the economy, Bhoodaan Movement, development of livestock, dairy farming, cattle insurance, bee-keeping, piggeries, fisheries, developmentof rural and cottage industries, rural housing, public health, rural water supply, adult literacy, university education etc. And for good measure he added: “Do we want the benefit that the Government is giving to be cornered by the Ministers or the sons of Ministers or the families thereof? Do we want the benefits that are being given by the Government to be cornered by big landlords and people who have a lot of property? Why do we not exclude the people with a certain number of properties from such benefits? Do we want these benefits to go to high senior Government officers who have already got that privilege? The Government is aiming these benefits at a particularly privileged group and not looking at the really poor”. This is Rajiv Gandhi’s much-interrupted speech in summary. Rajiv Gandhi quoted V. P. Singh as having told a newspaper that implementation of the Mandal Commission Report “was purely a political strategy”. And he went on to say: “Raja Saheb’s (V. P. Singh’s) policies are not very different from what the Britishers were doing. “It was the British who tried to divide our country on the basis of caste and religion and today it is Raja Sabheb sitting there, who is trying to divide our country on caste and religion... Already you are taking this country towards religious electorates. First you are dividing into reservations in jobs. This government is taking the country in this direction”. Are you reading this, Soniaji? Are you reading this Dr Manmohan Singh? Kindly read the parliamentary proceeding in full, and carefully. Rajiv Gandhi believed in the unity of this country. Are you?

A professor on reservation

I reseived the following article in my e-mail today. The author is Professor Emeritus at University of Illinois, USA, and was formerly at IIT Kanpur (1963-1981). www.indusscitech.net

"June 22, 2006

There have been enough discussions on the merits and demerits of reservation in central educational institutions. So far these institutions have been above caste- and religion-based quotas, except the legitimately mandated quotas for SCs/STs (Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes).

That the move for the new quota system for OBCs (Other Backward Classes) in such institutions is politically motivated is a well-known fact. It was taken without consulting those who have built up institutions of excellence in science and technology in the country or
those who were charged with making India a knowledge superpower in the 21st century.

This is unusual in a democracy.

Jawaharlal Nehru the architect of modern India set a high bar in science and technology for the country when he set the foundation stone of IIT Kharagpur in 1956 in West Bengal. Since that day 50 years ago, India's march towards excellence through centrally managed educational and research Institutions has been a remarkable story.

Whether it is the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), Centre for Development of Telematics (CDOT), etc., it is basically merit which mattered.

After the liberalisation of the 90s, it was the story of information technology whose foundations were laid through the telecom revolution in the 80s under late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who also opposed the quota system for OBCs.

IT, as we see today, would not have come up had merit not been the sole criterion. Is the country ready to witness all these fruits of hard labour go to waste by becoming a victim to political opportunism? The OBC category is a fuzzy set and only the creamy layer becomes thicker and thicker leaving behind the poor in all categories.

It is true that many states, because of political empowerment, have lifted large portions of their
population to create a level playing field in terms of first level science and technology degree graduates. Many of those graduates are now part of the national process of knowledge building in the central sector. This is good social progress.

However, the central sector educational institutions have always put a premium on excellence, thus catapulting the country towards becoming a knowledge power in the near future. This dual strategy of social progress and excellence is a win-win situation for the country.

What does the political class find unacceptable in this scenario?

The seats for IITs, which are barely 4,000, can be increased easily to admit the next 10,000 meritorious students through the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) in a matter of years. This will make it possible for a larger section of the applicants to have access to quality education. There are 300,000 seats in state engineering colleges and states are free as per a Supreme Court ruling to allocate them up to 50 per cent in whatever way they wish; or, as in the case of
Tamil Nadu, up to 69 per cent.

Good school education/coaching can hasten the process for neglected OBCs to compete with rest of the students to get into the IITs. With more IITs and merit as the criterion, most of those who aspire for an S&T career will be accommodated. Paradoxically, one of the states that did not have a quota system is West Bengal which even today is not very enthusiastic about it. The cost, in terms of having a fractured society among students and also faculty in central institutions because of the quota system, is too high.

The OBC quota system in many states has undergone several variations. Many states, particularly the southern states, have implemented this over more than two generations. But institutions, which are at the higher end of the spectrum of knowledge creation, still remain in the central sector.

The spirit of competitiveness is what has made China an economic powerhouse and that is the model we need to go for. One would have thought that the states which had a quota system for a long time, would voluntarily give it up, except for the SC/ST category. That has not happened and is unlikely to happen since perks and privileges are hardly taken away in a democratic framework.

The same thing is going to happen now if the quota system is extended to central institutions. There will be long-term damage to the country's S&T infrastructure, if 50 per cent of the seats are not merit-based. The knowledge industry is difficult to build, but easy to destroy.

As the county moves towards a knowledge economy, excellence is to be nurtured more than anything else. Moreover, the history of the country for the last six decades has proved that excellence is NOT the monopoly of any caste or religion. A cursory look at the IT industry in major cities of India will reveal the nature of the melting pot.

This is also evident in all the central institutions of higher education and research. For the first time after Independence, India has the chance of excelling in S&T with a huge mass of young talent pool. To squander this golden opportunity now is sheer intellectual hara-kiri.

One hopes that even at this stage, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his advisors will look at this issue and consider its long-term impact. It is too serious a matter to be left to those who have not taken part in nation-building efforts in science and technology.

The best thing under these conditions is to have a status quo and expand the central sector such as the IITs, IIMs and the medical schools. Thus, with more seats the net is cast wider to have a large number of meritorious students. This will automatically draw in the OBCs if good school education is made accessible. Then students of all religions, castes and sub-castes will find a place under the sun."

NEW CHARTER OF DEMANDS

NCC of YFE have prepared a new charter of demands -

1. Total Roll-back of the proposed legislation to increase the reservation percentage in central government institutions and central examinations

2. No additional quota but affirmative action in form of strengthening educational infrastructure and financial help to uplift the downtrodden and backward sections.

3. Apolitical commission to review the complete reservation policy and the current proposal to be kept in abeyance till then.

4. No reservation in the private sector

5. No action of any nature should be taken against students, interns, doctors and others who participated in the agitation with regards to service break, termination, pay and leave deduction, legal action, attendance, internal assessment etc.

Review of the already existing Reservation Policy

1. Apolitical review of the overall reservation policy by a committee of intellectuals, knowledge bodies, industrialists etc.

2. A white paper on reservation issue.

3. Fix a time frame for quota to become zero through gradual reduction in quota by 2% per annum.

4. Benefits of reservation to be given on once in a lifetime basis and for one generation.

5. Expert commission's report should be binding on both central and state governments.

6. Reserved seats and job vacancies which are left due to non-availability of reserved category candidates should be filled by other available and eligible candidates.

Alternatives to the reservation policy

1. Including the right to education as fundamental right and state must be accountable in case of failure

2. Greater emphasis on primary and secondary education

SC judgement and a vindictive government

While asking striking medicos to withdraw their strike SC had said that government should not take any punitive action against the doctors. Doctors respected SC directive and withdrew their srike. But the government does not seem to have any respect for SC. The naked interference in day-to-day working of AIIMS by health minister Ramadoss to punish doctors and AIIMS Director is yet another instance where government is seen in contempt of SC directions. Health ministry's directive not to pay salary to doctors for strile period is devoid of any logic if government wants to win the confidence of doctors and public. But it seems that government does not bother about the feelings of the doctors and members of public who are supportive of anti-quota movement. What makes these anti-people moves of Ramadoss more bad is the fact that PM has given his approval to Ramadoss's witch hunting and settling scores. Within minutes of emerging out of a meeting with PM, Ramadoss constituted a committee to corner AIIMS Director. See what he says, "If found guilty of malpractices and treating the institute as his fiefdom, Venugopal and his coterie will be asked to leave. An explanation has been sought as to why he decided to go public over his grievances without talking to health ministry officials."

The most disappointing factor here is the PM, Manmohan Singh, who talks something and then act differently, rather exactly opposite.

Who is more eligible for reservation?

An Indian citizen has written following letter to the editor of a prominent daily newpaper:
"You have rightly said that Yadavs in norh and Nadars in south can not be considered backward anymore. Historically also Yadavs have not been a deprived class. They were neither denied entry into temples nor considered untouchables. In ceertain pockets they have been a ruling class while Brahmins according to Puranic stories have mostly remained below poverty line. Lord Krishna from the Yadav community was a king and Sudama, his classmate in Sandipani rishi's gurukul , was a poor Brahmin. So who is more eligible for reservation?"

This is the reality which politicians are ignoring for vote-bank politics.

Aam Aadmi & Quota

I received an e-mail on what aam aadmi knows about quota system. Share it with me.

"I was buying some vegetables from my vegetable vendor and I received a shock when he told me that price of tomato is Rs. 28 / kg. The last time I bought it at the price Rs. 8 /kg.I asked him how much he is saving and he told me that the saving is not more than Rs 2.

He told me that these days are his toughest days because people avoid buying some vegetables and his earning has been dropped.

He also told me that it is ok for people like me who are worried about the hike in price of essential commodities but for poor people like him, it has become a matter of survival and his children are not having sufficient food these days because of hike in the rates of rice,daals.

I asked him if he ever heard about quota. He told me that he doesn’t’ t know anything about it and at the moment he is just worried about to fill his stomach and his children’s hunger.

My house maid feel the same and I am sure that this is story of every “ aam “ Indian who earn his/her bread after working hard for whole day.

This is how Sonia is going to uplift the lower class who does not have food at their home but have quota.

I DON’T KNOW HOW LONG THE LEFT PARTIES KEEP BARKING ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS FOR LOWER CLASS AND DOING NOTHING.

I am sure that all citizens of Indian irrespective of their cast, creed or religion will come together and PUNISH SONIA ,RAHUL , CONGRESS AND LEFT.

Rahul Mishra"

Inceasing SC quota % - WHY??

The case which is being made out by UPA minister Meira Kumar for increasing % of reservation for SC in view of the increase in their population is a wrong move. The emphasis should be to ensure that benefits of reservation should reach all SC. There is a large section of SC which is still waiting for benefits of reservation to reach them and large number of seats reserved for SC are still vacant. The creamy layer in SC, to which Meira Kumar also belongs, is blockiing reservation benefits from reaching the needy in SC communirty.

Government should come out with details of how many SC have been benefitted by reservation in last more than five decades. These people should be excluded from taking amy more reservation benefits. With these people out of beneficiary list, the increased population can be easily provided reservation benefits, without increasing reservation percentage.

A letter from an OBC IITian

You have made me feel low again, Mr Arjun Singh

I am an OBC. I come from a place where discrimination on the basis of caste is common. I grew up hearing I was inferior because I was from a backward class. All through my childhood I regretted the fact that I belonged to a backward class.

When friends would tease me over my caste, my mother would tell me the only way to shut them up was to study well and top in class. I took her advice seriously and channelised my frustration into my studies. This brought about a big change in me: I started working very hard. From performing poorly in class I, I now excelled in studies, coming second in the district (supaul) in the class X exams in 1996.

Even after that achievement, some of my casteist friends disparaged my success, insinuating that I must have had some connection with the state government—I shared my caste with the then chief minister of Bihar. I was very disappointed. It wasn’t just the barbs of friends. My disappointment was more over belonging to my particular caste. But then once again I began preparing very hard to prove that my performance in the board exams had been the result of my own effort.

I worked very hard and got through IIT JEE 2000, ultimately obtaining admission to the B-Tech programme in Chemical Engineering at IIT Kharagpur. Initially, I was apprehensive about facing the same discrimination here as well. But I was surprised when no one asked me my caste. Nobody really cared which caste, creed or religion one belonged to. For the first time in my life, I felt a sense of equality.

It is my deep conviction that no place on earth can ever be as secular and free of casteism as IIT. Slowly, the feeling of inferiority engendered by my caste began fading away. I started believing in the equality of humankind. I started loving people—not based on their caste, but based on their values and ideas. I forgot all the discrimination I had faced earlier in life.

Looking back, I feel proud of having lived in such an environment. This place not only educated me technically, but socially as well. After my stint in Kharagpur, I believe I am truly secular. I’m not merely saying it; I feel it.

Perhaps it’s the way of the world that the moment you begin feeling good about something, it’s taken away from you. Before this 27 per cent education for OBCs was introduced, I had begun believing that India was growing not only economically, but also socially. I was beginning to feel free from the restrictions of of caste and creed.

But then our leaders reminded me of my caste. They made me feel ‘‘backward’’ all over again. They made me remember my childhood days. It has suddenly become difficult for me to feel the same as I did before this latest announcement.

I am truly worried about my alma mater. I feel our leaders are going to spoil our haven on earth for their own narrow, selfish motives. I would like to propose a solution: send all our leaders to the IITs. Only then would they come to realise the real meaning of secularism, the value they keep trumpeting. I would not take umbrage if IIT seats were given to our leaders to make them understand the true meaning of secularism.

But now I am sure that once they make reservations mandatory for admissions in institutes, equality shall be replaced with hatred and discrimination. I urge our leaders: please don’t do this to us. Our generation has changed. Please don’t separate us on the basis of our birth, something over which one has no control. We have the power to mould our destinies and fortunes; allow us to do that. We have started believing in equality, hard work and dedication as the recipe for success. Please don’t break our faith. It will endanger the unity of our nation. Please let the new generation of India live in a world where ideas matter, not the caste or religion into which one is born.

Bravo LSR - ensuring social justive

Lady Shri Ram College is the only college in DU where not a single reserved seat ramains vacant. How they do it? They do it through REACH - Reaffirming Access Capacity And Humanism. This was started by LSR in 2002 and is a concerted effort to empower students from socially and economically disadvantaged sections. Of these three meritorious students are awarded scholarships from Foundation of Academic Excellence and Access (FAEA. The scholarship of Rs. 18000 per annum covers their college fee, hostel fee, books expenses and also provides some money for personal expenses.

This is what the college says "Simply admitting students through reserved seats doesn't help. In fact, these students have a vey high dropout rate since they are not able to adjust to their surroundings and are not confident...Some of them have never used a computer and feel left out when their peers are so comfortable with it. Ordinarily, they would shy away from asking someone how to use a computer. This is where REACH comes in....We keep organizing personality development workshops where these students are taught soft skills that work towards enhancing self-confidence. This is what really boosts their performance and gives them an incentive to continue with education...The students are also taken for field trips to the Yamuna for environmental lessons and are also acquainted with interner and e-mail at computer workshops."

Kuldip Nayar on quota issue

"Quotas: A mess made by government - An article by Kuldip Nayar "

It is a government-made mess. First, the human resources development ministry sends a circular to the Cabinet Secretariat to provide reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) at Central educational institutes, including the Indian Institute of Technology, the Indian Institute of Management and advanced medical colleges. This is done even when there is no demand raised for it. The 93rd Constitutional Amendment, passed earlier in the year, had provided reservations without raising an eyebrow. The government could have stopped at that. But then both the Congress and the BJP wanted to have their vote banks among the OBCs. These are the two parties who are mainly responsible for pushing the pace and its fallout.

When the circular raises a storm, the PMO wakes up, not knowing why the HRD ministry has issued the instruction. Medical students who took the lead to protest against reservations are consulted; some others also. Yes, they have a point of view, it is realised. But before the consultations reach any concrete stage, the government announces its decision to reserve 27 per cent seats for OBCs. North India was already in the grip of the agitation. The government added fuel to the fire. The suspicion is that HRD minister Arjun Singh had an "agenda." It is difficult to imagine him doing anything important like reservations without consulting Congress president Sonia Gandhi. However, it is clear that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was among those who also ran. He must have felt embarrassed because he had assured the students that all sections would be heard and accommodated.

Had the announcement for reservations come with the assurance that the creamy layer among the OBCs and the Dalits would forfeit the concessions � such an advice was given by the Supreme Court years ago � the situation might have taken a different turn. The protesters would have felt somewhat mollified. The argument that the creamy layer among the upper castes continues to have access to the best of education, makes little sense. They do not get any advantage from the government. Here we are talking about reservations. And it is regrettable that a particular category in the lower castes goes on appropriating the advantages which should go to the people below. Children of the late President K.R. Narayanan had the best of education abroad, still his daughter got into the Foreign Service through the Dalit quota. The basis for reservations is mainly the discrimination which the Dalits have faced for centuries and still do. The OBCs have also suffered, but not on account of untouchability. It seems that they would have agreed to a lower quota, particularly when their children are getting selected in the general category.

What is surprising is that the ruling United Progressive Alliance � including the Left � has given scant attention to the fact that the nation would be further divided on the basis of caste, a factor that has trivialised society. An outgoing member of the Knowledge Commission has rightly said that, "The government is in the process of making caste the only reality in India." The two members who have resigned from the Commission are not against the principle of social inclusion, but have questioned motives behind the quotas, calling them detrimental to the development of society.

No doubt, the government's decision will reserve more seats. But the experience about filling such seats has not been too happy. Some 1,100 seats for Dalits and tribals remain vacant every year in Delhi University alone. The task before the government should have been to look for ways to find suitable candidates. The thing which we must take note of is that those for whom reservations are provided, still fall short of the minimum standard. So, ultimately, we are watering down excellence. This may affect our stock abroad. The government is, for some reasons, averse to giving pre-admission instruction to OBCs. Students from the general category are understandably irritated. You cannot justify reservations before them on the ground that they have to pay for the sins of their forefathers who treated the low castes badly. Instead, the government's assurance to maintain the number of seats available in the general category may help. It has to do more to win back the confidence of the students.

The government must realise that those who are outside the precinct of reservations are like the smouldering fire which flared up in 1990 when the Mandal Commission's recommendations were implemented and which might take the shape of a conflagration in the future. At the time, it took some years to douse the fire. It may be the same this time. True, students have realised that there is no going back from the reservations announced. But they may nourish a grievance which is not in the interest of the country.

While distributing reservations, there is a case for allotting quota to those communities who have not had any representation in the state. That was what Dr B.R. Ambedkar who piloted the Indian Constitution, assured the nation. This has been awaiting implementation since 1950 when the Constitution began to operate. It means that the concessions for the upper strata of Dalits and OBCs will have to be scaled down. In the present circumstances, it does not seem to be possible because the upper stratum is a vocal lot and attracts media attention.

A better way to deal with the problem would have been to transfer the responsibility of reservation to the states. The South has managed it well, even with reservations going beyond 50 per cent. The DMK government in Tamil Nadu is talking in terms of increasing the percentage. It is different when New Delhi comes into the picture. Reservations then assume all-India importance and vote politics comes into play. It is different with the states and they do not have to enact even a law to have reservation. It can be done through an executive order. The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of such steps in the Comptroller and Auditor General v Mohanlal Mehrotra case.

It is true that the centuries-old stratification of Hindu society has resulted in the worst type of discrimination against the Dalits and the tribals, and neglect of the OBCs. But it is equally true that reservations initially provided for 10 years are going on and on, and there is no prospect of their lessening. It is time to start thinking of doing away with reservations on the basis of caste and have it instead on the basis of economic criterion. India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had the caste column deleted from admission forms to schools and colleges. The lowering of the reservation quota can be done at the rate of two per cent every year. Thus in 50 years we will wipe the slate clean. What is important is to instil in the minds of the people that India aims for a casteless society, the ethos of our Independence Movement.

Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka have you read it??

Rajiv's speech on Mandal-I in Lok Sabha on 6th of September 1990 when the Mandal report was the big subject of controversy. It was a two-and-a-half hour command performance and it is strongly recommend this government should read the speech as well. If nothing else, his family members should. Rajiv's views are enlightening. Rajiv Gandhi began by claiming he wasn't debunking Mandal but the case he made against the Commission was so powerful and convincing that that's precisely what he did. He also raised serious questions about the V P Singh government's motivation in implementing the report which apply, without any alteration, to the government headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh and functioning under the tutelage of his wife. First, let us summarise the case Rajiv made against Mandal. To begin with, Mr. Gandhi pointed out that the three important sociologists involved with the Mandal Commission — Professors Roy Burman, Srinivas and Jogendra Singh — who were thanked in the report for the work they had allegedly done, declined the honour and, as Rajiv put it, “have clearly said that they were denied any real opportunity to participate in the findings.” Then Rajiv pointed out that the report is based on the work of a research and planning team “which met for only three days” and a second panel that met for five. Rajiv's conclusion: “This means no specialist, no sociologist was involved with this report apart from these eight days.” Now let’s turn to the data the report is based upon. Rajiv pointed out that the first set of data is from the cost indexing of 1891 and the census of 1931. As he asked: “We are talking about data which is a hundred years old or sixty years old. Is that valid today?” To buttress this, Rajiv said that the Mandal Commission carried out two further exercises. First, it approached state governments for information. But, as B P Mandal himself admitted in the report: “It was rather disappointing to see that hardly any state was able to give the desired information.” Second, the Commission carried out a survey in 810 villages out of India's then total of 5 lakh. That's 0.00162 per cent! And how were these villages chosen? As Rajiv Gandhi put it: “They went on to arbitrarily select two villages and one urban block from each district.” Worse, and again let’s quote Rajiv: “The survey was conducted by junior government officials without any supervision or checking or validation by any high ranking or known sociologist.” Consequently, so shoddy is the research and the data thus derived that the Mandal Commission's conclusion that 52 per cent of the population is OBC is, as Rajiv commented, seriously flawed. As he said: “Many castes that are listed in (this) list are forward castes and are scheduled castes ... I know for a fact that Brahmins are included, Reddys are included, Vokkaligas are included, Kammas are included, Lingayats are included, Gounders are included, Chettiyars are included. Are these backward castes? Do they need the help? This is how 52 per cent has been derived.” The real blow that Rajiv struck was, ironically, when he quoted the Commission itself. This is the Commission's conclusion (para 11.27) about its own work: “In the end, it may be emphasised that the survey has no pretensions to being a piece of academic research.” Finally, right at the end of his speech, Rajiv referred to an article in The Independent, a now defunct newspaper. Recalling a conversation some newspaper editors had had with the then Prime Minister, V P Singh, about the possibility of implementing the Mandal Commission report, The Independent wrote that V P Singh replied: “The report was purely a political strategy and that he was not so foolish.” Sixteen years later is another government, this time under the tutelage of Rajiv's wife, attempting the same political strategy? If that question is pertinent, perhaps Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi should respond to the closing words of Rajiv's speech: “Let us not have one man’s obstinacy holding India hostage ... Let that man’s obstinacy not lead to caste war ... I appeal to the patriotism and patriotic feelings of every member in this House not to remain idle, not to remain quiet and save this nation from the obstinacy of one person.” I anxiously and eagerly await Rajiv's family members' reply. Perhaps the PM might have something to say as well.

History repeats itself. Now the nation is to be saved from the obstinacy of Rajiv's own party.

Strike is off but movement is on

Y4E has called off the strike after SC has intervened and asked students to end the strike. A good and responsible decision by Y4E. SC has taken note of the issues raised by Y4E and has assured that all related issues will be examined and decided upon as per constitutional provisions. SC has remained silent on govt misuse of its powers to amend the constitution in case of an inconvenient judgment by SC. But here SC also has its limitations in forcing the govt.

Sc has assured that there would be no coercive action against the strikers. It has said that quota will be struck down if it is contrary to constitutional provisions. As per SC order, UPS government's proposed policy and any subsequent steps for its implementation would be subject to the outcome of the court decision on pending petitions.

The strike has been called off but not the movement. This movement has become a peoples' movement and would continue till a true classless Indian society becomes a reality.

Bravo Y4E. I support your cause and wish all success in your efforts.

SHAME TO POLITICIANS AND THE GOVERNMENT.

A pro-reservationist's view

Following message was posted on a discussion forum giving views of a pro-reservationist:

"I find people who still opposing when Government is ready for Reservations Without Cut in General Quota are really selfish and scared that their monopoly over Indian education system and job might finished.

I’ve some questions to be answered by upper caste friend.

1. Do you really thing in India there is no caste based discrimination?
2. Do you think there should be appropriate representation in education / job from each caste according to their population?
3. Do you think person suffering from polio can win 100 meters race against you
4. Can you compare 90% marks of you and 60% marks of your maid’s children?
5. What do think about Shankaracharya and Pujari’s seats are reserved only for Brahmins?
6. Do you think was it right on part of Dronacharya (Brahmin Guru) to deprive Eklavya of Education? ( When Eklavya came on his own to become better than Arjun, Dronacharya took his thumb as Gurudakshina for lessons he never took)

Enough is enough we can’t take this humiliation any more. All my friends who believe reservations for better should be united against these selfish, self-centered mentalities.

India just can not afford one more Eklavya."

SC strictures motivate government to crack whip

SC strictures against the agitating doctors have motivated the government to come down heavily on the strikers. Health minister says that he has been authorized by Manmohan Singh to start terminating the services of doctors. He also says that doctors have insulted the PM by meeting him twice and not calling off strike as he wanted them to. Now they should be punished for insulting the PM. Is it the real human face of Manmohan Singh or he is being painted as an in-human being by Ramodass?

If strike has not been called off so far it is because of government's lack of credibility with the people. These concerns are evident in what doctors have said after SC strictures. They now want the government to give an undetaking to the court that it would implement the apex court's decision and not resort to a constitutional amendment to bypass an inconvenient ruling, as had been the case on past four occasions. Mr. PM, it is a stricture against you and your credibility.

The strikers made it clear that while they had the higest regard for the court, their concern w3as driven by fears that political compulsions would see government protect the 27% OBC reservation irrespective of what the apoex court ruled on the matter. And the government of Manmohan Singh has already set a record in two years itself of bulldozing court rulings through constitutional amemndments or by passing self-benefit bills.

The great oversight!!

Oversight is the failure to notice something. If, in management terms, government is asked as to why it has not been able to provide equal opportunities to all, the one answer can be that it was due to oversight. The government failed to notice that reservation is not yielding desired results but is creating only bad side effects, such as, creamy layer and hate between different sections of Indian society.

I am amused as the government has set up an oversight committee. What this commiittee will do? Give a report to justify the oversights (in past 55 plus years) or identify areas for future oversights.

Youth of India have identified one of the most important oversights of successive governments - not to review the short-term policy of reservation and allowing it to become an indefinite-term policy. But government has again failed to take notice of the oversight and indulged in yet another oversight- not to agree to students' demand for setting up a non-polical committee to review reservations. Instead government goes ahead and constitute a committee which it names Oversight Committe. The name is intentional or a coincidence!

How to divide society!!

Pankaj Vohra in his article (HT, 29 May 2006) - "Go back to start" - writes:
"Communal and caste politics are two sides of the same coin and politically, both serve an equally divisive objective. For the UPA, which has managed to carry forward the secular agenda, it was unnecessary to bring in a caste-based issue, especially when everything was running smoothly. This period should have been ideally used to create more infrastructure and make available to the weaker and backward sections educational facilities both at the primary and secondary levels in order to prepare them for higher education. There is no dispute that the country needs to include in its development strategy a well-conceived plan to provide education to all sections of society. The focus should be on building infrastructure rather than taking credit for something that is aimed at getting the support of some sections of society at the expense of loosing support of sections already with the government."

CHARTER OF DEMANDS OF "YOUTH FOR EQUALITY"

Following is the "CHARTER OF DEMANDS" submitted by Youth For Equality to PM. This is no more a COD of these satudents only. It is the COD of every Indian who wants loves this country and wants to see it as a world power. Read it and sign it by posting your comments.

"CHARTER OF DEMANDS"

Deferral of the proposed hike in reservation in the central universities.

AND

An Expert Commission should be formed which would explore all the avenues of affirmative actions, review the efficiency of reservation1 as an affirmative action (considering both its benefits and drawbacks) and compare the efficiencies of the all possible affirmative actions. Thus it should come up with a fool proof and time bound strategy to uplift and empower the backward sections of our country without interfering with the overall development and well being of our Nation.

Implementation of the proposed extended reservation policy and any other new reservation policy only after the commission has submitted its report.

A white paper on the reservation policy.

1 We view reservations as a limited step to provide opportunities for the backward sections of our country to acquire education and employment.

AND

Places in the Government jobs that are remaining vacant due to lack of eligible candidates from the reserved category should be opened for other eligible candidates immediately.

AND

No action should be taken against the agitating students, interns and resident doctors in any form as regards to service break, termination, pay deduction, legal action etc.


AND

The Hon’ble Prime Minister should give a concrete statement on the issue.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY EXPERT COMMISSION?

It should be a non-political non-parliamentary commission with members from judicial, social sciences, educational, scientific background. It should be formed in15 days and should submit its report within 1 year’s time.

WHAT WOULD BE ITS AIMS AND OBJECTIVE?

To come up with a fool proof and time bound* strategy to uplift and empower the backward sections of our country without interfering with the overall development and well being of our Nation.

WHAT SHOULD IT DO?

1) It would explore all the avenues of affirmative actions.
2) It would assess the efficiency of the existing reservations taking into consideration both its benefits and drawbacks. #
3) It would compare the efficiency of other means of affirmative actions with that of reservations.
4) It should find ways other than affirmative actions, which would help in changing the socio-economic system, which breeds exploitation and inequality.
5) It should come up with socio-economic criteria, which would exclude the affluent and those already having access to jobs and higher education. **
6) It should fix parameters to determine the degree of upliftment and empowerment of the backward sections so that when adequate degree is achieved the Government should stop the policy of affirmative actions.
7) It should always keep in mind that the affirmative actions whatever suggested by the Commission should never interfere with the overall development and well being of our Nation.

*We want that whatever affirmative actions would be followed should have an end-point defined. Parameters should be defined after which there would be no need for affirmative actions in the same lines as they are being given till date.

**Creamy layer should be applied for all.

#While assessing the policy the Commission should take in account the current data about the population distribution.

A retrograde step – Tuglaqi faisla

Union cabinet decision to go ahead with 27% additional reservation from next year is the most retrograde step taken by any government of independent India. I think PM Manmohan Singh deserves congratulations for this and also for becoming the architect of Mandal-II. He has also created history in going back (stabbing in back as doctors say) on his assurances in the shortest possible time. As per a doctor of MAMC “On Monday, the PM appealed to us to have faith in him, that our interests would be taken care of and then this is what they announced late last night (Tuesday). It is like being stabbed in the back”.

The doctor is right. Take my case. I am not affected by this foolish decision but still feel cheated and cheated by the highest authority of my country. This is social in-justice.

Whom should people respect?

Politicians have long back ceased to deserve any respect of the people whom they represent in LS/RS and state legislatures. They have become a burden on peoples’ conscience. But a ray of hope emerged when Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam became President of India and Mr. Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister of India. People thought that if not more then at least two people are there who command the respect of Indian people. But it turned out to be a short dream. Their actions and inactions on OBC quota issue have projected their image as mere politicians who have no respect for self and also for the people. The argument that they have to discharge their constitutional obligations and can not take an opposite stand which they might personally think is right holds no water. They have a very simple option – resign from such posts which force them to take wrong decisions and prevent from taking right decisions. People of India do not respect them as they are President and PM of India but as they are good human beings.

I may be wrong in my assumption that they do not support reservation as the only way to create equal opportunities to bring social justice in Indian society. They might be having the same personal view as the decision the cabinet taken under pressure from its allies and leftists forces. But then they should have come clean and told the people about that. PM talking of pain on doctors’ hunger strike and giving them assurance that no injustice will be done to them goes contrary to the decision they have taken. What has happened is bad. It has become worse as the decision was taken by PM and endorsed by President (in his talks with the students). Who so ever high one is, but playing politics in the name of social justice will not earn them any respect.

It is very disappointing and discouraging that in a Nation of so many people one does have even a single person who one can respect and accept as his or her role model.