Today there's going to be a meeting among us, "Arunachal Pradesh" student, on the student or ST reservation cutting short from 7.2% to 1%. My reaction to this wouldn't entirely be like the opening line of this blog. I have two polarised opinion on this. This 1% reservation would in some way, make us realize the importance of it. Like I have seen in me and in others, not many of us are really serious about the facilities we get out of this reservation. So!! why not give this opportunity to someone who's worthy entity of it. I really wouldn't be surprised if my friends get angry regarding this opinion. But, on the other polar opinion, I feel it shouldn't cut down to that extend of 1%!!!...it's really less. Not that we are greedy of it and we don't utilize the extra privilege. There're many out there, who are not like us, are really working their A** out. What about those students? the % of students that come out to study is barely comprised of 10% of the actual student population. Forget that, how about this statistic. the STs' don't only comprise of tribes in the NORTH-EAST but of place like Jharkhand and many other states that has STs'. According to 2001 consensus, STs' contributed 8% to India population. And with India growing population rate and the year being 2009, a reservation for still underdeveloped states as 1% is not justified. If so, then the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The lack of opportunities would cut down education in not only in the NORTH-EASTERN states but in other states that has Schedule Tribes and have not yet come out and never tasted the fruit of education or what education really means. Just recently we celebrated our independence day, the 62nd year of Independence. India has yet to grow in many social ways. i understand the need of cutting down on reservation for Schedule Tribe as for the protest that the counter movements have been making, but i believe cutting down to one percentage wouldn't really help.
..On my second view, this reservations, has other good points. I think its also about national integration. If we look this way, it helps lot out there who can't afford it comes out of their house. Education is one platform, where one is still learning. Reservation is one of the mode to get the Rich, The Poor, The tribal and the non tribal, to come out for once and see how is all like, and helps in eroding the Prejudiced or pre-conceived notion of how the others are from different region. and, I think that's what the Independence was fought for!
I would like to conclude with this note that Indian Government should give it a wise thought and re-consider their opinion or decision.
Ant & Grasshopper
ReplyDeleteThe Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Now Indian Version
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.
Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticizes the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).
Opposition MPs stage a walkout.
Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath '.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.
Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice '.
Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.
CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '
Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later...
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley.
100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India ...
As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the Grasshoppers,
India is still a developing country!!!
.....Rushil.....
well written Rushil. But I believe you are being completely biased here. Not saying that because I belong to the ST. I think you have overlooked the nature of living here. I'm lucky to study out. But there are still some there, deep inside the jungle, who doesn't know what EDUCATION IS!!!!....their days start with HUNTING and End with eating the prey they have caught. If you head count, there are many who are actually working abroad, getting a good pay. But your story has good point. but i believe it has just ignored the real picture!!!
ReplyDeletehello rushil, your example is an interesting one. but i can see you are losing out on the whole picture when you were referring to the 'reserved categories' as the 'grass-hoppers'.To not acknowledge the fact that there is a huge set of people in our country who have been 'disadvantaged' right from the time of independence and who have not been fortunate enough to not be the 'beneficiaries' of the welfare policies as you might have been is not only being selfish but very naive too!
ReplyDelete...very right!! got what was on my mind
ReplyDeleteHi Masanda, I agree with you and you too topsy.
ReplyDeletewell it has both the good side and bad too..
it's really wonderful that the gov is helping the reserved categories, and i really understand what a fantastic thing they have done, but what i ment was our country is still the same hardly any progress.
please do not think that iam selfish and naive
i juss put down an example which i had got from another friend.Like i said it has it's good point's and bad point's tooo, nothing is fair in this world...
and topsy i would still love the life of the people who live in the jungels ,they only kill for the pot.They above all understand and love mother nature and i think thats the highest education one need's in this world to actually understand and respect life!..
Got your Thoughts. Muah. Thanks
ReplyDelete