Reservations: a game where players want to lose
The new fever to have gripped India is Arjun Singh’s or Congress Party’s yet another silly gimmick. Hiking reservations to almost 50% in IIMs, IITs and Central Universities - the cream of the country.
There are presently reservations in these institutions, but hiking them to 50% of the total seats will lead to incredible devaluing of the country’s top institutes. If students were denied seats on merit, that is the greatest injustice in humanity next to denying food. Education is the birthright of every citizen of the world, more so in India where it is valued highly.
Supposing students are denied seats based on merit and admitted based on their caste, this will greatly dilute the talents in the IITs and the IIMs. The presently well-regarded institutes will fall in the eyes of all Indians as well as the world. It has become quite a common headline to read of the high starting salaries that IIM graduates are paid.
But now companies may start to discriminate against the lower castes because they gained an IIM degree through the back door.
Or world-renowned universities may stop admitting IIT graduates because their quality is no longer assured.
On the other hand, reservations have done a great deal of good to India. They have levelled the playing field for the SCs and STs and even the BCs. Now we see more and more of the so-called ‘lower’ castes in mainstream education and employment, not only in govt. but also in private.
But then again, our crass politicians have been digging Indians yet another hole by declaring OBCs, MBCs etc. and including more and more castes in these ‘lower’ caste groups to gain petty votes during elections. And we also see the caste leaders lobbying for their caste to be called ‘lower’.
Where else in the world would you see a game where the captains and the players want so desperately to lose?
Reservations have done good to Indians and they should continue for a decade or so at a sanely permissible level of around 25%. They they should be gradually dealt away with and replaced with “Affirmative action” where when two candidates are of equal merit, the one from a socially-deprived background is given preference.
I would hope that reservations continue for another decade at 25% and then be dissolved over the next decade into affirmative action. Why, affirmative action could even be made mandatory across public and private sectors - I don’t think anybody would protest.
Or would you? Have your say below…
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Hi Guys,
If u don;t agree with the new law of reservation then write down to our dear president about it. I m sure it will work
u can write him on
there is a protest thats being organised on 14 april 2006,friday at india gate,amar jawan jyoti,8 am in the morning.Most of the delhi skools are turning up.PLease do come if you care…so see you there..thanks 
Oppose increase of reservation quota in Indian educational institutions
Please email expressing your opposition to members of Indian parliament (contact info given below) and Indian news papers. Also, post this petition in web sites and forward to your friends who are interested in technological education and development in India. Please act now and make a difference.
http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/emaillist.asp (Lok Sabha MP Contact Emails)
http://164.100.24.167:8080/members/AlphabeticalListBrief.asp (Rajya Sabha)
http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/alphatel.asp (Lok Sabha Phone numbers)
We strongly oppose the human resource development ministry plans to increase the reservation quota in the institutions of higher learning from 22.5 per cent to 49 per cent. We urge the government to repeal this proposal. The continued economic development of the country depends upon the excellence of educational institutions in India. Foreign and domestic investment in Indian industries depends upon the availability of large pool of well educated Indian labor force. These shortsighted political divisive measures will harm the technological and economic development of the country.
Indian institutions of higher learning such as IITs and IIMs should be preserved and improved so that the research and education can be amongst the best quality in the world and will be the engine for the rapid technological and economic development of India. The institutions of higher learning are the pillars of technological development and economic growth of the nation. Without a strong merit based educational system, India will lag behind in economic and technological development, while other major nations in the region such as China, South Korea and China are rapidly developing.
Hence, we urge you to oppose and stop these counter productive measures to increase the reservation quota in the institutions of higher learning in India.
Dear Friends,
Please read these comments to know how important it is to stop the reservations and get rid of the caste system.
”We are the only nation in the world were people fight to be called backward rather than forward.”
- Narayan Murthy
“India is ready to discuss racism as long as it is in other countries, but not caste in its own backyard.”
- Dipankar Gupta, professor of sociology , J.N.U. New Delhi
”In place of appealing for removal and abolishing this old curse on India, all the Indians have been shamelessly accepting the caste system imposed upon by their Religion. People are fighting against the reservation quota. Is there a single sensible person who wants to fight against the caste system which is the main reason for the quota ? ”
- Damien Rebello
Caste conscious lunatics and live in this lunatic asylum, of course against our will, and ‘blessed’ with an eternal curse of associating with the insane. The Indian caste system is pointedly diabolical. It is a real curse.
- Swami Vivekananda
Year 2006 : Indian newspapers carry daily stories of atrocities against Dalits or young couples being killed, sometimes by their own families, for daring to fall in love with someone from another caste. The caste based communities in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have militants to terminate people belonging to the other caste. In spite of all this the Indians think that they are making progress.
- from DailyNews U.K.
Nobody is saying that the caste system should be praised, for it has indeed degenerated India’s self-pride.
- Francois Gautier
Without question, caste system is the curse for India, and it has humiliated millions through the ages. Caste is India’s sorrow, the apartheid that makes Indians hang their heads in shame. Caste serves as the prime reason for conversions even today.
- Barbara Crossette
So you see to what extent this disgraceful caste system has taken us? Our political parties trade on it, our governments use it, our police connive at it. There is a nexus of criminals, police and government, as everybody knows, and we suffer.
- Shri Parthasarathi
India’s real curse lies in the fact that, 57 years after Independence, people continue not only to face daily injustices, but they can be murdered, raped and viciously humiliated merely because they have tried to break out of the caste trap to assert their rights as equal beings.
- (Human Rights Report)
Sad. India could not get rid of the evil caste system for several decades.
Why aren’t the protestors bothered about fighting against the caste system ?
Why is the congress govt. still there at the center ?
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