The Bondage Of A Reserved India: Demerits Of Being A “Forward Caste”

I was irritated. Going all the way to Kolkata for an exam where I didn’t even have a substantial chance of getting through seemed meaningless. Nevertheless, I did; with no preparation whatsoever. A government exam where applications were accepted in lakhs had only 100 seats, 50 of which were reserved. This system of our country confused me. Here’s why.

I come from a lower middle class family. My father still works 10 hours a day to earn a meager Rs. 15,000. We don’t have a maid and my mother does all the household chores. Can you imagine what my parents went through to make their daughter an engineer? My relatives can’t, the society can’t and neither can the government. There are several parents like mine who have faced all the hurdles to educate their sons and daughters so that they have a bright future. But when this hard core reservation system of the country takes away an opportunity from the deserving ones, there is no one to hear the plight of those poor parents and their children.

A friend of mine from the reserved category got through one of the premier institutes of India with half of what I scored in the same exam. I never saw him wear, eat or live any differently than I did. In fact both his parents were working at fairly good positions. Now he has a brand name and I, am nobody. I know there are many things that I could have done differently and a person decides his/her own fate; but at least give us that opportunity. If even that is taken away from us, how are we to react? We may come from a so called ‘Forward caste’ but it isn’t necessary that we have all been privileged since childhood or come from financially sound families. There are many students who have worked strenuously and struggled a lot to only qualify for giving the entrances or attain a respected position in a company.

A recent TOI survey showed the illiteracy that prevails among the SC/ST’s at primary and secondary education levels. Why do nothing about that? If the government wants to encourage those who are from the backward castes then - open schools and education centres for them and help built better educational and living facilities for them. I am not a heartless person. I feel for those who have lived without luxuries and have faced many hardships because of their caste. But it doesn’t mean that they are the only poor people in the country. There are many others facing the same problem from other sections of society too. Why is nothing being done for them?

I don’t say that FC’s are the only meritorious ones in the country. Merit can never be based on caste, color or religion. It is all about the tenacity, perseverance and dedication that an individual puts into his studies or work. Does God give brains by judging a person’s caste? The government should drop the contrived pretences by making merit the issue. After the law is passed does the government inquire as to who is getting the benefit? Who is being helped because of this reservation law? No, and only the creamy and rich people take advantage of such systems. This is the government’s new idea of ‘Divide and Rule’. When we talk about equality, why is reservation needed at any level? If the primary education provided to the BC’s is good enough, they will rise to the status of being self sufficient without any pre defined stipulations.

Reservations based on caste, gender and state quota are already in place, making it difficult for the Aam Aadmi to remain unaffected by bias. Moreover, now the UPA is demanding reservation while promotion in jobs too. I mean this is sheer spoon feeding, nothing else. This will only make the individuals crippled as they will fail to realize the value of hard work and struggle. They will reap benefits over someone else’s efforts and diligence. Are our myopic eyes not able to see the hindrance this Reservation System is creating in the society? With corruption, politics and a reserved nation, how can we become a developed India? Or has the Kalyug come when as my dad says and I quote - " हंस चुगेगा दाना और कौवा मोती खायेगा".

This article got featured on Youth Ki Awaaz. 

Signing off,
Nitsy