As the clock moves a little past midnight I am shocked to come across several unfortunate news pieces coming from the state of Gujarat where the reservation agitation of Patel community has taken a violent turn. With reports of violence coming from several cities of Gujarat over an issue of reservation it is time to retrospect and understand this demand.
Why the generation of a country that has produced likes of Satya Nadela, Indra Nooyi, Shantanu Narayena and Sundar Pichai who are now managing the world giants namely Microsoft, Pepsi-co, Adobe and Google, exactly needs there future ‘managed’ in a biased way. Is a more legally permissible discrimination the only answer to other persisting discriminations?
Presently this furor is being led by one 22 year old Hardik Patel. If you wish to know how rightful the demand of Patel community for an OBC status is you just need to take a walk in any up-scale society in Ahmedabad or Surat. What you will find is that most of such residential area is either owned by Baniya & Patels or are reserved to be leased to them. With about 12% population in Gujarat, Patel Community is indeed one of the politically, socially and economically dominant communities of the state and they are utilizing these resources and numbers to demand what? A backward class status? Well-well!
Even outside Gujarat if you go to USA, the Patel Community is highly regarded as a community known for their enterprising skills so much so that there is a very high chance of you ending up in a motel owned by a Patel. In local vocab American motels are also nicknamed Potels as Patels own a lot of motels in America!
So why on earth such a thriving, hard-working and very-well off community needs a reservation. For this it is important to understand the complete circle of reservation.
Indeed if one of us can run Google and Microsoft without any special privileges why exactly should the others make havoc for a backdoor entry to a clerical position? Moreover with which yardstick do burning buses and cars make you more adequate for an administrative position? Is this really the way? Do they actually think blackmailing the government of their own country for an unjust demand is going to make them more employable at a government job?
I certainly disagree. No matter how right or wrong anyone’s demand is, there are more acceptable and rightful ways to present it to concerned authorities. Violence is answer to nothing. NOTHING. Period.
When I was a Kid one of my history and civics teacher used to tell about how Democracy by definition was for the people, by the people and of the people. When he went deep he would further analyze how in a democracy we would just count the heads and not what was inside the head. His intention was to make clear how a voter be it a doctor or a cart-puller was indeed counted as same on the weighing scale of our democratic exercise, namely elections. I was flattered and amazed. I admired our founding fathers for blessing us with such futuristic insights where no one howsoever mighty and powerful would dare to differentiate between the different sects of society based on their influence in it.
But then I grew-up. The mirage of equality began to become gloomy.
I encountered a policeman imposing barricades on a public street so that it can become inaccessible to all and can be turned safe for a leader to pass. Another day I witnessed some beggars being locked-up and pushed aside from the front of a temple because of a visiting dignitary. My belief about equality was still just starting to shake.
Then came the time when I filled up some forms for higher education, AIEEE, IIT, UPTU and so on. I was told certain numbers of seats were reserved for individuals belonging to certain caste and tribes. On further investigation I came across the fact that not only they had reserved seats but they can also score much less than others in exams and still inherit those ranks. This phenomenon was called Reservation.
I was more amazed than shocked. I started reading all kind of literatures available on the said concept. I read innumerous articles, facts, logics and interpretations of this phenomenon. At last to much extent I was convinced that it was a right move forward.
The concept of reservation was simple and straight. The castes, communities and tribes that have always been at the receiving end of discrimination were provided with special provisions for making their lives better. In my opinion this was commendable. Yes this actually was the best move forward way back in 1949!
The complete basis of reservation was to introduce marginalized segments of the society in to mainstream by giving them influential positions. It has been more than Six decades since we implemented it. Reservation initially was not intended to last such long.
If the reservation still persists their can only be one valid reason to it – a failure to achieve what it initially aimed.
And if it has achieved what it desired so the looming question would be why it is still feasible in the past format?
Indeed there can be no end to a reservation debate. Once you get on it you will be bombarded with facts on various issues, problems, financial- gaps, increasing poverty, farmer-suicides and so on. There is no exact limit to how deep this debate can go on. But it is necessary to understand that India is a vast country. India has variable problems. India has innumerable alarming issues.
Yet, reservation is not the answer to all. Indeed Reservation isn’t an answer to most!