Has reservation outlived its significance

It were Gujjars few days ago, then Jats and now Patels. The agitation for caste based reservation seems far from over. In fact in last couple of decades it has only intensified as the scope of reservation has further widened and included in its ambit various state of the art technical, medical and management institutions. These institutions and services hold a place of high esteem in our country and when the admission to them is not just through merit but also on the basis of castes, they sure are going to breed feelings of disaffection against the reservation system.

The history of reservation system can be traced back during the drafting of Constitution of the country when unanimously it was agreed that the inequalities in society compel the government to take steps for the betterment of people who are low in the hierarchy of society. This positive discrimination quite justifiably was required for the empowerment of weaker sections in the society. It helped in making sure they they feel that the system and the opportunities it presents are not biased towards select powerful persons in the society but available to them as well. For this reason reservation was allowed for the weaker sections namely the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes in the academic and government institutions, job as well as law making. After the Mandal commission, it was extended to Other Backward Classes too.

So far so good. But let us analyze if the reservation has been able to do justice to the aims it sought to achieve. To my mind there were two important goals which were targeted by reservation. First, to empower the weaker sections of the society and secondly to reduce caste consciousness as the basis of continuation of inequalities in our system was caste system. In both these aims it has failed miserably.

The benefits of reservation have not reached to the poor and lower sections of society as they should have. Rather they have been reaped by the top few who are using the benefits repeatedly thus denying the other needy their due rights. The very assumption of reservation based on caste is on a wrong ground as caste might have been an indicator of social and economic backwardness of the people at the time of independence  but not anymore. Our forefathers who drafted the Constitution  also desired to keep this provision on temporary basis only.

And this system of reservation has very well helped in reinforcing the caste system further instead of reducing or eliminating it altogether. Caste consciousness is strongest than ever before. This is because categorization based on caste has been linked to economic and political benefits. And this has acted as a positive reinforcer for people to maintain their identities based on caste.

Isn't this reservation system then again trying to handicap people's abilities by denying them opportunities because of their birth. This used to happen thousands of years ago and now its happening again. Only the roles seem to have been reserved.

So has the time arrived when we should have debates on ending the reservation system and instead think of other measures to improve the education system in our country. Isnt there a need to again have an open system of competition to jobs and academic institutions and selecting people purely on merit basis? The reservation system seems to have outlived its utility in its current form. There is a need for a serious reform to prevent further stratification of the society. But the bigger question is - do we have the will?

The first meeting

Siddhartha seemed to be in a strange hurry. He was walking at double his normal pace, but there seemed no sign of gate 2. On a normal day perhaps he might not have noticed the time, but today each minute seemed  like an hour. And the rush of the passengers at this peak time, which was further slowing down his pace, was adding to his frustration.

After roughly 15 minutes, he was standing out of gate 2. Outside there was a crowd of people, some clinging to the railing intently looking at each passenger who was coming out, checking for their acquaintances, some coming from hotels holding placard and competing amongst each other for a suitable place so that their placard would be most visible. 

Amidst all this commotion, Siddhartha wondered how he would find Ragini. He took out his phone but to his horror, the battery had died. He cursed himself for not charging the phone in the plane and began thinking that she might be trying his number and would be getting angry. He looked here and there for a charging point but none was visible. He started getting impatient, his head going blank.He sat in a bench near to where he was standing, took deep breaths and started explaining himself mentally that this area is not very large and if he looked around for her, he could find her. This reassuring thought calmed him a little bit. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, drank a sip of water from his bottle, and got up.

"Let's start from this direction", he told himself mentally, pointing to an area opposite to where he was sitting. There were a lot of benches and he started going to all those where a girl was sitting alone. Near each such bench he passed casually looking at the face from the corner of his eye in a fraction of second and moving away lest he be caught in an uncomfortable situation of staring at some girl and getting in trouble.

Ten minutes passed but without any luck. He was starting to get impatient now. Maybe she had left after waiting for sometime as his phone was not reachable. This thought gave a chill down his spine and he started cursing himself even more for being such a stupid for not charging the phone. But then he tried to comfort himself by logically arguing that it wasn't very long and she would not have left so early. Trusting on this logic, he turned and started looking at the other side. 

This area was relatively vacant with very few people seated on the benches. Suddenly, he saw that to his left a girl was sitting alone in the bench. She was facing the other side and only her hair were visible to him. Praying that this be her, he walked close to the bench and reaching to the side of the bench, he cleared his throat and said. "Execuse me"

The girl turned her face towards him. In a fraction of second he realized it was her. She was exactly like school days but with some difference. She was wearing a black salwar kameez with a black dupatta across her neck. Her hair was open and falling on her shoulders, partially covering her earrings which seemed to be tiny inverted silver bowls hanging by a silver chain. There was a golden chained watch on her one hand while the other had a metallic bangle, suitably chosen to match her attire. He had always seen her in the school uniform and she was looking very pretty and beautiful.

"I said hi". She smiled and Siddhartha realized that he had been standing there awkardly just looking at her and didn't even greet her.

" Oh, sorry. Hi, how are you? Waiting for long?"

"No, just for last one hour. Phones don't work in the airport?"

"They do. Why?" Siddhartha trying to look innocent.

"Yours seems to be out of battery for some time", she remarked.

" Yeah, hardly around the phone. Don't care if its charged" Siddhartha tried to play down, not willing to expose his stupidity.

"Big people", she chuckled.

Embarrassed, he sat down on the bench.  It was all seeming like a dream. Just in the morning it was decided that they will meet and they were sitting next to each other in a strange place meeting after six years. 

There was few minutes of silence. 

" Do you like cold drink?"

"Coke", she said.

He rose and bought a Coke from the counter nearby.

Offering her he said, " Quite humid today".

"Yes, Mumbai gets humid at this part of the year. And then there are rains. You would want to come here in rains. The whole city is flooded. Last year, this airport had water upto the knee height for some time.", she exclaimed in excitement.

They started talking about different things. Life after school. How they never talked to each other during school. Joked about few teachers and school friends.

All this time Siddhartha was looking at her face while she was talking. She had beautiful dark black eyes which she used to close at time when talking about some exciting and funny thing. Breeze of air made her hair lock fall over her face across her cheek which she was picking and tucking behind the ear, not getting bothered about the repetitions.

Then suddenly she took out a tiffin from her bag and offered him some kachori. 

Without thinking Siddhartha blurted " No, thanks!". Suddenly smile disappeared from her face and she kept it back in her bag, seemingly hurt by this response. Siddhartha realized his stupidity immediately and guessed that she would have prepared it herself. He wished he could disappear at that moment, feeling so embarrassed with his sudden reaction. He didn't have the presence of mind to ask for forgiveness and just sat there with a blank head. Anyways he thought the damage had been done.

But this didn't seem to have a very lasting effect on Ragini's mood and she started talking as cheerfully as before. Time seemed to be running very fast as within few minutes it was time for Siddhartha flight and if he didn't proceed immediately, he would miss his flight. Both of them didn't want to leave but had to. Shaking hands, and bidding goodbye to her, Siddhartha started moving towards the entrance gate. At the gate he turned back. Ragini was still standing there, looking towards him, smiling and waving good bye. He smiled, raised his hand, and next minute went inside.

Choices in our lives

It was Sunday morning and my supplies of ration had already exhausted, making a visit to the nearest grocery store necessary. My list was short so I thought my visit would be quick and I would be able to enjoy my afternoon watching some old classic movie combined with a peaceful nap of couple of hours. But how wrong was I.

Any person who has some experience in shopping would agree that buying anything today is no less than an art. It's a game of selecting one among the myriad choices present. It's a situation of abundance. The problem of comparing and choosing based on your personal preferences.

I remember when as a kid we used to go to buy milk, or bread, or cooking oil, we just had to tell what item we wanted to buy without going into extra specifications about the brand and quality. Because there was only one type available. Mostly.

But today, buying a simple thing as milk would mean you have to take at least 5-6 decisions before finalizing on your product. Toned, half-toned, cream, full cream, vitamin d enriched, chocolate flavoured, semi pasteurised bla bla bla. Makes me remember what Tom Hanks said in some movie that in buying a cup of coffee from a Starbucks store, an average person has to take so many decisions - caf/decaf, sugar/ black and so on.

There was  a funny incident in my childhood when I went to a big shop to get some milk and when the shopkeeper asked which of the red, blue, green milk I wanted. Not understanding that he was apparently referring to the color of the packaging, I innocently replied that I wanted white milk and came back without buying anything.

So you must be wondering what I am trying to suggest through these examples. Is having a choice a bad thing? In fact our whole effort in the modern world is based on providing freedom of choice to the consumers. Absolute socialism is a thing of past. Capitalism is the new thing. And capitalism relies on competition. Giving the consumer the power to choose things. An end to monopoly.

I am suggesting none of this. Having choices is always a good thing. My only innocuous query is to what extent we need choices. And are choices instrumental in bringing more comfort and happiness in our lives.

Let me take an example. Was I any less happier when there were no cell phones and I had to go and meet someone if I desired to talk to them. Or did I feel more happy when the new phone which I bought had an extra choice of sending voice messgaes as well as opposed to the text messages which my old phone could send. While one may argue they keep people close. But in what way? When we are at home, we are checking the messgaes from other friends. And when we are with friends, our attention is diverted to some other place.  So in a way, we are getting closer to people who are living far off but getting far off (at least mentally) from the people who are closer.

Bhutan is one country which hasn't given too much importance to material advancements over their cultural and traditional customs and values. And certainly by no means they are less happier than people of USA.

So where does this bring us? To my mind, there can't be a single answer to this question. It varies from individual to individual, from culture to culture. But one thing is certain. That happiness can't be found in having greater choices or greater variety. It comes from within as it is an internal thing. So instead of worrying about so many choices, I would rather like to spend my time in having experiences - exploring world, meeting new people, tasting new food, spending time with best friends.

A chance encounter

Siddharth checked his watch for the sixty-sixth time now.There was still  an hour left for the flight to land at the Mumbai airport. He tried to get a nap by trying a different body posture in the already constrained space of the flight seat. But in vain. His fellow passengers were sleeping, some busy listening to music, and others chatting with each other. He tried one last time to concentrate on the article in the magazine he was holding and finally surrendered. His mind was somewhere else.

Siddharth was in his third year  at IIT Delhi and was on his way to Bangalore for the summer internship. He had been selected for two months internship programme in a reputed IT firm and had to report the next day. The assignment was sure to be challenging and he was expecting some busy schedule during this period. Moreover, there was also the pressure of performing to the best and also an opportunity to showcase his skills which could earn him a pre placement offer in this reputed organization thousands die to work for.

But this was not something which was occupying his mind. Something else was going on his which wasn't allowing him to do anything else.

His connecting flight to Bangalore was after 3 hours. During this time, someone was coming to meet him. An old school friend.

Ragini was Siddharth's classmate for six years in the school. After school, he went to Delhi to pursue engineering while Ragini enrolled in NIFT, Mumbai for the design course.

And it was first time after the school that they were meeting. In fact this would be the first time they would be talking face to face with each other. Strange as it may sound, but they had never talked to each other in the six years during the school. Not even studies related conversation. After starting their college courses, somehow they got connected through internet, mailed each other occasionally and once in a month or so, Siddhartha used to call her.

This routine would have continued as usual had Siddhartha not told her in the last conversation that he would be in Bangalore for the summers and he will have a halt of 3-4 hrs in Mumbai. He jokingly asked her to come and meet him at airport. Though she replied she would, Siddhartha didn't take this very seriously as one she was having a busy schedule preparing for her tests and two the airport was 50 km from her hostel.

But only till today morning. He got a call in the morning from her and she enquired about the flight timings. He had forgotten this conversation about meeting as a joke but sensing the seriousness in her voice and after being scolded for five minutes, he shared the flight details.

Sipping the orange juice, he began to think about how the conversation would be. They had just started talking and were getting friendly with each other. But talking face to face after so many years, with no conversation ever during school. Is it going to be awkward. How would she be looking? During school he vaguely remembered that she used to be very reserved and he had hardly seen her talking to other girls as well. The only thing which he knew was that she had an amazing handwriting. This he got to know when once he mistakenly opened a notebook to see a beautiful handwriting and closed it back to see her name on the cover.

The flight had landed and the pilot announced to remove the seatbelts and switch on the mobile. He took out his mobile from the pocket and switched it on. There was a new message. It was from her. "Waiting at gate 2".

He stood up, collected his bag and hurriedly started walking down the aisle before the queue for departing passengers start getting longer. With excitement, apprehension and happiness he started pacing towards gate 2 to meet a new friend from old times.

Hum, AAP aur Wo

Delhi has chosen its valentine and in what style! In a triangular love contest, Mr Kejriwal emerged as  a final winner, trouncing his opponents, the two biggest national parties of India. The 'Wo' (read BJP and Congress)  couldn't woo Delhi with their talks neither their gifts (read poll promises) could impress her. On the other hand, the gift kitty of AAP ( free wifi, cheap electricity) won the heart of Delhi and it was rewarded with an assured tenure of minimum 5 years. (Unless they choose to desert her again for someone else :( ( Lok Sabha  ) ) 

This was a historic election on many counts. Not just by the sheer number of seats won by AAP, but also because of approval of the new kind of "clean politics" by the people of Delhi. In itself, the words "clean" and "politics" seem to be oxymoron. How can politics be clean? Or what are clean people doing in politics? At least the history of electoral politics in India makes one wonder about this contradiction. Don't agree with me? Look at UP and Bihar.  

They say with great power comes great responsibility. And dear, by giving 95% seats to AAP, Delhiites have put a  huge responsibility on its still tender shoulders. A hope of the masses. From an autorickshaw driver who is intimidated by the policeman on the roads of capital, to a college going girl who is worried as the clock starts going past 7 pm, from a housewife who struggles to strike a balance between the monthly income and inflationary pressures, to a migrant from Bihar living in unauthorized colony in the outskirts of the city. Each of them have a very diverse expectation from AAP and its charismatic leader Mr. Kejriwal. And they have rejected all other options, trusting him with everything. This trust is a huge responsibility. Will the AAP be able to deliver its promises in the face of various challenges and difficulties that are bound to come in its way?

Without sounding cynical, I would like to note that the task at hand is really a daunting one. Ambitious programmes like installing 15 lakh CCTV cameras, opening 20 new colleges, 500 new schools, though announced with best of the intentions, will put great pressure on the already constrained treasury of Delhi. Another big problem will be reforming the whole bureaucratic machinery which has become too heavy and inefficient now. AAP and its politics are anti-establishment in their nature. Now the very establishment (or at least few of its elements) will try to make every effort in the form of rules and procedures so that AAP fails. It will be interesting to see how Mr Kejriwal pulls off these promises.

Nevertheless, history has anyways been created. So when Mr Kejriwal will be taking the oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi on this Valentine, the whole of Delhi will be watching with anticipation, hope and aspirations. AAP has captured the imagination of people, not only in India, but also people of other countries in South Asia and world who will be watching very closely their work. I hope that Mr Kejriwal and his new politics doesn't fail them, at least for the sake of  people of Delhi. 

Love shuv breakup shakeup

Siddharth took out the phone and almost sent a "Good Night" message to Ragini when his hands stopped. He thought something for a while, deleted the message and kept the phone back in the pocket. He no more had the right to send this message. She had broken up with him.

Breakups can be painful. Siddharth had realized this the hard way. Three months had passed since he last heard from Ragini and he only knew how this time had passed. It appears that the days become shorter when you are together and too lengthier when you are apart. And this wasn't a separation of few days. It was a separation of lifetime. A life was to change. He thought he would get over it. But there seemed no end to the agony.

Love is also a very strange thing. If you are blessed with it, the whole world seems so joyful and life seems so purposeful. It can do great things. It can motivate you to do something which you have never done before in life. It makes you a better person. You will go out of your way to do something just to please your lover. And that feeling of satisfaction and joy is greater than the feeling when you do something for yourself. Perhaps it can't be expressed, just felt.

But without it everything seems so lackluster and painful. Siddharth wondered how suddenly everything had changed. Activities he enjoyed earlier failed to excite him any further. Is a separation so powerful that it can change the way a person thinks, behaves? What has changed after all? Anyways he was in a long distance relationship with Ragini and he used to meet her in months. What then had changed which caused a feeling of hollowness?

Perhaps it is the very nature of love itself. Being in a relationship for 5-6 years, Ragini had become a habit of his life. He did not realize when  he became so much attached that he took this proximity for granted. His day started with wishing her a good morning as early as possible while still half asleep. Before she got ready for office and caught the bus, he would wish her day to be good. During the office hours, he tried to find out time to send her messages periodically, sometimes sending as silly messages as a plain "Hi". A day would end by a good night message.

All that had ended. A silly fight over a silly issue. Or so he thought. Perhaps it was much larger issue for her. Perhaps it was the question of principles for her. Too big to be forgiven. So big that the 6 years of relation seemed too small in front of it. A question of life or death maybe. Everything ended in a matter of minutes. Never to be resumed again.

Sometimes he woke up in the middle of night after a bad dream. But how he realized that the bad dream has come to life. He wants to shrug this as a nightmare but it doesn't leave him. And the worst thing about this condition was that he couldn't do anything to improve it. He felt so helpless.

Maybe even Ragini has the same feeling. Who knows if she did this out of some compulsion. Who knows if even she is suffering. But at the end of the day it doesnt affect anyone else. It's their lives which has changed. The world goes on as usual. Love demands courage and standing up sometime for the right things. For those who are lucky to understand this, it transforms their lives. And for those who are unlucky like Siddharth, it sucks the life out of them.

My republic

Something is in the air on 26th january which makes you feel patriotic as you wake up in the morning. Patriotic songs playing on loudspeaker, smartly dressed kids going to school in the morning for the flag hoisting, sight of small Tri color flags everywhere, and these days patriotic messages and graphics on the walls and tweets of our social media accounts.

After many years I got a chance to watch the republic day parade. Not in real though. I can imagine how the atmosphere would be on the Rajpath at that time. Would surely want to be a part of the audience if I am lucky enough someday.

Nevertheless, watching on TV is also not a very bad idea especially if you have a 40 inch screen at home (thanks Alok ;) ). Republic day parade is always a treat to watch. The marching soldiers in smart uniforms, in complete synchronization, carrying the responsibility of guarding our country for us billions. Sacrificing lives in the line of duty. What a life and what discipline. I often wonder if we can have a little of that discipline and commitment in the civilian lives, many of our problems might get solved. We wont see our roads littered, traffic signals jumped, people mercilessly crossing past injured in highways without helping them. Often all it takes for a change is just a small effort at home. Remember, be the change you want to see in the world.

There were two notable things this republic day of which a mention must be made. First, this was the first time an all women contingent led by Captain Divya Ajith made its way to the republic day parade. And going by the news it might be possible that women soldiers make it to the combat role in few years. Good to hear such positive news about women empowermemt when in recent times you see all negativity in the news be it harassment, infanticide , workplace discrimination etc. But despite all this I have firm faith that they will overcome all the difficulties and hardships thrown at them. May the power be with you. May your tribe increase!

Another remarkable feature was that this was the first time an American president was the chief guest of the republic day parade and celebration. Whether this is really a watershed movement in Indo -American ties or its just a media hype ( as we are west obsessed country, I remember when Mr Clinton came to India there was so much celebration back then as well) needs to be seen. But regardless of this, the presence of the worlds most powerful person as the chief guest is definitely a big news.

Today was the day in 1950, when our constitution came into force. A very modern document which promised us various fundamental rights - rights, few of which were not even available to some people in advanced countries of western Europe at that time. And few of them are not available to a lot of people in various parts of the world even this day. Boy, we must be lucky to be born in this country!

But are we? Or is everyone as lucky and has same rights as everyone else? I mean the rich and powerful have rights everywhere and they dont require something like a constitution to get their rights. They just buy it. But are the millions of the common people who struggle every day for survival, to fight off a chilly night, whose children have to sell a flag on the sign and crossings so that we and our children can happily celebrate a republic day are lucky enough? Why would they be happy over the celebration of republic day and be proud of the constitution when they couldnt gain much in these many years.

But there is something which inspires me and gives hope. In the recent years there is another, more subtle, silent yet strong change - the idea of an aspiring India, a confident India, an India which wants to grow and be recognized the world over and looked at with respect. People are demanding certain things as a matter of right. People dont seem to be as unconcerned and cynical towards politics as they earlier were. An increase in voting percentage might be an indicator. Perhaps it is too early to declare this as a change, but you should always have hope, right?

Hampi - Bicycle diaries

Visiting places of cultural and historical importance had always been high on my list. But unfortunately, this plan never got materialized. So this year , we (me, Alok and Wardy) decided to cover nearby places in backpacking mode. Hampi was our first destination.

Backpacking is fun where you don't have to be constantly worried about the huge amount of luggage you have to carry for the vacations. Just one pair of clothes , one bedsheet maybe and you are ready to go.

We set out on a Saturday evening from Hyderabad for Hampi. There is a direct train which takes you to Hospet while you sleep in the night.

The winters are not generally very cold in the peninsular India and you won't expect same in January. But since last 2-3 years the temperatures have been dropping (climate change maybe ) in this part of the country as well. Luckily we had blankets with us so we could brave the cold winds coming through the windows.

We reached Hospet around 7 in the morning.  Hampi is situated around 12 km from Hospet. The current area comes under Bellary district in Karnataka but few hundred years back it was the capital of one of the most powerful and prosperous Vijayanagara kingdom. Now only the ruins remain of that prosperous city and these spread a few square kilometers and have been classified as UNESCO world heritage site.

The starting point of any Hampi tour is from the famous Virupaksha temple. A huge and magnificent Shiva temple with imposing gopurams or the gateways and large courtyards and multiple structures make it different from the other temples of the region. The sculpture on the temple walls is very elaborate and impressive. The paintings on the roof of the main mandapa with the colors still as bright makes one wonder how these have survived the test of time. The temple is still in a working condition where the worship of deities regularly happens.

Coming out of the temple we had two objectives - find a place to eat and find a shop which rents Luna. The sites of Hampi are scattered which gives you the option of visiting them through a Luna, bicycle or an auto. We chose the least comfortable but most enjoyable - bicycles. Well, because our first choice Luna was not available due to some temporary ban on them and because you don't travel in an auto when you are in backpacking mode. So bicycles it was.

After having a delicious breakfast of idlis and puris ( a must have if you are here in the morning) with tea, we set out to explore the ruins of this once prosperous city. The uneven, slopy and sometimes rocky roads of Hampi were a test for the various muscles in the body which had been lying inactive due to the sedentary lifestyle we have become accustomed to. Nevertheless, after a while the body adapted to this challenge and riding bicycle through fields, rocks, ruins was a delightful experience.

Locals say that it would take a minimum of 2 months to explore each and every detail of Hampi, such is the vastness and extent of this city. No wonder a lot of foreign tourists throng this part of the country, many actually living here for months, to get a better understanding of the various sites. But since we did not have the luxury of staying there for 2 days, let alone 2 months, we covered the major and more popular structures like the Underground temple, Lakshmi Narsimha temple, Vittala temple etc.

One common feature of all the structures was the use of large pieces of stones, usually granite which is present in large amount due to the rocky terrain, in constructing the walls and the roofs of the temples and buildings. There is an absence of any cement or mortar or any binding material which are so common in the buildings of our times. One wonders and appreciates the sophisticated architectural skills which our ancestors had mastered hundred of years back. Another remarkable feature one finds is the multiple figures in one structure i.e one can see a lion, a horse, a monkey in the same structure, depending on how it is being viewed. Marvelous indeed.  

By noon, we were back to where we started and started for the next phase of the journey. Hampi is situated on the banks of river Tungabhadra which divides the city into two parts. While one part houses all the ruins and temple structures, the other part has the various resorts and restaurants where one can sit back and relax. One needs to cross the river in a motor boat or a circular boat which is rowed manually.

We decided to have lunch in a Tibetan restaurant, just next to the lane after crossing the river. One thing that will appeal you most here and which definitely impressed us most was the ambience of this place. The location of the restaurant overlooking the paddy fields and green surroundings gives a peaceful and relaxed feeling. And to top it, the food was also very nice. Three hours passed by without even noticing.

By evening we were back to Hospet railway station to catch the train back to Hyderabad. The whole day was so eventful with so many things packed up but still it felt that there was more to Hampi.If given a chance each one of us wanted to come back again here. And stay. This was my second visit to Hampi, and it appears  there can be many more.

Photo courtsey : Rohit