Kudos to Outlook for a story on the positive side of reservations (How Sharad Got A Life, Apr 24). Great that you have the guts to risk the pleasure of your core readership—the English-speaking middle class. Documenting the success stories of Dalits is important because they rarely happen. Seldom told, these tales help shatter assumptions that reservations have not benefited anyone. Many might still argue that reservations should be based on income and not caste. But then the idea is to promote social diversity than economic upliftment, which merely becomes a corollary. There might also be concerns that quotas would end up building a caste-conscious India. Here again, I feel reservations in fact rescue youngsters from the clutches of community.
Shivam Vij, New Delhi
Your story seeks to justify a complex socio-economic issue in a country of one billion people by selective sampling of a few students. When we already have a prejudice, it won’t thus be hard to justify a course of action. The point of contention is reservations that are supposed to have lapsed in the 1960s have still proved incapable of delivering socio-economic justice. The very proof is the recent talk of extension of quotas. A policy, howsoever inefficient, will have a few genuine beneficiaries, but that’s no justification for perpetuating it, much less extending them to new sectors. The key point of similarity of all the profiled candidates is that they are from a "poor and rural" background. But these are economic barriers that beset candidates across the social strata. Was any effort made to find out the economic profiles of the rest 99 per cent candidates in the same institutions?
Sambit, Chennai
At the risk of sounding condescending or patronising, I applaud your Dalit stories. All the same, I am sure many more such meritorious people are being denied their due just because they were born as savarnas—irrespective of their financial status. People like hrd minister Arjun Singh are stuck in a time warp, it will do well for them to understand that the ground realities and sociological landscape have thoroughly changed since the reservation system was introduced. Politicians and policymakers need to sit back and take a holistic, rational view of the situation, prepare a vision statement and then proceed. Illogical, populist measures are the last thing India needs at a time it is making a mark upon the world.
Rahul Gaur, Gurgaon
Your story rightly shows that a dose of reservation can have the desired effect. However, it has failed to report some relevant statistics. Past studies show that more than half of reserved seats in iits remain vacant because students don’t get even minimum marks in entrance exams. Also, 25 per cent of reserved students can’t make it even in six years. Overall, the iit brandname is so great that whoever makes it is assured of a great career. But such a valuation won’t endure if half the iit degrees are awarded based on caste, not merit.
Chaupat Lal, Washington
Glad that Outlook cared to look at both sides of the story when the media at large is going berserk with all the havoc the proposed quota could possibly wreak.
Arti Shukla, New Delhi
Having done my M Tech from iit Delhi after passing out as varsity topper in BE, I now work as assistant executive engineer in cpwd, having got in through the ies exam. Like me, there are many who need a level playing ground that quota alone can provide. But those who have risen to a higher class shouldn’t seek for it.
Rahul Kamble, Srinagar
Reservation for 50 per cent is fine—with two caveats: It’s only for one generation. Two, poor people first, caste factor later.
R. Vijay, Chennai
It’s good if Sharad got a life but surely there’s a non-quota student who didn’t make it because of him. He or she might have had better grades than Sharad. As for dropout rates, they may not be high in iits and iims, but the case is certainly different with recs and other engineering colleges.
Kunal Mangal, Denver
A major part of your story is prejudiced towards reservation. Now, for the sake of unbiased journalism—if nothing else— why don’t you look for those not making it because of quota?
Srinivas, Lucknow
Who is an obc, and are all those listed castes truly discriminated against or oppressed? Does a reserved seat mean one only has to ‘show up’ for admission?
Sujay Naik, Gurgaon
I feel that two extraneous factors have led to a generation of such extreme views on reservation: motive and timing. The government is playing the dangerous game of dividing society in its alacrity to gain political mileage ahead of a string of assembly elections and Lok Sabha bypolls. Having said that, there’s a real problem in bifurcating obcs and mbcs. It has tilted the odds in favour of the former at the cost of the latter.
H.R. Bapu Satyanaryana, Mysore
Excellent story that’s virtually dedicated to Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, on his birth anniversary (April 14). It’s high time the quota-baiters shut up and joined hands for a better nation.
Ravikiran Shinde, Mumbai
What’s the connection between the recent "wardrobe malfunction" and the proposed reservation in iits and iims? In both cases, the media is the villain. Had the India fashion week been not given such coverage, none would have bothered about a slip or two on the ramp. Similarly, the publicity on the pay packets of iitians has brought the quota issue to needless prominence. That said, I would say "long live reservations". It has only benefited the upper castes. Ever since quota was implemented with a vengeance, upper castes realised the need to graduate into world-class professionals. They are still continuing with it.
T.R. Ramaswami, Mumbai
My friend from a scheduled caste is a senior consultant in a leading hospital. He has got a flourishing practice in his private clinic in addition to various government hospitals in the city. His wife, also from the same community, is a lawyer and has got government assistance in several of her professional ventures. The family owns three flats, two cars and as many two-wheelers. They go on a foreign trip twice a year. What’s more, they are still not in the creamy layer and claim reservations for their sons. Even a waiver of tuition fees! What more does our hrd minister Arjun Singh want to give them?
Peekay Sharma, Pune
Reservation? Yes, it should be there—for the Brahmins and Baniyas. The maximum should be two per cent (in proportion to their population).Atrocious that these two communities have grabbed 90 per cent of all positions, much to the agony of a vast majority of the population.
Sanghmitra Ashoka, Mumbai
V.P. Singh and Arjun Singh are products of the Congress that has managed to keep India down and poor for 51 years after Independence. P.V. Narasimha Rao tried to retrieve the situation, but then he wasn’t an effective orator. And Sitaram Kesri was quick to make the Congress again a curse for the nation. Again there was a glimmer of hope with A.B. Vajpayee becoming the prime minister. But then the Congress has succeeded in smothering such hopes and ensure that India remains poorest among the poor countries. What a resilience this quota system has!
A.K. Aggarwal, Ahmedabad
Reservation as a strategy to mobilise a chunk of society is flawed. In Karnataka, Basaveshwara, a Brahmin, started the Lingayat sect as part of his reformist movement that encompassed all communities. Today, they are one of the ruling classes of that state, having ownership over a group of educational institutes of excellence. The morale: Don’t penalise a poor Brahmin child, after all he or she did not choose to be one.
Dr Nagraj Huilgol, Mumbai
Is it not absurd that a country with a 100 billion dollars in forex cannot put up one iit and iim in every single state and UT? We need competition to get to the very best in our iits and iims but surely not where 700 seats find some three lakh applicants.
Ila Bhat, on e-mail
I am fully in agreement with the idea of reservation, but it must be done across the board—starting with our own cricket team.
Pradeep Desai, Chennai
The difference between China and India? China is a nation, we are just a bunch of castes who happen to live in one country.
Raj, Chicago
Can Outlook do a survey on the Indian media to determine the representation of sc/st/obcs? You can even set an example for others by removing Vinod Mehta as the editor and replacing him with a quota candidate.
Shankar, Mumbai
Why does the court have to waste so much time and money on such a simple case (A Dear Deer Chase, Apr 24)? Accepted that the law is the same for everyone, that hunting endangered species is a crime and that Salman Khan is a celebrity, so this was an ideal case to send the message that poaching is a severely punishable offence, but why can’t the judgement be passed soon? It seems the judiciary needs free publicity riding piggyback on a Bollywood actor’s shoulders. It’s equally intriguing that thoroughly professional criminals escape the dragnet for long periods by eluding court hearings but a punctual Salman is given a rough deal. In fact, society can make positive use of the star. Now that Salman has learnt his lessons, why can’t he be featured in ads against poaching?
Aneil Vyas, Mumbai
Despite the amazing efforts of the Bishnois, Salman’s couldn’t-care-less attitude even after a brief stint in jail shows the extent to which filmstars are worshipped in our country. Waving to his cheering fans bare-chested and remorseless, and then flying out of the country while on bail, is totally disgusting behaviour from any actor. HIs celebrityhood imposes a double onus on him to behave himself and set himself out as a role model.
Brinda Upadhyaya, Mumbai
The Bishnoi community’s cussedness that led to the prosecution of Salman is in direct contrast to the gun-shy nature of the page-three people (Desert Shinto). The P3P have proved that they can only flaunt the latest designs and airkiss each other. Faced with some pressure (as in the Jessica Lall case), they will look the other way and ask for another glass of wine.
Anurag Chatrat, New Delhi
Quite a few officials at the raw would be smiling on reading Pakistan senator Mushahid Hussain Syed accusing India for fuelling the Balochistan insurgency (raw Is Training 600 Balochis in Afghanistan, Apr 24). After all, we are talking about an agency that collects everything but intelligence: it has allowed Pakistan to bankroll Kashmiri terrorists, Northeastern terrorists and those bombs that have kept exploding at regular intervals in just about every part of the country for almost two decades now. After such strikingly incompetent record, who can deny raw babus their moment of pleasure on being credited with training insurgents in Pakistan, of all places. However, one suspects that the pleasure will be short-lived. Sooner or later, the Pakistanis will realise that it does not pay to play the foreign hand card, what pays is to set one’s own house in order.
Vikram S. Chauhan, Jabalpur
I am surprised that raw is held in such high esteem by the Pakistani establishment.
Vishwanath Rao, Bangalore
As you sow, so you reap!
R. Narayanan, New Delhi
An alumnus of the Doon School (1943-47), my most recent visit to Chandbagh in November 2005 proved to be a heart-warming experience (Class Up At Doon, Apr 17). My school had changed in many ways—double the number of students, fine new buildings, excellent facilities and women on the teaching staff. In short, there was a purr of evolution in the air. However, the boys do not seem to have changed at all, even if some of them come from Moradabad and Hoshiarpur and are sons of Nokia and Honda dealers. They appear to be what we were in the ’40s—playing cricket, watching a Sunday match on the main field, reading in their rooms, practising for a concert, listening to music. Of course, the babalog, whatever they were, had not been invented in my days and have by now probably become a bling in Doon School terminology. Like everything else, the Doon School is adjusting to the reality of today’s world. And, as an old boy, I felt it was doing so remarkably well.
Dr Aminuddin Khan, on e-mail
As a TCS employee, I found that your story on escalating corporate salaries has got one thing wrong (Lost In A Pile Of Cash, Apr 24). I checked with my HR about the company giving Rs 1 lakh and a foreign trip if somebody in tcs marries a colleague—as has happened in my case—but found it’s untrue.
Raghu Kambaiah, Bangalore
TCS doesn’t have any HR policy that gives incentives—monetary or otherwise—for its employees to marry among the organisation.
Pradipta Bagchi, HR, TCS, Bangalore
Infosys doesn’t offer any special privileges to spouses both employed in the firm. Your statement is incorrect.
Meghna Krishna, PR, Infosys, Bangalore
Outlook replies: We have spoken to tcs and Infosys employees who have been given such incentives. While these perks may not be part of the official HR policies, they are given in practice.
Your story on the plight of women in Hardoi has got things in the correct focus (They Won’t Be Hardoi’s Harem, Apr 10). I wonder what prevents our feminists from doing research work on such matters. Or our politicians from visiting the place.
A.K. Jayarajan, Kozhikode
Jagdish N. Bhagwati doesn’t merit flak for terming Indian expatriates as anti-modern (Should We Legalise Opium? Apr 10). Remember the episode of Ganpati statues drinking milk on a day in 1995? Most of the believers then were these techie nris. They, in fact, made more of a hue and cry than Indian villagers.
Dr Mathew Joseph, Kollam
Having myself witnessed it, I fully agree with Nandini Mehta on the absurdity of the Wagah affair (Amritsar Diary, Apr 17). At a time when Indo-Pak ties are improving, the sooner such symbols of jingoism are done away with the better.
Anil K. Joshi, Ranikhet
The Armed Forces Medical Services has always had female officers as doctors in their corps, but to state that all women are medically fit for combat duties is over-stretching the point (A Few Good Women, Apr 24). The question isn’t if the fairer sex should be allowed to make a career in the forces, it is also not whether she will make a good soldier, sailor or airwoman. What’s central is whether women recruits can enhance the efficiency or morale of the services. If no, then all points on women’s role are only of academic relevance. Mere bids to satisfy the constitutional requirement of giving equal opportunities for both sexes might spring up fresh problems in the armed forces. Remember the sexual abuse charges in the first Gulf War? And later a similar, but more serious, case on a US naval ship involving officers that resulted in the resignation of the naval secretary, prompting Washington to reconsider the whole question of women in the armed force? In fact, a recent study says women do a better job than men in management of military tasks. Women, in any case, have been traditionally credited with better intuitive skills. Only that they have to be more assertive in demanding recognition. Men, egoistic everywhere, won’t give it in a platter.
Brig. N.B. Grant, Pune
Glad to see the new look of Outlook. The design is good but reduced font size is giving more strain to the eyes.
Abraham Joseph, Thrissur
Two drastic changes within a week. It can’t get worse for the Outlook readers. You have hiked the price and changed the design. The editorial mentions that the motive behind the redesigning is to make the pages more reader-friendly. But the new design is a bit confusing. Often it’s hard to make out the story heading. I wish you reverted to the old design.
Byomkesh, Dhanbad
