By Sudha Dixit
Emperor Akbar once was presented with a puzzle. A simple straight line was drawn on a paper. The king was asked to shorten the line without using eraser or any other physical contact. Every one present was flummoxed. The one and only face saver in his court Birbal came forward. He drew a bigger line beside the existing line. He showed it to the king and said ‘see that line is shorter than my line’. Indisputable. You don’t have to erase or mutilate some one in order to achieve your goal. You have to make effort and try to become bigger than others or at least equal to them. Sometimes you may need help. It may be proper for those who really need it. It cannot be demanded as a right by those who belong to the same group or caste but don’t actually need it. A Braille is for the blind not for the myopic; a wheelchair is for the infirm not for lazy.
The idea of reservation was originated to help the down-trodden and incapacitated communities. It was a form of redress to those who lagged behind because of some social injustice. Yet there has to be some time frame for such assistance. Spoon feeding cannot go on for ever. Now emergence of better-off tribes to claim such benefits is ridiculous. Come to think of it worlds most abused, maltreated and down trodden community are women. When this tribe raised its head and asked for education plus other rights, it was attacked and scoffed at by men. Still women went ahead by sheer grit and determination (remember Malala). Men were not amused .When there was the issue of 30% reservation for women, men laughed and taunted ‘Go to the kitchen, you have no place in politics’. Seats reserved for ladies in trains and buses are being occupied by men. When asked to vacate they jeer and retort ‘you want equality, so why reservation, we are equal.’ These very men have no qualms asking for reservation for their caste and community in spite of being in the creamy layer of the society. Are they better than, equal to, or inferior than women? Well, if they sit on seats meant for ladies, they are definitely inferior. Their inferiority is further reinforced when they ask to be labeled ‘backward’ just to have access to some rewards without working for it.
Once, an American remarked ‘Oh, only India has the absurd concept like caste system. How can you, thus discriminate one human being from another?’ I retorted ‘At least, caste system had a purpose once for social and economic reasons but your racism has no logic. How can you discriminate against a human being on the basis of his skin colour?’He backed away sheepishly. Thank God it happened long back. Today I may not have been able to repartee so confidently. The world is laughing at us. Nowhere in the world people like to be called backward, weak etc. My grandfather refused to use a walking stick lest it may label him an ‘old’ man. It was not his vanity but his pride that prevented him to use external assistance (till he could help it). This very pride is lacking in those who do not mind being called backward just to get some benefits without working for it.
How can someone who gets more marks in exams through knowledge or hard work be denied a job to accommodate one who gets less marks due to lack of intelligence or diligence. Reservation cannot make you more intelligent. Hardik Patel, who is making waves because of unethical politicians & media, should have been a butt of jokes. He never studied properly, failed many times over & could not get any job due to his inefficiency so started rabble-rousing. He said ‘hum Lanka jala denge’(We will burn the nation). Well he may be monkey but he is no Hanuman, He claimed to be next Sardar Patel. Even an arch enemy of Sardar Patel could not have insulted him so gravely (Even Hanuman never claimed to be next Lord Ram). Media photographs show his associates attending his ludicrous political rally in Mercedes. Does this clan deserve reservation?
Deserving people were given reservation for a reasonably limited period. Political outfits after sixty eight years of independence asking for special treatment that too at the cost of deserving people, reflects poorly on their character and attitude.
About The Author: Sudha Dixit is from Lucknow and studied at Aligarh Muslim Univ., Lucknow Univ. and Banaras Hindu University. She currently resides in Bangalore. She writes articles, poems in both Hindi & English. Her hobbies include painting and reading.