I was filling my JEE Mains form today. And guess who crossed my way. Our very own: Mr. R. We had an interesting conversation then.
Excerpts from the same:
Mr. R: Oh! So you are back. It’s good to see you. It seems that you are trying your luck at JEE again. Am I right?
Me: Yes. How does that bother you? And you are still here? It doesn’t surprise me though.
Mr. R: Of course I will be here. It’s the only work I got to do. Well, it seems that you haven’t learned a lesson yet. Why do you have to fill ‘General’ every time when you have a caste?
Me: Please. I need not give an explanation to you. Stay out of it. It’s my choice.
Mr. R: But didn’t you lose your seat the last time? You could have got the same if you had registered your caste.
Me: So you aren’t giving up? Ok. Let’s talk this out. Yes, I lost my seat. But that was not because I refrained from entering my caste. It was due to my lack of preparation. I did not give it all I had and so I did not get what I am capable of. And whether I fill my caste or not is my personal choice. It does not appeal to me. So I never do it and I won’t ever.
Mr. R: Personal choice? Those are your rights. The Constitution has inferred them upon you. What is wrong in enjoying the benefits of your rights?
Me: My ‘rights’ contribute to somebody’s wrongs. I empathize with the General caste people. I have seen the deserved being turned down just because they did not have the so called ‘Caste Certificate’. I have seen people who live in flats worth crores of rupees paying miniscule amount of money in the name of admission fees while the ones who actually need financial help paying lakhs of rupees as opposed to them. Is that right?
Mr. R: I have earned both banquets and brickbats from people. I reckon you belong to the latter category. Why is it that you criticize me so much?
Me: I hate you. You abet people in misusing the privileges they get because they have caste. The ramifications are faced by the ‘General category’. Soon the ‘General’ students will be ostracized from all fields even if they are the meritorious ones. All this is because of you. You are an impediment to the progress of India. If I had the authority I would have hurled you out of my country and put a ban on you for nothing less than forever.
Mr. R: You are being obdurate now. I came into existence to ensure the fact that the underprivileged classes are not left behind. The whole purpose was to bring them at par with the privileged classes of the society. Isn’t that a good thing?
Me: Yup, I agree that you were started for a good cause. But now you have become an evident discrimination. And you should note that you were meant to function only for the next ten years after our Constitution came to power. You do support the underprivileged ones but they have now taken you for granted. Take a look at the cut offs of the big institutes of India. While the general people ought to have 185 and above marks on 200 to avail the seat, the caste people have to have just 103 marks. Is this what you call a ‘GOOD THING’ to do?
Mr. R: Of course, it is a good thing to do. The underprivileged ones get a chance to live their dreams for once. What is wrong if the cut offs are kept a little lower for them? Don’t they deserve to uplift their way of living? This ensures equality and in turn helps India to progress. I find your argument petty.
Me: A little lower? Are you kidding me? I think you need to check on your Math. And you are arguing on the point of letting the ‘underprivileged ones’, as you call them, living their dreams. Isn’t that at the cost of the dreams of the deserving people? And you talk about equality and uplifting their way of living? And ‘this uplifting’ leading to India’s progress? If that was the case, why is India a developing country after six decades of RESERVATION? Even if the ‘underprivileged ones’ somehow manage to avail the seats in best colleges of India without deserving the same, after they complete their education, will they have the same excellence as a deserving student would have had? And even if some of them turn the tide but what about the remaining ones? I don’t think that ensures progress. In fact, you often stifle the deserving ones. This is an evident example of inequality. I am an egalitarian. But I oppose you vehemently. I believe that if you prevail in the system, the idea of equality sags down automatically. If India has to surge forward, you ought to fizzle out!
Mr. R: You battered me out now. But I hope another blow to your dream of availing a seat in the IITs will do the work for me. May be then you’ll contemplate on what I said and stop being obstinate.
Me: You are adamant. I believe in my work. If I deserve it, I’ll get there no matter what happens. I don’t need you to be my accomplice. I rest my case. It is better you go now.
Mr. R: As you wish.
Commentaires