The politics of reservation

The examiner was shocked,"Mr.Mota,
To cure heartburns you'll chop off the scrota?”
The med student tugged
At his tie and then shrugged,
"It don't matter, I have joined though the quota!”

In recent days the caste cauldron is on the verge of boiling over once again, this time rousing the ire of the medical fraternity in the country. Read about it here

The quota system was launched in the '40s with the objective of uplifting the backward classes in India. However, down the years, it seems to have lost its goal and is now more a ploy to appease a part of the vote bank. Selection on basis of caste rather than merit threatens to lower the overall standards, helping no one in the long run.

Why not focus on primary education instead and create more opportunities for competitiveness without bias? Can we work towards ensuring that everyone gets an equal opportunity to develop the merit required for getting into professional institutions? Why not launch scholarships for those with merit but who lack the financial means to continue their education? After all, give a man a fish today and he will be hungry again tomorrow, but teach him to fish and he can take care of himself forever!

What do you feel?