Talking about Reservation is like walking on the edge of the sword. A slight tilt of thoughts to one side results in aggression of the second. So, in this post we would like to tell our readers what exactly is true unbiased conversation looks like.
Hence, the readers are also requested to read the article keeping aside whether they are pro-reservation or anti-reservation in thoughts.
Reservation is an issue on which there is a sea of debate, controversy, and agitation not only in Maharashtra but all over India.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Today we are going to get to the root of the matter and see…
why this controversy is so serious?
what is the history of reservation?
whether reservation should be caste-based or income-centric?
If there was a provision in the Constitution for 15 years, why is it repeatedly extended?
What is the politics behind it?
Some believe that reservation lowers the quality, while for others it is a payback against past atrocities.
Some even say, if our ancestors committed tyranny, why should we suffer for it?
And if reservation is not able to reform the society in 75 years, then this tool is useless.
We are going to answer all these questions based on available data, reality, and logic.
Reservation has always been a contentious issue, especially during elections. Many people are afraid to even comment on this issue because if one side is taken, the anger of the other section of the society has to be borne.
The society is divided into two groups:
1. The beneficiaries of reservation
2. The non-beneficiaries of reservation
What do you get from reservation?
Education, employment, promotion in jobs, political reservation to contest elections.
Concepts
Positive Equality & Positive Discrimination
There are resources available for this. Some people say that the concept of reservation is against equality, equality means same laws, same rules for all.
The same rules never produce the same result because people who are already at an advantage gets more benefit from the same rules and people who are at a disadvantage gets more harm.
There is a new concept which we call positive equality, that is, the amount of help that will solve the deception that they have suffered in the past and the length of the race of the deprived class will be the same as that for the person of the general class.
That is, reservation., which means that some rules should be made flexible, relaxed for the deprived, some steps should be taken for this, help should be given to save them. So, what exactly reservation is? , we cannot understand without understanding positive equality and protective discrimination.
Equality Or Flexibility?
At our home as well, the younger of the two children, The one who is weak, is given special attention and the other who is strong, who can take care of himself, does not need special attention. Do we then think that equality means giving equal resources, care, and opportunity to both or it should be flexible based on the situation?
Of course, a weak baby needs special care, only then he can live his life. When the same question goes beyond the family and comes to the society, our opinion changes. when resources are at stake, that too in a situation where the country is already facing problems of inflation, unemployment, poverty, hunger. So, when it comes to resources, the logic of equity, equality does not work, self-interest comes to the fore.
Another issue is environment and their upbringing. Those who are beneficiaries of reservations are told that they have been exploited for thousands of years, and now, when they finally get a chance, others are trying to take that reservation away from them.
On the other hand, those who are not beneficiaries are told that undeserving people with fewer skills are benefiting from reservations and that resources are being misused. They believe that power is in the hands of the wrong people. How will the country progress like this? How will we develop if such people keep replacing our worthy and deserving children?
This fosters the belief that it is a conspiracy against their community. When such opinions are ingrained from childhood, how can the issue be discussed logically and legally?
Historical Background
Nangeli
Do you know the story of Nangeli?
The story of Nangeli of Travancore is a vivid example of social discrimination. This incident dates back to the 19th century, when an inhuman tax system known as‘ Mulakkaram’existed in Travancore (modern day Kerala). ‘Mulakkaram ‘, meaning breast tax, was a system under which women had to pay a specific tax to show the size of their breasts in front of men from higher castes.
The purpose of this tax was to create a distinction between upper and lower castes.
Nangeli, a woman of lower caste, decided to stand up against this injustice. On one occasion, when tax collectors came to her house to collect tax from her, she adamantly refused. Unable to bear this humiliation, she renounced her breasts and rebelled against this inhuman tax system. After Nangeli gave up her breasts, she died in front of her house.
Her sacrifice has brought a big change in the society. People protested against this inhuman tax and eventually the king of Travancore abolished the that tax system. This courageous act of Nangeli gave great courage to the lower caste people of the society and a big step was taken in the fight for equality.
Nadar community
The story of the caste discrimination of the Nadar community in 1859 is an important event in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Nadar community was once known as the Shudra caste in Tamil Nadu and they had to endure various forms of discrimination from the upper caste society. At that time, the Nadar community faced many difficulties in entering temples, going to public places and getting education.
Entering the temples was a particularly big issue. The upper caste communities used to allow only people of their own caste to enter the temples.
In 1859, the Nadar community tried to enter the temple in the village of Kasimedu. However, they were denied entry and assaulted. The incident had triggered a huge outrage in Tamil Nadu. The Nadar community decided to fight for their rights and launched a massive agitation.
The Nadar community showed their unity and courage in this struggle. They raised their voice against injustice in the society and fought for their rights. This movement brought a big change in the society of Tamil Nadu. Pressure was put on the upper caste community and eventually, the Nadar community managed to gain entry into the temple.
There are many such stories. This is the atrocity for which reservation is important to save such communities.
Mahabharata
It is also written in Mahabharata that Eklavya was more skilled than Arjuna, but he remained behind because of his caste.
Discrimination is in our holy books like the Mahabharata that also quotes of many instances wherein a warrior like Karna was not allowed to showcase his talent merely on the ground of him being a Shudra. He was often referred to as ‘Shudra Putra’ and humiliated because of his caste.
Social Strata
Then from the time of Kings, our society was divided into different groups and classes on the basis of caste and religion. The Hindu society was an extension of the varna system, where the 4 varnas were:
The Brahmins who were the most superior caste and then came Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and finally the Shudras.
Except these castes another caste existed which were the ‘untouchables’ and the lowest in the social strata. They were exempted from all benefits of society.
These untouchables were recognized as ‘Dalits’ they were not allowed to take education, their entry was prohibited in temples, they were treated like animals.
The reality cannot be denied because this has been the case for generations. People of lower castes had to walk with a broom tied to their waist to wipe the marks of their feet. Ambedkar has also written in his book how he had to sit far from other students on the floor in the school and carry his own sackcloth. “No Peon No water in the school,” he says. As they were not even allowed to touch the water.
Income based Reservation
Now some scholars also say that give reservation on the basis of gross income and destroy the caste system.
Reservation was never meant to bring people on an equal footing at the economic level. This is not a poverty alleviation programme. You can make someone rich by giving him any amount of money, but his caste will always remain with him. If someone is lagging behind due to poverty, there are different programs, schemes, grants available for that.
The government can help the poor by taxing the rich. Even today, people in the village have to work according to their caste. The basic concept behind reservation is simple, increase the representation of backward classes. Therefore, the basic concept behind giving reservation on the basis of income is not achieved.
15 years Limit
Some people also say that if there is a provision of reservation for 15 years in the Constitution, then it should be abolished after that, why is it extended again and again?
But do you know? This provision is only about political reservation, for seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The time limit for reservation for education and jobs is not mentioned anywhere.
Relation of reservation and quality
To prove the logic of those who say that reservation reduces quality, we have 200 more RTIs to prove them wrong and give reality check. They show that even though there is reservation for SCs and STs in government seats, their number is equal to zero. Reservation among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has led to social and economic progress. Many researches have proved that getting education among these elements has raised their economic level. According to a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, reservation has led to an increase in the educational quality of students. SC / ST and OBC students have done well in higher education, which has improved their quality of life.
Diversity and inclusiveness increase the efficiency of organizations. Research shows that people working together increases innovation and the ability to solve problems, which leads to the development of organizations and the country. In fact, reservation does not produce less quality people, but it increases the overall quality and development by providing equal opportunities to all sections of the society.
Reservation as a scale of progress
Reservation is such a tool which does not bring drastic changes, but at a slow pace. This tool is doing its work. This step taken to reduce caste discrimination is definitely making progress in our Brainchild of removing discrimination. When the government implements a scheme, its objectives were good. Sometimes it’s not the one who benefits, it’s someone else. The reason behind this is the implementation of the scheme.
caste-based census
There are arguments and debates over reservation. But we don’t have a caste-based census. Except for SC and ST, we don’t have data of OBC or EWS category. The OBC census data is also not in the public domain. There has never been a definition of how much and how to get reservation.
Sometimes it is not possible to measure the benefit that has been received from the reservation due to false certificates and sometimes due to scams. It doesn’t matter how many seats a political party gets. They need a vote bank. They don’t want to hurt any community. Conscious citizens like you should follow up with the government to increase resources instead of dragging each other’s feet on the issue of reservation.
They should demand immediate filling up of vacancies in government jobs instead of fighting over quota. Many times we see train accidents and after the enquiry, it comes to the fore that the loco pilot is given additional load due to less. Even after qualifying exams of railways, the posting of candidate in the Railway services is delayed for years, even if there is demand for workers the seats in the railway services are less. People should also become aware of these things and raise their voice in the right direction.
Join us on our Facebook page and comment your opinion and join our fruitful discussion also read our such other insightful articles as well only on Newser Friendly
Hello Author, there is valuable content inside, But I have a problem regarding an example quoting Mahabharata.
I am making my stance clear that, I am a blunt atheist and ardent humanist, who read scriptures of 3 major religions in India those are Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
When it come to the story of Ekalavya, I think You didn’t read mahabharata in your life just believing the words of mouth. Let me tell you the real story that happened.
There used to be a tribal king named Hiranyadhanu and He adopted an abandoned child Ekalavya who is the biological son of Lord Krishna’s uncle Devshrava who is brother of Vasudeva, the father of Lord Krishna.
One the other hand, Dhronacharya had a friend named Dhrupad, who is the son of the king of Panchala kingdom. During childhood, these two learnt their education in a same gurukul. And during their farewell, Dhrupad promised Dhrona that he would help him at any difficult times that Dhrona face. In one such time of difficulty, Dhrona went to Dhrupad for help, But Dhrupad’s arrogance made Dhrona unhappy and angry.
In this situation, the king of Kuru kingdom, King Pandu, father of Pandavas, gave accommodation to Dhrona and asked him to teach his children the warfare skills that he knows. He promised him that he is teach all his knowledge no other people other than his son, Ashwadhama.
This is the reason for not teaching Ekalavya, despite as much he likes to teach him and make his student.
And regarding the Gurudhakshina of thumb, it will be another big story but to say shortly that It is the Lord Krishna who twisted his fingers in the puppetry that he does to run this world as he knows that during Kurukshetra war, the tribal chiefs come in support to the Kauravas who are on the side of Wrong side of Dharma.
Regarding Karna, he is not discriminated on the basis of anything based on birth. He took training from the same Dhronacharya, from whom other Princes learnt everything. During the showcase of skills, Karna also shown his skills infront of all people, with no regard to something that is ascriptive.
But when Karna asked Arjuna for a Duel, then the Bhishma and Dhronacharya, both intervened and tried to stop the fight and as both are not coming to compromise then Dhrona said that “this is a battle of Kings and you lose then Arjuna gets the blame if you are not a king and defeats you in the battle and as you are a “Sutaputra” you can’t have a Duel with him”.
And Sutaputra means son of a charioteer which is so much different than what you said i.e., Sudra putra.
Other than this one, the article is good. This is just to make you know what are the facts than just writing what you have heard.
Hello Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read our article and sharing your valuable insights. We greatly appreciate your interest and your detailed feedback. It is heartening to know that you found parts of the article informative, and we value the opportunity to engage with readers who are passionate about the content we produce.
We acknowledge the points you raised regarding the Mahabharata, particularly the stories of Ekalavya and Karna. We strive for accuracy in all our articles, and our journalists do their utmost to avoid plagiarism or the distortion of facts. However, as journalists are often tasked with covering a wide range of topics, it is possible that some errors may occur, unintentionally. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention, and we will look into the matter further.
Regarding Karna’s portrayal, there are indeed instances in the Mahabharata where caste plays a significant role. When Karna participated in a public display of archery, he was initially humiliated by Bhishma and others for being a “Sutaputra” (son of a charioteer), which, in later interpretations, has often been considered a lower caste position, akin to that of a Shudra. It is important to note that ancient texts like the Mahabharata are complex and have been interpreted in various ways over the centuries, often reflecting the socio-political realities of different eras. infact The growth of the Mahabharata from perhaps as few as 8,800 verses to nearly 100,000 verses as we all know.
While Karna may not have been directly referred to as a “Shudra,” the incident where his status as a charioteer’s son was cited to prevent him from dueling Arjuna can be viewed as an example of caste-based discrimination in the context of the story.
That said, we would be grateful if you could share any references or soft copies that support your interpretation of these events, as this would help us further refine our understanding and reporting.
Once again, we thank you for your feedback and your continued engagement with our content.
Best regards,
Priyanka
Editor & CEO NEWSER FRIENDLY