Pro reservation!

This is a kind of retaliation to the rather harsh blog by Hari. The reservation issue is not as simple as it sounds - not just a vote bank for politicians and not just an issue of fcs asking for no reservation and obcs asking for more.
Just remember that there are two sides to any issue. This reservation is no exception either. (One thing - none of these are my own ideas - they are just stuff I happened to read.. i did feel its true to an extent)
Lets take a look at the kind of classmates we had in school and college. Did u feel there was a difference between the kind of outlook and ambitions these two sets of ppl had??? I passed out of a school where the majority of my classmates were from the upper middle class and high-society (rolling in money kinds)
And I know for a fact that all of them are doing quite well today. Many of them are OBCs (no SC and STs cos am pretty sure they wouldnt have been able to afford the expensive education provided here!) and max FCs. Ofcourse all of us have had minor setbacks in terms of institutions of higher education- where in none of us could get into govt univ cos of the reservation issue and stuff - but just think a little - the problems we had were just regarding univ names; think of the innumerable no of ppl who cannot even afford a degree cos of the economic situation at home.
And talking abt reservation at IITs and IIMs... My dear ppl, do u think it is brains that get you into these places???? Bull shit!!! (I know i sound like the fox in the 'fox and sour grapes' story... but just read on) Brains are a vital part, but in no way the only part. How much hard work do u think u need to put in?? (refer hari's blog where he says he hardly slept for 2-3 hours every day) And what with all the FIITJEE coaching classes and rot, where is the entrance exam a kind of test of intelligence? It has become a battle for 'hardworking' and 'memorising' ability. Coming to the point, do you think a kid, whose parents are not educated and not earning well enough, can afford to enroll him at a KSR, TRS tuition center? (the charges used to be soooo high some 5 yrs back.... it wouldve become phenomenal now!) Or for that matter, enrol him in a Brilliant's Tutorial Postal course?? No - so what? Already he has lost out on the chance to get into one of these institutions.
The other day I was walking by and I overheard a taxi driver talkin to someone over the phone. The guy's question was this: 'My kid has passed his 10th std with 90% (pretty good, if you ask me) and wants to take First Group. Is it ok? It seems this First Group is something to do with Maths, Comp Sci and all'.
Hari, tell me this, how many times did your mom come to school with u, speak to ure teachers abt ure performance? And am sure she knew very well what the meaning of First Group was and who were the best coaches for the IIT entrance and what was the diff between CBSE and State Board Education? Do you think someone else whose mom is not as educated, would be getting the kind of bloody attention you got???
You were studying for your entrance test an am sure through out ure mom would have encouraged you to buy all the best books available in the market, made coffee and tea for u while u were up at night? Can a guy who does not get four square meals a day afford this kind of attention?
Leave the IITs, get to the IIMs. How come you've picked up the english language so well?? Isnt it cos of the superior teaching at your school? The kind of books that you were asked to read while at school, the kind of ppl u mixed with?? Now, isnt English a major part of the entrance test for the IIMs? Assuming you had a corporation school education, for no better reason than that you couldnt afford anything else, would you be where u are today? And how do u think ure parents were able to afford everything they gave u? - Isnt it cos they were educated and isnt that because ure whole family knew the importance of education, right from the time of ure grandparents?? So what kind of an unfair exam is this aptitude test then? Wasnt Ambani a much more successful businessman than most others today, without the necessary degrees? So can we say that the business sense should be tested rather than any other thing??
Not that I am pro reservation. Yes, it has affected me to a great extent. But then the way I see it, for ages the FCs have been riding high. Am not asking anyone to give it up, but its time we shared it with others.
Ofcourse the kind of reservation that is going on now is totally biased. Instead of being based on class, it should be based on 'economic status' and NOTHING else!
And the standard of education provided for at elementary govt school level should first be improved. Maybe only after that the politicians can talk of reservation!
And frankly the real persons who are affected by this are only the economically downtrodden - esp economically backward FCs.
Comments??



- Chandri