NEWS ANALYSIS: Competing to be Backward

By Kartik Lokhande

Years ago, we six were very good friends. We knew each other by name. We knew teachers as only ‘sir’ or ‘madam’. We went to each other’s homes and paid respects in front of image or idol or script of whichever ‘deity’ was there. We participated as volunteers in religious or other programmes in each other’s homes. I remember all of us pooling together Rs 12/- from our ‘birthday reserves’ to buy new text books for a poor friend among us. We were friends in need. We all shared respect for elders and every faith, and every leader whose story was there in our text-books.

But, at the end of our school days, everyone started noticing certain things linked to each other’s background social practices. Then, three of us went to the same college. There, ‘certain things’ dominated each other’s observations. There were politically active others also, who expanded the ideas of these ‘certain things’ for different groups. And, when the forms had to be submitted, these ‘certain things’ were visible in the form of two columns ‘Caste’ and ‘Religion’. The politically active others and elders in respective homes asked specifically not to miss mentioning our identities in these two columns. In the process, nobody paid much heed to another column ‘Nationality’ as everyone felt it was an obvious identity.

A fairy tale of innocence ended with admissions to junior and senior colleges. And, a new story started with filling up certain forms, went on adding newer chapters when it came to jobs and promotions, especially in Government sector; joining social circles, expressing opinions on various issues with the attributes of caste and religion rather than assuming the ‘obvious’ identity of being Indian. Even the history was being looked at with biases and the leaders, whose stories were in the text-books for school-children then, got categorised in mindscape. The spirit of Indian-ness gave way for the spirit of siding with identity politics.

This is the story with almost all of us – whether we are in support of reservation or against it. The agitation led by young Hardik Patel has sparked the recent round of debate over the issue of caste-based reservation. Both sides – for and against reservation – are equally hurt and will continue getting hurt in years to come. For, in almost every state of India, there is one community or the other that has started organising rallies, blocking roads, sparking violence to press for the demand of reservation on the basis of caste.

Each of these communities is hurling Population Census figures to prove that it constitutes less than 10, 20, 30, 40 per cent of the total population size of the country and hence they are minorities. Finding the number-game attractive, even the communities that are smaller in size but are financially, politically, and socially well-off have started demanding reservation. Those who enjoyed the benefits of reservation and have become well-off on these parameters, have started instigating those deprived to take to streets against agitation by other communities. Once again, the entire social atmosphere is getting muddied and caste has started dominating the national scene instead of things of national interest.

Those who have improved their social, political, and economic status getting benefited from reservation, are countering the demand for entry of other communities into ‘quota frame’. These people feel that they were subjected to injustice for years together, and hence only they deserve caste-based reservation. Those who did not have any benefit of reservation, feel that they suffered for years from not getting admissions to educational institutions or courses of their choice and promotions in Government jobs.

There is this side and there is that side. But, both the sides are forgetting that revenge has never been a positive attribute of a meritorious and saner mind. Both the sides are ignoring, willfully or unknowingly, that their acts are causing social disintegration. Both the sides are ignoring that by engaging into politically motivated acts, they are defeating the purpose of eradication of caste, which is required for the country to move ahead towards becoming a global power that encourages only merit and quality.

The real intention of those crying hoarse in favour of reservation on the basis of caste is to grab political power. This could well be gauged from the recent statement of the latest caste-leader on the block Hardik Patel. Addressing a rally, Hardik called for unity of all communities demanding reservation to ‘speak with swords to conquer India’. Is he the first one to do so? No. There have been many. The example of a political party that had its roots in caste politics is not too old. It had raised a popular slogan, “Tilak, Taraju, aur Talwar; Inko maaro jootey chaar”. When its political fortunes started falling, it forgot conveniently the old slogan and gave a new one, “Hathi nahi Ganesh hai; Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh hai”.

Isn’t this all a well-rhymed political rhetoric? What has it got to do with real upliftment of poor, who are being excluded from the so-called mainstream only because they cannot afford education to their children, and hence are denied better jobs? Instead of focusing on them and giving the poor a helping hand, irrespective of their caste, religion, or sect or other such divides, emphasis on community or caste consolidation only for the sake of reservation drives home only one message – the tool of reservation that was aimed at affirmative action for upliftment of deprived sections has degenerated into a mere political tool. Can we, as a nation, achieve annihilation of caste as dreamt of by ‘Bharat Ratna’ Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the maker of Constitution of India? Aren’t we, as a nation, being hypocrites to talk about great leaders and engaging into acts that result in perpetuation of caste?

In this melee, every community or caste or religious group has started entering into an ugly competition of projecting itself as backward. Instead of taking pride in being progressive, there is an unfortunate competition of taking pride in becoming backward. And, an average Indian is lost.

Will it be possible ever that good friends of school-days remain good friends even after college-days or in jobs or in society? Will it be possible for all of us to assume our ‘obvious’ identity of being Indians? 

(31-08-15)