India has been diverse and complex society. Complexity and diversity in Indian society is explained by sociological development, invasion by foreign powers and cultural hybridization through thousands of years. As a result India has become home to various religions, sects and castes.
Caste system is not new concept to Indian society. Traditionally Indian society has been divided into four classes through system of Varnashram. Basic concept behind Varnashram was specialization in the fields of education, administration, business and labour. If under this system, status of individual were to be decided based upon qualities rather than birth, then it would not have been distorted. However, with advent of time Varnashram system became hereditary and caste discrimination ensued. Caste divides became so wide that upper caste people used to avoid contact with lower caste people forget about inter-dining, inter-marriage etc. Caste discrimination reached to the lowest in the form of untouchability.
Two champions of social equality of modern India Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar had contrasting views regarding caste system. While Gandhiji was in favour of varnshram, Ambedkarr was for abolition of caste system radically. Gandhiji did not find fault with caste system but he faulted untouchability. Gandhiji wanted to bring parity among all castes by providing equality of status and was against hereditary nature. Ambedkar found caste system to be root cause of discrimination. This conception of Ambedkar compelled him to denounce Hinduism and accept Buddhism.
Our Constitution makers tried to abolish caste discrimination by providing fundamental rights under Part-III of constitution under articles 14, 15, 16 and 17. Further they thought these fundamental rights to be insufficient to bring parity, they introduced affirmative action in the form of reservation to uplift the backward classes. They provided time frame of ten years for upliftment of socially backward classes.
Argument behind reservation has been that socially backward classes have limited access to education and resources. Thus people with similar capabilities perform differentially due to differing facilities. It has been well accepted argument. With passage of time reservation has been extended to Other Backward Classes.
Reservation became strong electoral issue with no political parties daring to opine against reservation explicitly. With RSS chief opining about revisiting current reservation model, new debate regarding reservation is expected to take place.
Lets examine current reservation policy. Two major questions should be asked. First, whether reservation in current for has provided desired results? If not then why? Secondly, Is current reservation model just?
Lets us examine current reservation model in the context of first question. Answer is partially yes. Reservation has uplifted certain communities if compared to their social status at the time of independence. However upliftment of few communities was not objective of reservation policy. It was abolition of social discrimination. Social discrimination is still rampant in our society. Nowadays this discrimination is not only based upon caste but on socio-economic status also. Many people belonging to backward classes still living under ignorance. They are cut off from main stream. Development has not touched them. Further once a beneficiary of reservation the individual progresses and subsequently his children are equally privileged as compared to upper class people. Now the people who did not get benefit of reservation at the previously are not as privileged as beneficiary off reservation. This causes distorted competition among reserved category people. Thus people who have not got reservation previously are unfairly left out of reservation and thus reservation in current form has failed to bring social parity. This has created gulf even between people of same class. Further with involvement of electoral politics, caste system has consolidated. In many states caste based political parties have flourished and still voting pattern has unfortunately been on caste lines.
Coming to second question whether reservation has been just in current form. Answer is big no. Privileges a student get in to form of schooling, access to books, coaching etc. depend upon economic status rather than caste. A son/daughter of a well earning person has access to modern schooling, updated books, and coachings etc. However children of not so well economically are not so privileged. If former belongs to reserved category and later to unreserved category then merit system is distorted. Under current reservation model if former performs poorly then also he will succeed in the competition rather than later. Here basic argument of reservation falls flat. Merit system has been distorted by current form of reservation. Here justice suffers. A child of farmer belonging to upper class has equal right over resources of nation as child of a professional belonging to reserved category. This distortion has caused many upper class people to demand reservation. Latest example being that of Patels in Gujrat.
What should be the way forward? Reservation can not be indefinite affair. Injustice it is causing will over the time cause social unrest. It has be revised. Constitution provides for affirmative action for socio--economic backwardness. Answer is in the constitution itself. It is time that we should reconsider whether caste is only criteria for assessment of socio-economic backwardness. Socio-economic assessment involves education, profession, income, place of living etc. Socio-economic census should be done to ear mark beneficiaries of reservation. And such list to be revised periodically, say every 10 years.
Further reservation should be made one time benefit. If father or mother has been beneficiary of reservation for higher education and employment then children should be kept out of reservation. This is only way we can get rid of reservation.
Also primary education should be made robust enough that reservation becomes unnecessary stuff. Very recently the custodian of constitution, SC has directed government to abolish reservation in higher education. Unfortunately because of caste consolidation and caste based voting has caused lack of political will for even debate reservation policy. The day is not far when social revolt will be against current unjust model of reservation. Protests by jats, gujjars and patels are just starting tip of iceberg of unrest.
Caste system is not new concept to Indian society. Traditionally Indian society has been divided into four classes through system of Varnashram. Basic concept behind Varnashram was specialization in the fields of education, administration, business and labour. If under this system, status of individual were to be decided based upon qualities rather than birth, then it would not have been distorted. However, with advent of time Varnashram system became hereditary and caste discrimination ensued. Caste divides became so wide that upper caste people used to avoid contact with lower caste people forget about inter-dining, inter-marriage etc. Caste discrimination reached to the lowest in the form of untouchability.
Two champions of social equality of modern India Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar had contrasting views regarding caste system. While Gandhiji was in favour of varnshram, Ambedkarr was for abolition of caste system radically. Gandhiji did not find fault with caste system but he faulted untouchability. Gandhiji wanted to bring parity among all castes by providing equality of status and was against hereditary nature. Ambedkar found caste system to be root cause of discrimination. This conception of Ambedkar compelled him to denounce Hinduism and accept Buddhism.
Our Constitution makers tried to abolish caste discrimination by providing fundamental rights under Part-III of constitution under articles 14, 15, 16 and 17. Further they thought these fundamental rights to be insufficient to bring parity, they introduced affirmative action in the form of reservation to uplift the backward classes. They provided time frame of ten years for upliftment of socially backward classes.
Argument behind reservation has been that socially backward classes have limited access to education and resources. Thus people with similar capabilities perform differentially due to differing facilities. It has been well accepted argument. With passage of time reservation has been extended to Other Backward Classes.
Reservation became strong electoral issue with no political parties daring to opine against reservation explicitly. With RSS chief opining about revisiting current reservation model, new debate regarding reservation is expected to take place.
Lets examine current reservation policy. Two major questions should be asked. First, whether reservation in current for has provided desired results? If not then why? Secondly, Is current reservation model just?
Lets us examine current reservation model in the context of first question. Answer is partially yes. Reservation has uplifted certain communities if compared to their social status at the time of independence. However upliftment of few communities was not objective of reservation policy. It was abolition of social discrimination. Social discrimination is still rampant in our society. Nowadays this discrimination is not only based upon caste but on socio-economic status also. Many people belonging to backward classes still living under ignorance. They are cut off from main stream. Development has not touched them. Further once a beneficiary of reservation the individual progresses and subsequently his children are equally privileged as compared to upper class people. Now the people who did not get benefit of reservation at the previously are not as privileged as beneficiary off reservation. This causes distorted competition among reserved category people. Thus people who have not got reservation previously are unfairly left out of reservation and thus reservation in current form has failed to bring social parity. This has created gulf even between people of same class. Further with involvement of electoral politics, caste system has consolidated. In many states caste based political parties have flourished and still voting pattern has unfortunately been on caste lines.
Coming to second question whether reservation has been just in current form. Answer is big no. Privileges a student get in to form of schooling, access to books, coaching etc. depend upon economic status rather than caste. A son/daughter of a well earning person has access to modern schooling, updated books, and coachings etc. However children of not so well economically are not so privileged. If former belongs to reserved category and later to unreserved category then merit system is distorted. Under current reservation model if former performs poorly then also he will succeed in the competition rather than later. Here basic argument of reservation falls flat. Merit system has been distorted by current form of reservation. Here justice suffers. A child of farmer belonging to upper class has equal right over resources of nation as child of a professional belonging to reserved category. This distortion has caused many upper class people to demand reservation. Latest example being that of Patels in Gujrat.
What should be the way forward? Reservation can not be indefinite affair. Injustice it is causing will over the time cause social unrest. It has be revised. Constitution provides for affirmative action for socio--economic backwardness. Answer is in the constitution itself. It is time that we should reconsider whether caste is only criteria for assessment of socio-economic backwardness. Socio-economic assessment involves education, profession, income, place of living etc. Socio-economic census should be done to ear mark beneficiaries of reservation. And such list to be revised periodically, say every 10 years.
Further reservation should be made one time benefit. If father or mother has been beneficiary of reservation for higher education and employment then children should be kept out of reservation. This is only way we can get rid of reservation.
Also primary education should be made robust enough that reservation becomes unnecessary stuff. Very recently the custodian of constitution, SC has directed government to abolish reservation in higher education. Unfortunately because of caste consolidation and caste based voting has caused lack of political will for even debate reservation policy. The day is not far when social revolt will be against current unjust model of reservation. Protests by jats, gujjars and patels are just starting tip of iceberg of unrest.
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