Why are some people backward?

The present spate of protests against reservations for OBC's in educational institutions has its origins in the ignorance of this very basic reality.

Several reasons can be cited in response to the question, these may be

1. People belonging to OBCs have genes inferior to those of the people belonging to the upper castes.

2. People belonging to the OBCs are backward because they do not have adequate opportunities to get good basic education.

3. People belonging to the OBC's are backward because their parents are not interested in educating their children.

4. People belonging to OBC's are backward because their is no tradition for the education of the children belonging to these castes, therefore even when these children attend school, the teachers belonging to the UC's do not put in enough efforts because of the inherent biases in the society.

5. People belonging to the OBC's are bachward because the economic status of their parents was poor, hence during the formative years, that is from the time of birth to the age 6, much before they enter school, they do not receive the same inputs that a child of UC invariably receives.

A few minutes of thought, on these questions will lead to the crux of the problem and its just solution.

The merit of present doctors?

From the TV newsreports, it appears that there are serious valid reasons to doubt the present medical education. The profession of a medical doctor is considered to a nobel one. A doctor is supposed to provide selfless service to the society.

But what are we witnessing these days, Medical students, who enjoy whole lot of privilages at the expense of the taxpayers money, are neglecting their duties not for a nobel cause, but just in solidarity with their siblings who may be aspiring to become doctors and mint money.

The merit of reservations

What can be the merit of a policy that would reserve certain positions for people belonging to the disadvantaged section of our population?

Agreed that for some time, some institutions will not run as efficiently as they are, because there will be some inefficient people in them! But, isn't that so even when there are no reservations. Isn't it a common practice, to help in the recruitment of relatives and friends of the people of UC's in power?

But let us assume that the intensity of such inefficiency would increase as result of reservations. But look at its potential benefits! A larger genetic pool of population would be able to contribute to the country's development in the long run.

It is quite similar, why we should conserve biodiversity! One never knows, which kind of biological organisms may prove to be immensely useful tomorrow. Some people who are destined to the junk, may prove to be exceptional scientists, technologists, doctors or even administrators.

A just solution

What can be a just solution to the present stalement. People have to suffer during any social transition because of change in social policies. The present nationwide protest by students against the proposed reservation policy are just a reflection of this fact. How can one expect the youngster to suffer silently the follies their elders commited years ago?

The politicians in the past fifty years or so are to be blamed. They were all the time busy lining their pockets and promoting their progeny at the cost of millions of under privilaged people.

One can rightfully ask, why there are so few so elite institutions today. Why more institutions of similar merit were not created, keeping in mind their demand?

The answers are self evident.

So, a possible just solution would be,

1, To create many more opportunities for the youngsters belonging to backward communities. These opportunities have to be in the form of institutions that can compare with the best in the country in terms of infrastructure and the teaching faculty. After all, an educational institution becomes elite only because of its teachers, and the facilities it provides to the students.

2. These institutions should be designed keeping in mind the social enginnering goals of the government.

Since they would start afresh there cannot be any protests from their alumni or present students. There is no lack of good people in the country who do not suffer the upper caste biases!

The solution often offered by people belonging to the uppercastes, viz that reservations should be limited to one generation only is not really just.

Let me say a few lines why I think so.

The so called intelligence of the youngsters belonging to the UC's is not because of their superior genes. A lot of credit goes to the previlages their parents and grandparents enjoyed for ages. The so called merit has its roots in their upbringing and the environment in which they were brought up. Most children belonging to the LC's suffer frm the handicap that the home/social environment in which they are reared are no match to those of the OBC's. This environment does not come up, just because a person is given a job in some enterprise, it comes only after several generations have enjoyed those privilages.

Still more

Just a few questions.

Why are we so much short of good teachers?

Why don't IITian excel in innovating new devices; so far we know they have only proved to be good at management and enterpreneurship?

Does our country needs some brilliant scientists and technologists, who can help the country to overcome the hurdles towards its development?

Do we really believe that people belonging to OBC's have inferior genes then people belonging to the upper castes?

More thoughts

No doubt, no one can possibly contest the contention that the young students belonging to the upper castes invariably fare better in an IIT or an IIM. It is not really very surprising in fact, given the fact that the families of these students are economically much better (that's why they can spend a good fortune to tutor such students for the admission tests) also these students are more likely to have been exposed to an intellectually stimulating atmosphere at home (their parents or siblings would have had exposure to quality higher education). Considering these students to be at par, with students who do not have had such exposure is rather unfair. Imagine, what would Bollywood be like if only those belonging to affluent families like Kapoors, Bachchans, Deols could make an entry.

In fact, in the modern times many other vocations have become family dependent. If your parents have an established prractice in medicine, you are more likely to become a doctor, same is the case with lawyers. But, nobody will protest as vehemently if some reservations were introduced in the admission to the LLB course.
The ferocity of the present protests has its base in the fact that graduates of IITs and IIM's are much sought after, one is vertually sure of a plump job after graduation from these institutions.

That leads to the question of quality. Will the quality of enginners graduating from these premium institution detoriate because of these reservations. I do have some thoughts on this issue! But, let that be reserved for the next post.

Starting thoughts

In India, reservations is a hot subject today. Reservations for admission in premier educational institutions like an Indian Institute of Technology ( IIT ), or an Indian Institute of Management ( IIM ) and now in private enterprizes continue to fox many. There is a lot of hue and cry, mainly among the aspirants and their parents

The genesis of this issue, I suppose lies in the caste system, that has been prevalent amongst Hindus for centuries. There are several castes: Brahmins which were supposed to do all scholarly work, Vaishyas - all commercial activities... and shudras to do all menial tasks. No person born in a shudra family could aspire to becpme a scholar or a commercial wizard.

Why such a division was envisaged by the ancestors, I believe I have an answer, I talked about it lately in a thread on a science forum called Hypography. The thread is entitled Do-biological-organisms-have-extra-chromosomal sources of info? My hypothesis is that the development of a human mind is influenced a lot by the atmosphere in which s/he is born and reared.

So, naturally a child born in a brahminical family would have propensity towards becoming a scholar. But, is it really true in the present context. Especially when there is a lot of crossing between the vocations in which people from various castes are engaged in. Not all brahmins are scholars just as not all persons born in a so called backward/scheduled caste family are dumb.

But the fact remains that most people belonging to these castes have never been as sucessful in life as those belonging to the upward castes. Let's analyze why?

It is a result of of the caste system, because scholars were rewarded much more handsomely then the servants. So obviously they prospered; and we all know that one cannot be a scholar while struggling for survival. A child born in a backward/scheduled caste family is seldom exposed to the enriched environment that a majority of children born in an upward class are exposed to. So the present situation is a result of the miscontrued policies of our ancestors that have lead to a situation wherein most of the children born in a backward family can seldom aspire to rise above the status of their ancestors.

Is it desirable? If we consider the development of the nation India, in future, should we oppose or support the resevation policies talked about today?

More about it in my next post.