An idea !

http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/01/stories/2006060118970100.htm

The link above is to an article in today's edition of The Hindu.
The bottomline- The Tamil Nadu govt. has now made 69% reservation in all institutes- including private- mandatory.

Another state could do the smart thing and not have any reservations and attract the talent , attract the companies to recruit the talent and reap the economic benefits, which in turn can be applied towards the upliftment of the state- including providing good and competitive free schooling and food for the needy children.

Its a long term vision- wonder if anyone will have the guts to implement something like this- ever.

The Phoenix

I have been quiet about this issue over the last few days.

Its the observation phase.

First, with the newspaper relegating any news about the agitation into the oblivion of 4th, 5th pages and then coming up with a headline that proclaimed the date the reservations would come into effect.. I thought that this round of protests was a mirror of what had happened before. People immolated themsleves and died and the reservations still happened.

However, the Supreme Court has stepped in. Yesterday it asked the government the basis on which it was adding the latest round of reservations.. and of course, it took serious view of the social implications of such a move- namely, dividing the country along caste line.

Three cheers to the awesome people who filed a PIL that was heard!
Some political parties have also suddenly started mouthing their support to the agitating students saying no to creamy layer and yes to economically backward layer.

The real kudos go to the students across the country- with the IITs and other prestigious unuversities joining in, the protests have gained momentum. I hope other students will join in too. Although I doubt a major contribution in terms of participation from the reservation heavy Southern states. They are too conditioned.

I am still observing.

An apt joke

This was a joke that someone forwarded to me:

Manmohan Singh to Bush: We are sending Indians to the moon next year.
Bush: Wow! How many?
Manmohan Singh: 100
25 OBC
25 SC
20 ST
5 handicapped
5 Sports persons
5 Terrorist Affected
5 Kashmiri Immigrants
9 Politicians
and if possible,
1 Astronaut

Why Only the Medicos?

Why not the engineering students or MBA students or other students? Are they refusing the accept the fact that their chances of getting into a good college or moving onto a desirable job are going to be affected?

Or are they just too scared?

Its time to take to the street and let the politicians know that you are as one- no matter what your chosen area of study.

And the band plays on..

Check these out:
http://info.indiatimes.com/pk/iit/ttoi/index.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/specialcoverage/1482489.cms

And incidentally, a few more students have killed themselves....

Back to the Board

It has started happening- a class VIIth student killed herself- coz she did not get the marks she desired in her exam.

That will be the fall out of the quota systems- this is just a minute beginning.

The goverment is now making noises about increasing the toal number of seats in colleges so that there is more available for the 'general' public. IDIOTS!! We all know that they are not even thinking about the learning conditions or the learning environment!! What about the student-teacher ratio? What about those cramped seating arrangements... and by the way, just how much will this 'increase' in the number of seats be?

They are trying to make a fool of us by pretending to pacify us.

It remains to be seen if they will be successful....

Editorial in today's edition of The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1531724.cms
******
The anti-quota protests are turning nasty. Ever since HRD minister Arjun Singh announced reservation for OBCs in centrally-funded educational institutions, there have been rumblings in the student community. Over the past few days, protests have gained momentum with medical students spearheading the agitation. Singh, however, remains defiant and has now passed the buck to the Union cabinet and Parliament. The sequence of events highlights a singular lack of transparency on the part of government. First, the HRD ministry announ-ced its proposal to reserve seats in central educational institutes even before the cabinet had taken a final decision. Second, the timing of the announcement just when elections were to be held in five states made obvious the motive behind the quota. Third, there has been a resounding silence on the part of government on the entire issue with Singh alone taking the credit or blame, depending on which side of the fence one stands for masterminding reservations for OBCs. The prime minister has done himself little credit by failing to clarify government's stand on the issue. He has, in fact, been guilty of playing along with Singh by raising the issue of reservation in the private sector. Whatever be the motives of the UPA government in instituting quotas for OBCs, it lays bare the proclivity of governments in India whoever be in office to push through policy without the necessary public debate. It is difficult to believe that Singh thought of reserving seats for OBCs all by himself. There must have been debate within the UPA on the merits of an OBC quota before the HRD ministry decided to casually go public with it. But none of what preceded Singh's sudden announcement is public knowledge. It is also obvious that there is no consensus on quota. A majority of the National Knowledge Commission, which reports directly to the PM, has been vocal in its objections to reservation. Singh has, however, brushed aside such criticism as uninformed. The entire episode is a sad comment on the functioning of government. It does not believe in a public debate before taking crucial policy decisions whether it is raising fuel prices or engaging in a strategic partnership with the US. It is also symbolic of the contempt that government has for citizens. Though the voter elects a government, he is not privy to decisions that affect his life. That speaks very poorly of Indian democracy.
*****
Our politicians are essentially pimps- they are pimping the nation for votes.

Arjun Singh thinks that the protests amount to nothing.... read on-
*****
Deccan Chronicle, May 15, 2006

PM must take stand on quota: Arjun

New Delhi, May 14: A categorical Union human resources development minister Arjun Singh on Sunday said he would not want to roll back a proposal for reserving 27 per cent seats for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in institutions of higher education.
Throwing the ball in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s court, he told reporters at an unscheduled press conference that “it is entirely now for the Union Cabinet to decide, as soon as the Prime Minister allows this to come before the Cabinet.”
By refusing to back off, he has virtually pushed the Prime Minister into a corner and forced Dr Manmohan Singh to spell out his stand on reservations for OBCs. The government has not so far taken a position one way or another. The minister went on to say that the Cabinet, and not the streets of New Delhi, was the appropriate forum for taking a suitable decision on the matter which has engaged the attention of students of medicine in New Delhi and Mumbai alike.
The students intensified their anti-reservation protests and sat on a hungerstrike at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) even as Mr Arjun Singh addressed the media on the lawns of his 17 Akbar Road residence here. He said the protests and the media coverage of the same could not be allowed to “hijack” the process or “browbeat me” into altering the proposal. He appealed to students to be patient and not give vent to their anger on the streets.
Joining issue with the Knowledge Commission chaired by Sam Pitroda, Mr Singh said it was not above the Constitution. “I can only pity them if they do not know that an Act has been passed by Parliament,” he said in response to a question. “The proposal is only an enabling law,” he clarified, and it was up to the Cabinet to decide what should be written into law by Parliament. He said both the Cabinet and Parliament would have to work together to decide the matter.
The minister claimed that no party was against reservations and an Act of Parliament had already been passed unanimously. He evaded a direct response to a question about Mr Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the issue of reservation. Mr Rahul Gandhi had said both sides had valid arguments — both for and against reservation. Mr Arjun Singh said any suggestion of a “middle path” could not be heard when students raised slogans and the police confronted them on the streets.
****

So, Mr. Singh thinks that the medicos are wasting their time ... he obviously has little faith in the power of students.
I think it is time that students from each part of the country took to the streets and show this minister that they are not going to go away despite lathicharges. He needs to be shown that when the students, the youth, decide to bring about a change, they can!
History has shown that students are capable of bringing about a revolution. It is time to repeat history today!!!
Are we up to it or are the politicians once again succeed in beating us down- just like they did the last time around?
It will all depend- on what the students are made up of- and how strongly they can make up their minds!
Its time for a real-life Rang Dey Basanti... minus the murders...

Written in the Times of India blog (http://mandal2.timesofindia.com)

Flashback to Mandal I:
I was in XIIth that year. Several students immolated themselves.. the newspaper claimes Mandal was an issue on fire... the end result- that classmate of mine whose dad belonged to the VERY creamy layer- and who had a 44% in XIIth, got into medical college while I quietly went on to do my B.Sc.
Fast forward to 10 years- Mandal II:
I am now working in the private sector. If the quota system was here, would I have been hired? Actually quota system in the private sector would beg another question- would the company I am working for be as well known and respected internationally? The answer is NO.
A look at reality:
Last time V.P. Singh (several adjectives come to mind when I write or say his name) was the prime minister and he let the country down. This time it is Mr Manmohan Singh- he seems to be a sedate reasonable man- will he understand or will he succumb to political pressure? That remains to be seen.

The plight of the economically backward forward castes remains unnoticed. The govt. has turned a blind eye towards the alleviation of their present condition. The only 'people' who have their say in Indian politics are those belonging to certain castes. 50 years of reservations and we want more... if this quota thing comes through- the caste system will never go away.

Lakhs of capable students will find out that their mommy and daddy lied when they said 'work hard and you will be someone'.. mommy and daddy never told them about quotas- work hard and you will be denied an opportunity you have earned.

Is the government worried about brain drain? Apparently not. They have full faith that at the rate we are reproducing, there will always be someone to take the place of those that left.. but look into the future- very soon all the capable people will be gone and so will be there progeny.. then, capability will become relative and the only standard will be what is now clearly sub-standard.

The facts are and they have been proven again and again:
1. The government does not have the balls to go against a proposal for reservation.
2. Mandal II will be implemented.
3. Economics based reservations spell to much hard work for any government while caste-based ones are easier and earn a lot of votes.
4. Everyone- look for an opportunity to go abroad- you will be right at home- you will continue to be treated as 'aliens' and 'second class citizens'- but like I said, it should be comfortable- after all it is identical to the way your own country treats you.

Swades the movie- a big lie. Those of us who returned with our children- if you want to give them a future, return to wherever you came from.

This country is no longer a country for you or for me. It is a country that unfairly showers all previliges on a chosen population- and punishes the rest of us for crimes we did not commit. A country which really holds no hope or a future for children of yesterday (like me), today or tomorrow.

It is a country that wants you and me to leave.