The Asphyxiation of Merit

So it has happened.Finally the two faces of India locked in a loggerhead.The Mandal II commission has brought forth the slow but sure confrontation of the two India's which are much like Siamese twins -evolving together and dependent on each other but instead of a symbiotic relationship acting as a parasite to each other and depriving both of the growth.

I am sorry.Launched into the tirade directly.But so has been the reaction of everybody who has heard about OBC(Other Backward Classes)quota proposal of 27% for IITs,IIMs,DU and every college of merit in India which effectively means that considering the already prevalent 22.5% reservation for SC's & ST's the total reservation will go up to 49.5 % in all the educational institutes .Which means if implemented a decreae of 210 seats in IIM's ,1130 seats in IIT's and some 13,700 seats in DU !

That is half the students in any of India's leading institutes will not be based upon their merit or competency but solely on the basis of their last name !

Needless to say for once political moves are hitting where it hurts the most.The creme de la creme of performance - The sacred mecca of excellence - The IIT's and IIM's- the only ambition that lakhs of middle class son's and daughters have been preparing for with a complacent tone that whatever happens in this country they will not be affected - so whichever government it is or whatever scams are happening - they at most constitute as subject matter for GD's .The next mock is all we care about.

And all it takes is one twisted politician with his own twisted political motives to shake the very foundation of a future that the best of India had pinned their dreams on.

So even when right from IT czar and director of board of governors for IIMA Narayana Murthy to DU VC are opposing the move vehemently and the former Chief Justice of SC V N Khare himself clarifiies that the constitutional amendment passed this January on which the HRD minister's case of reservation depends itself makes no mention of OBC's and when it is in fact his own political twist to preempt any debate.

And it's one politician with an expression of silent mockness writ large on his actions ,with not a single credit to his own persona and only poitical moves contributing to his power- dictating the future to lakhs of a thousand times more brilliant young men and women of India !

So is this the democracy and political system that was envisioned 55 years ago when instead of trying to do away with the unbiased system of reservations 50 years after , it is only being advocated to be increased further ?

When will the self administrated crutches be left and this nation will learn to walk on its feet for once ?

This mess is of our own making- letting officials like Arjun Singh being elected in the first place-Will we ever wake up from our complacency and for once understand that whatever happens in this country affects us more than anything else -

For God Sake - It is our own very nation !


ps-To Self only