Monday, May 01, 2006
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Date of Birth List
10th January Ankur Jain
12th February Vivek Anand
5th March Neha Chauhan
26th March Danish Dedmari
27th July Megha Sinha
18th August Toufeeq Ahmad
12th October Neha Saxena
14th October Pratyasha Shishodia
5th December Niraj Kumar
12th February Vivek Anand
5th March Neha Chauhan
26th March Danish Dedmari
27th July Megha Sinha
18th August Toufeeq Ahmad
12th October Neha Saxena
14th October Pratyasha Shishodia
5th December Niraj Kumar
Monday, April 17, 2006
Historical perspective on reservations in India
Now that the center is insistent on increasing the reservations for the premier Institutes in India including the IITs and IIMs, the outrage of the general category students is very understandable. In this article I have briefly given the historical origin of such reservations and the consequences of such a provision.
I am sure most of the Indians have experienced the frustration of having to struggle for limited resources. This situation is made worse by the presence of such reservations. It has other far-reaching consequences as well, like less capable people acquiring positions of power and this leads to further inefficiencies in an already inefficient government.It is well known that backward classes in India have been oppressed for centuries by other castes. This oppression continues to this very day especially in rural areas. Mahatma Gandhi was among the pioneers to set out to resolve this problem. He supported the caste system but was against the oppression by the so called “higher castes”.Reservations were first introduced in India by the British in 1931 as part of the Puna Pact. This was done on the insistence of Dr. Ambedkar to give the oppressed classes a fair standing in the society. Mahatma Gandhi protested this decision claiming that it was a part of the British “divide and rule” strategy. He insisted that reservations would only exacerbate the problem by segregating hindu society.Post-independence, Dr Ambedkar became the law minister and chairman of the drafting committee for India’s constitution. Reservations were a part of the constitution when it was released in 1950. However, that was supposed to be a temporary measure and was to last for 10 years.More than 50 years later the reservations continue to exist and have only become higher with passing years. The politicians, in an attempt to woo more votes from the public, continue to reserve more and more seats for SCs/STs/OBCs. I wonder if they even put in enough thought to the implications of such an action.These reservations probably benefited some in the early years after independence and pulled some people out of the grips of poverty. But now these are used exceedingly by the lower caste people who have very good incomes. This is an unfair situation not only for people from other castes but also for the poor people of “lower castes”. Some people from the “higher castes” in a fit of desperation even illegally change their identities to those of “lower caste” people just so they can secure a job. It is also evident that people with lower capabilities are reaching positions of higher responsibilities and that is leading to a suboptimal workforce especially in government services.I think it’s high time the government started taking proactive measures to try to solve the problem and not deceive the public. The reservations are not entirely bad and are sometimes even required for the upliftment of backward/oppressed people. But, reservations should be based on family income and not caste or creed. In addition, scholarships should be provided to poor people with high caliber to study in the best schools.The ultimate goal should be to uplift the needy so that they don’t need reservations any longer. A key factor to achieving this is to provide good primary and secondary education to every child especially in rural areas. Having had access to schools at par with the best schools, they will have no reason to ask for reservations.To sum up, reservations are required but not for the people of backward classes, some of whom earn more than most of us, but for the poor of the country. The ultimate aim of such reservations should be the upliftment of the poor and not winning the votebank. Also, these reservations ought to be a temporary aid in order to develop a society where it is no longer required.
I am sure most of the Indians have experienced the frustration of having to struggle for limited resources. This situation is made worse by the presence of such reservations. It has other far-reaching consequences as well, like less capable people acquiring positions of power and this leads to further inefficiencies in an already inefficient government.It is well known that backward classes in India have been oppressed for centuries by other castes. This oppression continues to this very day especially in rural areas. Mahatma Gandhi was among the pioneers to set out to resolve this problem. He supported the caste system but was against the oppression by the so called “higher castes”.Reservations were first introduced in India by the British in 1931 as part of the Puna Pact. This was done on the insistence of Dr. Ambedkar to give the oppressed classes a fair standing in the society. Mahatma Gandhi protested this decision claiming that it was a part of the British “divide and rule” strategy. He insisted that reservations would only exacerbate the problem by segregating hindu society.Post-independence, Dr Ambedkar became the law minister and chairman of the drafting committee for India’s constitution. Reservations were a part of the constitution when it was released in 1950. However, that was supposed to be a temporary measure and was to last for 10 years.More than 50 years later the reservations continue to exist and have only become higher with passing years. The politicians, in an attempt to woo more votes from the public, continue to reserve more and more seats for SCs/STs/OBCs. I wonder if they even put in enough thought to the implications of such an action.These reservations probably benefited some in the early years after independence and pulled some people out of the grips of poverty. But now these are used exceedingly by the lower caste people who have very good incomes. This is an unfair situation not only for people from other castes but also for the poor people of “lower castes”. Some people from the “higher castes” in a fit of desperation even illegally change their identities to those of “lower caste” people just so they can secure a job. It is also evident that people with lower capabilities are reaching positions of higher responsibilities and that is leading to a suboptimal workforce especially in government services.I think it’s high time the government started taking proactive measures to try to solve the problem and not deceive the public. The reservations are not entirely bad and are sometimes even required for the upliftment of backward/oppressed people. But, reservations should be based on family income and not caste or creed. In addition, scholarships should be provided to poor people with high caliber to study in the best schools.The ultimate goal should be to uplift the needy so that they don’t need reservations any longer. A key factor to achieving this is to provide good primary and secondary education to every child especially in rural areas. Having had access to schools at par with the best schools, they will have no reason to ask for reservations.To sum up, reservations are required but not for the people of backward classes, some of whom earn more than most of us, but for the poor of the country. The ultimate aim of such reservations should be the upliftment of the poor and not winning the votebank. Also, these reservations ought to be a temporary aid in order to develop a society where it is no longer required.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Introduction
"The Dunes Are Changed By Wind,
But The Desert Never Changes
That's The Way It Will Be With Ours Love For Each Others"
This Blog is about 9 Friends who once studied together for their Engineering in Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology,Meerut.
The nine lovely friends are
1.Vivek Anand 2.Syed toufeeq Ahmad 3.Niraj Kumar 4.Danish Dedmari 5.Ankur Jain 6.Pratyasha Shishodia 7.Neha Chauhan 8.Neha Saxena 9.Megha Sinha
But The Desert Never Changes
That's The Way It Will Be With Ours Love For Each Others"
This Blog is about 9 Friends who once studied together for their Engineering in Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology,Meerut.
The nine lovely friends are
1.Vivek Anand 2.Syed toufeeq Ahmad 3.Niraj Kumar 4.Danish Dedmari 5.Ankur Jain 6.Pratyasha Shishodia 7.Neha Chauhan 8.Neha Saxena 9.Megha Sinha