The Present Of The Privileged 'underprevileged'

In this country of diversities and human rampage ,

when we talk of being unjustly labelled, we are met with a laughter and the cliche line” let them say”. Living in a country of compartments, categorization is the least concerns, we have bigger problems.

But when it starts becoming a ceiling, we need to break it.

These differences are now blurred in the background, the real focus of the DSLR has now shifted to the most prominent ones. Our world differences have come down to only two- the reserved minorities and the agonized majorities.

From the time of Vedas, this system had its roots deep in the minds of the people and labels became the identity of the beings. In this process few had an upper hand while there were many who had to go through the unfair treatment for years.

A revolution was what these miseries were looking forward to.

The first such policy in independent India dates to 1950. Part XVI of the Indian Constitution deals with reservation for scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST) in federal and state legislatures, as well as with the constitutional authority of the president to establish commissions to examine and recommend remedies for the welfare of SC and ST groups. This reservations in politics has been extended to employment (Article 16) and to higher education. It was expanded to include other backward classes (OBC) in later decades. This was the first revolution and is still famous under the name of STATE OF MADRAS Vs Smt. CHAMPAKAN DORAIRANJAN.

It had the fairy godmother affect on the slaves of discrimination. These people had a reservation in certain prominent areas of the society such as education and jobs, which brought smiles to the faces of many.

Over the time, the number of reservations increased and so did it misuse. Continued disadvantage for some historically disadvantaged groups, newfound disadvantages for some so-called forward castes, a real khichdi of judicial pronouncements and a political system that still divides to conquer will inevitably lead to societal angst.

We have reached a stage where once the victimised minority has risen much above the once privileged majority.

The advantages which were handed over to the long-time disadvantaged have become the instrument of their disadvantage. Though reservation is applicable to the poor and rich or literate and illiterate, benefits of reservation accrue for those who are already possessing advantages such as wealth and education. Reservation is not a bad thing but its benefits should flow to underprivileged children. The benefits aren’t seeping down to the ones who are actually deserving, making this whole situation even worse.

In India scholarships or student aid is available for—SCs, STs, BCs, OBCs, women, Muslims, and other minorities. Only about 0.6% of scholarships or student aid in India is based on merit, given the grossly inadequate representation of above-mentioned categories in employment and education due to historic, societal and cultural reasons.

These are only the reservation by the central government, there is a whole list of others according to the state.

Standing amidst this situation, the only part loosing are the deserving ones. While the students and graduates are working their ass off to get the colleges and jobs, the reserved class are getting through with much less academic and job proficiency.

The” creamy class” now includes many who are undereducated, underqualified and yes, the most important so called ”underprivileged”. Once the proud upper class, today are trying to get in this squad of privileged “underprivileged”.

In spite of all this effort, we aren’t able to scrap off the mental discrimination and it still has its roots deep within us.

It is time that India made a critical assessment of its affirmative action programmes. To redesign and change the basis from reservation to “deservation”.

It is a touchy, volatile subject but the time has come to bring down a sunset on this diversified classification and bring a sunrise to the new India of deservings.