Are we moving towards mediocrity?
It is final – the quota decision in IITs and IIMs is final. The day my cousin (who appeared in the IIT entrance exam that happened today) read that in the newspaper, the first things that came out of him was “This is the worst day of my life.” Agreed – that it was a statement made in haste by him and is a bit immature – yet the least you can do is to appreciate his sentiments.
Before I go any further, let me make a very strong statement – “Most of the Indians are happy in mediocrity”. We are just happy being mediocres – it’s sad but it’s true. Just look at people around you and make a comparison – what is the ratio of people that you know who you can term as ‘genius’ and are Indians. For those who are in the US or the other developed countries – it is very easy to make a comparison. Just look at all the people around you and the most likely thing you will notice is that all the Indians that you know of will be average and above average but there aren’t many who are genius or in the league of the smartest. The same thing does not hold true for the developed countries, and that is the reason that they are developed and we are still a developing country after 59 years of independence.
I apologize in advance from those who feel offended by the statement. Trust me, the idea is not to offend but is to definitely shake a part of you, in case you are not affected by the announcements above. Now, I don’t say that the people who will avail the reservation (and qualify in the 49.5% reserved seats) will be worth nothing. I know that the standards of IITs (or any premier institute, for that matter) are so high that anybody who spends 4 year in the institutes will be groomed enough to be a person of decent capability. But, is that really the idea? Is the idea of these premier institutes to create mediocres or to produce geniuses? There still was scope to take some bold steps to produce quality which justifies the quality of the incoming students (and we had started to make a progress there) but isn’t this a step back?
I used to believe that I don’t get very affected by things that do not directly impact me but this news about the increase in reservations in the higher educations to 49.5% has bothered me. Ask anybody who goes to the esteemed institutions (IITs, IIMs, RECs, and even MIT, Harvard or any good foreign insitution as well) and the primary thing they love about being an alumni from these institutes is that – it instantly labels them as a person of above average intellect (and may be more). In the light of the just announced quota system, I am not sure if the above statement will hold true after a few years.
There are more than a few consequences of the reservations and it’s difficult to find positives in any:
- Affecting the quality of the students – When the 50% of the seats that gets filled up is not exactly based on the talent, it is bound to affect the quality of the students.
- Making the competition tougher – It will only make the competition doubly tough (and it’s already one of the toughest in the world) for students who can’t avail the reservations. That will mean – more stress, more frustration and more discontent.
- Force more students to move to other countries for their higher education – If one can’t find good seats in India, they won’t be left with options other than to move to the other countries and they will only be glad to accept the Indian students.
- Faint the brand image of the premier institutes – The image of these premier institutes is that it produces students of quality much better than most other will only get tarnished a bit as the other half might not have had the kind of background and aptitude as is the norm.
- Setting wrong trend – Today, it is demanded for these premier institutes. Tomorrow, somebody will demand the same for actual placements in the other fields including the private companies. So, why should there not be reservations in the field of Acting, Art, etc. Is there an end to it?
I am all in the favor of having laws and rules to make sure that the underprivileged get more opportunities and it’s the duty of the government to think about that. But then, that should be done at the primary and elementary school level and not at the professional level. And having a reservation based on the caste system is nothing but laughable. The real differentiator is the financial background and not the caste background. Let’s not try to solve a problem which existed in 80′s and earlier now, without validating if it makes sense in the current situation.
Having said that – it only pains to know that the authorities in the excitement of forcing the laws forget that steps like this will only create more mediocres. We, as a country, have had our share of mediocrity – it’s time to move a ladder up. Are we ready to take up that challenge?
This calls for a protest! We should do all we can to stop this from happening.
i totally agree with the startled reaction that ur bro might have shown. there’s this blogger friend of mine and what she wrote really caught my imagination and reminds me of what we may experience a few years down the lane . a news paper headline will read reservations being increased from 7% to 13% for thw ex forward classes. we guys from the doctor fraternity are planning for a front to oppose all this crap. please do keep in touch and leave your oppinion on http://www.pallavpareek.blogspot.com
even the movies like ‘rang de basanti’ couldn’t make much impact on indians, do you think such blogs / articles will make any difference? initially britishers were ruling india and now politicians. there is now need for some revolution…
“Force more students to move to other countries for their higher education – If one can’t find good seats in India, they won’t be left with options other than to move to the other countries and they will only be glad to accept the Indian students.”
The typical middle class Indian, would not be able to afford sending his kids to other countries for under-grad. It’s way too expensive.
Loans would be avaliable a-plenty, however that would lead to creating a debt burden on the child (or his parents) when he’s only 17-18yrs old. How curel is that.
So would this would lead to is a proliferation of private institutes, the kinds which already throng in India.
Net Net you are right, there will be reduced aggregation of bright young minds in India.
What we can do it keep the bar for the qualification of the lesser priviledged slightly lower that general category. If the seats are still vacant after that which means the lesser priviledged are not good enough, offer the seats to the General category. Or is this how it is already right now. Now clear..Ashish can you please lets us know, if the above is already true then this is a no issue altogether.
The problem with Indians being contended with mediocrity dates back to the pre-independence era when Indians were predominantly used for low end jobs by Britishers. That slave mindset is still afresh among us Indians. Moreover the most important part of a country, its youth is utterly powerless in India as the Indian education system itself is designed to churn out slaves who can follow rules set by others (mostly US). Rather the education system should stimulate thinking among the students and force them to think creatively instead of making a mobile encyclopedia of facts out of a student. Indian engieering colleges and universities churn out much more number of engineers than any other country, still we dont create big and important companies like Microsoft or Google. The problem lies in the size of our thinking rather than the size of our brain. We take up a career in which we dont have any real interest or passion and then we try to do as much “kaamchori” as possible. This mentality came from the Indian government job attitude. In India there is absolutely no platform for creative thinkers who can become leaders because the system itself is designed to churn out hardworking and skilled labour.
A country’s economy is driven by its private sector and in the post-independence era the owners of private companies (or mills) in India were zameendars and not professionals themselves. On the contrary in US, professionals start companies by working on something they are passionate about – this is leadership thinking. This kind of mindset itself is not there among Indians, but this is changing these days I think. Most importantly India is a poor country and a (perpetually?) developing country. We need people here who can create wealth and create employment by inventing new business models and starting companies. We need more people like Dhirubhai Ambani, Narayana Murthy e.t.c.
However, the Indian education system is absolutely crap, with the inexplicable exception of IITs.
My feelings exactly! But let us revel in the few Indians who did manage to rise above the mundane and the mediocrity. Education, I feel, is a mere tool. There is no dearth of education in India. (Please read education as different from literacy) What we need to develop in India is a sense of entrepreneurship. That is one area no reservations will ever work, or even needed. If I were your brother, I would say ‘to hell with these IIMs and IITs! The school of hard knocks awaits me!’ I think Naveed would agree with me. We Indians need to create opportunities, not cry over lost ones! But, Naveed, I do not think the Indian Education system is crap, its how we use the education, that is crap!
By the way all you souls seem to be in the USA, I would love to know what you guys have done to rise above the mediocrity! I for one have’nt , but I only hold myself responsible for it, not the government, not the reservation system, not any body else. Let us make a pact right here to make a consious effort to rise and take our rightful place in the world!
According to me, at the heart of innovation and entrepreneurship is the concept of ‘Express what you percieve and believe as the truth around you. Express how according to you, things should be and should not be. Dont blindly assume someone is right just because he/she is an expert or is in a position of authority – think things out for yourself. Come to your own judgement.’
I personally admire Sabeer Bhatia and Vinod Khosla because they proved that Indians not only have the right to think like leaders but they also have the ability and awarness to think like leaders. But they have done that in USA which is a fertile platform for creativity.
Hats off to Ashish for leaving USA and starting a company from scratch in India. Youngsters like me will definitely draw inspiration from you Ashish. By the way, you conveyed a very subtle fact when you said “I do not think the Indian Education system is crap, its how we use the education, that is crap”.
There is a dire need to create a system in which all the youngsters have the freedom to choose their career path based on their talents and passion, unlike what is happening now – every guy from a middle class family is forced to become a doctor or engineer. Our thinking is corrupted from the school days itself with the ‘if you dont become a doctor or engineer you will spoil your life’ notion. Having an aim to become a doctor or engineer is a wonderful ambition but if you want to become an engineer that should come out your love for creativity, out of a passion for innovation and not just with the hope of landing in a high paying job.
Also in India, teenagers predominantly idolize film actors and sports people. I dont think this is a healthy attitude because film actors and sports people dont create wealth. As we are a developing (and poor) country our main focus should be on strengthening the economy, eradicating poverty and abolishing corruption – which is possible by encouraging entrepreneurship and not just allowing a lot of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) – this is possible by empowering the youth. But where are the role models the youth will draw inspiration from?
First of all let me clarify that I am a different Ashish, not the Ashish that is the author of this post. Kudos to Ashish K for leaving a lucrative Microsoft job and starting over in India! India needs people like you. You will take us forward! I would like to see you come up with an indegenious product though. The service industry is great, but without a few IPs it may soon die down. Currently we do seem to have both the technical and the economical edge. But soon other third world countries will catch up on the technology front, and easily lower the economical bar!
Ashish K, there is one positive from the qouta system! Or there can be, if it jolts people like your brother to do more than just get a great education! India is as fertile a breeding ground as any. The corrupt government and the weak infrastructure is a mere pinch of salt! Once you get through the initial hardship, the ship will sail a lot smoother!
On Role Models. I think the media plays an important role in creating role models. The Indian media has always concentrated on the film and the sports industry. So the cultural values drive the kids towards being an Engineer or a Doctor (which is fine in itself, but not everyone is cut out to be either) and the media drives them towards acting or sports, cricket in particular. Cultural values will take some time going, but the media has to be the initiating force.
Thankfully, media today is not limited to TV or radio. The internet is taking the world by storm. The internet is the perfect platform from where these role models can take birth. Can we start a forum that identifies Indian Entrepreneurs both here and back home, who have made it big (even if in a small way?) Shabeer Bhaitia is relatively well know, but I am sure there are others. There is one that has recently made news, a Rakesh Mathur, the founder of webaroo.com.
Guys put your journalist caps on, and digg out some role models for the youth of India. I was recently involved with an online podcasting platform that encorages black businesses. I was inspired to start something on those lines for the Indian businessmen. So if we have this list, we can start cracking!
To answer Amit Goyal, revolutions are not something that god sends down as rain after a scorching day. It is something that me and you have to bring about. Rang de Basanti was a mere movie of a little more than entertainment value. Be positive Mr Goyal and do something!
Good discussion here – to answer Jaimin, I am most certain (though the terms are still to be set – after the elections in the 5 states) that it does not ‘slightly lower’ the bar. The way it works is that those seats will have to be filled up by the reserved categories as long as there were enough number of students who appeared in the exam.
Iam impressed by your authentic view on the subject
I know it’s gonna happen and the worst part, we’ll all see it happening,very soon .There is nothing we can do about it.It has happened earlier (1991) now they’re doing it again, just for a few votes .
I wish something could be done to stop this. In Delhi , I see people sending SMS,emails,filling online petitions,doing dharnas,bloggers have suddenly found a new topic after “Rang de basanti”. But Ashish, iam not sure , this is going to help at all. We can’t kill our education minster a la “RDB”. It’s all chaos right now . I think somebody has to think and do something different. As of now, we just have to cross our fingers and prey really really hard this is not implemented ..
VJ
Hey I am not sure if such petitions actually work, specially in India, but here is a link to one
http://www.petitiononline.com/arb06/petition.html
Its deja vu all over again. Sadly retail politics is compounded by some misplaced sentiments (of society or nation being mediocre). Any preferential treatment in any institution leads to people getting disenfranchised. And needs a feedback from people (as its happening now) conveying the same, with, hopefully, positive results. I think even the Alumni framework and preferential treatment of kin of Alumni should come under scrutiny.
However, this should not lead people to make statements about mediocity of the society and nation as a whole. What would be worthwhile is that premier institutions engage in:
(a) Creating an awareness in society (such as in post war Japan)
(b) produce research work that can be applied to solving nations problems within definite time frames
(c) Contribute to things such as open source. Is anybody stopping people in premier institutions from creating an Apache, a Samba or …
There are people the world over, in all socities, who excel. They excel because they want to excel and not because they come from a certain place and therefore thay have to excel.
“They excel because they want to excel and not because they come from a certain place and therefore thay have to excel.”
If this is true, can anyone explain why 5 out of top 10 Fortune Global 500 companies are from the USA and not from India? Why 4 out of the top 10 richest people on earth are from USA and not from India?
There is certaintly a vivid relationship between the country and the success of its citizens and enterprises. It is the responsibility of the government of the country to create the right kind of environment, provide right kind of education, career choices and right opportunities, e.t.c
Every country should have its own competitive advantage.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_Global_500
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_billionaires_%282006%29
Major consequence of quota rule would be divide between students communitiy. Feeling among general category student that their seat is taken away by candidate who is less hard working, less talented will make them frustated.
This is really good that lot of protests are going around to fight against the wrong system but point to be kept in mind is that this protest sholud not die till we suceed as it happened in mandal case earlier.
Well the protest for the mandal case ended with students setting themselves on fire! What did we gain? Nothing! What we need is not to fight the system, but to be the system , and then slowly and steadily change it without causing too many after shocks. Untill there is a united vote bank to please politics will keep on bringing out policies like these. There is no fighting it.
No Naveed, I cannot explain why Indian companies do not feature among the fortune 500s! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the company that evaluates the nominees is an american company ? And are you truely suggesting that getting onto that list is the ultimate goal of any business identity?
We need to get out of the ‘ooo though art my saviour and provider mode’ and hack it out on our own! Yes there are hurdles on every path. You can choose to either dance or sit it out and blame the music!
I would like to make two observations.
While it is true that Excellence is dependent of attitude that citizens have, their is a larger background as well. To my mind, atttitude & drive to excel is also dependent on the amount of Exposure people have. All Indians have been geographically limited to sub-continent for most part of the documented history. On the other hand, America was the new world. In the current era, Indians are getting exposure & their thinking is evolving. So, let us give us sometime. 59 years after independence looks like a big period but compare it to the previous 1500 years. I think let us give our new generations a fair chance.
Why is excellence always equated with being rich.
There are open source people who have excelled without leading a fortune 500 company.
The reason for existance of fortune 500 companies has more to do with investment climate. Besides, some fortune 500 companies (such as General Motors) are tottering on the verge of bankruptcy which indicates that you are not invincible if you are a fortune 500 firm. To know why US has produced fortune 500 companies and richest people try reading “Mystery of Capitalism” by Hernando de Soto.
Lets start believing that India will get better, do your bit to make it better. Over time, there will be spillover effects from IT into manufacturing and other areas. We have already started doing things right (such as making presencec felt during Davos economic forum and CeBit fait)
“The real differentiator is the financial background and not the caste background.”
You cracked me up. The reservations based on castes have scintific background not just political nonsense. I have already proved this many times to people who argue against the concept of reservations. I can do it again if needed. It is pure science buddy. I find it funny that educated people in India don’t have a regret for the actions of their ancestors. I see many people out here comparing the scenario in India with US. I want to point out that even the universities like Havard have affirmative action. I can prove this statement. I want to make another comparision to US as many of you are enamoured about the comparision. In US, a really educated person is regretful of their racist past and want to do anything to bring in equality. For them, equality is more important than anything else because they have understood and regret the crimes of their ancestors in the past. But, in India, we see people gloating about without even having an iota of regret. It is a shameful scenario. You think people from privileged class are there in IITs and IIMs due to just merit (including myself). No my friend. We could be there, with what we call as merit, because of the atrocities of our ancestors. It is not merit in the absolute sense. Not only our primary and secondary education is flawed, even our professional education is totally flawed. Thatz why we have so many people from such institutions gloating around without even a tinge of regret for our racist past.
Sorry for my harsh comments but sadly, it is the harsh reality in India.
I just want you guys not to allow the politics played by these politicians in favor of underprivileged sections to doom the real need for equality. Think sane and deeper. Please understand that bringing in equality will drive away such third rated politicians.
Krish – not harsh but I am not very clear on what you mean.
I agree that the reservations based on castes made sense earlier and that is why those were applied in the first place. But I do believe that it doesn’t make sense now – there are a lot of people who could be categorized in OBC or other reserved categories and have done well so far and are pretty well off. I don’t think they need any further reservations.
And just because somebody’s ancestors made some mistakes, it doesn’t mean that their descendants will keep paying the price all their life.
I see that you wrote that you have provided explanations – please pass around a link so that I can educate myself on that, in case I am missing something there.
I do agree that many groups are trying to take advantage of reservations by using Mulayams and Laloos. However, we should not shut the door on people who need helping hand because of these politicians. Also please note that you are not paying for the acts of your ancestors. You are undoing what they did. Please understand that people like us who are from upper sections of the society constitute only 12% of the population but we are accupying 80% of these institutes. Allowing others to take their due doesn’t mean we are getting hit. It just means that we are just giving up our monopoly.
Regarding the scietific basis to explain the need for reservations, read my response to Gaurav Sabnis with all the necessary links at
http://krishworld.com/politics/2006/01/07/libertarian-logic/#comments
If you want data to show the overall difference between SC/STs, OBCs and Others, read the following paper
ftp://repec.iza.org/RePEc/Discussionpaper/dp2008.pdf
My argument is that there is a scientific basis that clearly says that reservations or affirmative actions are needed to level the playing field where there is social inequality. We need a strong reservation system starting with Primary Education all the way to Higher education to level the playing field. The only difference I have with Arjun Singh’s proposal is on the way he is trying to implement it. if he had first taken up steps to rectify the holes in the current reservation system in primary and secondary education and then tried to implement the reservations in higher education side, I would have supported his proposal. What he is doing right now is pure political gimmick to cut down the power Manmohan Singh wields with Sonia Gandhi. Since, reservation issue is something on which both Manmohan and Sonia cannot take him to task, he is doing this to derail Manmohan’s hold. However, such actions by third rated politicians should not stop educated people from understanding the reality in our society and taking steps to rectify it.
Spelling Error, it should be occupying not accupying
Ever seen a dog catch its own tail? The dog ends up going in circles! This is exactly what we are doing here. The reservation system in India has become the tail that everyone wants to blame for all their problems. While, I am not in total agreement with Krish about undoing the wrongs of our ancestors and the fact that the reason for IITians to be IITians is solely their ancestors’ attrocities, I do agree on the need of a level playing field. Its not history that needs correcting though, but the future that needs improving. History, however unfair it was to a certain strata of people, is exactly that – history – gone – pfff! Learn from mistakes and apply them to make a better future. So have reservations if you may, but not to correct history, but to correct the unfair practices that still exist in our society. History says that you can only oppress a people so much before it rises in mutiny.
“The only difference I have with Arjun Singh’s proposal is on the way he is trying to implement it. if he had first taken up steps to rectify the holes in the current reservation system in primary and secondary education and then tried to implement the reservations in higher education side, I would have supported his proposal. What he is doing right now is pure political gimmick to cut down the power Manmohan Singh wields with Sonia Gandhi”
Krish you make laugh even harder than all this made you. If you had actually read through all the comments posted here, you would have realized that most people take a similar stand. All we say is attack the problem at its source, and leave politics out of it.
Dude, you really crack me up now. Who told you that only IITians should pay for the atrocities of ancestors. The whole society should work hard to undo whatever harm they have done.
Also just read the comments up there and see how many people have opposed the reservations. The source of the problem is inequality and the way to solve it is through reservations which should be implemented in a fool proof way.
Just read your post and think without prejudice. You will understand the racist undertone (by saying that reservations will bring in mediocrity) in your post. Many of the comments can just be termed as naive. Nothing personal. But you gotto think deeper than what you have done while writing the post above. Even if we accept for argument sake that this will bring in mediocrity, it is only in a short term. In a long run, the standard will be back to the current levels. But we would have also achieved equality along the path. This is the small sacrifice the country should make to ensure equality among different segements of the people. Even Adam Smith’s theory will work perfectly only if the playing field is leveled. We are clamouring for free market economy. if we want our country to be successful under free market economy, we need to bring in equality among all sections of the society.
I don’t know about you but I believe in science completely. Genetics has clearly shown that no race/caste is inferior genetically. Under such a scenario, if our society is totally lopsided towards certain sections of the people, then think who is responsible. I am from IITB and I know the percentage of people from privileged sections out there comapred to people from under privileged sections. If those people from under privileged sections are not genetically inferior (as science clearly says), what could be the reason that 12% of the population gets approximately 80% of the seats in IITs and IIMs. It is due to pure injustice meted out to under privileged people. So what do we do now to rectify the situation. Some kind of affirmative action is needed to fix the imbalance. Thatz why we need reservations. If Harvard can follow affirmative action rules, why not IITs and IIMs.
This may be the last post in your blog regarding this topic as it may not be worth my time debating when people don’t want to see beyond a certain level. I just want to say that believe in science and think deeply. It is us (the youth) who are going to determine where India’s future. if we don’t achieve equality now, India is doomed. My arguments here is nothing personal. Instead of considering it as contentious debate between Ashish and Krish, see it as a social issue which requires immediate attention. In a democracy, people are entitled to have opposite views. if you think reservations are going to mess up, propose an alternate theory with complete data to back it up. Just saying privatization and free market economy will take care of social inequalities will not help. Data from US clearly shows that this is not the case. Remember Katrina. African American population is just 12.3% of US population. See what racism and capitalism had done to them. But in India, more than 60% of the people are from under privileged sections. If we go the capitalistic way without doing anything to fix the effects of racism here, we will have a disaster which is 1000xKatrina. Imagine 20% of the people benefitting from capitalism when more than 60% are completely ignored. If they take up arms, we will be washed away in hours. It is not a case of US vs THEM. It is a case of having a level playing field to make India a developed country. A truly advanced country is not the one with high tech gadgets. It is the one with equality for all sections of people. If our youth starts to think deeply to solve the problem, they wouldn’t be whining about mediocrity.
Krish, you need to relax a bit, actually a lot
Passion is good but don’t make a habit out of criticizing for the sake of it – without really reading well. And if I may point out, the first thing I will point out is that you need to read well before replying – that was ‘ashish m’ whose comments you replied to, not mine (got it?). Second – even though you are saying that ‘there are scientific reasons for reservations’, you are hardly putting the facts well.
I will be honest – you annoyed me here. So far, I was thinking that you are presenting some facts though you are not able to do that well. But now, you just lost my respect, buddy!
Remember – shouting seldom wins you an argument.
Hey Krish,
Do not make it your last post on this one, please. The discussion is just about getting interesting
!
And yes please differentiate between the two Ashish-es.
To answer you, Krish, maybe it was a wrong selection of words, but I did mean the sociaety that is paying for the attrocities of their ancestors. I merely repeat my statement again -
“History, however unfair it was to a certain strata of people, is exactly that – history – gone – pfff! ”
I do not wish to argue against the fact that there have been attrocities, and that there is a need to ‘level the field’. My only contention is that we need to be forward looking and not simply try and correct history. There are enough identifiable problems in the current society that need resulutions. And yes, if these current problems have their roots in history, then by all means act accordingly, but it is important that we see the difference!
I am glad you brought out the topic of genetic equality. I agree that all mankind has been made equal, and it is a mere case of under exposure that keeps a certain strata of the population at a lower level than the others.
The need to provide exposure is evident. But there is a difference between providing an exposure and simply ‘thowing the person in the water hoping he will swim!’ If he swims, it is great. But if he drowns, he is liable to take a few more down with him. The idea is to recognize that this person cannot swim; give him support so that he can manage to stay afloat; then leave him be. What you have now done is given him a belief that he can swim, and if there is enough motivation, he will cross the river!
In the context of the argument, it is imperitive that we make believers out of people. Support them only so far as they believe that they can hash it out in the world as well as any other, then leave them be. Provide them with opportunities not give them the proverbial golden spoon in their mouth. Krish, you talk of short term and long term effects. Now you tell me what will be helpful to our country in the long term? Having people who believe in themselves, or people who simply ride along with a misplaced sense of accomplishment?
I , like the other Ashish, will be honest too. I loved it when you came up with a counter argument! Yes , you did shout, but sometimes you have to! I do not know about the others, but I certainly heard you loud and clear. I do not entirely agree with you, but I hear you. I hope to see your post again!
I think the following article is highly relevant to our discussion-
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/books/chilling_intro.php
Krish,
You keep referring to Harvard as following affirmative action rules. Did you know that the percentage of admissions in Harvard, based on affirmative action is only 7%? They do have admission procedures like legacy admissions (children of alumni), athletics etc., but the procedure is that minorities have certain points added to their application. Even if there are certain points added to their application, they need to have a certain minimum SAT score to qualify.
Let us not equate the ridiculousness of the reservation system, with the qualified sanity of affirmative action.
I think we should have job reservations in all the fields. I completely support the PM and all the politicians for promoting this. Let’s start the reservation with our cricket team. We should have 30 percent for OBC, SC/ST like that. Cricket rules should be modified accordingly. The boundary circle should be reduced for an SC/ST player. The four hit by an OBC player should be considered as a six and a six hit by a OBC player should be counted as 8 runs. An OBC player scoring 60 runs should be declared as a century.
We should influence ICC and make rules so that the pace bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar should not bowl fast balls to our OBC player. Bowlers should bowl maximum speed of 80 kilometer per hour to an OBC player. Any delivery above this speed should be made illegal.
Also we should have reservation in Olympics. In the 100 meters race, an OBC player should be given a gold medal if he runs 80 meters.
There can be reservation in Government jobs also. Let’s recruit SC/ST and OBC pilots for aircrafts which are carrying the ministers and
politicians (that can really help the country.. )
Ensure that only SC/ST and OBC doctors do the operations for the ministers and other politicians. (Another way of saving the country..)
Let’s be creative and think of ways and means to guide INDIA forward…
Let’s show the world that INDIA is a GREAT country. Let’s be proud of being an INDIAN..
May the good breed of politicans like ARJUN SINGH long live…
*cracking up* specially on the aircraft !
But seriously Sumit,
Your point is well taken, get the people up to level, and not take take the level down to them!
Looks like Krish has given up on us! When the going gets tough the tough go into hiding??
There is only one way to beat this quota system and create opportunity for the restless youth who want to create something original!!.
Why can’t we start “our own I.I.Ts” in partnership with great institutes and great minds?. Ex IITians have got so much power and brand image that they can bring investment from Tata’s,Wipro,Infosys, Intel,AMD etc. Just i am igniting your passion and imagination!!.
By the way, I had this question. Does the Warton affiliate in Hyderabad follow the same quota system? If not, that is an answer to R Alamsha’s ‘ignition’! Big ideas! Thats what this nation needs to take large steps (cause large steps we need to take) forward and not backward! R Alamsha, do not just ignite flames, but strive to keep it burning too!
I am really serious and i wish all our great minds will support & join with us to realise this dream. Atleast, we have to kickstart a debate in this direction.Let us take the first step.Already we have lost great opportunities by trusting our rotten politicians.Kindly remember that it is NOT “IIT or IIM” which has brought respect for Indians rather it is the hardworking Indians who have brought image and respect for these institutions. The only contribution of IITs and IIMs is, it was genuine,non corrupt,non religious and non political in the selection process so far. It is a pity that our destiny and futre is decided by illiterate politicians,most of whom are well qualified criminals.Let us not wait to become PM or CM of this country and bring a change in this society therafter.Our resources and capability are much much higher than the so called advanced nations. It is a miracle that our poor farmers are feeding a population of 1.2 billion, 3 times a day-everyday, and there is no starvation in this country.This is more than the combined population of entire North America and Europe. In fact i have travelled to Europe and NA and i shall admit that our normal, middle class Indian lunch or dinner is cosidered as a luxury and these people can afford it only during parties or festivals.
We have created the world’s greatest democracy but our confidence to exercise our basic rights and dream to live a better life is completely crushed. Are we 1.2 billion slaves eagerly waiting to vote and elect our masters,say,for the next 100 years?.Kindly be aware that China has already decided to creat 100 IITs in the next 10 years. They can throw a few billion dollars,attract the best brains worldwide,including our own IITians and can build this infrastructure.
Today, to build an IIT,we need 250 million rupees capital investment. If 100 million indians contribute even Rs.25/- per head, we can build 10 IITs every year,say, for the next 5 years.!!.We can build a sustainable, self reliant system. Serious matter, my friend!!.
Regards
R.Alamsha
Kindly visit this link and watch the Hard Talk BBC interview by India’s Trade Minister, Kamal Nath.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/hardtalk/4693378.stm
You can see that he starts like a great hero and down the line he fumbles and gets hysterical and even starts bragging about the senseless,highly corrupt Jawahar Rozgar Yojna.Even he tries to mention that in the past 55 years,but for a brief period of 6 years,congress was ruling the nation. That speaks a lot!!. He sounds hollow and dishonest despite the fact that he appears well educated and has polite and respectable looks.
R.Alamsha
This has been a great discussion, guys! Thank you all!