Reservations about Reservation

When you decide that 22.5% more seats should be reserved for special categories in higher educational institutions, several things could happen :

Magically, this could somehow improve the primary educational system to ensure that the quality of minority students entering equals or exceeds the quality of non-minority students entering the institute.

They could have access to jobs and rewards in the economic world to the same measure as 'mainstream' students without being subtly discriminated against, or side tracked like some of the other students who join institutes through non merit channels.

Until a few years ago, one could very clearly tell who had joined engineering college through the 'NRI - capitation' route, and who joined through the merit category. This stark difference could possibly not be replicated under Arjun Singh's scheme of things.

Better education opportunities could trickle down to reach those who really need it and government could at last stop with messy vote grabbing exercises and truly function 'for' the people.

Or, if you're a cynic like me, you'd worry instead that you could buy OBC certificates for Rs 1000.

I don't believe a reservation program should start in graduate school. The place for real reservation? In kindergarten. 50% of new schools set up by state government should be in areas that don't have access to primary education currently. Instead of perrenially doing what is easy or lucrative, the government should step up and reform education so that it is available to every child. Instead of playing state politics and planning long protests to bring back the mother tongue into schools and insist that all the gains we've made over the last 40 years by being educated in English - be wiped out, politicians should focus on getting textbooks, materials and teachers to those schools.

Instead of spending endless amount of the publics time on discussing whose version of history is right, politicians should implement policies that bring and keep children in school - so that they may avail of that education.

Having a reservation at AIIMS will not ensure that there are more dalit doctors, or that they are better treated. Equipping 30 Dalit children so that they are not denied the opportunity to become engineers or doctors or astronauts by giving them a good primary education, access to clean water and healthcare and the ability to get into AIIMS without needing reservations - now THAT will make a difference.


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Updated :

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/devils-advocate-arjun-singh/11063-4-1.html

Do read this article. Is this articulate gentleman the person we want making decisions??

Five Ells..

The good is rightly thought to be that at which all things aim. That was Aristotle by the way, not me. But if I asked you what you were aiming at, what would you say? Happiness? Identity?

What defines happiness?
What defines you?

Or are they answers to the same question?

All of the above, as I found myself saying earlier today, is completely irrelevant and perfectly true.

I've seen many people lose hope because they didn't get what they want. But nothing compares to the bitter disillusionment of a person who got exactly what they wanted, and then didn't know what to do with it.

Are we searching for answers without knowing the question?

Life. Love. Loss. Loneliness. And Laughter.

NY #5 : He's in Structured Credit..

If you meet 10 Indian investment bankers on Wall Street, chances are - 9.8 of them work in structured credit. What a wierd coincidence!

NY #4 : Of Raw Fish and VBA

Today I learnt a new language. I built an Excel spreadsheet using VBA that does some nice nifty stuff at the click of a button. Yes, I'm proud of it - So?

I also had sushi for the first time ever. With chopsticks. And soya sauce and ginger. I never expected to like raw fish - but loved it! I don't know about plain raw fish or even the seaweed wraps - but sticky rice with crab meat and fish - I loved. We then caught a Broadway musical - Hairspray. It was nice and fun except for some reason the entire place was over run by teenagers.

Not kids. Kids are cute and lovable. Teenagers, especially in large numbers are overwhelming and scary. I don't remember the last time I felt as old as I did amongst those 15 year olds in my black suit and pencil heels.