Arakshan (Reservation)

Reservation the very term make hue and cry, especially reservation for back ward community is not a term any more but a fuel to communal riots. That’s exactly what pictured in the Movie Arakshan, the story line is good, indeed a bold step to show society the dark side of the reservation, however it seems (I believe) Director has lost that courage during the screen play or maybe I misunderstood about the storyline.

From the story line it seems, that it intended to explain about how the bright students, just because they born in forward community but economically backward unable to do higher studies in government institutions, with far better percentage they are not able to see themselves in those institutions, where as a dull student from a backward community but economically forward finds himself in the seats of those institutions, but the screenplay played a totally different role, as if the wealthiest (as always forward community, as if all forward communities are world’s richest) are agitated and will do anything to suppress Reservations. This is what my understanding about the movie, as my intention today is not write the review for the movie but about reservation, you can comment/review my understanding of the movie after watching (grasping) the same.

Even before I talk about the importance of the Reservation, as there were so many debates on the same, in all those debates the team who wants to support the reservation, has keenly shown that their intention is not for the betterment of the community but keep them as salves under their foot forever. I’m rude here as I’m not good at sweet coating, before giving supportive arguments for my claim, let me ask you few questions. In an 1000 meters race, a winner is declared after completing 1000 meters or just 800 meters, just try to implement the reservation here, if SC/ST 600 meters, MBC  700 Meters, BC 800 Meters, OBC 900 Meters  and FC 1100 meters,  for a 1000 meters race. Engineers and doctors with below average percentage can only provide below average service.  This reservation has led to brain drain, when an MCOM with 95% is a clerk, where his superintendent is a BCOM with 40%, when promotions and designations are based on reservation, how one can expect efficiency. Where once medicine was a service now it is service industry, in order to get certified in medicine one has to spent several lakhs in private college as he can’t get into public intuitions because of reservation, after completing the course there is no vacancy in public hospitals.  With average percentage, we know the service we get in public hospitals, that’s the reason the private hospitals are flourishing, again, not all private hospitals flourish and not all public hospitals stick there are exceptions, but the variance makes the difference  

We would be fooling our self, by saying reservation has worked out and showing results, as many politicians been saying all these years, if that is true, then the percentage of the reservation should be decreasing after every amendment (technically after every 10 years) but it’s increasing steadily, and those communities wants to increase it exponentially. If before 60 years, after analyzing the situation law makers have given certain percentage as reservation for backward community for the upliftment of the society, and have asked the future generation to review the same after every 10 years and decrease accordingly, as sign of reservation benefit.  Now even after 60 years of implementation, we still have to increase the percentage it means that reservation hasn’t worked as it is expected or if you argue that initial reservation percentage is not appropriate or been cheated by the law makers of that time, then that is worse, as the chief of those law makers, the first law minister of India, was from backward community.

 These reservations will bring only imbalance in the society and an example for the same is Mayawathi’s support for the forward caste community. It’s game all these years she was leeching them,  and all of sudden now she started soothing , that’s how politicians live, by bringing imbalance, only then they can survive, by saying that they uplift the downtrodden.

I’m not against reservation, I’m only against caste/race based reservation, reservation should be based on economic conditions, as rightly expressed in the movie, if someone with poor amenities,  and facilities can  fetch average percentage, if provided better facilities will get better percentage, however when already with better facilities gets only average, by providing what will make him better. This is applicable for all caste and race. Then why reservation based on caste/race, these reservations are helping only those politicians who want to be the eternal leaders of those communities.

Like water that feeds the crops also feeds the grass unintentionally, the reservation that feeds the politicians also feeds the communities unintentionally, like sheep adulating the butcher, these men adulating their leaders.  There is a saying “Oru rendu patta koothadiki santhosam” means if clients are ignorant/non-cooperative, then it’s time for lawyers bonus. It’s exactly what’s happening in our reservation system, politicians/leaders are having there lion’s share, leaving a little to the communities.

A leaders descision

I was invited with my friends to a small get together by a Chief Architect and Urban Development planner of a reputed construction company.  At the bar table we were discussing about our work cultures and traditions, after couple of drinks, we started discussing about internal and external affairs of our country, on one occasion we started discussing about the war crimes in recent SriLankan war , as Architect is from SriLanka he shared few of the brutalism to the tamilians in SriLanka by the army, out of which many were his and his kin’s turmoil experience . 

As we are talking about the tigers movement and its popularity and fame in SriLanka and around the world, infact there were many countries who had accepted there stand and supported the same, one such country fortunately happens to be INDIA, wait did I say India, yes, I did said that.  India indeed was supporting tigers indirectly or directly and had taken steps peace between Tigers and Lankan government.  In fact, I would not be exaggerating by saying, that Lankan government had not taken any serious direct military action against Tigers because of India’s support, many unbiased historians will support my argument, then,  how come all these have changed in NO time,  yeah in NO time one wrong  decision by the leader has ruined the whole of movement’s concern and its community,  when question was asked will one wrong step can cause such a disaster for a community or movement, my strong response will be YES, if that wrong step/decision was taken by a leader.

We all know that any wrong decision taken by a soldier in a war, costs his life, a lieutenants decision cost a team’s life, a caption’s decision costs a company’s life, a major’s decision costs a battalions life, a general’s decision costs an army’s life just like that a leader’s decision costs a country’s/community’s life. Assassinating the EX-Prime Minister of a world’s largest democratic country, is an insane decision, moreover it clearly proves it’s a hasty decision, all the supporters of the Tigers even now escape from answering this question, implies that. It is something that should be avoided but cannot be corrected.

There are arguments for sake of arguing, that EX-PM’s stand was a kind of against them,  even then as an outsider they can only declare war or ignore his support,  but assassinating has caused the entire movement to stamp a terrorist tag on their face.

Looking back at the history where such decisions have destroyed communities, many would have known Hitler, the Dictator, otherwise would have been Hitler, the Great, if had chosen England  to war rather Russia,  he thought England as chicken and declared war against Russia, which brought disaster to his community (NAZI), as he was not aware of Russia’s climatic conditions,  historians know that it is the weather that killed the Nazi soldiers not the Russians, and this breathing time has given strength to England and America to form allies which made them strong to fight against Nazi, IF and only IF Hitler had declared war against  England, instead Russia, he would have been Hitler, the GREAT not the DICTATOR, I mean he would have changed the history from Dictator to Great J.

Napoleon, lost at waterloo, same miscalculation when army arrived at Moscow, it was deserted, and army marched towards Poland, but it was too late, winter killed the army and there were siege at river banks, finally everything finished at Waterloo.

MohanDas KaramChand Gandhi alias Mahatma Gandhi accepted the partition of India, fearing there might be a civil war (well, Nehru and Jinnah both were competing for ruling. Will talk about this later) ignoring the fact that partition will only avenge both and will not soothe, and that is true till now we both (Pakistan and India) spend an astronomical amount on military research and expansion every year, and the worst part is there is 10 -12% increase on military expenditure year on year, where both are still developing countries. Can partition be avoided? Yes, it could have been very much avoided Gandhi’s charm would have made it possible as said will talk about this in a different forum.

There is only one man behind the rise and the fall of Tigers that is none other than its leader.