The Silent Indian National Anthem

Please stand up for the National Anthem

Draupadi re-visited

My first experience of watching a play in Bangalore and I’m glad it turned out good. In hindsight, the last time I saw a play was two years back during our college fest, when we were forced to watch the rehearsals lest we lose our attendance.

Well, it’s not that I’m not interested in watching plays. Just that I’m too lazy to brush off the rust of complacency that has formed around me ever since I started reading plays. It’s a shame I never saw a play when I was in Delhi, apparently the hub of drama and theater. Whenever I got a chance, something or the other came along to prevent me from watching the play (my own laziness being the prime reason, I confess). This time, too, I nearly missed watching this one due to multiple reasons I wouldn’t want to dwell on. Let’s just say we somehow made it to the play and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Here’s something about the play first before I begin my critique:

Name of the play:           Draupadi—Will my spirit live on?

Language:                       English

Duration:                        90 minutes

Directed by:                   Tina Johnson and Shivani Pasrich

Music by:                       Shubha Mudgal

Costumes by:                 Ritu Kumar

Sets:                              Aman Nath

Venue:                          Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleswaram

__________________________________________

Synopsis:

Centuries have gone by since the Mahabharat war, yet Draupadi is still here. Stuck between heaven and earth, roaming the streets and pondering her fate and her choices, her only confidant is Lord Krishna. She tries to resolve with him why women must continue to suffer as she had in the past. Krishna, the orchestrator of fate, leads her to Maaya - a woman of today, who has suffered much abuse at the hands of society. A distraught Maaya attempts suicide, but Draupadi stops her and offers her help in return for a favor.

Maaya treads through her life in Draupadi's footsteps, and in the end she too must make a choice- will she choose revenge or resilience? Will she be Draupadi's salvation? Will Krishna be able to address centuries old smoldering wounds?

Source: http://www.indianstage.in/events/draupadi.html

__________________________________________

Choosing the Mahabharata as the core of a story in any form (play, prose or poetry) is always an intelligent yet risky thing to do. Intelligent because, even after centuries have passed since the writing of the great epic, it still offers multiple aspects to explore and re-visit, Draupadi’s humiliation and the great war that followed being the central theme of this play. Risky because the audience, it is assumed, already knows the entire plot. Hence, one can’t really mess around with the basic structure of the story. So, it’s a challenge to tell a story whose plot is already known, and re-tell it in a manner that’s new, different, and contextualize it in the contemporary context. In so far as this play is concerned, the challenge has been met with much alacrity and finesse.

As the synopsis suggested, the play revolves around the spirit of Draupadi (played gracefully by Shivani Pasrich) who has been cursed of wandering between heaven and hell as a punishment for having caused the Kurukshetra War and can achieve moksha only if she rescues a woman Maaya (played by Charu Shankar) from being similarly victimized by patriarchal forces of society. Though the modern context is entirely different, the sense of victimhood is largely the same. Pasrich, who is a trained Odissi dancer and has also conceptualized the play, has incorporated dance sequences within the play at right intervals to add the required musical touch to it. Mudgal’s music is easily recognizable and her powerful voice fits in well with the situational demands of the play.

It’s interesting how the scriptwriters have de-constructed the character of Lord Krishna, the giver of wisdom. In the epic, Krishna is the lone supporter of Paanchali throughout her period of trials and imparts wisdom from time to time to her and the Pandavas. In the play, Krishna (played by Dilip Shankar) is shown in multiple roles (a sweeper, a sariseller, a wanderer, and even a lawyer) who enrages Draupadi and instructsher to help Maaya, a woman of today, who is in a similar situation of complete victimization and exploitation, if she wants moksha. Some of the best, most dramatic and memorable speeches are reserved for Krishna and he plays the role with extreme brilliance, spontaneity and witty humor. Some lines from the Bhagvad Gita are timeless. And these are cleverly re-iterated in the play. For instance,  Let not the fruits of action be thy motive

The play succeeds in conveying the message of how an individual is responsible for his/her own consequence that is directly related to his/her actions. If Draupadi represents the woman who was wronged and humiliated, she is also revenge personified. Her anger, her pride at her lineage and her persistent desire for vengeance are traits of her personality that are equally given importance in the play that eventually prevent Maaya from repeating the historical mistakes that Draupadi committed—fuel the fire for another war. Ninety minutes is a deceptively long time for a play that has the task of not only refreshing the audience's mind with what Draupadi underwent mythologically but also depict Maaya's character in a similar context. The play has a fast pace, and rightly so. It's a thumbs up from me.

Pictures courtesy India Stage

Rating: **** (4 stars)



Fiction Writing (Part 4?)

Maybe I should start a separate blog exclusively for fiction writing.

Here's one I wrote as a part of my assignment. It was expected to be a real-life observation. I ended up writing a fictional account. Lol!

_____________________________________________

This is a lead that describes a woman, who has been living with a life-threatening disease, and the last hours before her death, and her conversation with her son.

She looked too content to be in a hospital. Her face had an expression that seemed to convey a sense of calmness that one experiences on a quiet Sunday morning at the beach. It was hard to believe that this woman was going to die in a few hours. It was surreal.

Her son, frail in body and appearance, entered the ward with a large packet of fresh kiwis. He had a tired look on his face, which he tried to hide by picking out the fruits from the packet and laying them neatly on the plate, in the most nonchalant manner possible.

“So you finally bought them, my son?” the woman said, in a laid back fashion. “That’s one thing less from the list I gave you.”

She was referring to the list of things she wanted to do before she died. Her expressions and voice were so casual and mundane that anyone would have thought she was referring to a list of the month’s grocery items.

“The list is too small, Mom. You still have to give me five more,” the son said.

It was difficult to guess who was deceiving whom.

_____________________________________________

Feedback expected :-)

Of observations (not necessarily as a reporter)

This may have been the crappiest, wackiest, stupidest, craziest and laziest assignment I wrote (But I bet I can't beat Gaurav on the "crazy" part). 

Anyways, the Reporting and Writing class, undertaken by Prof. Ron Feemster, was today focused on observation and how crucial are observation skills for a good reporter. So, the assignment was to spread out, spot any location within the campus and observe the sight, smell, sounds, colours, temperature, heat, cold, anything and everything at all that you observe and write what about it in about 15 minutes. 

Sounds easy? It isn't really. 

Here's what I wrote. After writing this, I have realized how productive (or unproductive) a span of 15 minutes can be depending on how you decide it to be.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The persistent sound of the squirrel made me look at the trees. I could hear it but it took me a while to finally spot one sitting on one of the branches. When I tried going near it, it hurried away until it became invisible again. But it never stopped squeaking. This noise was temporarily disturbed by the shrill noise of the horn of the yellow BGS school bus that sped by the adjacent road. When I tried distracting myself from the squeaking noise of the squirrel, which had emerged once again once the sound of the bus had died, I could hear the sound of an air-conditioner. I looked around to find one and walked further towards the college building. I probably should have looked where I was walking. But the bite of a big, fat, red ant reminded me sharply that I had stepped on an ant-hill. My shriek, that followed, beat all other noises and sounds around-the squirrel's squeak and the birds' chirps. The driver of the next bus on the adjacent road probably heard it too. Even the sight of a beautiful, red and green butterfly that dared enough to hover near me could not make me forget the pain.
___________________________________________________________________________________

And I'm expected to be a good "reporter"....

2010-the year in review

This was given to us in our English class before closing up for the winter break. Thought I'll answer it completely...it felt like slam-book days of school where we used to fill each others' slam books, scrap books and diaries writing about our likes and dislikes (like we really cared!).

Following is a consequence of the inability to do focussed work in a holiday season ;-)

 The best thing that happened in 2010 was that I became a graduate. Boy! It meant something to me (It still does actually)



 The worst thing that happened to me in 2010 was__________ (NONE)


 One thing I’ll never forget about this year is that I purchased my own laptop. So what if dad paid for it?


 My biggest disappointment this year was my inability to learn Kannada. To be very frank, I never really made an effort...was busy brushing my Tamil-speaking skills.


 One person I’m glad I met this year is Mr. Kanakaratna, former headmaster and retired officer, Martalli village, Kollegal. I learned a lot from him.


 The most memorable night out I had was... Ah! Tough one *winks* Most have been memorable for some reason or the other : )


 The best story I did at IIJNM this year was my first hard news feature story on urban poverty in Bangalore


 If I learned anything this year, it was that desk job is fun. Never thought there was scope for so much to learn on the desk.


 The best news I heard this year was the RTE (Right to Education) Act. Lot’s still needs to be done though.


 One of the most delicious meals I had this year was the breakfast at Indian Coffee House on one of my beat days. The meal included hot filter coffee, double-egg omelette, egg fry, vegetable cutlet and bread toast. It was also probably the heaviest breakfast I’ve ever had!


 One of the most useful things I’ve learned at IIJNM this year was to think beyond the obvious.

 My toughest assignment at IIJNM this year was to design a magazine page on Pagemaker in a span of 30 minutes as I had forgotten about the assignment. And, God knows how I did it!



 The longest I slept this year was... Again, a tough one. Firstly, it’s a sin to actually measure something so divine and blissful. But nevertheless, I think it was probably fourteen hours after a very tired night. I had a terrible back ache after that.


 If I could live this year over again, next time I wouldn’t waste time and money on buying application forms to multiple colleges. It almost costed a fortune.


 One surprising thing I learned this year was the Bihar Assembly election results that made Nitish Kumar bounce back in the political sphere of the once-deprived state.


 A really good book I read this year was that The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni. Not one of her best, but worth a shot for epic-lovers.


 One of the most shocking things I saw this year was the news story on a man committing suicide after being called impotent on television in the program Raakhi ka insaaf


 The best thing that happened to India in 2010 was the successful completion of the Commonwealth Games. I seriously doubted it (like most others, I’m sure).


 With hindsight, I’d say 2010 was a pretty eventful year. (Don’t worry, I say that at the end of every year...it’s the most logical and obvious thing to state anyways)


 In 2011, I’m determined to get a job (I guess?)

PC does it again!

"Crime takes place because Delhi attracts a large number of migrants. There are a large number of unauthorized colonies. And these migrants who settle in the city's northwest colonies carry a kind of behaviour which is unacceptable in any modern city."

-P. Chidambaram, Union Minister for Home Affairs, on increased crime rate in Delhi 

So, PC is in the news again. Well, for someone who is the Union Minister of Home Affairs of India, being in the news isn’t something surprising.  But, then, PC seems to be hell-bent on hogging the limelight for all regrettable reasons. Of late, PC is reported to have blamed migrants for the increased crime rate in Delhi, following closely on the lines of our parochial leaders like Bal Thackeray. 

What’s more, Thackeray seems to have welcomed PC’s statement reinstating his anti-migrant stand simultaneously also condemning him for having publically withdrawn a statement that is an everyday reality in India, according to the Thackeray camp.

It’s foolish for the Home Minister to have uttered these words publically in a country that is formed of migrants. The migrant “issue” (if that is how it is to be described) is not one in a particular state alone. If there are Biharis and UPs in Maharashtara, there are Bengalis and Gujratis in Delhi just as there are Odiyas and Punjabis in Hyderabad. People from all corners of the city migrate from one place to another in search of better education, employment opportunities, and for multiple personal and/or professional reasons. If this were not so, India would not have been a ‘free’ country (free at least with this regard, if not anything else). 

Firstly, to equate growing population of migrants with crime rates is completely baseless and stupid as the two have no connection whatsoever; they are two completely unrelated concepts. It is as ridiculous as saying that the number of rats in the house have increased because the rat-poison manufacturer went on a vacation! (Pardon my disastrous analogy)

Secondly, targeting migrants in this manner is quite risky in a country that has a huge chunk of population who belong to this category; PC should have known that. 

Why isn’t anybody getting into the root of the problem? Even a tenth-grader will tell you that if crime rates have increased in a particular city, something ought to be wrong with the security system. Does Delhi Police deliver enough? Are they approachable? Do the people responsible for ensuring law and order in the state themselves have a criminal record? Are they even enough in number, to tackle the increasing cases of murder, robbery, loot, theft and rape? 

As the DNA editorial asserts, urban crime require “diligence, manpower, information and awareness” in order to be tackled effectively. Where do the migrants even come into the picture here? It sounds completely bizarre. In any case, we are talking about crime here. The possible causes for criminal mentality has little to do with the whereabouts of the criminal in question (unless of course there’s some past history that has had a psychological effect on him/her…but that's too far-fetched to even speculate). It is interesting to note here that PC himself is a migrant, in strict terms, something that he later admitted and accepted while publically withdrawing his statement.

For anyone with any political knowledge (and believe me, I’m not one of them), it should be clear that such statements are a cheap way of diverting the attention of the public from current real issues of JPC probe into the spectrum scam, land scams in Karnataka, corruption and nepotism charges on BSY, corporate lobbying and so on and so forth (too many to even list here) 

PC, you need a break! 

Also read: Editorial published in The New Indian Express

To Secret Santa.. With love

Disclaimer: If you are not an IIJNM student who’s reading this, you’re not going to understand a word of what is to follow. If you still want to kill time and enter the land of confusion, please do so. Meanwhile, here is a link you might be interested in. Enjoy!



Dear Secret Santa,

Ok. So you're driving me pretty crazy. For one, you always visit my room when I’m busy doing the only two things I do here when I get free time [By free time, I mean completely free time sans homework/readings/assignments/presentations/fiction and non-fiction reading/contemplating/bitching et al]. And that is talking on the phone (which has considerably reduced due to economic reasons) and sleeping (which can never reduce because of whatever reasons). I’d like to interrupt this post with something profound I read this morning:


“I love to sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know.”


~Ernest Hemingway (My God from today) :-D

So, anyways...


First, I dislike gift(s).
Second, I dislike working so hard for my gift(s) *winks*


Yesterday I get a letter from you asking me to go the water cooler at the mess hall to get my next clue for the gift.
By the time I had even read the letter, it was way too late in the night. I had to go to the mess anyways to fill my bottle. I did not find any clue there and I walked back up nonchalantly thinking of my Treasure Hunt days back in school and how I used to suck at them.


I slept off only to see yet another letter on my table by you.


This time the instructions read as follows: “You have to write a blog about a homosexual, Jesus Christ and draw comparison to Albus Dumbledore.”


I’m sorry...WHAT?


First, I get an instruction to write a blog (I don’t need that. I blog nevertheless)


Second, I’m given a specific topic for it (What is this? Creative writing competition?)


Frankly, I don’t even mind that as long as the “topic” is relevant, interesting and something I know and/or care about.


Third, you (thankfully) don't really know much about me. One look at my table and the books displayed on them should have told you that I do not read science-fiction.
Why, when I read the letter this morning, the first thing I thought was: “Who the hell is this Albus guy?” Turns out he is this chief protagonist in the Harry Potter series *scratches head*


My dear Secret Santa: I Hate Harry Potter. And that’s a hate with a capital H. Tried reading a couple of times when I was too young to differentiate between different genres of books. But I gave up. I did a Wikipedia search on Mr. Albus and they gave me shit load of stuff to read. Clearly, I refuse to do that when there are millions of other books left dying to be read, consumed and devoured by me. This is a personal opinion. I’m sure there are millions of Potter fans. I respect them. But I do not belong to them. Peace!


So, Santa...you asked me to blog on Christ, homosexuality and “draw comparison” (Satan knows what that means!) with this Albus guy.
For one, I did blog (so, you should give me points for that).
Second, I gave you so much publicity on my blog (which, you’ll be surprised to know, but is read by many Turkish men and women).
And third, I have already ranted about 623 words so far (which is way beyond what I set my target as).

So, I end this letter with the sincere hope that you shall not extract anymore labour from me.

P.S. Waiting for Christmas more than ever now :-)

Ho Ho Ho!!


With Love,
Deepa

Fiction writing (Part 3)

This is the concluding part of the three-part fictional prose:

Part 1

Part 2

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Everyday he thinks of ways to slay her. There are too many ways and too less time.

Should he slit her throat? Stab her at the back? Strangle her with a pillow? Or just stare her to death?

He’s often tried the latter. Been successful too.  But she doesn’t die. She refuses to. Or perhaps, she carefully plans not to.

Why does he want to kill her?

Does he even need a reason? It’s not a question of want anymore. It’s a necessity. A requirement.  

She’ll die tonight. He knows she will.

And he placed the gun on his forehead and pulled the trigger. 

Concluded

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Of mercy killing and euthanasia

EUTHANASIA, also known as assisted suicide and mercy death, is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit.



Euthanasia is a Greek word meaning ‘good death’ and refers to the practices of ending life in a painless manner.


It is illegal in India and most countries of the world. Only ten odd countries have legalised the practice of mercy killing.

Source for the above: Here
Hindi: Ichcha Mrityu


Tamil: Thalaikoothal (well, not really...but more on this later)






So, what prompted me to write about euthanasia? It was something I was itching to read and write about since our Amphi Adda days. Add to that, the recently released movie Guzaarish that centres on euthanasia (aka Ethanasia in the movie) directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali who ensures his audience is reminded that he also made Black—a fact that will be reiterated time and again when you watch this thanks to its cinematography and a few of the characters. Well, this post isn’t to criticize or review the movie (I’ve done that at length on another platform) but to understand the legalities and complexities that surround euthanasia.


Simply put, it allows an individual to voluntarily decide to end his/her life which is legally supported by the law of the land. In India and under the Indian framework of law, it amounts to murder. But, people supporting euthanasia, comprising of a chunk of social activists and human rights upholders, claim that such a wish should be granted as it is not technically “murder” due to the fact that it’s voluntary. When the individual himself has felt the need to terminate his life in all his senses, it is assumed that he has arrived at such an extreme decision only after thoroughly analysing his physical condition. Perhaps intense suffering led to this decision; death seems a simpler way out than days, months and years of pain. So, the tussle, really, is between slow death and intense death. The bottomline is death.
However, there is another school of thought that believes that mercy killing is just a fancy word for suicide, which is illegal and punishable under Indian Law (and in other countries as well). It is a violation of the fundamental Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Another argument against mercy killing is that lawyers allege that it may be misused for acquisition of land, money and property.


When talking about India, one also has to look into the social and cultural context. Tehelka recently reported cases of horrifying deaths in Tamil Nadu that have shocked many to know about the existence of ritual deaths in a country that’s already fighting honour killings (God knows whoever invented that name!). The report talks about ritual murders assisted by the family members themselves who aid in attaining the death goal of the suffering patient, who doesn’t seem to mind the generosity exhibited by his family members. The practice, as the report suggests, is not confined to a particular community, caste or religion. More than a crime, it is a social custom, which means it is an accepted practise. So, shoudln't we, as sensible citizens, question the very practise that comes up with bizzare ways of literally killing people and aiding them towards death?

Guzaarish faced legal petition on the accusation that it glorified mercy killing. Well, for one, Bhansali chose a controversial topic. And, secondly, legal action is nothing new in a country that pounces on a movie like Billu Barber terming the name as derogatory. The point is not whether mercy killing was glorified. The point is what is wrong in glorifying it? Is it equivalent to glorifying suicide which is unanimously agreed as something condemnable, as it amounts to abusing life and is seen as an act of the coward? What separates suicide from mercy killing is the fact that in most cases, the latter is a consequence of several weeks of medical examination which have resulted in almost no improvement of the patient’s condition. In many cases, medicine doesn’t have an answer. And terminal illness really has no cure.


Thus, what needs some serious introspection is what compelled the individual to take this extreme decision? Are our senior citizens getting the rights that they deserve? Are they being well-taken care of? Are we lacking in well-equipped medical facilities? Is it the health sector that needs immediate attention and renovation or the Indian Law that does not grant an individual to treat his life the way he wants? What is the real problem here? Law? Or the health sector? That's some food for thought.

P.S. I'm still not sure about my stand on this as this seems like a much more complex issue than what it looks like.


For more basic information on euthanasia, do visit this site. It is US-based but will surely give you a perspective.
Happy reading and happy thinking! : )

Fiction writing

So, while the world is busy blogging on BarkhaGate, 2G Spectrum Scam, Manmohan Singh's impotency as a PM, even Ms. Dolly (of BigBoss fame) who has (un)surprisingly stolen the limelight,  I'd stick to what I think I enjoy doing the most-weaving stories out of thin air :-)

Following is a magazine assignment I wrote wherein we had to write a personal story on someone you met who changed your life. 

Personally, I don't think anyone in my life has changed it any large way. Not yet. And, not at least a person yet. Maybe watching someone, looking at something, reading on something might have changed the way I look at things, my broader perspective on life, in general. But, I think I'm usually careful enough not to let my thoughts wander in that direction, if you know what I mean.

Anyways, here's the personal story I wrote. Well, its not entirely fake/fictional. Parts of it are true (and there may be a few who might get the connection of this fictional piece with the reality of my life). And as they say, fiction is inspired from reality. 

Happy reading :-)

__________________________________________________________________

She looked too happy to be in a hospital. It is precisely because of that seemingly positive expression on her face that made my mind divert from the pain I was going through. For someone who had been diagnosed with Leukemia (from what I got to know much later), she had a distractingly calm expression on her face and looked as if she had simply chosen to ignore that glaring fact.

If you are wondering what was I doing there, let me make it clear that that a  hospital is not one of my favourite places to hang out and just stare at people who’ve been bruised, hurt, diagnosed with some unpronounceable disease or deadly virus. I happened to be there because I had met with an accident, owing to my own foolishness and haste. In a space that could possibly be the most melancholic, sad and unhappy environment, Zooni seemed to be out of place.

This was probably the first and the worst accident of my life. And I had been punished for not having worn a helmet. A collision with a speeding car had resulted in my current form—six stitches on my left knee, a fracture on my nose, a couple of bruises on my cheek and three more stitches on my chin—enough to complete the distorted version that I had become. It had been almost six days in the hospital now and I had begun hating anything that began with H. The very atmosphere of my ward depressed me to the core. The accident had caused a heavy blow to my self esteem. I had missed my mid-semester exams because of the damage done to my body. And the doctor later informed me that I also had to give the Inter-State Swimming Championships a miss, thanks to my current state. Every time I looked into the mirror, I felt like breaking it into a million pieces as I couldn’t even recognize who I saw there. I was almost bordering over committed pessimism. Until I met her.

Zooni looked younger to me. But she wasn’t. She occupied the bed right next to me. So, there was no way I could avoid her sight. Every day the doctor would come and do some random check-ups, of which I had neither the knowledge nor the patience to ponder over. The doctor would ask her questions weaved in medical jargon (I was too occupied with my own troubles to even bother about others). She always looked amused at my irritated outbursts which were usually directed at my doctor, nurse and mother who used to visit regularly and monitor my ‘progress’. And Zooni’s amusement irritated me even more.

After weeks of staying in what I saw as the most morose environment, when the doctor finally declared that day for my discharge, I couldn’t stop myself from asking Zooni. What made her so happy? How could she remain so? Wasn’t she suffering? And if she wasn’t, what the hell was she doing in this hospital? Her response to all these questions was but one. “I know when I’m going to die. I want to enjoy whatever is left of my life,” she said with a vehemence I could see in her eyes.

“It just amazes me how little things in life can manage to irritate and frustrate you so much. How you let them win over you. You have an entire life in front of you. Can’t you be happy with the fact that you survived that accident to actually be alive to crib about life? And when you are alive, what’s the point of complaining?,” she asked. It wasn’t the questions but the sheer confidence with which she asked them that rendered me speechless.  

Here was a woman who knew when she was going to die and who, ironically, seeked amusement at the petty things in life that I complained and fretted about. I, who still had something that Fate had denied her—life. I was later told that she was diagnosed with blood cancer (leukemia) and had less than few months to live. I never heard of her later. I never even visited the hospital after that. But she left a mark on my life. She taught me how to look at things positively and ushered in a new era of optimism in the way I began looking at things since then. This happened over a year ago and I’m sure she isn’t alive anymore. But, I don’t feel sad or gloomy or upset about it. I’m glad I met her. And I’ll always be thankful for the woman who taught me the real meaning of “life”. 

__________________________________________________________________

I expect heavy criticism (and maybe a word of compliment, if that isn't too much to ask for?) after you've read this.

Feel free to comment.

Cheers! :-D

Of media, ethics, corruption and "error of judgement"

Barkha Dutt answers allegations of corruption and corporate lobbying in this 48 minute unedited video that was aired on NDTV yesterday.

A MUST WATCH

Panelists include:

Manu Joseph, editor of Open magazine which published excerpts of Barkha-Radia conversation

Dileep Padgaonkar, senior journalist, The Times of India

Swapan Dasgupta, columnist and senior journlaist

Sanjaya Baru, Editor, Business Standard

Host: Sonia Singh, Senior Managing Editor, NDTV 24*7

P.S. For now, I shall refrain myself from giving my opinion/viewpoint on this issue due to lack of complete knowledge of the same.

Reservations in the private sector. Will it work?

“Reservations legitimises demerit”

--Gurucharan Das, author and public commentator

In simple terms, reservations may be seen as an invariable consequence of years of systematic discrimination on the grounds of class, caste, colour, creed and/or gender. It would not be an exaggeration to state that caste has been an undeniable reality in India. It may be termed as a historical “wrong” today but no one can deny its existence. The question to be asked, then, is whether reservation in any sector—public or private—was a logical outcome of the caste reality in India. Though reservations were introduced in the early 30’s, they were formalised only in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1989, the V. P. Singh government decided to implement the recommendations put forward by the Mandal Commission, granting reservation for OBC’s (Other Backward Classes). However, Tamil Nadu was an exceptional State as it offered 75% reservation for the backward castes. This led to heavy protests which compelled the Supreme Court to intervene and give a final verdict that the total reservation for government jobs in any State shall not exceed 50%. In 2004, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) promised to provide reservations in the private sector in its National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) igniting debates and arguments from across the nation as to whether reservations in the private sector will work and if they should be introduced at all.


Before analysing anything about that, we first need to understand why and how reservations came into effect and how efficient and fruitful has it been in its current form. As mentioned earlier, reservations is usually seen as an attempt to correct a historical wrong done to our country—caste discrimination. By providing reservations for a certain section of society marred due to its social and more often than not, economic status as well, it emerges as a potential tool to erase years of oppression and discrimination meted out to certain sections of society and attain the constitutional aim of attaining “social justice”. People who support this concept often cite the example of Tamil Nadu, a state that (possibly) has maximum inhabitants belonging to backward castes. There have been instances of OBCs outshining “forward” classes in the Southern state of India.


When it comes to introducing reservations in the private sector, one has to look at how successful it has been in the public sector. Past experiences and examples have shown how reservations remains a reality only on paper and how the actual backward sections, who are meant to benefit from it, hardly get to reap them as it is often the “creamy” layer who gets the entire cake. If the idea is to attain social justice, the opposite has been true as truly deserving candidates are rarely benefitted from these quotas with rich, powerful “backward” people enjoying all the privileges entitled to them on the grounds of their caste identity. Of course a generalization on the success rate of reservations cannot be thoroughly made. But going by the current situation in India, it would not be wrong to say that attaining social justice is a commendable and ambitious aim that is yet to be achieved and reservations have not helped in any significant way.


The most obvious and common argument against reservations in any sector is that in the process of its implementation, it compromises merit. However, this may not always be true. Malaysia is an interesting case in point. It is an example of a country which has combined a restrictive form of reservation with remarkable economic growth for several decades now. The Indian private sector, consisting of an overwhelming number of MNCs, obviously doesn’t have a tarnish-free image. Notorious for employing people on large discriminatory grounds and a place that is increasingly being seen as a space of red-tapism (often associated with the government and not the private sector), reservations in the private sector seems to be a “social necessity”, as Dr. K. Vidyasagar Reddy argues in his essay. If inheritance, contacts and other social networks determines an individual’s job prospects, reservations for the socially deprived seems to be a necessary corrective measure in order to set things right and give equal opportunity for all.


In one of his earlier interviews, Ram Vilas Paswan, President of Lok Janshakti Party, had once said: “Reservation in the private sector is necessary and inevitable.” His argument is that since tribals, Dalits and other backward castes have neither land nor business, this has resulted in their heavy dependence on government jobs whose number is reducing with each passing day. With no vacant seats left in the public sector, there is no other space except the private sector left for them to look at. Post-liberalization, many public sectors were also privatised. Thus, there is no other way out but to introduce reservations in the private sector in order to achieve two main targets—one, address the problem of unemployment, and two, an attempt to provide equal opportunities for all. But, this remains more like a thing to be read rather than a thing to be seen in action.


Once reservation is introduced in the private sector, “efficiency” is most likely to be affected. What separates and differentiates the private sector from the public sector is this USP that the former boasts of, the reason for which is considered to be absence of reservations. When there is no reservation, there is no discrimination; the very concept of reservations perpetuates caste discrimination. Another argument is that it further weakens the democratic notion of social justice, as reservations evaluate a person on the basis of his/her caste and not merit. Quota implies a denial to the right to equality. Caste prioritises merit, when, ideally, it should be the other way round as far as jobs are concerned. A person’s caste may be decided and decisive but his/her merit is something that the person acquires during the course of his/her life. And by introducing reservations now even in the private sector, merit is definitely seen as secondary which, in effect, is very likely to affect efficiency.


If reservations are introduced in the private sector, it will be difficult for the companies to get rid of non-performing personnel simply because the employee has come because of reservation. This holds good for the public sector as well. Introducing reservations in the private sector would also invariably imply interference of the government as well as politics into management affairs. The productivity as well as the competitive edge that distinguishes the private from the public may get heavily affected. The move could also result in brain drain—a phenomenon which is not new to our country that is already witnessing students leaving India and deciding to go abroad to foreign universities for higher education, only to almost never come back. Reservations in the private sector could also make international clients suspicious and sceptical about the quality of products made in India, and this might lead to a setback in export business. The government has to keep in mind that the quality and credibility of any product and/or company is not affected as that would defeat the very purpose of introducing reservations in the first place.


Paswan made an interesting pointing when asked about his opinion on reservations. “Reservation should be ended if there are equal opportunities for all,” he said. As one knows, attaining equal opportunities for all can be the utopian ideal and target to be achieved in order to attain the constitutional aim of “social justice.” Given that caste has been a reality and there have been years of systematic discrimination and prejudice owing to social discrimination, reservations seems to be the only way out to correct what has been historically gone wrong. However, since reservations have not been really been a success in providing government jobs to “truly deserving candidates” belonging to backward castes, introducing them in the private sector just seems to be an ambitious project that is very likely to go wrong and possibly, also backfire.