TRIBE, CASTE AND THE UNRESERVED INDIGNITY
Friends, The issue of caste-based reservations has again hit headlines in the 'national' media, and the honour and dignity of all communities who deserve equal opportunity � SC, ST, OBC is at stake. The 'nation' and its government are more than 30 years late in implementing the guidelines of the Mandal Commission Report, but even today the upper-caste 'nation' is unwilling to let go of its privileges. To make it worse the issue of debate in the 'national' media has become � 'Why should we give reservations and equal opportunity to the lazy and imbecile SC, ST and OBC groups? The very dignity of the SC, ST and OBC students is at stake. Every morning (if you still bother to read the newspapers) we are told in a very nasty language that 'we are applying brakes to the nation', 'we are incapable of anything worthwhile', 'we will become murderers instead of doctors', 'we are not mentally equipped to gain higher education'. Every day a few dozen upper caste boys and girls, every single news channel, and every single newspaper trample upon our dignity with their feet, and the 'nation' watches them do it with much happiness. The national media has shown its true middle class, upper caste colour, and has blacked out any pro-reservation rally from media coverage. There is a conspiracy on the part of the double-mouthed and fork-tongued creatures called upper castes. While, in one voice (through the Govt. of India (GoI)) the upper castes do a charitable act by throwing the *roti *of reservation at us, with their second voice � the media, the *dalal* of hate, they tell us that this *roti* is being thrown at the hungry dogs who are the SC, ST and OBC communities. The inherent Brahminical bias of the 'nation' of India has been thoroughly exposed over the past one month or so. At this point we would like to ask the GoI that instead of having reservations for the needy social segments of our society, we should have reservations for the rich and the affluent. We propose that the GoI should reserve a total maximum of 15% seats, in proportion of their population, for the forward castes (whether Brahmins, Kshatriyas or Baniyas) of India in education and employment! Its not the fault of the SC, ST or OBC communities that the GoI is unwilling to do so. We, the undersigned, believe that affirmative action ( e.g., reservations) is only the first step in an attempt to bring social justice and equality in this country. Its more important to change the Upper Caste mentality which has not changed for the past 2000 years. The 'national' media and the GoI still believe that the SC, ST and OBC communities are inferior to the so called 'upper' castes. Only the way of saying that has changed. Today we are inferior because we lack merit and efficiency and therefore do not belong to the 'nation', while earlier we were unclean and impure and therefore did not belong to the *samaj*. It is required at this moment that the SC, ST and OBC communities stand up and stop this campaign of hate that strikes at our very dignity. It is not a question of being SC, ST or OBC today. The 'national' media is calling all of us inferior � whether you are a Pasmanda Muslim of Bihar, Jat student from Rajasthan or UP, a Mang student from Maharashtra, a Dhobi student from Bihar, a Kuki student from Mizoram or a Meitei student from Manipur, or an Ezhava from Kerala does not matter. It's an attack on the dignity of all of us. Sitting back in our rooms and waiting for the 'nation' or the political parties to take the lead in saving us from the barrage of abuses hurled at us every morning in our newspapers and TVs is as good as dreaming. *If we do not do bother about our honour and dignity, who will? * * * Signed/- Vikas Rathee, Sisir basumatari, Shamuel Tharu, Ramlal Singh, Harshita Chowdhry, Anoop Kumar, A Vinoth Raja, Jilangamba, Rubu Mamung, milind Awad, Hari Babu Pls Visit http://claimonnation.blogspot.com/ to protest against casteist tendencies of 'Indian' media and Academia ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Everything you need is one click away. Make Yahoo! your home page now. http://us.click.yahoo.com/AHchtC/4FxNAA/yQLSAA/1dTolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥««¤»¥«¤»§«¤» This is ZESTCaste whose members watch India's painful journey to society's de-casteisation. 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