Youth for Equality - But where is the Equality?
Youth for Equality - Errr...I think I have recently heard it somewhere and that too repeatedly. Oh yes, I remember it now, it is the anti-reservation protestors who walk down the roads holding placards saying "Youth for Equality".
I am not going to say anything about reservations here, the only thing that had my mind churning with thoughts was those placards: the ones suggesting that Indian youth believe in equality.
I am not going to say anything about reservations here, the only thing that had my mind churning with thoughts was those placards: the ones suggesting that Indian youth believe in equality.
We Indians can progress as much as possible but we will never be able to rise above the various stupid standards that have been introduced in the Indian social composition over ages to "distinguish" people from each other.
People are distinguished from each other based upon innumerable criteria. Caste, religion, professional and social rank, economy, skin color, region, gender, and language are some of them.
During most of his childhood, an average Indian child has to listen to all such aspects that his parents deem to be important. When he is not old enough to understand what caste is, he would still be able to analyze the toys, clothes his friends have and be able to rate them accordingly.
He grows a little more and now he very well understands that there are different religions people follow and there are different castes people belong to. No, he still doesn't understand what religion/caste is but he sure understands the important role they play in India socio-economic structure.
By the age of 10, the child is well aware of his caste and its position in the society. If he happens to belong to a high caste, he sure will be beaming with the pride to be a high caste when along with his friends and if he is unlucky and belongs to a low caste, he will grow up hearing the 'casteism remarks' from his colleagues.
If he is a Hindu, he slowly starts believing that India is his country only and religious minorities should have fled to Pakistan. Those, part of such religious minorities, have to hear with a pang all such remarks.
North-South divide is pretty evident. I don't think I even need to comment on it.
These are the children who grow to be the youth of India someday. The same children who have, all their lives, witnessed inequality in almost every sphere of life. How will they ever be able to take this out from their heart and mind?
There would hardly be a handful of such people, who really think that inequality should not creep in from such principles.
The funniest part is that when it became evident that high castes would be losing out to their low caste coutnerparts as far as seats are concerned once the reservation proposal is implemented, suddenly they woke up to realise that everyone is equal and youth of India wish for equality. Before the reservation proposal came into light, how many of these people even gave a damn about equality? But once the proposal is there everyone is crying out hoarse demamding equality.
Equality doesn't come by holding a placard. It comes from within and to use equality as a shield behind which one can hide and try to sort out his own slefish motives is utterly pathetic.
Is it only the upper caste who want equality? No...certainly not. In fact it has to be the lower caste people who would, more fervently, embrace the principle of equality. But the question is - where is the equality?
Had the propoganda of youth for equality had any spine, it would have got support from all the quater of society, rather, it has got opposition from the lower caste. This itself shows how much the lower caste trust the high castes when it comes to equality.
If the high caste youth of India really want equality then they will have to show it in action rather than just writing it across a placard and it is after you have gained trust of the lower caste that slogans like 'Youth for Equality" should be put forth else it will be nothing but just a cheap tactic to achieve personal gains, as it tunrs out to be this time.
If we can't be strong enough to endorse an ideology, we should, at least, not be so despicable to use it for personal gains!!
People are distinguished from each other based upon innumerable criteria. Caste, religion, professional and social rank, economy, skin color, region, gender, and language are some of them.
During most of his childhood, an average Indian child has to listen to all such aspects that his parents deem to be important. When he is not old enough to understand what caste is, he would still be able to analyze the toys, clothes his friends have and be able to rate them accordingly.
He grows a little more and now he very well understands that there are different religions people follow and there are different castes people belong to. No, he still doesn't understand what religion/caste is but he sure understands the important role they play in India socio-economic structure.
By the age of 10, the child is well aware of his caste and its position in the society. If he happens to belong to a high caste, he sure will be beaming with the pride to be a high caste when along with his friends and if he is unlucky and belongs to a low caste, he will grow up hearing the 'casteism remarks' from his colleagues.
If he is a Hindu, he slowly starts believing that India is his country only and religious minorities should have fled to Pakistan. Those, part of such religious minorities, have to hear with a pang all such remarks.
North-South divide is pretty evident. I don't think I even need to comment on it.
These are the children who grow to be the youth of India someday. The same children who have, all their lives, witnessed inequality in almost every sphere of life. How will they ever be able to take this out from their heart and mind?
There would hardly be a handful of such people, who really think that inequality should not creep in from such principles.
The funniest part is that when it became evident that high castes would be losing out to their low caste coutnerparts as far as seats are concerned once the reservation proposal is implemented, suddenly they woke up to realise that everyone is equal and youth of India wish for equality. Before the reservation proposal came into light, how many of these people even gave a damn about equality? But once the proposal is there everyone is crying out hoarse demamding equality.
Equality doesn't come by holding a placard. It comes from within and to use equality as a shield behind which one can hide and try to sort out his own slefish motives is utterly pathetic.
Is it only the upper caste who want equality? No...certainly not. In fact it has to be the lower caste people who would, more fervently, embrace the principle of equality. But the question is - where is the equality?
Had the propoganda of youth for equality had any spine, it would have got support from all the quater of society, rather, it has got opposition from the lower caste. This itself shows how much the lower caste trust the high castes when it comes to equality.
If the high caste youth of India really want equality then they will have to show it in action rather than just writing it across a placard and it is after you have gained trust of the lower caste that slogans like 'Youth for Equality" should be put forth else it will be nothing but just a cheap tactic to achieve personal gains, as it tunrs out to be this time.
If we can't be strong enough to endorse an ideology, we should, at least, not be so despicable to use it for personal gains!!
posted by Piyush at 12:31 AM
2 Comments:
Ya true...
One should definitely not be a meek observer when things are ruining the country!!
But it doesn't serve any purpose to talk about things one himself doesn't believe in.
Reservation politics is surely bad, oppose the policy, oppose the politicians, don't vote for them, in fact the best way is to file a PIL. But why talk about equality and stuff?? Where is the goddamn equality?? Had there been, no slogans or placards would have been required to show equality...it comes from within....
I hope you get what I mean....
11:42 PM
naaah....just the hypocrisy....
11:55 PM
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