Equality through Reservations?

     Equality is a highly contested issue even in the 21st century. Even though articles 14 to18 of the Indian constitution ensure  equal treatment to every citizen, we are still miles away from the horizon of equality. With long histories of deeply entrenched inequalities, abolition of inequality is indeed a herculean task for India as a country. 

     It was keeping in lieu with this goal, that the architects of  our constitution incorporated certain laws and provisions that will ensure that every citizen of the country is treated equally and is not subjected to any form of discrimination or prejudice.  Reservation is one  important step taken in that direction.

     However people across the length and breadth of the country have several misconceptions about the idea of reservation.  From activists,academicians, to the common man, there are a number of people who put forth an endless list of arguments to oppose reservation. There are many who talk volumes about how reservation reiterates caste prejudices and pulls India backward in the march to development.But if these arguments have to be opposed scientifically, we need to start right from the very concept of equality.

Equality and Equity

 Equality  is a very broad concept which implies equal treatment of all human beings because of the shared humanity that we have. It means putting an end to all forms of discrimination and prejudices based on gender,class,caste,race,religion,place of birth,nationality,etc. However it must be understood that equal treatment does not imply identical treatment. Equality is about identifying and understanding the differences that we have and treating each person according to his needs so that he can achieve an end . Let me simplify.

   

        Imagine that there are three boys of different heights- 200cm,150cm and 100 cm respectively, standing on the ground. Three boxes of chocolates are kept against each child , 3 metres above the ground level, on a shelf. All the three boys have to reach out for their box of chocolates. However,none of them can manage to reach out to the shelf to grab their box of chocolate on their own.Hence they have to be provided with identical wooden blocks, each with a height of 50 cm. If the three boys are to be treated identically, each of them have to be  supplied with one and only one wooden block. With one wooden block,the tallest boy will be able to get his box of chocolates. However the other two will still not be able to get theirs.This is not equality since the two boys could not achieve their end, just because they were less taller than the first boy.

           

              Instead, it becomes equality when each boy is provided as many blocks as would be required for him to get his box of chocolates.Which means that while the 200cm boy should be given 1 block,the 150cm boy should be given two blocks and the 100cm boy has to be given three blocks.Thus through this equitable way of distribution, equality is ensured.Equity is the means through which we can identify the needs of the population and provide them what is exactly needed  so as to bring all of them to a level playing field, so that they can start off with equality. So it is well said that 'equity is the means and equality, the outcome'.

      Indian Society and Reservation 

         The above  example is an apt reflection of the situation in the Indian society. Ours is a society with great disparities between different sections of the population.We have not yet been able to get over the privileges that individuals acquire by birth.While there are many who are socially and educationally forward,a major chunk of our population have a different story to tell-a story of discrimination and ill treatment, of being denied basic rights and choices,of leading a life bereft of human dignity. Reservation is that extra wooden block provided by the state to those sections of the society who have been denied their share for decades so that they get no less a chance to be competent.

         There are a considerable number of people who are opposed to the current system of reservations and not to the whole idea of reservations as such. They argue that reservations should be based on the economic status of people rather than on the basis of their caste or community.These arguments are mostly in the light of the fact that a large section of the impoverished people in our country who are denied basic facilities like housing,education or healthcare belong to the general category.These poor people,therefore do not get any incentives from the state to come up just because they are not members of a backward community.However,this argument does not have solid ground if one examines the objectives of reservation.

       

    Reservation,one needs to understand,is not meant to ensure economic equality. It is instead aimed at abolishing social inequalities.The SC,ST and OBC are given reservation so as to ensure that nobody denies them an opportunity just because they belong to a particular community.If the poor people who belong to the general category are provided adequate facilities and are given quality education and healthcare in such a manner that they can compete with others in the society and are proven to be a skillful asset, no institution,office,company or organisation would deny them an opportunity.

             

    But even if an individual belonging to the SC,ST or backward community is educated and skillful, many private institutions and organisations will be reluctant to offer him an opportunity just because he is a member of that community.There are many a highly educated and skilled Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims across the country who are not admitted into an educational institution or recruited in an office just because of their identity.They are not even given a place to stay in,in many of our developed cities.This is not a so rare sight to spot in a country where Dalit children are still not allowed to study in those schools where the so called upper caste children study.It is to eliminate this stigma that reservation has been implemented.

               

  Many are of the opinion that reservation undermines equality since it follows a segregationist policy.This is when the example of the wooden block comes in. Equality is in terms of opportunities and sometimes to ensure that these opportunities reach all sections of the society it may be imperative that we put to use the concept of differential treatment. We have to understand that the needs of a first generation learner whose parents are uneducated and have been exploited,are different from the needs of an individual whose parents have received the benefits of education.For the former,there is no one in the family who can provide him with assistance in his studies.There is nobody to correct his doubts, guide and motivate him.

  Further,in an epoch where more than half of the students plan of taking up a professional degree and hence attend rigorous entrance training sessions right from middle school, it might be extremely difficult for a student from a backward community to secure a seat in a reputed professional college. This is not because he is incapable of studying.This is because he either does not have the financial ablity to join a coaching institute or does not have anyone to help or guide him in his preparations.It might also be because he does't get enough time to spend for studies after the menial jobs he engages in to generate income for his family.Or it might be because he has to mentally battle against the discrimintaion and exploitation that he faces in the society.Therefore,one has to understand that it is only after battling all these odds that an individual from a discriminated background finds time and peace of mind to put in effort to join an educational institution or an office.

   If such a person is given the same treatment that an individual from a forward,educated,reputed family who has studied in a fairly good school,who has attended tuitions and coaching classes and who needs to do nothing from his part but study,it would be injustice.Equating the two is not equality.These two individuals cannot compete on equal terms because of their diverse social backgrounds.Giving reservation is a recognition to the mental and physical talents and capabilities of a diadvantaged person which would have otherwise been sharp and polished had he not been handicapped by his underprivileged background.

               

  Here,both these individuals put in the same quantity of hard work as opposed to the notion that individuals belonging to the general category have to work much harder than others and thus have an unfair share of work load.The only difference is in the type of hard work.While the normal individual's hard work includes rigorous studies and regular practise,for the underprivileged individual,it is studying along with battling against discrimination,exploitation and poverty.

           

  Even if there is an unfair burden on the students belonging to general category,it is justified.Since their ancestors and they themselves have enjoyed all the privileges provided by the society including good education and health and more importantly,have not been subjected to unfair discrimination and exploitation,there comes a natural responsibility to put in more effort on their part when compared to the discriminated sections of the population.

 There are people who also wail about the loss of opportunities to the general category students in spite of them performing well.There are, at the  least, two arguments against this hypothesis.One; owing to the facilities that they have enjoyed,it becomes the duty of the general category students  to not just do well, but to do extra ordinarily.Two; for centuries the Dalits and other underprivileged sections of the society have been denied opportunities- the opportunity to eat good food,the opportunity to drink water from public wells,the opportunity to wear clothes, the opportunity to attend schools,the opportunity to walk on public roads and above all,the opportunity to be free. They have encountered  discrimination every moment of their lives and accepted it without any resignation.Today, when a handful of job opportunities or seats are given to these backward communities, the general category does not have the right to complain about  loss of opportunities.It is their historic responsibility,as people who have oppressed and discriminated a large section of the society for centuries. It is their duty and a moral obligation.

        Dr.B R Ambedkar said that,"The purpose of education is to moralize and socialize people." Educating an individual benefits not only the individual,but the entire society which he is part of.But for that to happen,our education system must teach students not just to be competitive but also to be compassionate.When that happens,students will themselves realize the importance of bringing up everyone in the society and helping all of them succeed.That is the goal that reservation seeks to promote and achieve. Only such a realisation can help transcend boundaries and forge new designs for a better tomorrow.