News....

MUMBAI: Buoyed by its success in pushing through a quota for OBC students in
higher education, the government has now ordered IITs to introduce - with
"immediate effect" - quotas in the teaching faculty for scheduled castes,
scheduled tribes and OBCs.IIT directors, not surprisingly, were livid with the
decision, though none of the four TOI spoke to were willing to go on record.
The high quality of IIT faculty has built the institution into a globally respected
brand. Said an IIT-Delhi professor: "It is hard to imagine that even teachers will
now use the caste flag to get in."
The order signed by Seema Raj, director of technical education in the HRD
ministry, read, "I am directed to say that the matter relating to reservation of
SC, ST, OBC categories in recruitment to teaching (faculty) posts in the IITs
was considered in the second meeting of the SCIC (Standing Committee of
IIT Council) held on 11/2/2008. The recommendations made by the SCIC have
been accepted by the chairman of (the) IIT Council. Accordingly, it has been
decided to implement reservation for SC, ST, OBC, in recruitment to teaching
(faculty) posts in IITs with immediate effect."
For subjects in science and technology, posts will be reserved for lecturers and
assistant professors. In areas like management, sciences and humanities, reservations
will be applicable up to the professor level. The ministry allows IITs to dereserve
the posts after a year, if they do not get filled "despite all efforts".

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________

My First Comment--
Beautiful. Unhappy that only the best students were getting to the IITs, they
introduced quotas there. Now they want to ensure that those studying there
get less quality education too. This is indeed, a <strong>NATIONAL SHAME</strong>.
 
This is a Comment I read on the Comments page--

Sewaklal Khobragade,Bangalore says:This is a great move towards bringing eqality and quality of education to
underpriviledged masses. No one is borne scientist. One has to groom into
right atmosphere and directives to achieve technological excellence or achievements.
I am sure SC/ST and OBC also will do BEST if they are given chance to prove
themselves. I am thankful to the ministry of HRD for this right step in right
direction to implement guidelines laid down in Indian Constitution.
 

My response to this--

Dear Respected Editor, I am sorry for writing again into this Comment box,
but the comments of one Sewaklal Khobragade,Bangalore regarding the same
article and displayed just a few comments below mine has come to my notice.
The Author points out that "No one is borne scientist. One has to groom into
right atmosphere and directives to achieve technological excellence or achievements"
I agree deeply with this person's thoughts. But why should people be given the
right to teach on the basis of who they are born? The Pillars of Education are
being shook up by the very thought that it is not merit and intelligence which
are going to define the Mentors of the cream of India's students, instead, they
will be chosen on the basis of family history. Is this the path Envisioned by our
Mahatma? Did ever any God of Indian Mythology decide to visit a devotee based
on his/her caste?
Forgive me for writing in again and I do not worry that my comments may not
be posted.
I do not, in any way, wish to incite anybody against anyone because of my
comments.
Lastly, I would like to point out that I too aspired to get into an IIT but I accept
that my Aptitude and more importantly, Attitude towards my studies did not
allow me to. I do not regret that, but I do regret that the Directors of the IITs
have accepted this Political Gimmick hands down.
I do not see my Mentors with the eyes of a Judge, for me, they are Leaders, no
matter what they are called.
Thanking You for allowing me this opportunity to express these thoughts via
your medium.

Overall Comment-

It is not just a Shame that this is happening but also that we are allowing this. People can easily come up to me and say that hey, this is not your fight, so why are you commenting?

India's Progress is Our fight, the fight of the coming Generation. Equality is our fight, the fight of every worthy Child of India

But above all this, I wish for everyone to understand that I would not like it if any of my friends would have to look at his Mentor and Think even ONCE before believing his words. I would not want anyone in the whole of India to believe that the Teacher/Lecturer teaching them is anyone other that that Idiot who keeps giving them assignments and deadlines. (S)he is just that, no more. Not a name, Not a caste, Not a religion, just an Underpaid, Overpriviledged SOB who likes to fail boys and pamper Teacher's Pets and give Assignments like they were the Elixir of Life.

Sorry for the Satirical tone. It comes Naturally now, ever since the HRD Ministry put a Quota on the Type of jokes you can make. Now 49.5% have to be about SC, ST and OBC.

Earlier, The press were shocked to receive an invitation from the Prime Minister. "I was shocked. This is the first time this has happened since the previous government. I have to ask my manager if this is a conference worth attending." - said noted reporter Dhananjay Mahapatra.

Arjun Singh who arrived after the Prime Minister left, said the 27% reservation rule for the SC/ST/OBC will stay. "Now that the OBC no longer exists, the rule will apply only to the SC/ST" - said Arjun Singh, who was being given dialysis treatment simultaneously.

Gujjar leader Colonel Kirori Singh Bainsala, who was busy trying to uproot a part of a railway track for about six hours now, appeared to show no interest in the news. "I don't care anymore. I need to finish with this track now." - said the Colonel and continued to hit the track with a stick.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, in a statement to the press said "This is a konspiracy by the communist gourment in an effort to gain unnecessary advontaje during the upcomming yelections. We will dyefinitely bring this to the notice of the paarty high commission in the next paarty meeting".

Later that day, Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu categorically denied his earlier statement, even though a reporter pointed out that there really were no categories present. "I hyave no idea who cooked up this story. I was hyappily having breakfast with my fyamily this morning. I categorically deny hyaving said any of that. This is ridiculous.", he said. The reporters left feeling happy after hearing him say the word "ridiculous". "I can't believe what I just heard. It must be some kind of achievement." - said reporter, Chidanand Rajghatta.

M T Vinay, a student, shouted "Arjun Singh is a fool" and zoomed away on his bike before we could ask him anything.

And just as I thought "How could there ever be a girl worth writing 143 pages of good things about ?", my questions were answered.

.......................................................

Harish has written a love letter — 143 pages long — to an imaginary lover.

........................................................

Makes perfect sense now. Another excerpt from the article :

........................................................

The letter, in Kannada, begins with ‘Preethiya Abhisarika’ (Dear Abhisarika) and ends with ‘Mathe ninna nireeksheyalli kanasu marida huduga’ (Awaiting you...).

........................................................

If "awaiting you" takes more than a line in Kannada, no wonder he decided to write it in Kannada !

And lastly, I am not sure if the juxtaposition of "employee of BSNL" and "penned in leisure" is incidental or just plain sarcastic.

I think I need to stop dissecting every sentence now !

Side-note : Just like you can scrape through into IIT's and IIM's with lower marks if you are an OBC, there ought to be a different target for married men attempting the above record !!!

In the absence of detailed data from the IITs, all we have got are bits of information. Here's a news report (supposed to have been sourced from DNA, but I could not locate it on the DNA site), which claims that all the 1,134 rank-holders from the OBC category are in the "open merit list". It goes on to quote some IIT official:

This is 14.35% of the general category. 8,652 candidates have qualified to seek admission to 6,872 seats available. Last year, 13.74% OBC candidates had made it to the IITs without reservation.

“The OBC candidates have secured good ranks and all are in the common merit list,” said a JEE official.

“So, a relaxed criterion may not need to be invoked for them.”

Now, the figure of 14.35% is wrong; 1134 out of 8652 comes out to 13.1 percent. More substantively, the last statement is confusing because iffy statements (such as "may not need to") are meaningless when the results are already known -- either a relaxed criterion was used, or it was not!

Anyways, I think the following interpretation is reasonable: Since the overall quantum of OBC reservation (X percent -- I think X is 9 -- in existing IITs and 27 percent in the six new IITs) works out to a number smaller than 13.1 percent (and since OBC students already form 13.1 percent of the JEE rank-holders) there was no need to invoke a relaxation in the cut-off marks for OBC students.

Is this interpretation correct?

[Here's yet another bit: I found a blog post that says that someone with an overall rank of 2902 has an OBC rank of 367. Thus, about 12.5 percent of the top 3000 ranks belong to OBCS.]

The news report says that on the first of August, the IITs will make all the JEE-related information public on their website. We'll have to wait until then ...

Muslims should think and vote regional

By Ghulam Muhammed

Karnataka election victory of BJP has started a media frenzy to predict the imminent doom of Indian National Congress. All sorts of calculations are projected to nail the point that Congress is sure to lose the next Lok Sabha elections and BJP and its allies will form the next government at the center.

The whole scenario points to regionalization of Indian politics. The national stature of Indian National Congress has been declining since the demolition of Babri Masjid and the Muslim voters’ rejection of Congress as their true friend and ally, in confrontation with Hindutva and RSS forces. Like Congress, Indian Muslims too had an all India presence and this factor had immensely benefited Congress to maintain its national presence and relevance. With each election after the imposition of PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh team on Congress and the nation, the all India presence is being challenged not by BJP as clear alternative, but more regional parties. States have realized that Congress and/or any other National party, is seriously handicapped in being responsive to the genuine needs of one or other state, while it has to look to other states clamouring for similar sops. The resulting deadlock, or indefinite postponement of vital decisions so crucial to individual states, damages the credibility or bona fide of the national party.

When a Raj Thackeray comes out with sons of the soil demand, mere platitude about national integrity would not suffice. The rat race in on! Some states have already got cozy niche in Central government, while others are waiting their turn as the next change of coalition equation.

Under such circumstance, Indian Muslims too should think regional. They should identify themselves with local strong groups, rather than the political parties with national ambitions, especially those with Brahminical leadership --- like Congress, BJP or CPM.

The current TMM campaign to get old Nawab Masjid in Vellore Fort, open for prayers, shows how Congress being a national party, had to play divisive communal politics of the worst kind when ASI under central jurisdiction, finds it convenient to allow a temple and a church to be handed over to their respective group while refusing the same yardstick of justice for Muslims. The injustice is so glaring that Congress leadership just cannot defend its communal policy with any degree of reasonable excuses. This is a case of high crime of communal discrimination against Muslims. However, Congress worry is not confined to only Tamil Nadu. It is apprehensive that if it gives in now to the just Muslim demands in Tamil Nadu, that would become precedent all over India. Being a national party it cannot afford to lose its bigger constituency of Hindu communalists, while ‘appeasing’ the Muslims in Tamil Nadu. It is time, therefore, for Muslims to relieve the Congress of this onerous duty to be just and appear to appease the Muslims, and shift their votes to regional parties, with whom they can be in a better position to bargain. Let Muslims and Congress not be emotional about such a parting of the way; as it is in the best interest of the nation, that the straitjacket of pseudo-secularism that Congress is wearing, should no longer force it to deny justice and fair-play to the Muslims.

Muslims however, should be very very vigilant that they keep out of the dragnet of Brahmin formations. Each and every political grouping, if dominated by the high-caste, like even BSP should be summarily rejected. Muslims should only cooperate with OBC and Dalits and SC/ST, to the complete exclusion of the criminal gang of exploiters, that will not relinquish their stranglehold on levers of power and pelf, unless they are clearly, publicly identifies and ostracized, just as they themselves ostracized the Dalits and the Malechas.

Muslim organisations, like Jamiatul Ulama, Jamaat e Islami, Mushawarat, Milli Council together with regional Muslim organisations should openly go regional. The Delhi based Muslim organisations should be humble enough to cooperate and even accept the leadership of regional Muslim organisations, especially from South and East. They should together come out with their favorites in each state, right from the very beginning of the campaigns that are now in full swing.

The first order of priority is not to think that Congress is our only saviour. All Brahmins think alike. If Congress has its Babri, BJP has its Gujarat, CPM has its Nandigram. All such crimes should be punished at the ballot box and better take care of the ballot box rigging too.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com

www.ghulammuhammed.wordpress.com

Veure entrar la figura diminuta de Maria Joao Pires, aquesta pianista essencial, al escenari del Auditori, una figura que passaria desapercebuda al mig d'una massa anònima, sense cap tipus de glamour i sofisticació, no deixar de sorprendre. Penses i no és la primera vegada que em passa, tot serà diminut, petit i esquifit. I que lluny d'aquestes apreciacions està l'art incommensurable d'aquesta grandíssima artista. És un gegant creatiu, amb una sensibilitat extraordinària i amb un domini del piano i del seu so, absolutament magistral. Quina manera de captivar i acaronar les notes, que queden flotant per tal de que l'auditori les pugui assaborir com perles exquisides. A mi la Pires m'agrada sola, sense orquestres que molestin al seu voltant.

Aquesta ha estat la conclusió després d'escoltar el preciós concert número 27 de W.A. Mozart. Potser era perquè avui he constatat la sensació que vaig tenir en el darrer concert. Oue té límits, com a tal, no m'acaben d'agradar gaire. Oue no sap acompanyar als solistes. Oue no sap dirigir una orquestra que no controla ell. Si l'altre dia, amb la jove Alba Ventura, ell encara podia imposar una certa autoritat, avui amb la immensa Pires no, i allò s'ha convertit en un solo pianístic amb una remor acompanyant. Tota la personalitat ha recaigut en el solista i ell s'ha limitat a no molestar gaire, tot i així repeteixo, que per les meves orelles no era necessària l'orquestra. La cadència final romandrà dies i dies en el recó de les coses grans d'aquesta temporada.

En acabar el concert, la Pires ens ha regalat per agrair les mostres d'entusiasme, crec que amb un Chopin (no ho puc assegurar), que ens ha fet tocar el cel. Tant és així que si el concert s'hagués acabat en aquell moment, hagués marxat a casa la mar de satisfet. Oue, que és molt llest no ha tornat a sortir a saludar, tres vegades més la Pires i tota sola. No podia ser d'altre manera.

És clar que Oue sabia que a la segona part amb la cinquena de Xostakóvitx, una obra que li va com anell al dit, ensorraria una vegada més el nostre sofert Auditori, on cada vegada que dirigeix el titular, els ciments de la caixa del Moneo trontollen.

Aquesta simfonia és una d'aquelles obres que des de el inici t'atrapen i fins la falsa apoteosi final, no et deixa, sobretot si el director crea els climes necessaris per no deixar-te ni pràcticament respirar.

Jo trobo que aquesta simfonia és tristíssima, malgrat el final. Un cop et situes en el adagi del tercer moviment, ja veus que allò no té solució possible, estem davant de la desesperació, vestida de impressionant grandiloqüència, però desesperació al cap i a la fi.

Oue, en un context com aquest és trobo comodíssim i sap crear la dramatúrgia necessària per que no deixis a penes de treure-li els ulls de sobre. Aquí si que ell controla i domina l’immens instrument que te al davant i gaudeix i fa gaudir, amb tocs de personal efectisme i de sensibilitat extremes.

L'OBC s'ho passa pipa i es nota, ja no és tant sols amb el ritual final, que es repeteix en tots el concerts on el director agraeix personalment a tots els caps de les diferents famílies la prestació i la feina ben feta, quan toquen es deixen emportar per aquest vendaval directorial que sedueix, que em sedueix.

Avui era l'últim concert d'una brillant temporada de presentació. L'any vinent amb uns programes més clàssics i sense tantes lluminàries solistes, Oue s'haurà d'esmerar molt per mantenir i superar el llistó d'aquesta temporada. Jo ho crec possible, tinc molta fe en aquest petit gran home.

Diumenge penjaré els links del concert. Si podeu escapar-vos fins al Auditori i treure una entrada per aquest concert (avui dissabte i demà diumenge 1 de juny), jo crec que m'ho agraireu tota la vida.

Just for the uninformed, the Gujjars of Rajasthan come under the OBC (Other Backward Caste) category, something which is not adequate compensation according to them. What they really want is to be pushed further into the lower echelons of the so called caste hierarchy so that they can further reap the benefits of the reservation policies and get jobs easily.

To prove a point they, for the second time, came out in the open on the streets of Gurgaon and elsewhere to show their true colors. Meanwhile the Meenas (who are ST) would probably be gearing up and filling their arsenals in order to retort if the "suitable compensation" that the Rajasthan Govt promised the Gujjars surfaces. Co-incidentally, this is the exact same thing that the Raje government cooled down the Gujjars' earlier protest with.

Last reported, 3 people died(due to the Police's gunfire) in the incident. A friend of mine called me up while the agitation was taking place, quite near her internship station. Though collected, I could sense the bewilderment in her voice as she was reporting the happenings to me real-time.

Acknowledging that the quota space itself was getting increasingly crowded and keeping in mind the court ruling that reservation cannot exceed 49 per cent, Bainsla said that the 'entire reservation system needs a relook'.

He said no review had so far taken place about the extent of benefit to castes enjoying the reservation.

Such an exercise should be undertaken to exclude castes which have benefited by it and bring in its purview those castes which 'deserve and require' quota, the Gujjar leader said.

"The best homage for the martyrs is that Gujjars get ST status. The Rajasthan government must send the correct recommendation to the Centre", said Bainsla who has already rejected Rajasthan government's suggestion for extending reservation to Gujjars under nomadic tribe status.

On the inconvenience caused by the Gujjars' agitation, he said, "I regret the inconvenience. We had no other option but to stay here till the ST stats recommendation is sent."

Asked where does the agitation go from here, Bainsla said, "we have paid the price. We have to stick to this place because we need this (ST status). We deserve this and we fulfill all parameters."

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters from the Gujjar community burned tyres and blocked roads leading to New Delhi on Thursday, bringing a battle for state jobs and college quotas in which dozens have died closer to the capital.

Huge traffic jams formed on major highways leading into New Delhi, as ethnic Gujjars, demanding access to state jobs and college quotas, shouted slogans and squatted on main roads on the borders of east and north Delhi.

Thirty seven people, including one policeman, have been killed in the protests.

The Gujjars, who threw stones at police and at places broke windshields of cars and buses, are fighting to be reclassified further down India's complex Hindu caste and status system to qualify for government jobs and university places reserved for such groups.

Police cleared most blockades after hours of scuffles. Some train services to towns outside Delhi, including several tourist destinations, remained suspended.

Demonstrations turned violent last week after protesters lynched a policeman and police fired on protesters, killing 36 of them in just a few days.

On Thursday morning, the stick-wielding Gujjar protesters turned away vehicles from the towns of Noida and Gurgaon, home to scores of outsourcing and computer software firms.

Many offices were closed. Some telecom firms such as BlackBerry closed their service centres in these suburbs.

1. General students - Answer ALL questions.

AND

4. ST - THANKS FOR COMING…

CHEERS TO RESERVATION......

Jokes apart, don't you think it is time for Indians to actually ask elected government why they have to rely on Reservation for social equality and WHAT have they achieved during the years they have served the common citizens of India ? Elections are round the corner and political parties are playing reservation card to the hilt while masses suffer and merit .. let's forget that word, even remove it from dictionary.

In the 16U title game the D.C. Assult (D.C.) defeated Triple Threat (MD) 64 to 61. Then in the 15U title game OBC (OH) defeated M33M (TN) 60 to 45.

Hom podia pensar que després del èxtasi col·lectiu en que ens va deixar Eiji Oue la setmana passada, després de l'experiència de la 3ª simfonia de Mahler, el programa d'aquesta setmana podia esdevenir una baixada, un desencís, fins hi tot algú va deixar escrit a In Fernem Land, el dubte de que Oue no fos un director del mateix nivell, més enllà del repertori post romàntic, del que ens ha deixat aquest any notabilíssimes proves de la seva excel·lència.

El concert d'avui s'iniciava amb la primera audició d'una obra de Josep Soler, "Le Christ dans la banlieu", un poema simfònic per a orquestra sobre un text de Flaubert.

Jo sóc una mica escèptic davant la música simfònica escrita en els nostres dies, si bé és veritat que de mica en mica, els compositors d'aquí i d'arreu, van tornant a la melodia, de manera molt d'amagatotis, però sembla que hagin començat a deixar de banda els experiments més radicals, que d'alguna manera no ens han acabat d'endur enlloc, més enllà de en el millor dels casos a exercicis brillantíssims d'orquestració i efectes sonors.

L'obra de Josep Soler, té una durada de vint minuts, i durant tota l'estona, potser deixat endur pels efectes sonors dels clàxons i sirenes dels cotxes de policia o ambulàncies que sentim, m'han ofert una magnífica banda sonora per un film imaginari, del que m'he fet fins hi tot un guió, mentre anava escoltant la partitura. No he estat capaç de concentrar-me, potser un divendres, després d'una setmana prou farcida de motivacions laborals, a les 9 del vespre no és el moment més idoni per captar aquesta obra, però sense bloquejar-me, com tantes obres contemporànies que he escoltat com a taloneres del habituals concerts simfònics han aconseguit, aquesta d'avui m'ha mantingut distret amb la meva fantasia fílmica, amb lladres i serenos i fins hi tot he escoltat un tema molt líric, que ben be podria ser el leitmotiv sentimental per la parella protagonista.

Acabada l'obra inicial, el compositor ha sortit a rebre els aplaudiments de reconeixement del públic, i poca cosa més, hem escoltat el concert per a piano i orquestra núm. 4 en do menor, op 44 de Camille Saint-Saëns.

A la jove pianista Alba Ventura, delicada, elegant, musical i sensible, li ha mancat una mica més de força i volum en la pulsació, que malgrat els esforços de Oue per no tapar-la mai, com la setmana passada a la Stutzmann. Però és clar, el piano del concert de Saint-Saëns te moments on ha de dialogar de tu a tu amb l'orquestra i ho hem intuït, però no pas sentit.

En el Allegro moderato i l'andante inicial, Alba Ventura ha creat atmosferes interessants i quasi debussinianes, amb sons molt delicats. Els problemes o més ben dit la carència de força i volum, ha fet que el Allegro Vivace-Andante-Allegro del segon i tercer moviment, el piano no tingués en molts moments la presència necessària i l'orquestra que tota l'estona ha mantingut el motor a mig gas, no ha lluït com jo hagués volgut. Tot hi així el públic ha premiat la sensibilitat de la pianista que ens ha ofert una delicada propina entre els atacs tísics habituals, sempre impertinents, però en un solo de piano, encara més.

Bé, a la segona part teníem la prova de foc pel meu admirat Eiji Oue, amb la Simfonia núm. 1 en do menor, op 68 de Johannes Brahms.

Habituats al gest ampli i espectacular, a les explosions sonores i una mica a la grandiloqüència de la setmana passada, avui Oue m'ha sorprès per la seriositat de l'exposició, amb un tempo general, tranquil i reposat, amb una concepció molt clàssica d'una simfonia titllada de beethoveniana i amb notoris ressons wagnerians.

Sempre en les interpretacions del director japonés, podem fruir del detall en que fa tocar totes les parts solistes, que un cop acabat el concert els musics de l'orquestra que l'han interpretat, son tractats de manera extraordinàriament afectuosa i carinyosa pel director.

En el quart moviment, després dels dos moviments centrals especialment notables, Oue ens ha ofert una interpretació brillantíssima del Allegro non troppo, ma con brio que conclou la magnífica primera simfonia.

No vull repetir el que ja he dit moltes vegades, sempre que ell dirigeix, però és que és notori que els musics de l'OBC sembla que toquin amb més ganes que els altres concerts, amb una motivació especial, fruint del que fan.

Menció especial per al primer violí que avui era Kai Gleusteen i que ens ha ofert una actuació sensibilíssima amb un so bellíssim.

Quan ha acabat el concert m'he recordat de la Papagena i el Barbebleue, dos autèntics admiradors de l'obra de Johannes Brahms. Estic segur que els hi hagués agradat molt aquest concert. A veure si puc deixar-vos la prova sonora.

ACTUALITZACIÓ:

Si voleu baixar la simfonia de Brahms premeu aquí

Gràcies Colbran

Diumenge passat em vaig commoure una vegada més amb la simbiosi formada per Eiji Oue dirigint la 3ª simfonia de Gustav Mahler i ja en vaig deixar constància en el post del dilluns.

Us vaig prometre els enllaços del concert, però de moment no he pogut obtenir-lo sencer.

Us deixo el cinqué moviment "Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck", amb la fantàstica intervenció de la contralt francesa Nathalie Stutzmann que puc dir que a la sala no sonava així de present, acompanyada pel cor Madrigal (dir: Mireia Barrera) i el Cor Vivaldi (Dir:Òscar Boada).

Prometo fer els deures i deixar-vos els enllaços de tots els moviments.

[audio http://ximo.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/v.mp3]

Escolta home!
Què diu la mitja nit profunda?
Dormia!
M'he deixondit ja d'aquest somni!
El món és profund
i mé profund pensat que el dia!
El seu dolor és pregon!
Més ho és el goig, però, que el mal.
El mal diu: Mor!
Més tot goig cerca eternitat,
fonda, profunda eternitat!

Bimm, Bamm!
Cantaven tres àngels una dolça cançó,
joiosa, beata, el cel ressonava,
Criden de goig,
també perqué
és Pere lliure de pecat.
I quan segué el Senyor Jesús a taula
i menjà el sopar
amb els dotze apóstols
digué el Senyor Jesús:
"Què fas, docs, tu aquí?
Tan bon punt et miro,
tu plores per mi!"
-com no ploraria
(Tu, Déu bondadós,
Tu no has de plorar)
si he transgredit
els deu manaments?
Me'n vaig i ploro amargament!
(tu no has de plorar)
Oh, compadeix-te de mi!-
si tu has violat els deu manaments,
cau de genollons
i prega el teu Déu!
Estima Déu en tot moment,
així obtindrás l'eterna joia!
La joia eterna!
és una santa ciutat, la joia eterna!
que no té cap final,
la joia eterna!
fou preparada a Pere
i a tots per Jesús
com a benaurança!

Si algú vol baixar aquest moviment premeu aquí.

Definitivament si haig de donar el reclinatori de la temporada a algú és a Eiji Oue.

El que arriba a fer-nos sentir el director titular de l’OBC en cadascun dels concerts que dirigeix es extraordinari.

L’OBC quan està a sota les seves miraculoses mans es transforma i malgrat no ser encara l’orquestra que tots desitgem, amb aquell so propi que tan sols les privilegiades, les millors orquestres solen lluir, assoleix altíssims nivells de veritable creació, moments inoblidables de vivències i emocions. És clar que amb la 3ª de Mahler, la cosa sembla que és més fàcil, oi?, doncs no.

La tercera simfonia, malgrat tenir un dels finals més extraordinaris, amb el V i VI moviment, no és de les seves simfonies, la que m'agrada més i potser és culpa del seu llarguíssim inici, amb aquell terrabastall sonor, rosant la grolleria, que tan li agradava al compositor.

Certament escoltar una simfonia de Mahler, amb totes les seves aparents contradiccions, no es pot entendre si no és en el seu conjunt i és precisament en aquest contrast on rau part del atractiu de la seva obra.

En el concert del matí de diumenge estava assegut les butaques més extremes de les llotges de tercer pis, amb una visió perfecte d'Eiji Oue, del que us haig de dir, que no he pogut treure els ulls del damunt en tot el concert, tal és el grau de magnetisme i fascinació directorial que exerceix, amb el seu gest, sempre ample i expressiu, per així substituir la seva petitesa física davant la descomunal massa simfònic coral que te a les seves ordres.

De tots els molts moments màgics del concert podria dir fàcilment que el cinquè moviment amb l’entrada de la contralt Nathalie Stutzman és el que m’ha commogut més, però no. Us diré que quan he rosat pràcticament la glòria, ha estat en aquest fantàstic solo del pothorn magistralment tocat per la joveníssima Mireia Farrés, situada fora de la sala en el vestíbul del primer pis, per tant, amb un efecte sonor sorprenent, llunyà i misteriós que amb un acompanyament virtuós i preciós de l’orquestra, ha esdevingut un moment memorable.

Que el nostre auditori és negat per la veu humana és sabut per tothom i ja va sent hora que ens col·loquin el orgue per tal de veure si millora quelcom l’acústica, però si el solista que canta, no té un gran volum, com és el cas que ens ocupa, els problemes poden ser dramàtics. Aquest cop no ho ha estat, doncs Oue ha fet tot el possible per no tapar mai a l’exquisida Nathalie Stutzman, que posseint una veu preciosa i rodona, no ha destaca’t mai pel seu volum. Ha cantat de meravella, sense cap concessió als efectismes en que es pot caure amb una música tan captivadora, acompanyada celestialment per les dones del Cor Madrigal i el fabulós Cor Vivaldi. Les veus homogènies i ben projectades han complert amb magnífics resultats el màgic moment que Mahler els regala.

Punt i a part requereix el Langsam. Ruhevolt. Empfunden final, on la ja magistral música ens situa en un dels moments àlgids del opus mahlerià, però és en aquests moments, on Oue exerceix la seva fascinació, el carisma i la capacitat tan lloada i lloable de comunicar amb musics i públic el que ell vol dir i com ho vol dir.

Els silencis, les respiracions, els crescendos, les amples frases del fabulós tema central d’aquest adagi, marca de la casa, no pot estar servit millor.

Ser que és molt difícil, amb un final tan sublim com el d’aquesta simfonia i sobretot quan ha estat tocat i dirigit d’aquesta manera, romandre uns segons en silenci. Caldria anar pensant en fer-ho en un futur, doncs la resposta del públic també forma part de la interpretació d’una obra i tan sols imaginar el que hagués suposat 10 segons de silenci, tot esperant que els braços encara enlairats de Oue, baixessin fins a una terrenal posició, m’emociona encara més. No ha estat possible, una allau d’aplaudiments ha envaït el silenci acabat de construir pel genial director.

A la sortida, impossible anar cap a casa sense comentar l’experiència amb el públic amic encara en estat de xoc, ha succeït el que ja s’està convertint en un ritual, per altre part simpàtic i preciós. Quan surt Oue per anar-se’n cap a casa, una explosió d’aplaudiments i bravos el saluden en ple migdia de maig. Ell en reverencial actitud nipona, saluda i es llença sobre el públic per saludar-lo i encaixar les mans amb uns ulls que li surten de les orbites i un somriure de orella a orella.

El proper cap de setmana, molt probablement es repetirà el ritual quan acabi de dirigir a Soler (Le Christ dans le banlieu), Saint-Saëns (el quart concert per piano i orquestra) i Brahms (la primera simfonia).

Què trigui molt a marxar aquest prodigi, aquest bé de Déu, mentrestant tindré ben net i polit el reclinatori, no us amoïneu, ell n'es el principal responsable de la seva utilització.

A lot has been said and written about reservations in the media as well as the blogosphere. Having read a lot of that, I thought of a different approach to the issue, an Engineer’s approach.

Let’s start with the numbers and see how they stack up to reach some interesting conclusions

• To start with, the National Backward Classes Commission designated 4,820 communities in the country as backward, (yes, it really is a shockingly large number) and they estimated these communities to form 40-44% of the national population. Initially, members of all the 4,820 communities were considered backward and then of course, came the SC ruling on the "creamy layer", which I will not detail here, but will discuss later.
• The 4,820 communities included some very powerful castes which yield a lot of political clout. Some notable entries there are the Chettiars, Devars in Tamil Nadu, Patels in Gujarat, Jats in Bihar, but not the Jats in Rajasthan (!) and Vokkaligas & Shettys in Karnataka, to name a few.
• The IITs set aside Rs. 15 Lakh a year per student for infrastructure.
• The IITs normally admit 5000 students a year, but will have to admit 6000 this year, which by simple math, means an increased spending of Rs. 150 crores just this year.
• The Central Government has already issued Rs. 1100 crores to the IITs and IIMs last year for the implementation of quotas and will be releasing another 1771 crore over the next three years.
• Let’s move to the Delhi University now. One of the biggest in the country, its problems with staff shortage and woeful infrastructure for a capacity of 1200 students is already well publicized. Now, they will have to admit 1800 students with no hope of improving the infrastructure.
• Now, the creamy layer: Two definitions that I found more interesting than the rest: The income cap of 2.5 Lakh & if the parent is a farmer holding land of area greater than 85% of statuatory ceiling issued by the state.
• There will be a marks limit for the OBC students too. One of the SC judges suggested a 10-mark difference.

Enough stats there. Let’s move on to dissecting every one of those little nuggets to uncover what lies beneath.

4,820 communities form say 42% of the national population and we are told that they cant make it to institutions without a quota in place to help them and this will promote social equality and justice. Now that can mean one of either two things: The people from these 4,280 communities are really dumb, or of course the people from the remaining 58% of the population are extremely smart. Coming from the latter category, I guess you can clearly understand what I am alluding to!

One look at the Categories list will tell you that the list should have been renamed from OBC to ANC, which quite simply stands for All Non-Brahman Classes. Believe me, that is no exaggeration. Along with the Brahman classes, the only exemptions from that list are a few powerful classes who do not hold any place in the politics of the country, since they are busy making a living for themselves on the merits of their own sweat and hard work.

The good thing about money is, it normally speaks for itself. That’s the beauty of the next few numbers there. Now, isn’t such a lot of investment in a few colleges in the country a very skewed manner of ensuring social “equality”? Wouldn’t it make more sense to build schools in rural areas and ensure that people get their primary education right?

Ah! Now we uncover the crux of it all – the creamy layer. This definition was obviously excluded from the HRD Ministry’s proposal, but trust Arjun Singh and Co. to find ways of skirting around this little technicality and making it just another piece of legal jargon. For instance, there is already a move to increase the cap to 4 lakhs. Now, we have all been through the process of admissions and examinations. If a parent earns, say 3.98 lakhs a year, how difficult is it for him to enroll his son in a private tuition? Can’t his son then write the exam on his own merit?

I come from an area in Bangalore which was recently included in the clutches of the BBMP. Till then, many people here owned fake land documents and shirked paying taxes for well, God Alone knows, how many millennia!!!? Once again, this is Bangalore. A big, booming city and an epicenter of development in the country. And people do own fake land documents here. So, how difficult is it to do the same elsewhere? That apart, 85% as it is, is a pretty huge ceiling. And even if people are above that limit, this is India my friend. A wad of the cash under the table equals a piece of paper above it!

I would like to conclude this whole piece with an interesting experiment conducted in Bihar in 2004. The experiment conducted by two Dutch women in a small school in a Bihar village required children to complete mazes and do logic puzzles after which they were rewarded for their efforts. The exercise was done in two stages. The difference between the two stages, was one simple announcement.

Before the second stage commenced, the students were differentiated on the basis of their caste and then asked to perform the same exercises. Now, tell me, what do you think the result would have been?

Before the announcement, all students were seen to be equally competitive. After that, Surprise! Surprise! The students who were designated as the backward classes actually performed much worse!

If not anything else, the experiment tells us one thing. When people are typecast, unconsciously and unintentionally, their actions and mindset too fall into the same stereotypes. Now, if a student is admitted on the basis of being from a “backward” caste and not on merit, the inferiority complex will probably kill him when he faces the competition from the “forward” classes!

Let’s paint a different picture. What if the same money is channeled at the primary education level and these students make it to the same colleges on merit and not on the basis of just being backward? Well, one may argue that the students may not study at the primary level. Believe me, if one cannot study at the primary level, there is just no way he can succeed in a competitive atmosphere like the IITs!

So, then, in this case as in so many other cases, this is what the entire issue boils down to: A matter of perspective! What matters is not about who is looking at the issue in the right way, but whether the right people have the right take on the issue. In this case, that is a question I’d rather not answer!

Indian science could gain from open access push.

IISc to wait for official notification to implement OBC quota: An article from Thaindian News.

1. இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆஃப் டெக்னாலஜி
2. இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆஃப் மேனேஜ்மென்ட்
3. தேசிய தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லூரிகள் (20)
4. இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆஃப் சயின்ஸ், பெங்களூரு,
5. இந்தியன் ஸ்கூல் ஆஃப் மைன்ஸ் (சுரங்கங்கள்)
6. இந்தியன் இன்ஸ்டிடியூட் ஆஃப் சயின்ஸ் கல்வி மற்றும் ஆராய்ச்சி
7. ஸ்கூல் ஆஃப் பிளானிங் மற்றும் ஆர்கிடெக்சர்
8. அய்.அய்.அய்.டி.,கள்

முதலிய பல்வேறு நிலையங்கள் இந்தப் பட்டியலில் இடம்பெறுகின்றன.
சென்ற ஆண்டு இந்த நிலையங்களில் 1,24,377 மாணவர்கள் சேர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

இடைக்காலத் தடை இல்லாமல் இருந்திருந்தால், பிற்படுத்தப்பட்டவர்கள் 33,581 பேர்கள் சேர்ந்து படித்துக் கொண்டிருக்க முடியும். இதே எண்ணிக்கை மாணவர்கள் இந்த ஆண்டு படிக்கக் கூடிய வாய்ப்பு இந்தத் தீர்ப்பினால் கிடைத்துள்ளது.

இடஒதுக்கீடு தொடர்பான உச்சநீதிமன்றம் தீர்ப்பு எதிரொலி
அய்.அய்.டி., அய்.அய்.எம்.களில் பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பினருக்கு 1,500 இடங்கள் கிடைக்கும்

27 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு தொடர்பான உச்சநீதிமன்ற தீர்ப்பை அடுத்து அய்.அய்..டி., அய்.அய்.எம். உயர் கல்வி நிறுவனங்களில் பிற்படுத் தப்பட்ட வகுப்பினருக்கு 1,500 இடங்கள் கிடைக்கும் என்பது தெரிய வந்துள்ளது. சென்னை அய்அய்..டி.யில் மட்டும் 150 பேர் சேரலாம். மண்டல் கமிஷன் பரிந் துரைப்படி மத்திய அரசு பணியிலும் மத்திய அரசின் கல்வி நிறுவனங்களிலும் பிற் படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பினருக்கு 27 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும். மத்திய அரசு பணியில் இந்த 27 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு பின்பற்றப்பட்டு வருகிறது. ஆனால், மத்திய அரசு கல்வி நிறுவனங்களில் நடைமுறைப்படுத்தப்படாமல் இருந்து வந்தது.

இந்த நிலையில், அய்.அய்.டி., அய்.அய்..எம். உள் ளிட்ட உயர்கல்வி நிறுவனங் களில் இதர பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பினருக்கு (ஓ.பி.சி.) 27 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு வழங்கும் வகையில் மத்திய அரசு கடந்த ஆண்டு சட்டம் கொண்டு வந்தது. இதை அமல்படுத்து வதற்கான நடவடிக்கையும் எடுக்கப்பட்டது. ஆனால், மத்திய அரசு கொண்டுவந்த சட்டத்தை எதிர்த்து உச்சநீதி மன்றம் ஏராளமான வழக் குகள் தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்டன.

இதைத்தொடர்ந்து, கடந்த ஆண்டு 27 சதவீத இடஒதுக் கீட்டை அமல்படுத்த உச்சநீதி மன்றம் இடைக்கால தடை விதித்தது. இந்த நிலையில், பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பின ருக்கு மத்திய அரசு உயர்கல்வி நிறுவனங்களில் 27 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு அளிக்கும் வகை யில் மத்திய அரசு கொண்டு வந்த சட்டம் செல்லும் என்று உச்சநீதிமன்றம் நேற்று அளித்த தீர்ப்பில் இந்த கல்வி ஆண்டில் 27 சதவீத ஒதுக் கீட்டை நடைமுறைப்படுத்தும் சூழநிலை உருவாகி இருக் கிறது.

இந்தியாவில் சென்னை, மும்பை, டில்லி, கான்பூர், கரக்பூர், ரூர்க்கி, கவுஹாத்தி ஆகிய 7 இடங்களில் அய்அய்.டி கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் இயங்கி வருகின்றன. இந்த கல்லூரிகளில் பி.டெக். படிப் பில் சுமார் 4,000 இடங்கள் உள்ளன. ஜெ.இ.இ. என்று அழைக்கப்படும் சிறப்பு நுழை வுத்தேர்வு மூலம் ஐ.ஐ.டி.க்கு மாணவர்கள் சேர்க்கப்படு கிறார்கள்.

அய்.அய்..யைப் போல இந்தியாவில் அகமதாபாத், பெங்களூர், கொல்கத்தா, கோழிக்கோடு, இந்தூர், லக்னோ ஆகிய 6 இடங்களில் ஐ.ஐ.எம். மேலாண்மை கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் செயல்பட்டு வருகின்றன. இந்த கல்லூரி களில் 1,500 எம்.பி.ஏ. இடங்கள் இருக்கின்றன. இதற்கான மாணவர் சேர்க்கை கேட் என்ற பொது நுழைவுத்தேர்வு அடிப் படையில் நடைபெறுகிறது.

27 சதவீத இடஒதுக்கீடு தொடர்பான உச்சநீதிமன் றத்தை அடுத்து அய்அய்.டி., அய்.அய்..களில் பிற்படுத்தப் பட வகுப்பினருக்கு சுமார் 1500 சீட்டுகள் கிடைக்க வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது.

அய்.அய்..டி கல்வி நிறுவனங்களில் 1080 இடங் களும், அய்.அய்.எம்.களில் 405 இடங்களும் ஓ.பி.சி. வகுப் பினருக்கு கிடைக்கும். சென்னை அய்.அய்.டி.யில் மொத்தம் 550 சீட்டுகள் உள் ளன. எனவே, இங்கு மட்டும் 150 ஓ.பி.சி. மாணவர்கள் சேர முடியும்.

அய்.அய்.டி. கல்வி நிறுவனங்களிலும், பெங்க ளூரில் உள்ள அய்.அய்.எஸ்சி. (இந்திய அறிவியல் கல்வி நிறுவனம்) எம்.எஸ்சி., எம்.டெக். உள்ளிட்ட முதுநிலை படிப்பு களும் வழங்கப்படுகின்றன. இவற்றிலும் ஓ.பி.சி. வகுப் பினருக்கு இடஒதுக்கீடு கிடைக்கும்.

அய்.அய்.டி.,யில் ஆதி திராவிடர்களுக்கு 15 சதவீத மும், பழங்குடியினருக்கு 7 சதவீதமும், உடல் ஊனமுற் றோருக்கு 3 சதவீத இடஒதுக் கீடும் வழங்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இந்த ஆண்டிலிருந்து பிற் படுத்தப்பட்ட வகுப்பினருக் கும் இடஒதுக்கீடு வழங்குவ தால் இந்த வகுப்பைச் சேர்ந்த ஆயிரக்கணக்கான மாணவ-மாணவிகள் அய்.அய்.டி. கல்வி நிறுவனங்களில் சேருவார்கள் என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.

So what are my reservations (pun intended) about the reservation policy? The underlying premise of the philosophy of reservation is that all members of the "backward classes" are disdavantaged, while all members of "forward castes" are deemed to be good enough to get admission under ther own steam. I do not think this is a valid assumption; neither is it fair. Economic considerations cannot be ignored in arriving at who needs extra care in our society.

1. A policy of reservation - especially in institutions of higher education- per se does nothing to promote access to primary education. Millions of children will still be denied access to even basic schooling- and it is this lack of primary schooling that often denies acces to future education and employment oportunities.
2. Reservation should explicitly include economic criteria. In my view, a rich person (irrespective of caste) can access and afford education for his/her children and does not need the protection offered by the reservation policy. It is the poor who need such protection- again, irrespective of their caste.
3. Does this policy not reinforce and ecnourage corruption? Rather than study and work hard, it will be tempting for people to spend a few thousands of Rupees on procuring a certificate that states that they are an OBC (or SC/ST for that matter). Again, those that have the money for this will benefit; genuine OBC aspirants without the financial resources will be denied.
4. Where does one draw the line on "reservation"? Why the furore when Raj Thackeray's MNS is asking for 80% reservation of private sector jobs in Maharashtra for sons and daughters of the soil? And what gets precedence- son of the soil or caste? And how do you categorize someone that is a second-generation son or daughter of the soil?
5. Extending the above point, what happens when the products of a reservation policy enter the job market? Performance evaluation/management is part of every company's HR mandate. Should there be reservation based on irrelevant, non-performance criteria such as caste? Should it be mandatory for 20% or 30% of the top-performers in any company to be determined based on caste? When the world is moving to ensure equal opportunity by legislating against discrimination on the basis of age, colour, creed, religion, gender, sexual preference and so on, why should we in India promote a culture of discrimination? And what will such policies do to our country's overall competitiveness- say in a knowledge intensive industry such as IT, consulting or financial services? Should a client have to accept lower standards just because the work was done by someone who got the degre and hence job because of a certificate stating that s/he is of a certain caste, and not because s/he was the best the company could hire? Will you trust a doctor or lawyer if you knew that s/he got her/his degree simply because of her/his caste? This is not to say that everyone who benefits from the reservation system is not competent- but the odds are higher that someone using the policy will have it easier than someone who cannot. And that can cause distortions in professional competency and skills that in turn, can impact our society at large.

As I said before, I am all for leveling the palying field. My recommendation is to make primary education free for the econmically weaker sections of society, independent of caste. Those that come from economically backward sections of society (irrespective of "caste") should be given additional facilities such as healthy food/nutrition, free books, extra coaching, access to extra-curricular opportunities and so on. Let there be a common "public" examination at the end of 10 years of schooling- and let those that qualify be awarded scholarships for higher education- again, only if they come from economically weak families. Rather than quibble about what constitutes the "creamy layer" and how it is to be defined, give everyone a chance.And may the best boys and girls, men and women be given opportunities commensurate with their performance in an otherwise level playing field. Otherwise, I fear that the much-hyped "India story" will only remain a pipe dream. Worse, a real opportunity for sustainable progress will have been squandered, nay sacrificed, at the altar of political convenience.

There will be many who will quote the case of Tamil Nadu with its ridiculously high % of reserved seats as an shining example of why the policy works. But look at the number of migrants from that state to other parts of the country/world just to pursue education. It is because of such policies that other states are now feeling the pinch and demanding reservation for sons and daughters of the soil. And while there is no official statistic, it would be an interesting study to find out how many thousands of bright students from Tamil Nadu have been denied the opportunity to pursue the field of their choice just because of pernicious policy.

Admittedly, the underlying problem of social oppression and inhuman denial of human rights is very real. It is a slur on our country and a solution must be found to redress those that have suffered. But if 50 years after such policies were first introduced, there is still huge disparity and the need is felt to perpetuate the policy, clearly something is wrong- or has not worked the way it was supposed to. Any which way, it's time for a change.

Parliament had unanimously passed the Central Educational Institutions (Reservations in Admissions) Act 2006. And all mainstream newspapers opposed it, in their editorials and headlines reports. So essentially the fourth pillar of democracy stood horizontally opposite to the first. Even after the April 10th judgment, all newspapers grudgingly welcomed it with notes of caution.

So you are shocked and disappointed now.

Almost always "politics is the dirty game", "all politicians are scoundrels" and the "media is the conscience-keeper" "self-righteous watchdog" of the democracy. So its not surprising to see that an anti-reservationists (sic) is left with a feeling that the parliament does not represent her. (the anti-reservationist is a misnomer actually because those who were opposing the new law were supporting reservation of those "island of oppertunities" for themselves and were against opening up to the other backward classes of India. So lets call them anti-OBC from now on). But there is a sad and twisted reality to this. The parliament is represented not by those anti-OBC yuppies(because the voters are not them) but it still represents and safeguards their interests. Its on the wall; in the budgets, economic policies, education policies. Even the measure that implementation of OBC reservation would not eat up their seats is just another example of that. But the anti-OBC is not convinced. She terms it a political hogwash.

In this situation where the media has already taken up a stiff position there was but little possibility to arouse a public debate on the issue. It did however, angry protests that left the health-care system in shambles. Barring the flashy 30-minutes program by news channels, and occasional op-ed columns in newspapers, everyone was left to his/her own prejudices about the subjects that deeply concerned with this issue, "equality", "merit" "participation and representation" "democracy" and such. Fundamentally, the public sphere remained media-dominated. Since the media was partisan and had sectarian representation, the concept of public sphere-which is a liberal and populist celebration of diversity, tolerance, debate and consensus- was defeated.

Were there public spheres free from state institutions, corporate interests and big media houses , to shape the public opinion ? Considering the mobilisation of students across country, there should have been. Every institute had the students' voice divided, so were the faculty on the issue. So there could have been debates. One wonders, if these debates were able to generate any consensus. In fact, hoping for a consensus over a debate is another extreme. Any issue has some undeniable facts-facts which could be called on to a debate and some theories-which are opinionated. The best outcome of a debate should have been facts and progressive ideas that make you uncomfortable with your opinion or jubilant over it. How many of the anti-OBCs actually went to the debate after learning the facts, and trying to focus on some most progressive ideas that the state was currently considering. Because, in AIIMS which was the epicenter of anit-OBC protest and those professional engineering and medical colleges the chief source of information was NEWSPAPERS, which hardly presented facts and logic that only substantiated their stand. So any fact-finding mission ended up doubly agitated. If it had not been so, the Supreme court judgment would not have shocked you. The Hindu, The Asian Age, The Indian Express said, the judgment was not surprising, I hope you understand that they knew what you didn't.

There was an attempt to bridge the two poles in OBC reservation issue. It didn't go as we expected, but its worth mentioning how it started and ended up.

(to be contd.)

     न्यायपालिका (जहाँ आरक्षण नहीं लागू है) ने सांसद-विधायकों के बच्चों को क्रीमी लेयर मान कर आरक्षण से वंचित रखने की बात कही है । क्रीमी लेयर के कारण वास्तविक जरूरतमंद आरक्षण से वंचित हो जाते हैं यह माना जाता है। अनुसूचित जाति / अनुसूचित जनजाति में क्रेमी लेयर के rider से न्यायपालिका ने इन्कार किया है । तीसरे तबके में क्रीमी लेयर की बाबत जज चुप हैं। क्या अनारक्षित वर्ग में मलाईदार परतें नहीं हैं ? क्या विश्वविद्यालयों में इस तबके मास्टरों के बच्चे उन्हीं विभागों में टॉप करने के बाद वहीं मास्टर नहीं बनते ? क्या अनारक्षित वर्ग के अफ़सरों के बच्चे अफ़सर नहीं बनते ? नेता के बच्चे नेता भी हर वर्ग में बनते हैं ।  गैर मलाईदार वर्गों के साथ उन्हें स्पर्धा में क्यों रखा जाता है ? गैर आरक्षित वर्ग के क्रीमी लेयर पर भी  rider लगाने की बहस भी अब शुरु होनी चाहिए ।

    पिछड़े वर्गों के कुछ अभ्यर्थी खुली स्पर्धा से भी चुने जाते हैं और अनुसूचित जाति / अनुसूचित जनजाति के भी । हर साल लोक सेवा आयोग द्वारा अनुसूचित जाति अनुसूचित जनजाति के अभ्यर्थियों के सामान्य वर्ग में चुने जाने की तादाद बढ़ने की स्वस्थ सूचना प्रेस कॉन्फ़रेन्स द्वारा दी जाती है। सामान्य सीटों पर उत्तीर्ण होने वाले पिछड़े वर्गों के अभ्यर्थियों की गिनती 'कोटे' के तहत क्यों नहीं की जाती इसे मण्डल कमीशन की रपट में बहुत अच्छी तरह समझाया गया है ।

  सर्वोच्च न्यायालय द्वारा कल दिए गए फैसले के बाद हमारे समाज की यथास्थिति ताकतें ( जैसे मनुवादी मीडिया और फिक्की , एसोकेम जैसे पूंजीपतियों के संगठन ) फिर खदबदायेंगी , यह लाजमी है ।

A latest example is the clearance of the OBC quota law. Now, the SCs, STs and OBCs will have a total of 49.5% reservation in all central universities including IIT, IIM and even JNU and DU. The cream layer of OBC will be excluded which includes, kids of judges and gov. officers, and kids of other wealthy parents. Even the private universities have to follow this, which is unconstitutional according to one of the judges deciding the case. You tell me, is it necessary today that reservations should be kept. Sure it was when certain caste people weren't given admission in temple schools, but now no one asks about your caste when you go to get admission anywhere except when you fill it out yourself. How is it needed anymore? How forward do they wanna take India when our Government keeps dividing us on caste bases and then asks us to be tolerant of others? They just want to get votes.

And in this so called "Democarcy", the Government doesn't even want to hear the public out. The so many possessions and morchas have been squashed, students have been killed and lathi charges are common. So, they are taking away our only right which we could practice without restrictions. And the CJI has to say on this that, "Reservation is one of the many tools that are used to preserve....essence of equality so that disadvantaged groups can be brought to the forefront of civil life." What disadvantaged groups? When people don't discriminate, why does the government? I'll tell you what, the parties should give their votebank a 100% reservation, and we shall be pushed out to other countries, cuz that what it looks like, we are halfway there.

I wanna clarify that I am not writing against the SC, ST, or OBCs, but against the way Democracy is practiced in India. I might even be charged under the law for speaking against the Government cuz the right to speech is not of importance anymore, cuz if mass protests are crushed, who am I? Our fundamental rights are taken away, and then they call out to us to fulfill our fundamental duty of voting which is already rigged with gifts and fake votes and hollow promises. Well I say this to those people:

Well, anyway enjoy your votebank. My faith in democracy has been broken. Communism or anything else, anyone?

BTW, I got admission in Bansal Classes.................

For those who are concerned that this will devalue the IIT and IIM brands, slow down development, heighten inter-caste animosity and reduce opportunities for much of the population without really helping the rest -- well, of course you are right, but fret not! As Aristotle The Geek points out, the market will do its best to correct the situation.

So much of recent history can be viewed as a case study of the market systematically correcting (at least some of) the ills caused by ill-advised government action. Isn't that ironic?

Businesses in the job market are looking for one thing and one thing only - the best possible talent at the lowest possible price. They know the condition of the education system in the country and also the quality of output of every institution. Since the reputation of institutions is kept alive by the performance of its alumni, any institution that begins churning out half baked graduates will soon lose its aura. This is the reason we have so many unemployable graduates and post-graduates in this country, across the caste spectrum. Their unemployability stems from this very lack of quality that substandard colleges and universities teaching outdated syllabi suffer from. No one will touch them because even after 5-10 years of education, they are skill deprived. This has happened because the government is loathe to let go of its hold on the education sector. A completely open education sector will result in an increase in the number of private schools, colleges and other institutes of higher learning. Investment will come into the sector, teachers and professors will be made accountable, and the syllabi will be linked to what the industry demands. The quality of education will increase because if schools and colleges don't do that, their business will crumble. But instead of doing this, the government is hell bent on destroying every sector of education right from primary level to post graduate level through lack of investment and general apathy.

The idea that reserving seats in institutes of higher learning will help backward castes come up is flawed. I don't say that they won't come up (intelligence and caste are not correlated; education and caste are not correlated; and most important, intelligence and education are not correlated). I say the idea is flawed. By amending the constitution, what parliament has done is to try to pry open the gates of IIM, IIT and AIIMS to those OBCs who would not otherwise have got in. That is the basic intent of the constitutional amendment - it is a fight for about 10,000 seats. But businesses are not stupid. Where previously they would accept any two IIM graduates as near equals, depending on their educational record, now they will also ask for information on how they entered the institute. If the government thought that by relaxing entry norms, it can cloud the issue, that is surely not going to happen. Of course it depends on the quality of the candidate. If the candidate is someone who missed out because there were fifty others who scored better than him, then it won't make much of a difference because if there had been three more IIMs, or more seats in the existing ones, he would have gained admission without going through the reservation nonsense. But if the candidate is one who is a long way off educationally, and he is able to leapfrog 10,000 people because of reservations, that is not good. And employers will take note of that.

Reservation or no reservation, businesses are only going to employ those people who are going to make money for them, and no reservation policy is going to change it. If they find that the system is messing up their measurement scales, they will come up with their own methods, as lots of IT companies have had to do to filter out the millions of applications they get each year. Some people argue about a bias against candidates from the backward classes in employment. While you can't completely deny this (after all, people are people, and some of them are going to be asses), it is not in the interest of any business to dump a candidate on the basis of his caste or religion if he meets the other criteria.

In the face of all this, the only way the government can ensure that those admitted under the 27% quota do get jobs similar to their non-quota mates is to move forward and impose reservations on jobs in the private sector. And the cynic in me warns that this is going to happen sooner or later. The SC verdict is only going to embolden the quota brigade. But this step will be radical, and its impact will be felt worldwide, because services provided by Indian companies are not restricted to India alone. It will have to be seen what the world has to say on this.

Reservation won't work. It is not about willingness or investment or any such thing. It is simply that the concept is seriously flawed and it is time people realized that. If at all people want to work for uplifting of backward classes, what stops them from starting their own schools and colleges and hiring the best minds to do the teaching? Or if some companies want to help, what stops them from reaching out? In any case there is a fundamental problem in the concept of a constitutionally mandatory and hence legally enforceable reservation system which most people miss. It is that such a system is an assault on the principles of equality and freedom. But, when the law is used to cure social problems, freedom is bound to suffer. And that will happen again and again and again, till governments realize that they do not exist to sell milk or vegetables, or to control the viewing habits of people, or to cure social evils, or to enforce minimum wages, or to run business empires; but that they exist to do two things only - protect people from violence, and to see that contracts are enforced - which, history proves, most of them have been thoroughly incapable of doing.

There is only one moral stand that can be taken on any enforced reservation - against it. All those spineless people who go about saying we are not against reservations but... should consider what Ayn Rand had to say on this behavior - there are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.

So now there is a 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central education institutions including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The Supreme Court ruled but also maintained that the "creamy layer" (details below) among the backwards would not get reservation.

According to Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan "Reservation is one of the tools used to preserve essence of equality so that disadvantaged groups can be brought to the forefront of civil life."

In simple terms: The Apex Court upheld Article 15(5) that was inserted through the 93rd amendment, as well as the Central Education Institutions (Reserve Admission) Act. The amendment allowed reservations in all education institutions, including private colleges. Currently we have 27% quota for OBCs, 17% is reserved for SCs, and 7.5% for STs. The total reservation is now a whopping 49.5%.

What is the Creamy Layer?

Children of the following wont benefit.. for now...

• Servicing and past Presidents, Vice Presidents, Supreme Court judges and High Court judges.
• Class I and II officers of Central and State Services and Public Sector Units.
• Colonels and above in Army and equivalent posts in Navy, Air Force.
• Doctors, Lawyers, Industrialists.
• People owning agricultural land above a certain limit.
• Those who earn over Rs. 2.5 lakh annually.

I feel that the reservations if any should be at the School level and not above that as it kills the competitive spirit of education.