Not on Thy Grace, But On Your Merits

So the time has come, finally.

No more upper classes and lower classes in India and certainly not in Kerala. We had long back stopped discriminating others based on caste or religion. Nobody really think in terms of caste, particularly when it is about a marriage or job. Everybody is accepted everywhere, including the old lower caste priests now in temples run by an upper caste majority. Oh! Sorry! There is no such thing as upper caste and lower caste. Don't ever repeat that kind of classification. Its no longer there. As a punishment, I will write it 100 times on a piece of paper. Suddenly I will see that ideal world. Isn't it magic?

How many years passed after freedom? Fifty to sixty years is the average life time of a human being and we have completely eradicated the problems that led to reservations to the deprived in the time span of just one generation. That's music to my ears. Let's get this message to the world where racism is still an issue. They should learn from us. Seeing us and learning by example, they will be able to get rid of a curse that has been in their society for centuries, in no time.

Reservations are now an old story. Now everything is, or should be, based on merit. Only merited should go through. That makes sense. Doesn't it? After all, we know the definition of what merit is! So get those handicapped persons off their jobs because there are others who will do better than them. No more jobs to widows or the relatives of that deceased while he/she was in service because there are others more deserving. Don't give that seat to him/her just because he is good in football or cricket or swimming and nothing else. Let him go and play on the streets. No donations, please. At least, don't talk about it please. This is for us, who have been studying 24 hours/day, 7 days per week. We deserve it more than anybody else.

This is for us and our children, who have the privilege and fortune to switch on those emergency lamps during power cuts, who have the money to buy whatever books we want to supplement our otherwise mean brain, who have the bank balance to send us to tution that requires thousands per month, who do not really care whether there are classes at school or college due to strikes or hartals or bandhs or any other constipation theory. We are the right people because we can afford to read news papers everyday, watch more than one news channels on more than one televisions, access to information because of internet connectivity and what more, parents and relatives who can answer our doubts or recommend us to any positions, although we do not really need it. And you see we have our full time for studies, not like those ones who struggle and do part time job to meet their daily needs.

See! Our point is that there is no more poverty or discrimination in society on any grounds. All conditions are equal. When all conditions are equal, if we get 90 marks, we should get that admission, right? Since all conditions are equal, we are better than him/her who got 80 marks, right? Yes! We attended the same examination, right? Same questions, right? Same evaluators, right? What more? We sat on the same bench to write the exam. All conditions equal, right? You got it now. This is what we are talking about. Since this is a perfect world, we can always have perfect solutions. And you know what? There is a good chance that we will go abroad for higher studies or job. What will they do even if they manage to pass the hurdles? Can't you see that we make better citizens?

So we, the people of today and tomorrow, who earn six digit salary, who sits in the comfort of an a/c room and a connected computer, who did not have the advantage of reservations till today or who had achieved financial stability and social status due to the same reservations, unanimously declare that reservation is no longer needed. Or if you insist, give the reservation only on the basis of annual income so that we can conveniently forget many others. By the theory of mathematical induction or using a curve of extrapolation, all OBCs and SC/STs have attained forward status as of today (dated and signed). After all, this is India sans corruption, as we have passed fifty years of freedom. More than the facts, that figure horrifies us. Long live equality.

I agree. Not on thy grace, but only and ONLY on your merits.

References:

Mandatharangal
Time and Tide

God's Own Country, Our Own Problems!

This discussion thread on the proposed Smart city in Cochin inspired some thoughts.

Having lived in Dubai from 1999 to 2005 and witnessed the kind of growth that a small city like Dubai is achieving, it is not easy to avoid mentioning a force known as Dubai Holding for its vision and investment skills. It is amazing to see the development and speed that is going on and how it has transformed the tiny nation
to focus into investments in areas other than oil. Its about creating opportunities. And Smart city is about the same.

What are the kind of jobs that Smart city would create? To build the infrastructure, that includes facilities such as buildings, roads, communication, water and electricity to name a few, the project would give jobs for tens of thousands of people for a minimum number of years and a permanent job for the maintenance workers. Then there are requirements for software engineers, administrative staff, office assistants etc. More and more residential buildings and hotels would come up as time passes which would bring in more and more jobs. People will have more reasons to travel to this place which would have an impact in businesses elsewhere. That is hell lot of jobs, direct and indirect. Silly to say that it would not create jobs for the common man!

Real estate is booming in Cochin and even in Alwaye and has brought fortune to many. There was rumour that Muslim league has bought land in and around the area where Smart city is going to come up. There was no guarantee that it would be a reality and if it was, the word was out and everybody knew about the development. So it is not easy to eat the rumour that only Muslim league could buy the land. What happened to the land they amassed around the proposed Express highway? Who killed the project and why?

When a company makes a multi-billion investment, we do not expect them to make profits in thousands. And it is natural for them to ask for security of their money in some strict terms. By the way, even when Smart city itself is not in a position to launch, who will bet on a green signal for another project in the coming years. If we don't have the money to invest, let somebody do it and who in the world better than Dubai Holding? Whom else we are expecting to do it for us for 10 rupee profit?

It is funny to hear that since Dubai wants to kill the competition, they might even kill the Smart city for Dubai to prosper. Dubai has its own limitations in land, weather, greenery, human resources etc. Would somebody invest billions and keep it stale for another one of its business to prosper? Hard to believe! Another thought is that it will take away some of the jobs from overseas back to India. Serious or not, interesting is the way people think!

Other than the cries of foul and corruption, our political parties have failed to bring in an understanding on the terms and conditions as well as opportunities of the project. We might want to see action rather than a stalemate. Each time a project comes up, that's what we can see. A stalemate where people of Kerala will never win. Still we think that politicians, left or right, are there for our prosperity. Wake up dears.

Who benefits if Smart city does not come up? There will be more unemployed people to work for the politicians or take quotation jobs to kill others or carry out thefts to a do a better living. So 'Janakeeyasoothranam' is the only way out? Didn't I hear that there too was corruption? Intentions of the company or our politicians are clear. To make money or profit out of this issue or business. The development that would bring in is real. Let's forget the first and go for the latter. I don't think that our politicians live out of the salary from the government alone.

Smart city may not become a reality even though Judiciary had a say on it. For the last 10 years at least, we have compared
ourself as a potential threat to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Noida, kept boasting about the latency and bandwidth and the topological importance of Cochin, but nothing happened. 10 years from now, we would be doing the same thing and would be going to polls to vote the same politicians who will win this year's election. Because we think a little too much! Eh?

She made me bankrupt

Most of the men's hostels in IIT Madras are sandwiched between two small gates at the rear end of the beautiful IIT campus. The hostels are named after the rivers in India and spread over one kilometre stretch between the rear gates. The gates do not allow heavy traffic as it has width just enough for a bicycle or motor cycle. One of this gate, situated close to the hostels where graduate students live, opens to Velacheri and the other one, which has an easy access for the under graduate students, to Taramani, two slums where mosquitoes have a better standard of living. I was living in Brahmaputra, probably the hostel with bigger rooms and an easy access from the upper floors to the hostel mess hall, closer to the Velacheri gate.

On a beautiful nice evening in Oct 1998, a rich mosquito from Velacheri made a visit to my hostel room. As a matter of fact, mosquitoes never required an invitation or security check to visit the hostels. Hence she* came, accepted my hospitality, kissed my cheek, drank my blood and left the room in haste without saying thanks. In fact she had brought me a present called Malaria which I could know about in a few days time. For a day or two, I was having fever that would come and go and temperature used to peek during evenings followed by a sudden dip that would make me shiver. Usual prescriptions for fever did not bring any relief and when I could not handle the chills anymore, I wanted my friends to take me to the IIT hospital.
The students ward was almost full, with a bed or two vacant. The ceiling fans were on and seeing that I promptly requested for a bed in the staff section, just opposite to that of students. Fortunately the request was granted and I had the whole ward for myself as there were no other patients. Friends used to take turns, to keep me in good spirits, including one woman who later became my wife. She brought me food everyday from the home of Gangadharan sir who was doing his PhD but living in a quarters with his wife. Narayanankutti went to the extent of washing my clothes. It took two complete weeks to recover and get discharged from the hospital but many more weeks to get back to normal health.
I wanted to thank Gangadharan sir and decided to take him for lunch or dinner. I was indebted to him, like many others. He told me that if I really wanted to repay the debt, I should help people in distress and need. He wanted me to have the debt unpaid. His wish was to get the debt multiplied so that the good deed would carry on. I realised for once and all that I had become bankrupt where money would never have a say.

* Malaria (n.): An infectious disease characterized by cycles of chills, fever, and sweating, caused by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium in red blood cells, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected FEMALE anopheles mosquito.