Develop India: An excerpt of my conversation with a Japanese fan from Britain

BBC News: For the first time ever, more than one in 10 people in Japan are now aged 80 or older.

My comment: Japan is old, India is young.

Oric_Atmos: Japanese are a noble people, [Indians are] not the same.

My reply: No people are nobler than others. If you come to India, we will treat you hospitably, too. India has accommodated more refugees since immemorial than your honorable yet unaccommodating Japanese. Persians, Syrians, Jews, and Moslems tortured in their homelands took refuge in India. And, unlike the Middle East, we did not treat them as second-class citizens. A Persian family could become the ruling class only in India. Many Muslim and Syrian Christians also became ruling-class people. 

Oric_Atmos: Why does India have a caste system then? It is because the Brahmin are your noble people, just as in England, the Normans were ours. There is a definite hierarchy in all people groups; we are all different, and trying to equalize people only leads to genocide.

My answer: [“I hope you are not a fan of eugenics,” in my mind.] It is good that you acknowledge class hierarchy. Every country, every club, every locality has it. It is the unwritten, undergirding code of many societies. I am sure even Japan has it. 

Oric_Atmos: Get rid of your caste system, and India will be destroyed. You have capable people at the top, but the masses will overwhelm and destroy everything if allowed.

Me: In India, the caste system is a severe problem now. Earlier, the upper castes got many benefits. Nowadays, it is the opposite wave. Every high caste wants to become an unprivileged class that benefits under the reservation (affirmative action) scheme.

Oric_Atmos: I can also see agitation coming from America against it. I fear it may be the beginning of the end for traditional India.

After this conversation, I thought a bit more about caste-based problems in India. A semi-Brahmin family in my locality now calls themselves a lower caste (OBC) for benefits. They are wealthy, but they take advantage of the corrupt system and corrupt people. Many hitherto privileged classes that have produced stalwarts in Indian politics also want to be included in backward classes. For instance, the Patels of Gujarat wanted to get reservation benefits. They tried to climb down the caste ladder. And they created mayhem for a long time, from July 2015. 

Gujjar community of Rajasthan had fought for similar unreasonable reservation rights. Patel Samaj constitutes around ten to twelve percent of the population of Gujarat. Ironically, the leader of the agitation was Hardik Patel, and the Chief Minister of Gujarat was Nandibai Patel. Furthermore, historically, Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel had vehemently opposed Ambedkar's caste-based reservation policy. The agitation in Gujarat ended in this way.

"The chief minister expressed her inability to include Patidar in the OBC category, citing constitutional limitations, and urged the agitators to negotiate; they rejected the call. After violence following the 25 August rally in Ahmedabad, she expressed regret, ordered an inquiry, and called for peace and order in the state." Then, it spread to neighboring states before dying down. –Wikipedia, Patidar reservation agitation, 

The OBC reservation provides affirmative action for underprivileged people groups in India. It reserves around thirty percent of seats in education and government jobs for backward classes. In addition, twenty percent goes to scheduled castes and tribes. Thus, fifty percent is reserved already. The rest of the people compete for the remaining fifty percent. Even in that fifty percent, OBC, and scheduled people are allowed to compete. Thus, it creates an unfair system. 

Coupled with this, many people make fake evidence of their caste status to utilize government schemes. Many NRIs produce phony proof that they have no taxable income in India and are underprivileged. In this way, financially well-to-do people from OBC backgrounds abuse the governmental plans meant to uplift the economically backward. I have personal experience of this matter. 

Many upper-caste people who are financially poor are affected. Their children cannot find education or jobs. So, they try to migrate to other countries, which is also impossible. They do not have the money to do it. I know bright students who could not complete their education because of a lack of opportunity. When they have no option left, they become rascals: politicians. 

The main thing to ponder is this: if we have constitutionally abolished the caste system, why give reservations based on caste? Why invoke the method that we do not endorse? Why give it another opportunity to divide Indian people? Intriguingly, the census records people's gender, religion, caste, and income. Gender and money may be significant, but why should people disclose their religious or ideological views to the government? Caste comes with religion. If people can choose what they believe when they believe, why make it an issue? Nobody asks which brand of car or beverage or social-media platform people prefer. 

The caste hierarchy is old school. Even the upper caste does not benefit from it. The lower caste who are low income can still profit if the schemes are to uplift the poor classes. Furthermore, the reservation system itself is a failed system. Ambedkar wanted the strategy to pave the way to an equitable society in 10-15 years. However, it is around eighty years now. Has it delivered the goods? If yes, why continue it? If not, why did it not work? People blame implementation and corruption. If you knew these would come with the territory, why use this method?

I have not yet seen another nation uplifting its underprivileged through reservation or affirmation. Those who still find merit in this system may say we must research what aspect did not work. Many people propose economy-based reservations like in some other countries. Sadly, however, freebies seldom work in any society. Suppose someone promises me a seat in the Medical College even if I barely pass. Why would I work hard for the entrance test? I have seen such an attitude among reservation candidates. They know they will get the reserved seat. So, they work the least. E.g., Why would I work at all if you give me a hundred dollars a day without working?

We need to ask, "Is there a better alternative to affirmative action in the form of reserved seats?" I would say that instead of giving free, reserved, quota seats, people need equal opportunity in the matters that matter. Lower-income groups will perform much better if they get sufficient sunlight, water, and fertilizer in the form of economic and social benefits. They do not need to feel inferior also. I know many OBC and SC/T candidates feel bad even if they can reach the highest level. 

I have yet to see a reservation candidate admit they have an inferior brain capacity than the general category. If so, we all have similar brain power and study time. What makes them underprivileged? If it is the availability of resources, we can make them available. The shrewd politicians who need vote banks to help them win elections will never solve this problem. If they promise we will develop the rural areas where such people (the real OBC and SC/T, not the fakes) exist, they will need to deliver the goods. But why would they take the pain? I pray that a leader will rise in India who will handle the problem at its root. Develop India. 

I want to propose a comprehensive strategy, but here are some pointers on what we can do. 1. Create a Trust fund for the needs of rural India, the real OBC and SC/T. 2. Provide incentives to people to work in rural India. For instance, give higher salaries to doctors and teachers working in rural areas. 3. Develop the farming sector with new techniques instead of destroying it through imported seeds. 4. Develop libraries, parks, internet access, electricity, water, and cleanliness in rural areas. 5. Make people aware of good life practices for good health and hygiene.