Sir,
The nation has been watching a tug of war between different religions and casts since independence for their enlistment in the schedules meant for grant of reservations in matters of employment, promotion and other benefits as enshrined in the constitution of the country. The politicians had never spared any occasion for keeping this flame burning in order to bake their political cakes over with an exclusive purpose of making vote bank unmindful of its consequences on the democratic and secular set up, tranquility and integration of the country at all. It is pity that some casts, sub casts and religions which are financially and socially sound are in futile race with their counterparts in other casts and religions who really deserve such benefits from these provisions. Without being biased, there are, no doubt, people who have harvested more than they deserved from these provisions since independence and have never cared for those, belonging to their own casts and religion, who have been deprived of these benefits due to their poverty, ignorance, lack of opportunities as well as access to governments and bureaucracy of the country. The opportunist and influential people from these sections availed the benefits after the independence and went on climbing the constitutional stair step after step and never looked behind. In the present political scenario in the country every faction is striving hard to send candidates from their respective regions, religions, and casts to state assemblies and parliament with the hope that they might bring about magical change in their fate and destiny. Perhaps they forget that it is Indian democracy which has given Presidents, Prime Ministers, and chief ministers to the nation from all regions, casts and religions but the expected change still remained a wild goose chase even after seven decades of independence.
It is an admitted fact that poverty and misery do not discriminate between casts and communities rather they treat all alike. In reality a rich person always prefers to make and strengthen his friendship with his counterparts in other casts and communities by neglecting his own fellow brethren. We often find people from all casts and communities working as house pets, and engaged in the job of porters, scavenging, cleaning utensils, and doing all those jobs which are considered as inferior (every right job is dignified) in the eyes of economically sound people. In this context one is compelled to say ‘a bearer knows where his shoe pinches’. Truly speaking, there are only two casts and two religions i.e. rich and poor in this material age. It is therefore futile to quarrel with each other for petty benefits; rather collective efforts should be made for changing the fate of those who are poor, sick, deprived, illiterate and leading miserable life in the dingy and unhygienic environment.
The time has come when all those persons irrespective of their casts and communities should come forward and voluntarily sacrifice their personal interests and make room for others from their own casts and communities because they have got no right to grab benefits by exploitation any more.
Shiv Kumar Padha, a social activist from Basohli.
