Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Education & conscience

The insightful article “St. Stephen’s: education and social conscience” (July 9) was indeed a wake-up call to all Christian institutions, particularly the elite ones, in India. In the era of commercialisation of education, noted educationists and the so-called prestigious and well ranked educational institutions invariably feed the overfed. St. Stephen’s bold initiative and Rev. Valson Thampu’s determination to set apart 10 per cent of the total seats for the ‘un-shining’ bulk of India’s population is a shining example. Let not the national debate discourage Rev. Thampu from travelling the road less travelled.

S.J. John Pradeep,

Dharwad

Rev. Thampu has put the rantings of the well-heeled anti-reservation brigade, which is out to deny the underprivileged the opportunity to enhance their chances of breaking the barrier of illiteracy and social disempowerment, in their proper perspective. The constant use of the merit disguise under the new avatar of institutional privilege reflects the insecurity of the privileged sections.

Kasim Sait,

Chennai

One would like to know who exactly is a Dalit Christian as such a category is neither recognised nor defined by the law of the land. Notwithstanding the fact that St. Stephen’s is a minority-run institution, the tone in which Rev. Thampu has put across his otherwise noble cause by seeking to justify the move on essentially Biblical grounds is quite disturbing.

J. Sai Deepak,

Kharagpur Our Constitution may allow religion and caste as criteria for special treatment, but the desirability of doing so remains open to question. At least some of the resentment today is about a secular state’s recognition of religious and caste identities, and the consequent legitimisation and consolidation of existing social divisions.

Ramakrishna Bantu,

Hyderabad

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