Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Caste discrimination

The article “Discrimination for dummies: V. 2008” (Jan. 18) has rightly analysed the issues that surround the caste system in India. Caste is not restricted to reservation in education and employment; it penetrates deep into the lives of the people. The apathy of the media towards the issues affecting the lower caste people is disturbing. At the same time, it must be said that reservation has done little good. A very small number of people benefit from it while a majority of backward Indians have been left out. The most significant effect of reservation has been to widen the gap within different sections of people.

Vaibhav Sharma,

Chennai

I fully agree with the author’s views on the discriminatory attitude of national and international media towards Dalits. Dalit perspectives and issues never get decent space and coverage in the mainstream media. These perspectives are stereotyped as ideological constructs of lesser merit. The problems and concerns of Dalits are trivialised and ridiculed. Because of their dehumanised past, they are devalued, their capacity to think is questioned. Thus they become a static community, prisoners of a stereotype. To counter this, we need socially committed media intellectuals and activists who can present the Dalit perspective in a right manner.

Harish S. Wankhede,

New Delhi

What struck me was the media apathy towards Dalit issues — the several instances of Dalit victimisation which they have downplayed while providing extensive coverage to stories that reflect the concerns of the upper castes. Dalits seem to be fighting a losing battle as the public opinion formed by such partial and biased media coverage is bound to be prejudiced against them.

P. Sudeep Nettur,

Bangalore

The caste system, which has prevailed in India for centuries, has become a burden on those with a conscience and rational mind. Those who call themselves Hindus but practise apartheid in the name of caste ought to do their homework first. The fact that untouchability is still practised in some Hindu temples makes a mockery of the ever-evolving nature of Hinduism.

Maitree Mishra,

Indore

That discrimination against Dalits continues even after six decades of independence is unfortunate. The atrocities the article refers to are extremely shocking and are enough to shame all Indians.

But will reservation in education and jobs alleviate their suffering? Are governments really concerned about Dalits or are they using them as vote bank? It is no doubt necessary to continue with the reservation policy to uplift those who have suffered for centuries. But it is more important to elevate them to a level where they can send their children to schools. Reservation should be regulated to benefit those who really deserve it.

Ambika Gupta,

New Delhi

Casteism is still practised in our country and there still exists a mental divide between the upper and lower castes. The number of arranged marriages that takes place testifies to the caste divide. But what is the solution to the problem? Is caste-based reservation, with the creamy layer included and the list of OBCs increasing, the only solution?

Reservation is necessary but only for the downtrodden, irrespective of caste. Caste-based reservation has become such a big political issue that nobody dares to think differently. I think it is time to do away with it and look for bridging the divide instead of deepening it.

Shikhar Sharma,

Hyderabad

The opposition to reservation in jobs and education is triggered by the fear that a large chunk of the benefit will be utilised by the creamy layer. It makes sense to provide support in the form of reservation to those who need it.

But when Dalits who continue to suffer are unable to derive its benefits, the entire purpose of reservation stands defeated. The media, instead of having a positive debate on how to make reservation more meaningful, are caught in the popular sentiments of the middle and upper-middle class groups.

Rahul Sharma,

New Delhi

Can we deny that reverse discrimination against Brahmins, as pointed out by the Wall Street Journal article, exists? It is not Brahmins who were responsible for the Khairlanji incident. It is not Brahmins who gouged out the eyes of a young Dalit for marrying a girl from another caste.

It is not Brahmins who are responsible for a huge percentage of Dalits living below the poverty line. Why, then, should they be at the receiving end of the quota system?

K. Hari Krishnan,

Tuticorin

The injustices meted out to Dalits are cruel and unconscionable. The state’s response should be to punish those perpetrating them while providing generous development assistance to the victimised communities. Depriving a whole class of ‘upper’ caste people of opportunities is not fair. Two wrongs do not make a right. It is not fair to blame the present generation for centuries-old social ills.

Mukundagiri Sadagopan,

Wheaton, Illinois

The article blames the Indian elite as a whole for its attitude towards Dalits and the stand on reverse discrimination. It does not spare even the media for its ‘sin’ of covering the AIIMS agitation. It conveniently fails to mention that it is the media that have been in the forefront of bringing to light instances of atrocities against Dalits. The elite and all sections of the media need not have identical views on all social issues. If, despite the existence of reservation for so many decades, there is not even a slow-paced improvement in the plight of the under-privileged, there is no point in defending it or denying the existence of reverse discrimination.

Navuluri Venkateswara Rao,

Visakhapatnam

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