Hope you remember the script in the first page of all our
Tamil books,
தீண்டாமை ஒரு
பாவச்செயல்
தீண்டாமை ஒரு
பெருங்குற்றம்
தீண்டாமை ஒரு
மனிதத்தன்மையற்ற செயல்
I see we talk and share about all the discrimination in our
society. Is there a day where you have introspected where it first started? Do
we really know what the root of this issue is?
Here is my introspection!
I invited my friends and well-wishers for the house warming
ceremony. During the function, I was asked this question privately pointing to
another invitee. ‘How do you know him?’ I responded, ‘I know him as we belong to the same caste’. The next question to me was, ‘Why are you like this even
after coming to America.’ I did not respond to it, because I did not know what
to respond. I was not actually offended by that question at all, however I just
gave it a thought. ‘Did I just say anything wrong?’ I asked myself. I wish I
asked these questions in return. ‘Why do we get along with people mostly from
India? That too, why do we get along with Tamilians?’
That’s when these thoughts dragged me back to my school
days. How did this caste and religion get into my mind? The same educational
system which taught me - untouchability is a sin, untouchability is a crime, and untouchability is inhuman - made me aware of caste based
reservation system. After
completing twelfth, you enter college. Students from the same area, who were
educated by the same set of teachers and ranked by the same institution become incomparable
when it comes to college counselling since they belong to a different class/caste.
Now, it’s that time to understand what needs to be changed? It’s not the
people, it’s the system where we are in.
In case of a pandemic, the whole world join hands as human
to fight the virus. In case of border, we fight against the neighboring country
to protect our country. When it comes to state, we fight the neighboring
Karnataka and Kerala for water. When it comes to city, we argue/fight for our
native place – my hometown is famous for this/that, my hometown is clean, theriyumla na Maduraikaren, appa na mattum enna Malaysia kaarana, etc. When it comes to our home, we fight any outsider in order to save our own
family members. That’s our nature. That’s what we are. That’s how we are.
Whole world consists of people with differences and
similarities. It’s natural human tendency that we tend to get along with people
with similarities. Having said that, there is nothing to be ashamed of to live
in one’s clan/group. In this case, you can fill clan with anything – it can be like-minded
people, one’s nationality, one’s religion, one’s caste, one’s language, one’s
state, one’s school, one’s college, one’s place of birth, one’s employer, one’s
locality, it can be whatever you could think of. Being in clan is never a
problem.
How do I define Caste and Religion?
It’s a division which consists of set of people who follow
same traditions and rituals. It’s simply nothing more than that.
When it becomes a
concern:
When one group/caste/religion tries to dominate, influence
or impact the other, then it becomes a concern. We can do whatever we want provided
it does not affect the other in any manner. Taken an example of an institution of
forty students. Let’s introduce the reservation based on caste and religion
into it. This reservation to one clan affects the chances and livelihood of
another clan. That’s the problem. That’s where the differences arise.
Let’s ask these questions to ourselves. Am I the one who
want to eradicate caste and religion and wish to see one India? Am I the one
who use the caste based reservation in the country? If we really want to see an
India above caste and religion, then the first thing affordable has to do is to
compete in the open system. Do you think we can dare to do that??? 😀
You know what, many of us would have come across this
scenario, where affordable clan from so called lower class reaping the benefits
of the caste based reservation system say for example through scholarship, financial
assistance, etc. while the unaffordable clan from so called upper class forced
to take educational loan or whatever loan for that matter just to be on par
with the society. If we really want to vote to bring in the equality in people,
pledge to create a system where the reservations are laid out based on income
rather than caste. That’s the time where people will not talk about caste and
religion at least not in public.
However, I’m sure at least one day if not today, the talk
about caste and religion will wane off given the gradual increase in the number
of inter-caste/inter-religious marriages. Thanks to them for coming to the
rescue.
Bottom line:
This article is not written to hurt others’ sentiments. Also
not because of fear, anger, frustration nor out of any personal enmity. I had
ingested and digested this reality fifteen years back. You or I as an
individual cannot change the system other than to just live with it. The notion
of this article is to just think and ask questions to ourselves before trying
to change the world. There is no point in enjoying all the benefits of the
reservation system on one side and voicing our thoughts against it on the other
side.
Dear friends, I know this topic is very sensitive. However,
one day or the other, I’ll have to voice my thought. I do not wish to die with
it. I would be very pleased if you do not undermine my character because of
this write up. This article is completely my personal thought which I have been
thinking to write about for a long time now. Kindly forgive this poor soul who
would have been affected by this system. Now, please don’t ask me which caste I
belong to. Thank you.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the
world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
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