The Great Indian Tamasha

We Indians have always been a bunch of optimists - even a minute improvement over status quo is an occasion to celebrate & rejoice.Inspite of obvious logic, we continue to hope that the cricket team will win, even though statistics show that there is a 55% chance that we will lose.

The current euphoria about the 'India' story might be based on such an illogical optimism as well. All the economic indicators seem to beheading in the right direction, there is a general feel-good floating around, every man & woman worth a few million are jumping on to the organised retail bandwagon, along with a bunch of foreign cos, India Inc is shopping abroad for acquisitions, mergers etc - so why should we not be optimistic?

Beneath the thin layer of the middle class well being, the same old story continues. The SC stay on the proposed reservation is bound to expose the ugly belly of Indian governance systems. The caste based vote banks & the misplaced sense of self-identity which makes us feel proud when LN Mittal, a self confesssed European takes over a steel plant & makes us feel wronged when someone comes out openly against affirmative action will all come into play now. Suddenly the so called ambassadors of reforms - the PM & FM - are unable to do anything.

It is a classic case of mob mentality. Surely the idea of reservation,like our subsidies on food, fertilisers, power etc is one with good intentions. But it is an absolute lack of faith in the system to identify the right recipient & ensure 100% delivery to him & him alone that is casting all the doubts. It is not enough for the FM to speak in a polished & self-assured manner that he is confident of the system & the need for the reservation, the average man on the street should feel it also. In the absence of any such assurance, these measures are nothing but creation of future channels for corruption. If we are unable to do anything about improving the efficiency of the current systems, the least we should be doing is not to put in place more of the same.

Nowhere in the world is there a competition to remain backward, the court has said. A society which has been bred on tolerance to inefficiency, the need to break traffic rules to reach on time & no sense of moral responsibility to the society as a whole, will not see a demand for reservation based purely on caste & not according to social standing, as something derogatory. Instead, it is a given, an opportunity which is rightfully theirs, irrespective of economic or educational standing.

Some people feel that a growing economy will have a trickle down effect which will reach all its population. The problem in India is that it takes too damn long. Basic necessities such as child healthcare,housing, food & water are still not 'basic necessities' for a large section of our population. Those are luxuries. It is this set of population who has to be given opportunities so that their inherent disadvantages are offset by reservation. How many among them know how to make use of this reservation? How many of them can afford the cost of an OBC certificate?

Opportunist politicians have already jumped the gun & announced measures of protest. Tamil Nadu where reservation is about 74% in some cases was the first one to do so. To speak against reservations can be a case of shooting oneself in politics. A bit worse, actually. Seasoned politicians will point to the increased interference of the judiciary with the legislature. Opposition will point fingers at the lack of preparation of the govt. They will not stop at anything to make this into the next big thing.We did not make it to the Super-8. A whole bunch of Indians were sitting around without any excitement. We can trust our leaders more than our cricketers to deliver that every time. The tamasha is set to begin. Let us hope that sense prevails & innocents do not get hurt.