Reservations in education & jobs. Haven’t we all heard of this a decade and a half ago, and protested against the same vehemently? And isn’t this the very same issue that cost Rajiv Gandhi & the Congress the election in 1989? So, why is the Congress going ahead with this now? To understand this, one has to dwell into the past.
If memory serves me right, when Rajiv Gandhi was presented with the option of implementing the Mandal Commission report while still in office, his stance was that this would lead to dividing the country on the lines of caste, and he was totally opposed to the idea. He felt that after 40+ years of independence, India needed to look ahead and start becoming a power to contend with in the world. And this would not happen if we allowed undeserving candidates protection in securing education & jobs at the cost of bright youngsters who were more worthy of leading India into the 21st century. Truly, he did not understand the politics of the land (being a service class person himself till 1984, when he was suddenly forced to enter the political arena), and paid dearly by leading Congress to a historical poll rout. While the politics of Mandal & Kamandal led to the mass erosion of the Congress base of working classes and the underprivileged, Rajiv still refused to agree to reservations and did not use them in the polls of 1991 too. Sadly, the one man in politics who refused to play the communal card was assassinated, and since then the small regional parties (SP, BSP, JDU, et al), have continued to rule the roost by pandering to the emotions of the teeming masses who want a government job, but don’t want to work for the nation’s progress.
Coming back to the question, why is the Congress playing the same card that Rajiv opposed? And specially so given the fact that his wife, Sonia, is the supreme leader of not just the party, but the government itself, albeit without carrying any portfolio. My guess is as good as yours, and I feel that the Congress has realized that while in Rome (no pun intended with it being Italy’s capital), do as the Romans do.
I have been a supporter of most of Congress’ policies since BJP distanced itself from me post their mute-spectatorial support of Mandal, and moreso their stance on Swadeshi in ‘90s (though they are the ones who truly opened the economy after coming to power), but today I feel betrayed. Ignoring Rajiv’s vision, the Congress today is trying to implement the reservations not for the downtrodden but for its own good, demoralizing the bright youth of today, who are competing with global corporations and creating a name for India. Irony is, that it is only the doctors (and those too who already are admitted into their courses with a secure future), who are taking on the might of the government, with very little support from the engineering & the management students.
So, again, why does the Congress feel the need to do so? With it slowly but surely losing its mass base in UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan & Gujarat, which constitute almost half (if not more) of the Parliamentary seats, and with regional parties & BJP playing having with caste & religion, it does seem to have no option. It still calls itself a secular party and so cannot say things like we are committed to the development of the oppressed poor classes ala SP or BSP or JDU. That would make sure that the educated urbane would move away from them. Howsoever small in numbers they may be in the electoral battle, they constitute the enlightened few in this country, who are opinion makers. And every party that calls itself a national party needs them. The RJD or CPI/CPM in my mind are still regional players who find fervour in select states only, and hence they continue to play the game of masses versus classes. And they would love to distance themselves from the Congress the day they could cobble up a majority minus the BJP. Jayalalitha and Mamta Bannerjee, amongst many others, are known to change quickly like the ocean’s tides, and they would happily ally with anyone who would bring them to power. Which is why the Congress is forced to build a strong base for itself in the masses who vote. I, for one, am dead against it, and can only hope and pray that good sense prevails on everyone and it is the country’s progress which is considered ahead of every other consideration. For, a fast-growing nation creates opportunities, jobs, wealth and recognition for many, many more than a nation that likes to appease everyone and fail to please anyone.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
India - 16 going on 17... but unable to reach 18
Okay! Records are meant to be broken. And also, a record is a milestone that has a certain limit at that point of time – though this limit can be extended to whatever limits by the record breaker. However, the limit does exist and it is never infinite.
Who would have thought a decade and a half ago that the 100-meter dash can be run in under 10 seconds? Carl Lewis certainly did not, but he did it nonetheless. And today, we have sprinters who are clocking 9.77 seconds (almost 2.5% under the so-thought limit). Or, who would have thought that 434 runs could be scored in 50-overs in cricket? Australia did it notwithstanding it being a superlative effort. Only to realize a mere 4 hours later, that South Africa were also more than up to the task.
That brings me to my current context. Would you have ever imagined that India would equal the world record of 16 back-to-back successful run chases (yes, chases!!!)? That too against teams like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England? And then break the record with a 17th consecutive win against West Indies, to create the new world record.
Indians traditionally were always poor chasers, and this new-found confidence in chasing is because of the fresh enthusiasm seen all around the team in the form of newcomers who carry no past baggage of losses while chasing a total. They are the go-getters and they are ready for the kill. Not to forget the captain, who more than lives up to his nickname “The Wall”, who is ever-willing to take on a challenge and come out victorious. This is the same guy who cricketing pundits said had no place in one-dayers because of his traditional and woefully slow batting. Who would have thought that the same genius would today be just 500-odd runs away from the magical 10K runs figure in one day cricket? And who would have thought he would be leading the team (let alone be just a part of it) with most successful chases in history? After all, he started playing in the era where India almost always lost while chasing? And he was blamed manyatime for the same due to his slow batting. But here we are, with a new world record. And this man is leading from the front like no one else before. And the team is rising to new heights with every fresh outing.
This brings me to the second point that I want to discuss today. Why did India lose their 18th chase? And that too when the target was extremely achievable – 199 to get in 50 overs is not stiff by any standards – South Africa got more than double of that, and that too against the world’s no. 1 team. So, why did India’s record run come to an end? Well, there are no simple answers here. I saw the match, and have only one thing to say – Brian Lara marshalled his limited bowling resources extremely well. The wicket did not have much for the bowlers, and against Indian line-up, the bowlers wouldn’t have been much worth. But Lara ensured that he was giving the ball to the right bowlers at the right time, who created sufficient pressure by good line & length and forced the Indians to throw their wickets. That is precisely what happened in my view.
One man – Yuvraj – played a brilliant knock in my view, till the very last ball that he got out on. Having taken the team to that level (India needed 11 off the last over, mind you, with only 1 wicket to spare) where they needed just 2 runs off the last 3 deliveries, he should have got it. Bravo, who was bowling the last over, was having one of the worst days of his life till that very last ball. But the excruciating circumstances took their toll on Yuvraj, and just one reckless fling of the bat threw it all away.
Well, that’s history now, and West India has derailed the Indian bandwagon. But there should be no remorse. Like I said, there is no record that is limitless. And Indians have genuinely created a huge record that is going to be difficult to surpass. However, no record can survive eternity – so it is bound to broken. In my view, currently there are 3 teams that are up to it – Australia, South Africa and India itself. So, let’s see if it can be bettered; and let’s see who gets it!
Who would have thought a decade and a half ago that the 100-meter dash can be run in under 10 seconds? Carl Lewis certainly did not, but he did it nonetheless. And today, we have sprinters who are clocking 9.77 seconds (almost 2.5% under the so-thought limit). Or, who would have thought that 434 runs could be scored in 50-overs in cricket? Australia did it notwithstanding it being a superlative effort. Only to realize a mere 4 hours later, that South Africa were also more than up to the task.
That brings me to my current context. Would you have ever imagined that India would equal the world record of 16 back-to-back successful run chases (yes, chases!!!)? That too against teams like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England? And then break the record with a 17th consecutive win against West Indies, to create the new world record.
Indians traditionally were always poor chasers, and this new-found confidence in chasing is because of the fresh enthusiasm seen all around the team in the form of newcomers who carry no past baggage of losses while chasing a total. They are the go-getters and they are ready for the kill. Not to forget the captain, who more than lives up to his nickname “The Wall”, who is ever-willing to take on a challenge and come out victorious. This is the same guy who cricketing pundits said had no place in one-dayers because of his traditional and woefully slow batting. Who would have thought that the same genius would today be just 500-odd runs away from the magical 10K runs figure in one day cricket? And who would have thought he would be leading the team (let alone be just a part of it) with most successful chases in history? After all, he started playing in the era where India almost always lost while chasing? And he was blamed manyatime for the same due to his slow batting. But here we are, with a new world record. And this man is leading from the front like no one else before. And the team is rising to new heights with every fresh outing.
This brings me to the second point that I want to discuss today. Why did India lose their 18th chase? And that too when the target was extremely achievable – 199 to get in 50 overs is not stiff by any standards – South Africa got more than double of that, and that too against the world’s no. 1 team. So, why did India’s record run come to an end? Well, there are no simple answers here. I saw the match, and have only one thing to say – Brian Lara marshalled his limited bowling resources extremely well. The wicket did not have much for the bowlers, and against Indian line-up, the bowlers wouldn’t have been much worth. But Lara ensured that he was giving the ball to the right bowlers at the right time, who created sufficient pressure by good line & length and forced the Indians to throw their wickets. That is precisely what happened in my view.
One man – Yuvraj – played a brilliant knock in my view, till the very last ball that he got out on. Having taken the team to that level (India needed 11 off the last over, mind you, with only 1 wicket to spare) where they needed just 2 runs off the last 3 deliveries, he should have got it. Bravo, who was bowling the last over, was having one of the worst days of his life till that very last ball. But the excruciating circumstances took their toll on Yuvraj, and just one reckless fling of the bat threw it all away.
Well, that’s history now, and West India has derailed the Indian bandwagon. But there should be no remorse. Like I said, there is no record that is limitless. And Indians have genuinely created a huge record that is going to be difficult to surpass. However, no record can survive eternity – so it is bound to broken. In my view, currently there are 3 teams that are up to it – Australia, South Africa and India itself. So, let’s see if it can be bettered; and let’s see who gets it!
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