1. Shashikant Nishant Sharma and Associates
Is Reservation Necessary?
Personal View
Shashikant Nishant Sharma
2012
New Delhi

2. Is Reservation Necessary?
Lets discuss whether reservation is necessary or not in India. Here, by
reservation we mean the system for allocating seats in government jobs,
educational institutions and elected bodies through the legal provisions by the
Supreme Court. Reservation has not a long history but it has drawn more
criticism than our caste system. The reasons will be clear after you go through
the article. I would rather say in favour of it than what my family and social
bringing compel me to do.
India has a long history of social stratification and the allied discriminations.
The social system are made or evolve over a period of time for the sustenance
and benefit of the society but overtime defects and demerits start sprouting
when we start to reinterpret social order for our vested interest. It will be unjust
to talk about reservation and put aside the caste system. The caste system was
envisaged to increase the efficiency of the human collective efforts. If you may
be quite clear that doing a job repeatedly you start increasing efficiency. In
ancient time, caste was not a rigid compartmentalisation as it is perceived and
insisted today.
It was based on the occupation you adopt. Overtime people started training their
wards in the vocation they did as there was no such vacation or training school
during olden days. And the system got perpetuated.
As long as people were busy doing their jobs and enjoying social pleasures,
everything went ok. And when; people started more organised form of
governance and city life. There began competition for the jobs. Real virtue of a
society can be gauged by analysing how the society uses the scarce resources.
Scarcity is the mother of all evils.

3. The differences in the Indian society were encashed by the political and social
invaders who came from Central and West Asia. This was further enfueled by
the European rulers.
No one in India really realised what was going on and why this state of affairs
exist in India because we see the society through the lenses of community,
creed, faith and many more to count. But, there was a man who had really
understood the root cause and hammered it and nailed it in such a manner that
future generation will realise it overtime. And I don‟t think I need to recite his
name as he was a facilitator for many great people.
India got Independence a new era of revolution and changes started taking
place. I wonder at his calibre how he made such a fool proof mechanism for
sustaining his ideas through the articles of the Indian Constitution. He had
foreseen the wicked tricks of noble man. Imbibing the virtues of Human
Fundamental Rights, Social, Political and Economic Equality and Equality of
opportunities; Indian democracy took a giant leap.
Writer should not deviate from the central idea but he must be wise enough not
to make his points in simple and light manner that the readers get a wrong
impression. So, coming back to the topic under discussion; we will analyses the
pros and cons of the „reservation‟. Whether reservation is necessary or not is a
subjective matter and everyone has right to present his ideas in a manner he
deems fit? Every human being cannot be equal and I think the differences must
be respected and considered in a considerate manner. Indian Diaspora is most
diverse in the world. To utilise the optimum potential of the human efforts, state
must come in action when a section of society is deprived of the opportunity
created by the state from the natural resources of the nature for its people. A
guardian takes care of every member of the family and he pays special care to
the one who is most vulnerable like a little child. There can‟t be competition

4. between a youth and a child and so to avoid the competition engage them in
different pursuits and if that is not possible then surely the child need extra
privilege. And if you think, this is just then you must acknowledge that
reservation does serve it purpose and it is necessary.
In India, there are many tribal communities who are deprived of education and
other social benefits and if they need to be brought in the main stream of the
society then there is need for reservation. In many remote areas and the rural
India, there are segments of the society who have been deprived of such
opportunities which is deemed to be the basic needs for respectful living are not
accessible to them. And if you think that they will be able to stand against the
elite and get admission in the schools on their own after lagging behind for
generations then you must rethink. And I would suggest you to think like a
human being not like an average Indian and if possible think and try to see
through things after ceding the lens of your communal, regional and allied
prejudices. And even if you are not able to see the need for reservation then
there is real need for it.
In USA, during 1990‟s the researches on the health conditions revealed that the
Black has poor health and the reason behind this was that the White doctors
refuses or discriminates in treating the Black patients. The American society
believes in equality and democracy. They failed to realise the need for
reservation and now they are implementing it in medical entrances.
In France, the country from where the concept of universal brotherhood and
equality evolved, there are communities who are unable to compete with the
elite, not because they are discriminated but because the equal opportunity
becomes unequal for them to compete with those who are better endowed.
Whether you realise or not there is always a necessity for reservation if you
want to make the best of human potential of the communities lagging behind in

5. the social, political or economic spheres of life. If might is right then, right is
might in democratic societies.
While analysing, whether the caste based reservation is worthwhile or not, I
came across ideas that will really make you clap for the framer of the Indian
Constitutions and the Supreme Court. Our administrative system is corrupt and
the lower order officials are a bit ahead of their seniors. A few weeks ago I
came across a statistics that around 30% Members of Parliament are in BPL list.
There is high rate of corruption and discrimination in Block Development
Offices from where the poor get their BPL cards, and the SCs and STs get their
caste certificates. Now, the point arises if you make reservation of the basis of
economic status then who will get benefits? Surely, the people who get the BPL
cards and get elected as MPs and MLAs will also take the advantages of the
reservation and the purpose of reservation will get nullified. So, the reservation
on the basis of caste has assured that the benefits will go to the targeted
community. Unless and until the mindset of people doesn‟t change there cannot
be real change in the society. If you think that economic consideration for
reservation should be taken into account then you must praise the clause on
„creamy layer‟ of the Other Backward Castes.
There are still conscious efforts by the social elites to taste the apple pie of the
reservation in the form of „Women Reservation‟ but our great socialist and
liberal leaders like Sri Lalu Prasad Yadav, Suprimo of Rastriya Janta Dal, and
Sri Mulayam Singh Yadav, Head of Samajvadi Party, have done a really
commendable job by opposing the „women reservation bill‟ in true spirit. They
demanded sub-reservation within reservation to ensure that the benefits reached
to the desired communities. The social elites may brainwash you that the
condition of the women is same whether in upper classes or lower classes. Let
me clarify further the thinking of the great social leaders. How many women
from SCs and STs are literate? Can they compete with the women of elite social

6. groups? If „women reservation‟ passed who is going to benefits? We do know
that women of our family will be first to get benefitted not the girls and women
visiting houses for doing the chores for „mem sab‟.
If any of my readers think that reservation is necessary but ready to oppose
„women reservation bill‟ in its current format then I will think that my efforts
have been worthwhile. It needs greatness to accept and support the cause of the
weaker and vulnerable groups without aiming for pecuniary advantages.
“Debates, discussions reaching consensus are the basis of any democratic
regime”. With a line from Amartya Sen‟s book „Indentity and Violence: The
Illusion of Destiny, I will put an end to my short article.
Shashikant Nishant Sharma
SPA, Delhi
SNSharma.SPA@gmail.com