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Reservation in private sector, a social necessity
On Record |
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Profile
Reflections
Diversities — Delhi Letter
Kashmir Diary
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Reservation in private sector, a social necessity
THE government’s basic objective of providing reservation to the Dalits has been to uplift them socially and economically. This has been partially achieved as far as jobs in the government and public sector are concerned. However, with the beginning of the disinvestment process, jobs in the public sector for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are receding. This has given rise to the demand for reservation in the private sector.
The private sector is the dominant sector in the Indian economy. Till 1999-2000, of the 1,31,558 companies, 1,09,131 (or 83 per cent) were in the private sector. The private sector has thus been bestowed with greater social responsibility of developing the depressed classes. According to the Government of India’s Economic Survey (2003-2004), the private sector employs 84.32 lakh employees as against 181.73 lakh in the public sector up to March 31, 2002. This implies that over 40 per cent of the employees belong to the private sector. In the recent past, the Centre has provided more space to the private sector in economic development. As job opportunities will decline in the public sector and increase in the private sector, the Centre’s reservation policy has received a jolt. The number of unemployed youth among the SC/STs is increasing, creating a chasm between the haves and the have nots. To remove imbalances and enhance job opportunities for SC/STs, the Manmohan Singh Government has announced in its Common Minimum Programme (CMP) that reservation will be extended to them in the private sector through affirmative action. Academics and administrators in the private sector soon joined the chorus of opposition against this policy. This generated a new debate in the country. No political party has opposed the idea of extending reservation in the private sector. The captains of industry, however, fear that if reservation is extended to the private sector, the industry will lose its composite culture, profitability and become inefficient. The present debate is the culmination of the ideas of the anti- reservationists and their hostility towards reservation. The Indian upper caste middle class is becoming restless because of the reservation issue. It feels that private industry is exclusively its domain and others should not be allowed to enter this sphere. It perhaps thinks that it has the exclusive rights for employment in the Indian industry and that the SCs/STs are untouchable even though they are equally qualified and competent. It overlooks the fact that the private sector is thriving today mainly because of the creation of infrastructure by the government. Those who oppose reservation in the private sector do not realise the fact that the Indian industry at no point was socially responsible. Though the SC/STs and the OBCs constitute the major group in the country’s population, their share in the industrial ownership is negligible. The Indian industry needs to be progressive and shoulder the responsibility of ensuring equitable development of all sections including the depressed classes. They should wake up to the call of the day and offer reservation to the SC/STs voluntarily to fulfill the socio-economic obligations. The Indian industry has essentially remained conservative and casteist. Prior to Independence, Dalits were not employed in some of the departments of the textile industry on the ground that their presence would pollute their units. Therefore, they were given jobs in factories, if any, outside the factory premises. The Indian industry encouraged employment of those from the elite Swarn castes. The SC/STs were never given their due share of the cake for which they were eligible and competent. Studies prove that the SC/STs and the OBCs are more loyal, committed and honest as compared to others. Had the industry been more socially sensitive, it should have opened schools, colleges and training institutions exclusively for the former so that they could compete with the latter and occupy senior managerial positions. Unfortunately, no such affirmative action has ever been taken up by the industry. As the private sector has not contributed any thing worthwhile for the social transformation of the country, it should extend job reservation to the depressed classes voluntarily and contribute for the economic development of the country. By doing so, the industry will become more humane and professional. It will also become more competitive and profitable. The social image of the industry will improve and its acceptability will increase in society. The industry must prove that it is open to all and everyone should share the responsibility of uplifting the depressed brethren. It should change its perception that by providing reservation to weaker sections, it would lose its competitiveness. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has been stressing the need for the private sector to extend reservation voluntarily. A Group of Ministers (GOM) has been constituted to look into the vital question. The Prime Minster has made his intentions clear on the subject and emphasised that the private sector should provide more employment avenues to the SC/STs. The captains of industry should meet the aspirations of the SC/STs and provide them assured avenues of employment in their concerns. This has become necessary because disinvestment of public sector will result in declining employment opportunities. This, in fact, is a social necessity. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has sought details from the industry of their workforces and recruitment policy at various levels. The efforts of the government have started yielding some positive results. The Tatas, for instance, have shown their willingness for caste-based reservation. In a statement, the Chairman of the group has stated, “it is ready for caste-based reservation”. The move has the potential of jolting the industry which till now has been hostile to the suggestion for reservation. The Tatas are the second business house after Videocon to endorse the government’s affirmative action. An early action on the issue by the private sector will be in the larger interest of the
country.
***** The writer is Professor and Dean, Institute of Management Studies, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla |
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On Record
THOUGH defeated in the last Lok Sabha election, Satyavrat Chaturvedi was a vocal Congress MP in the 13th Lok Sabha. His fiery speeches and vociferous interventions apparently caught the Congress president’s attention who first picked him up for the spokesperson’s job. He was subsequently elevated as AICC general secretary in the last reshuffle and given the all-important charge of Uttar Pradesh. In an interview to The Sunday Tribune, he outlines his plans to revive the party in this electorally-crucial state which contributes the maximum number of 80 seats to the Lok Sabha.
Excerpts: Q: After the formation of the UPA government at the Centre, the Congress was hoping to improve upon its Lok Sabha performance in UP in the subsequent by-elections. But the party did not win a single seat...what went wrong? A: Contrary to what is being said, the vote percentage of the Congress in UP increased from 8.5 per cent in the Lok Sabha elections to 13.5 per cent in the by-elections. There has been a clear shift in favour of the Congress after the formation of the UPA government at the Centre. It is true we expected to do much better but it is also true that there was widespread rigging and misuse of the administration by the state government. This was evident from the fact that the Election Commission had to countermand the election in Mainpuri. Had it been a free and fair election, the Congress would have put up a much better show. Q: What are the ills plaguing the Congress in Uttar Pradesh? A: There is no doubt that the people are more positive towards the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. But the Congress organisation in the state is not in a very good shape at the booth, block or district level. We need a more effective leadership at all these levels. We need to formulate party programmes which take care of the aspirations of different regions of the state. In other words, we need region-specific programmes in UP for which we are organising mandal-level sammelans, where we will identify loyal and committed workers of the party. We will study the demography of each mandal in order to provide representation to all sections of society. At the same time, we will identify the local problems and issues in order to formulate a mandal-specific party programme. The next stage is training of workers and a monitoring campaign to see to what extent these programmes are being implemented. Q: Strengthening the party organisation is half the story... the fact is that the Congress support base in UP has eroded. How are you addressing this fundamental issue? A:
It is true that the Congress support base in UP has eroded over the years. The party’s traditional vote bank comprised the Brahmins and the Thakurs, minorities and weaker sections. But what has happened in the last 15 years is that the BJP which represents communal politics and the Samajwadi Party as well as the BSP which represent castiest forces, have had stints in the government in the state. However, they have failed on all fronts and people have begun to feel that UP has slid down the development scale. The electorate is disillusioned. The communal forces have already been rejected by the people as seen in the last Lok Sabha elections. This time the castiest forces will be rejected. With the Congress back in power at the Centre, people have begun to show faith in the Congress again, particularly its development-oriented character. Eventually, only those parties who promise to address the problems of the common man will get the support of the people. Q: Which are the social forces being targeted by the Congress? A:
The Congress wants to work for all sections of society, be they upper castes, OBCs or minorities. Now that the Brahmins are disillusioned with the BJP and are inclined towards the Congress, we are hoping to attain the confidence of the minorities who are also restless with the Samajwadi Party. Women across the state see glimpses of Indiraji in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. We need to look into the aspirations of all these classes, especially the younger generation and reformulate our programmes accordingly. Q: Salman Khursheed was recently appointed UPPCC president for the second time. How is it going to be different this time? A:
Compared to his earlier stint, Salman Khursheed is a more experienced leader now...he has matured over the years. Secondly, Congressmen at all levels have begun to realise that this is the time to act.. it is a question of now or never. Consequently, they have begun to sink their differences and are emerging as a single cohesive unit. All conflicting groups were present during Salman’s recent road show and on the day he took over as UPCC chief in Lucknow. The general mood was let’s forget the past and look to a new beginning. Once we get out of the feeling of hopelessness, the Congress will certainly be strengthened in UP. With Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s renunciation of power, her decision to concentrate on the party and Rahul Gandhi’s active induction into the Congress has definitely given a fillip to the party. Q: Given Salman Khursheed’s antipathy towards Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, it is believed the Congress is preparing to bring down the UP government. A: We supported the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in the larger interest of keeping the communal forces out of power. But our support should not be mistaken for abject surrender. We will continue to raise issues which are of deep concern to us and of deep interest to the people of UP. We are strengthening ourselves. Our approach is positive. We are explaining to the people the repercussions of supporting communal and castiest forces. But right now the Congress does not want to do anything which will allow the communal forces to take root again. It’s time we put our house in order before we can think of staking claim. But when there are multi-party governments, there will be issues on which there will be differences between the various constituents. It is a transformation of polity which we are
witnessing. |
Profile
On the verge of stepping from teens to adulthood, Harikrishna has an extraordinary sharp mind and this genius has to be watched. “It is a great feeling”, he said soon after winning the World title in the fifth attempt. Had the event been conducted outside India, Harikrishna would have missed the opportunity of hitting the world headlines. He was for some personal reasons not able to go abroad at that point of time. “Call it destiny or otherwise, I would not have played the tournament at all if it was scheduled elsewhere”, he says.
Harikrishna hardly got any time to prepare for the event but says the coaching sessions with Elizbar Ubilava (the runner up in the tournament in which Anand ranked first) was very helpful. Sharp as he is, Harikrishna learnt how to prepare for a specific opponent and the way to approach a game. Also, he says, watching Anand play at Olympiad was a treat. “Anand’s speed was amazing and I decided I should try to copy him. Initially I was a bit slow but later picked up”. Truly, Vishwanathan and Harikrishna represent the chess culture of ancient India. Known as most ancient, intellectual and cultural game, a combination of scientific thinking and the elements of arts, chess originated in India. Its origin dates back to the 5th century A.D. The game’s real name in Sanskrit was “Chaturangam”, meaning “four arms” or “four members”. Chaturanga indicated its origin as a war game, signifying four arms of the ancient Indian army: infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. In the 6th century the game made its way to Persia and, a little later, the Arabs showed interest in it. Chess was immensely popular in courts and among the learned people. Its popularity got added impetus when the Arabs conquered the then ruling dynasty in Persia around the middle of the 17th century. It became a Muslim game under the name of “Shatranj”. Chess entered Europe through four main paths during the 9th and 10th centuries. The first way was that of trade, from regions dominated by Arabs mostly via the Mediterranean to Europe and then to Kiev and other parts of the continent. Another important route was through the Crusades. A third well authenticated way was via the Moors in Spain and from the tribes in Central Asia to Russia. By early medieval times the game made its way to Italy, France and England The modern era of chess, however, may be said to date back to about the 17th century when the pawns gained their present form. By the 20th century, chess spread all over the world and came to be known as the game of honour and wit. A landmark in the history of chess was establishment of Fide, the world chess federation, in 1924. It organised team championships all over the world. The advantage of Internet now took the game to new heights. Today, chess is one of the most mass forms of sport in the world. In, as many as 159 countries, under the auspices of Fida, six million players are registered and take part in over 5,000 different tournaments every year. Imagine the genius of those who get the world title in such a cut-throat competition. Andhra born Harikrishna was one such
prodigy. |
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Reflections
FOR the first time in two years during my posting with the United Nations, I had my longest weekend in New York. It was the ‘Thanksgiving’ week. Due to which there was a crowd of activities, including one for attending a post-Diwali celebration. My friends and I reached the place of function punctually.
What did we see? The whole celebrations many hours behind time! As we got into the event, two things became evident. It was typically Indian by habit: It was late. Also Americanised! For they were celebrating Diwali when they could find the time. Dinner at this belated Diwali, (without the deepmala) was no where to be seen. And the bollywood singers specially flown in had to be heard first. We were getting past the dinner time, and were hungry. With food in sight, we decided to go home. As we were driving back I asked my American Indian friends what was the significance of this long ‘Thanksgiving’ holiday? For it always begins on a Thursday with the date changing. They offered some clues, which only increased my curiosity. I needed to know more. On reaching home I went onto the Internet to search. I found the information interesting and replicable, leaving many more questions in my mind. But first let me share what I learnt. ‘Thanksgiving’ as a celebration started nearly 400 years ago in America by the surviving travellers who called themselves ‘pilgrims’. They had fled from England to The Netherlands to save themselves from religious persecution. But now wanted to get away from the Dutch too. It was a very arduous voyage and few died on the way. At Plymouth (USA) where the surviving travellers landed, they were in adversity and were helped and saved by native Indians living there. Subsequently, their friendship flourished and both benefited. There were bumper corn crops and prosperity spread. It was a ‘Thanksgiving’, which assumed the shape of a harvest celebration. Something of the kind we too have in different parts of the country. Since then it became an annual feast of ‘Thanksgiving’, held after the harvest season. The event picked up a great deal of acceptability and went on to become a national holiday meriting Presidential proclamation. Here are some historical excerpts, which mirror the spirit and the genesis of this much-awaited long holiday: The year that is drawing its close, has been filled with the blessings of the fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come? — Abraham Lincoln I recommend to the people of United States a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of the Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness? — George Washington. At ‘Thanksgiving’ we must remember to be thankful for the many contributions each generation of Americans has made to preserve our blessings — William J. Clinton. When I went to the office after the long weekend I found almost everyone asking, How was Thanksgiving?. What did you do? The majority answer was: Roasted a turkey. Cooked. Went shopping. Went visiting. Did house cleaning. Slept. All this made me think where was the combined spirit of coming together beyond strictly family and friends? Did we not let, perhaps, a very significant day of Thanksgiving slip by? Of course, it’s fun doing all that was said but what more? As a nation. For me the significance of the day started to assume a larger meaning as I reviewed the genesis and read various Presidential proclamations for this day. And questions on comparability started to grow in my mind. How about a similar day for us, Indians in Thanksgiving? Ek dhanyavaad ka din? If so, which one? The closest that came was August 15, our Independence Day. The day when we should/could all collectively thank, all those who we are forgetting. Those who sacrificed their present for our future. When it be mandatory for all media, print, visual or audio to run very special programmes to spread this message of dhanyavaad/gratitude. When we could recall the heroic deeds, patriotism, sacrifice and bravery of our elders. And beyond recall all contribute to serve as an expression of gratitude in the spirit of dhanyavaad/ Thanksgiving. All our leaders too join in with ‘We the people’ in villages, slums, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, workplaces. Places where by doing for others we ‘do’ a dhanyavaad/ Thanksgiving. With our focus on rights/ hamare adhikaar we may be forgetting those, we owe our gratitude
to. |
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Diversities — Delhi Letter by Humra Quraishi
I
would suggest come to this Capital City and pitch a tent or rent one, for there’s far too much on the happening front. Focus continues on that clip which shows two school students in some strange sexual positioning. Alas, we are Indians. So the focus is unmoving to the actual reality.
Today’s babalog is equipped with the latest gadgets and then you and I have neither time nor inclination to sit and discuss turbulence raging in their bodies or minds. It’s not just an isolated sex-related incident, but it’s this whole big question of we Indians refusing to talk openly. Though no admirer of the Western mode of thinking or functioning, but at least there they do and don’t hide, even if they have to resign from high posts. Here we do more of it and yet you know what double standards are at work. Time they were demolished.
Of painful realities
Moving on, to another big reality of today’s world, the whole issue of the Palestinian people. Though the Indian Council for Cultural Relations ignored the Solidarity Day, the Arab League Mission hosted an event at the IIC on Dec 11. This mission was organised by a recently appointed woman ambassador — Ms Dhabiya Khamis. She seemed determined to get focus on the cause. Representatives from about seven Arab countries with the Palestinian envoy being the most vocal of them all, Osama Musa, Palestine Ambassador to India attended it. Musa, a former Air Force Chief of Palestine, talks unlike a trained diplomat. Musa spoke of the latest reality which hit the Palestinians — “We are occupied. Slaves to the masters, Americans and Israelis, to such an extent that we had to take permission from them where to bury our leader Yasser Arafat. This is the grim reality!”
I think Salman Rushdie is suffering from “writer’s block” for he hops across our land too often. Unless, of course, he wants to take no chances with this fourth round of marrying and considers it of utmost prudence to visit Padma Lakshmi’s people based down South. Why not? For the sake of keeping the marriage flag going, this is just one of those gestures. And this time while in the Capital, he even hopped all across Connaught Place to be at a particular venue where William Dalrymple was doing readings from his works. The German Ambassador to India opened doors of his home for us, to whine and wine with the contemporary dance theatre group from Berlin. Earlier that evening, dancer and choreographer Constanza Macras and her dance company ‘Dorky Park’ presented ‘Back to the Present’ at the National School of Drama. All young enthusiastic artists who seemed so very visibly excited about their visit to New Delhi; some were even donning ethnic Indian stuff. I have to comment on the security bandobasts lined up at this envoy’s residence. |
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Kashmir Diary by David Devadas
IT is that time of year again when the green and gold of the Kashmiri summer gives way to stark bare branches and a serene calm envelops the Valley like a blanket. I have often thought, though, that winter brings out the finest of Kashmir’s culture. The few tourists of this season are restricted largely to Gulmarg and most Kashmiris relax and cuddle into their ancient methods of protection against the cold.
The phiran is the most noticeable of these and it becomes ubiquitous by this time every year. Most non-Kashmiris are familiar with the bright, embroidered phirans that can be purchased in stores that cater largely to tourists. But according to Kashmir’s fascinatingly detailed chronicles, the phiran actually began as a rough blanket that was burnt in the middle with a large hot stone to create a hole for the wearer’s head. There are records of such phirans having been used in Kashmir even a thousand years ago. The garment evolved into a more up-market article when British tourists began to adopt it early in the 20th century. That is when herringbone tweed became the preferred fabric for the garment, at least for men. Of course, it was affordable for only the very few relatively well-off Kashmiris in those days. Already, however, the women’s phiran had evolved into a beautiful garment. It was made quite often of fine wool, dyed dark green or brown, and even sometimes of velvet. Once it had been tailored, the garment would be embroidered by hand over several weeks, even months, on the portion below the neck. That traditional embroidery did not use the bright silk thread that is so common in the contemporary tourist market. Traditional embroidery used wire called tila, dipped in either silver or gold. The rest of the garment remained plain, except for a thin margin at the bottom and along the edges of the sleeves. That style is still common and older Kashmiri women prefer to wear such phirans to weddings and other such functions, particularly in the old city of Srinagar. Indeed, at least one fine phiran of that sort is generally prepared with great care for the trousseau of a bride. However, tila work is now quite frequently done by machine and, though that embroidery can be executed much faster, it does not last a lifetime the way the hand embroidery did. It was more expensive, of course, and quite exclusive — for, before the `50s, very few Kashmiris could afford one. So in the rural areas, which are dotted with ziarats (shrines around the graves of holy persons), the Pir in charge of a shrine would generally keep some richly embroidered phirans, which women – particularly older ones – would borrow to wear for a wedding or other such occasion. She would generally make a donation to the shrine and so the system worked as a virtual rental service. Even more than the phiran, the kangri is perhaps the best known of the implements with which Kashmiris combat the cold. The earthen pot covered in wicker with a handle on top is truly comforting when clutched to one’s torso under a phiran. Actually, the kangri is in Kashmiri culture part of a combination that includes the samovar. Across Kashmiri villages even today, most well-to-do homes own an intricately carved samovar. Coal is burnt in the chimney down the middle of the metal jug and that keeps hot the salt tea — laced with butter, which too keeps one warm — that is consumed from the samovar through much of the day. The two articles go together because it is the glowing embers and ash from the chimney of the samovar that are transferred to the kangri, so that it too remains warm for hours on end. The samovar became common in Kashmir during the 15th century reign of Zainulabedin, who Kashmiris still call Budshah or great king. He had spent much of his childhood in Iran before his half-century reign and brought back many of the culinary and handicraft traditions — including carpet weaving — of Persia to Kashmir. A steaming samovar being carried to the fields during the late afternoon is a common sight during spring, when paddy is sown, and in autumn, when saffron is. A cup of salt tea not only heats up the toiling family members, it is invigorating. And through the long winter months, of course, the samovar, the kangri and the phiran combine to envelop the Kashmiris in a warmth that is uniquely
theirs. |
We must grow in love, and to do this we must keep on loving and loving, and giving and giving until it hurts. — Mother Teresa People utter shout of joy when the king hits a target. They are silent when another does the same. This is because they love their king and love him even more when he meets their experience. — The Mahabharata Faithfulness to the little things will help us grow in love. — Mother Teresa To believe in something, and not live it, is dishonest. — Mahatma Gandhi Let us maintain our contact with God through Simran, and it is then that our grasp upon the sword of the spirit will get firmer day-by-day, and then there will be none to vanquish us. — The Sikhism  |
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TALL and lanky, 18-year-old Pentala Harikrishna from Andhra Pradesh has created history having become the second Indian to win the World Junior Chess title. Much has changed since Vishwanathan Anand first won the Chess Championship to make the India’s presence felt at an international event. The feat of Harikrishna demonstrates that, the Chess Revolution, set in motion by Vishwanath, has been making steady headway.