Let me begin by stating that the title has no relation to the content whatsoever(well,maybe some,in a way,but yeah!)So,yours truly has been suffering from a mild case of writer's block lately,or maybe its just a splendid case of lazyness overloaded.The Mumbai heat does that to you;makes you lethargic!On sweltering afternoons like this all one wants to do is lie around in the heavenly coolness of home sweet home.More about that later,because sadly,life calls,and other important,seemingly "not-so-important-rightnow-ughhh" things,or rather tasks,need our attention!(Completing assignments,submitting journals,giving tests,gathering notes,collecting hall-tickets and what-nots!and studying ohh yes that too-_-!)Yeppp,you guessed it right,it is the dreaded exam season,the end-of-sem period for all of us engineers!When everyone else is out vacationing,this is what we do!So,I should probably be studying my brains off(literally) instead of doing this;and you too,probably,if you are not lucky enough to NOT be an engineer(No Regrets!)..but,here goes...
Let me begin(yeah,I know it "began" like a para ago;but still,bear with me here,please),with a story about a girl.Class Valedictorian,Certified Nerd,Always the Topper in her class...she was always the smart one;the studious one,the "genius",if I dare say!Years progressed,and Smarty got into college.Well this is India you see so Smarty had to study reallly hard to get into a good college,what with the competition running in lakhs and lacs of other "smarties"(whichever lac is proper>_<)!So,Smarty studies,gets into a good college.Two years later,its another entrance exam,Another Merit-check that will now decide Smarty's future.College life has definitely done her some good,and she has changed,not in a bad way either,but the spark still remains.So,Smarty goes and gives this entrance exam(s)..she doesn't have big dreams;just decent,manageable ones!Two blissful months later,the results are out.Needless to say,everyone is screwed;yes,including smarty..this is not a fairy-tale;she manages to just get past,not with flying colors,but not with disgrace either!Her marks are like pretty much her entire life:decent.
Then comes the great Indian Circus,the process of admissions;and that's when the real bombshell drops;Smarty,you see,was aiming for atleast a decent college in her city(her definition of decent being,"atleast A grade")but she has only decent marks,an almost minimal amount of patience bordering on zero,a stupid self respect that morally bans the bribe way for her,and a touch of bad luck!Plus,she doesn't fall under any category,so no reservation fellas,no perks!
Six months later,Smarty has found her way into a decent (not by her definition of the word!) degree college;but all she feels is regret,most of the time.Regret when somebody asks her about her education,and gives her "the look" when they hear:an almost pathetic,we pity you,kinda look with that unkempt hatred and sort of superiority mixed into it that says:"haah!look where you landed despite of all the studying,pompous ass!".Her friends,she doesnt have anything AGAINST them,but she does envy them,for they have secured better positions in way better colleges,and not on the basis of merit;but on the basis of caste reservations!although she can't help it,she can't help but mope around about the great perhaps..(yes,this is a John Green,Looking for Atlanta would be my guess)and no amount of positive thinking helps in those dark moments when she thinks of brighter,better have-beens!
All of us know of atleast one such Smarty around...maybe from our locality,maybe from college,maybe from somewhere else;some of us might have gone through the above mentioned torturous process themselves!We humans,if I dare Say,can be a very sadistic lot at times!We never are quite satisfied with what we have:we would rather caress broken dreams long turned into dust,than look at whats right in front of us!This is not a direct hit on the reservation system,people who actually need it do need it,but not everyone!What I am trying to say here,is that something has gone horribly wrong in the original system devised by Dr.Ambedkar fifty years ago!(with all due respect,and I mean no offence to all my buds who actually benefit from it,kudos to your luck:)!)Isn't it time to even the playing field a little,when students from open categories are the only ones who have a difficulty in securing admissions?!What i am trying to get through to people here,is that we need change,big time!The Education system,at least,should be precisely perfect and productive,for a Nation of India's scale,with a youth power as great as that of ours!This recent buzz about polls,with everyone advertising their goods,flashing glittery manifesto's got me thinking..What if?What if all institutions admitted young people solely on the basis of merit,zero reservations and/or no extra fees involved?I guess Dr.Kalam's dream of the new India would no longer be a dream then!
Hope this li'l piece got you thinking as well;but only THINKING about it won't help!voting would have;though!I am so proud(and I mean it)of all my fellow Indians who went out there and voted!I did not,(Ahh no condescensions please,i wish I could;But I am underage you see!bummer),and I so wish that I could.Then a
Let me begin(yeah,I know it "began" like a para ago;but still,bear with me here,please),with a story about a girl.Class Valedictorian,Certified Nerd,Always the Topper in her class...she was always the smart one;the studious one,the "genius",if I dare say!Years progressed,and Smarty got into college.Well this is India you see so Smarty had to study reallly hard to get into a good college,what with the competition running in lakhs and lacs of other "smarties"(whichever lac is proper>_<)!So,Smarty studies,gets into a good college.Two years later,its another entrance exam,Another Merit-check that will now decide Smarty's future.College life has definitely done her some good,and she has changed,not in a bad way either,but the spark still remains.So,Smarty goes and gives this entrance exam(s)..she doesn't have big dreams;just decent,manageable ones!Two blissful months later,the results are out.Needless to say,everyone is screwed;yes,including smarty..this is not a fairy-tale;she manages to just get past,not with flying colors,but not with disgrace either!Her marks are like pretty much her entire life:decent.
Then comes the great Indian Circus,the process of admissions;and that's when the real bombshell drops;Smarty,you see,was aiming for atleast a decent college in her city(her definition of decent being,"atleast A grade")but she has only decent marks,an almost minimal amount of patience bordering on zero,a stupid self respect that morally bans the bribe way for her,and a touch of bad luck!Plus,she doesn't fall under any category,so no reservation fellas,no perks!
Six months later,Smarty has found her way into a decent (not by her definition of the word!) degree college;but all she feels is regret,most of the time.Regret when somebody asks her about her education,and gives her "the look" when they hear:an almost pathetic,we pity you,kinda look with that unkempt hatred and sort of superiority mixed into it that says:"haah!look where you landed despite of all the studying,pompous ass!".Her friends,she doesnt have anything AGAINST them,but she does envy them,for they have secured better positions in way better colleges,and not on the basis of merit;but on the basis of caste reservations!although she can't help it,she can't help but mope around about the great perhaps..(yes,this is a John Green,Looking for Atlanta would be my guess)and no amount of positive thinking helps in those dark moments when she thinks of brighter,better have-beens!
All of us know of atleast one such Smarty around...maybe from our locality,maybe from college,maybe from somewhere else;some of us might have gone through the above mentioned torturous process themselves!We humans,if I dare Say,can be a very sadistic lot at times!We never are quite satisfied with what we have:we would rather caress broken dreams long turned into dust,than look at whats right in front of us!This is not a direct hit on the reservation system,people who actually need it do need it,but not everyone!What I am trying to say here,is that something has gone horribly wrong in the original system devised by Dr.Ambedkar fifty years ago!(with all due respect,and I mean no offence to all my buds who actually benefit from it,kudos to your luck:)!)Isn't it time to even the playing field a little,when students from open categories are the only ones who have a difficulty in securing admissions?!What i am trying to get through to people here,is that we need change,big time!The Education system,at least,should be precisely perfect and productive,for a Nation of India's scale,with a youth power as great as that of ours!This recent buzz about polls,with everyone advertising their goods,flashing glittery manifesto's got me thinking..What if?What if all institutions admitted young people solely on the basis of merit,zero reservations and/or no extra fees involved?I guess Dr.Kalam's dream of the new India would no longer be a dream then!
Hope this li'l piece got you thinking as well;but only THINKING about it won't help!voting would have;though!I am so proud(and I mean it)of all my fellow Indians who went out there and voted!I did not,(Ahh no condescensions please,i wish I could;But I am underage you see!bummer),and I so wish that I could.Then a
gain,when I went out today,I was actually looking out for inked fingers,and was baffled to see that there weren't that many of em out there!No surprise,when the voting in your area has just been a meagre 51%.No condescensions involved,but I think more people should have voted;the masses set a standard for the upcoming generations.If my mum and dad treat poll-day as a holiday,I would go out and do the same without bothering to give it a thought!It is dissappointing to a degree,when everywhere you go you hear complaints about bad governance and the likes,and on the only day that your say would have mattered the most;the turnout is this poor!Just saying.Until next time then;looking forward to cast my vote as well,and looking forward to good governance!
P.s:That writer's block?guess it was just lethargy because I managed to churn out a pretty okayish article if I may say so,on impulse!Had to just open that lappy and start off!Thats not so difficult now is it?....and that applies to everything in life doesn't it?you just need to Get It Started!
Let's end this on a better note,with a quote,which occured to me out of the blue...You simply can't wade through everyday life with that veil of Romanticism on your eyes.Sense prevails!
Bit depressing yeah,but good sense prevails!This a spur-of-the-moment thing,not pre-planned in anyway,so comments and criticisms welcome,but do be darlings and avoid judging me hard!Much love,stay blessed.
P.s:That writer's block?guess it was just lethargy because I managed to churn out a pretty okayish article if I may say so,on impulse!Had to just open that lappy and start off!Thats not so difficult now is it?....and that applies to everything in life doesn't it?you just need to Get It Started!
Let's end this on a better note,with a quote,which occured to me out of the blue...You simply can't wade through everyday life with that veil of Romanticism on your eyes.Sense prevails!
Bit depressing yeah,but good sense prevails!This a spur-of-the-moment thing,not pre-planned in anyway,so comments and criticisms welcome,but do be darlings and avoid judging me hard!Much love,stay blessed.
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