Time to make India a "No Reservation" Country
I don’t know why conversations around reservation so often spiral into debates about casteism. The moment I speak on the topic, people assume that being born into a Brahmin family means I couldn’t possibly understand the pain, the injustice, or the struggles others have faced. But I do. I truly do. And it hurts to be judged without being heard. 😞
To me, casteism has no place—not in our society, not in our homes, and certainly not in our hearts or minds. Yet, time and again, I’m made to feel like some relic from a bygone era—as if I carry the burden of discrimination just because of where I come from. That’s not who I am.
Yes, decades ago, perhaps reservation was essential—a necessary step to uplift those who had been pushed to the margins for generations. But now, in 2018, we also need to talk about mindsets. Because no policy can help those who refuse to grow beyond labels. Simply identifying as SC, ST, or OBC will not bring real change unless we also confront the biases that live within us.
And when it comes to hardship—let's be honest—poverty doesn’t check your caste before it strikes. It doesn’t ask, “Oh, are you from a lower caste? Then I’ll make you suffer more.” There are countless Brahmins and people from so-called upper castes in rural India who are living in silence, struggling just as much.
In the end, I just want to say this with kindness: I neither expect nor seek a reservation. I only ask that we stop assuming we know someone’s story just because we know their surname.
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