This page has a list of resources online on the OBC reservation debates in
India. This list will be constantly updated
This page contains an assortment of views on the reservation debate. As far as possible, I am documenting all articles I come across representing any point of view. As you will notice, a large proportion of these will represent an anti-reservation point of view. This merely represents the fact that there are many more of these online – and it’s most certainly not my position.
Does caste indicate deprevation?
Bookmarked on 27.05.2010 16:24h:
Using census information of 1931 Pradipta Chaudhury argues that there are large variation in literacy and economic status within caste categories. [
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OBC Reservation and TN model
Bookmarked on 23.06.2007 16:08h:
Argues that
Tamil Nadu model has limitations and is not replicable in other States. [
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Pro Reservation Front
Bookmarked on 27.05.2007 10:55h:
A group of organisations campaigning for reservations in India [
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Fitting into 9th Schedule
Bookmarked on 01.04.2007 16:34h:
Sharad Yadav's article on the 9th Schedule and the recent Suprem Court interim order on OBC Reservation. Questions if courts are usable by poor people [
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Will caste disappear if reservation does? Dinakaran
Bookmarked on 31.03.2007 17:23h:
Argument for caste based reservation in a DMK run Tamil Newspaper. [
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OBC Reservation Debates by Indian Express
Bookmarked on 30.03.2007 15:46h:
Extensive online archive of debates on the OBC reservation issue by Indian express. Good resource on the timeline of events in the recent past on this issue [
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Youth For Equality hails stay on OBC reservation – The Economic Times
Bookmarked on 30.03.2007 15:30h:
Stay on quotas is 'absurd', says Sharad Yadav – India
Bookmarked on 30.03.2007 15:26h:
ToI page on reservation issue
Bookmarked on 23.10.2006 23:08h:
The Modern Rationalist
Bookmarked on 31.08.2006 09:34h:
This is a monthly magazine in English closely associated with Dravidar Kazhagam. Online version is available from 2001. The editorial section contains translations of articles by Periyar each month. [
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Debates on reservations – Book review
Bookmarked on 31.08.2006 08:58h:
A useful review of the book "Reservations and Private Sector: Quest for Equal Opportunity and Growth" by Sukhadeo Thorat, Aryama and Prashant Negi editors ; [
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TN Swims against the tide [in reservation debate]
Bookmarked on 31.08.2006 08:22h:
A good article on the long history of reservations in Tamil Nadu and how it has become an important political issue. Argues that while there was a frenzy of protests against reservations in the rest of India, Tamil Nadu had quite pro-reservation protests [
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About the Author
I work with the Liberation Technology Program at Stanford University. My interests are cosmopolitan and this blog will reflect many such interests. For more, click on
"Me" above.
i would say that reservations for civil services should
be stopped.because these people shape the future of millions. Their governing skills can only be checked through the brute competition.I believe we should concentrate more on talent and not not make the oppertunities caste biased…
Caste is nothing but the relic of one of the irrational entertainments of middle ages, like lynching, burning at stake or other entertainments of (say)roman empire. Caste might not have succeeded in remaining alive after these many centuries unlike all these, had it not been for the forethought of early Indians during and prior to independence, who instituted the ‘pernicious’ reservation system whereby those backward willingly chose to remain backward. We(mostly of the forward caste(s)) are dutifully perpetuating this without realizing that by not facing as much competition as we would have faced otherwise(had reservation not been there), we stand to become much below rest of the world in all faculties in a few generations.
Thank you Roy for sharing your opinion. Our understanding of caste seems to be substantially different. I find it difficult to think of caste as an “entertainment”, while I agree with your portrayal of caste as a violent and suppressive practice. I also find it difficult to understand why caste would have disappeared without reservations. In fact, by empowering those who were long suppressed, reservations make the brutal oppressions that are a part of caste system difficult to sustain, and thus make the pernicious aspects of the system unsustainable. We surely have our differences.
I shall put my thoughts thus: In ancient India, competition was reserved for upper caste, as exemplified through to story of ‘karna’, who, even though was the first born among pandavas, joined Duryodhan as a symbol of gratuitude for enabling him, a lower caste , to compete. We are dutifully prserving this, instead of preventing a lower caste individual from competing with us, we are giving him what he would have gained by competing, without competition.
Equality and egalitarianism are ideals for which every society should strive. It should also be noted that at no stage in History was any Society truly equal or egalitarian. Some type of Caste system prevailed through out the world. How else will you explain the concept of Slavery in the Muslim world and the Americas, Apartheid, etc.. The Machine Gun was developed as a means of a more efficient killing of the Native Indians. Differences between various strata of Society all over the world existed as a matter of fact.
India was never as brutal as societies which thrived on Slavery or killed entire populations. Castes and privileges were accepted as such by the Indian population as a fact of life. Otherwise we could have had a mass conversion to Islam during the Muslim rule in India or to Christianity. Nothing of this kind happened. In fact as times changed, Indian reformers themselves took up this issue and worked to remove this among other backward thoughts from within our society. SC / ST reservations although not good for developing a Merit based society were somewhat justifiable. But OBC Reservations! OBCs were the very people who were the main exploiters of the SCs / STs. Brahmins are themselves not exactly land lords or traders but middle class or lower middle class in general and also very poor. And now the OBC objective is merely to Grab seats without imbibing the learning culture of those who excel. And one simple thought for those who say that SCs/STs/OBCs also pass the same exmns.. First that it is Unfair to deny a more deserving Candidate a seat. Second, why is it that the Politicians, incl the late V P Singh and now Sonia Gandhi went abroad for relatively routine and normal medical attention? Why not make it mandatory for them to be treated by the last SC/ST/OBC candidate who qualifies after studies?