tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14198126.post6604933592736479451..comments2024-03-19T10:06:02.186+05:30Comments on Gurcharan Das: War of the creamy layers, April 20, 2008gurcharanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12280014001356284482noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14198126.post-74124487349907141782011-02-12T07:24:32.957+05:302011-02-12T07:24:32.957+05:30I am very happy that you said this. I have the exa...I am very happy that you said this. I have the exact same problem with quotas. One can't go to IIT/IIMs if one doesn't have good secondary education. Public secondary education in India is pathetic, so no matter how much quotas you have in IITs only creamy layer of the so-called backward castes can go for such schools--this simple breeds mediocrity and doesn't do any good for the poor, whether backward or upper caste. I myself come from a poor Brahmin family. It is sheer luck that I was smart enough and quotas never stopped me (yes, I went to public secondary schools and not even English-medium)--but many in my family suffered because of the quotas. I have never seen any looking down on other castes from my parents while growing up (not very uncommon given that I grew up in Calcutta). But it is the frustration with the quotas that has made some people in my family in the current generation to look down on those rich students who walk with crutches. If anything, quotas are deepening caste divisions and are promoting mediocrity. We really need good public secondary schools that can nurture future Indian leaders from poor families, irrespective of caste, creed and religion.AChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13096590116895090204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14198126.post-6708930281461487612008-10-31T08:30:00.000+05:302008-10-31T08:30:00.000+05:30Sir,I am more than halfway through reading your bo...Sir,<BR/><BR/>I am more than halfway through reading your book 'india unbound'. it is a great analysis of what went wrong decades ago and how some of it has been corrected. i wish that the indian govt takes serious note of what all you have said and takes steps to improve the lot of this great nation and take it further towards the path of progress which is the right of each and every citizen of india irrespective of caste, creed and relegion. I sincerely wish you all the best in every sphere of your life including the art of penning your forthright comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14198126.post-72979752080250714252008-06-07T02:57:00.000+05:302008-06-07T02:57:00.000+05:30I am halfway through your book "India Unbound". It...I am halfway through your book "India Unbound". It is such an honest change from anything else I have read about India.<BR/><BR/>The reason for my reply to this article is this, many years ago I worked for an Indian company. They hired the offspring of their well connected friends in India (the company failed).They were all wealthy and well connected, what I call "Delhi Aristocracy".<BR/>One of these people was overheard by me saying the following (I remember the words exactly, because they were so disgusting)<BR/>"Education in India, needs to be made so expensive that only the rich can afford it, that is the only way that we can safeguard our postion".<BR/>I do not pretend to know the answers to the education problems of India, however I do realise that the wealthy elite have too much to lose by providing good quality education to the people of India, they think it is a threat.Harjinderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11665821709200619961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14198126.post-26759872925837434652008-06-04T11:30:00.000+05:302008-06-04T11:30:00.000+05:30I really don't understand the need and basis for t...I really don't understand the need and basis for the reservation in higher education while India as a nation has moved to 21st century. It is going to dilute the value of the premier institutes like IITs and going to have negative effects on the economic growth of India. This is nothing but the dirty vote politics which keeps the reservation going. The basis for reservation should only be financial, nothing else, if we really want to see some positive effects of the reservation on our society.Priyankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04856199009108987079noreply@blogger.com