Why Them?

They say "Grass is always green on the other side". But what am going to talk about in this blog, the quote may or may not hold true.

Before I begin, want to say that all these are my thoughts alone. Am not putting in your mouth, so whether you desire to read further is completely on your choice and not mine. Also, I am responsible for what I say, not for what you understand.
Oh, and I am a little agitated too, so ignore the anger and foul words, if any.

Today's 14th April. Happy Ambedkar Jayanti to whoever wishes to accept it gracefully or with little confidence. Remaining ones, ignore. Yup, I belong to 'that' community, and today is our festival, san as is called in Marathi. Just like it's Diwali (if that makes you understand) for many of you. Ah yes, hence so many crackers around, if you are wondering what people are celebrating.

 So I was walking on the road this evening and overheard a conversation of a passerby. "Today and on 6th December, it's difficult to move around Dadar area. Half of Dadar is blocked because they come, everything is so dirty. Unnecessarily."
And then, "Dude! You shouldn't have spoken the last word." I said to myself. Wanted to talk to the passerby, but then I couldn't as had to tend to some work. Since then it's running in my head and now thought of putting these thoughts on this blog.

Do you too agree with what the passerby was talking about? Then I feel this post is for you to read, only if you are ready to understand with an empty cup, and not full of predefined concepts running in your head.

Don't judge too soon.

Do you celebrate Ganesh Chatturthi, Navratri, Eid, etc. either directly or indirectly? Ever questioned the same thing then? On 14th April and 6th December it's just a portion of Dadar that is cordoned off. That too for a day or two. What happens during Ganesh Chatturthi and Navratri to almost most part of the city or during Eid around Mohd Ali Road? The roads are pretty much empty, right?
Talking about cleanliness.
'They' dirty the road around. 
Ah but this dirt gets cleaned up the next morning. What about the dirt that happens in the sea when the idols are immersed during Ganesh Visarjan and Navratri, apart from the ones on the road? Who cleans the sea?

Errr, some thoughts started withering? Don't worry, I won't be telling anything new here. Will be just showing you what you have been ignoring all this while.

'They' get reservation.
I want to filter my audience at this stage. How many of you are female, and have made use of reservation in various fields for females at some or other point of life? For the males, how many of you have mother, sisters, aunt, female friends who made use of this 'reservation act for females' and you did not question them at all then?
I guess my target audience size has reduced considerably with so many hypocrites out.

I understand your opposition to the idea of reservation the government started, which is valid. But you need to understand the other side of the truth too, in such a scenario it is required. It is an act to uplift the downtrodden that they will at least get a chance, when all this while they did not. When they see the government is trying to boost it, few get confidence, a platform to showcase their talent, which in the earlier times was never allowed to come out.
I see around in my community. The condition has not improved much. Will take some time for it to happen. It took these couple of decades just for the idea to appear, imagine how long will it take to come in practice.

This reservation is creating more space instead of bridging. 
At this point the dialogue in the movie 'Sarkar' comes to my mind when the villains  were plotting how to kill Amitabh Bachhan's character and the swami speaks, "Sarkar ek soch hai. Hame us soch ko marna hai." The dialogue may not be exact word, but something similar.
The point being, the idea of barrier getting created should come from the source and not from the victim. Have an open mind, accept everyone equally and then you won't require the reservation in the first place. But this 'acceptance' itself is missing from a major part of the source. The source being people from so called 'upper caste'.
What? Did I hear you say it was in the past and not in the present age? Darling, it's high time you open your eyes. Even today the upper caste people look at Dalits as if they're doing a favour by talking or dealing with them. Have seen that a lot since years, have been seeing that. Oh, I have been on the receiving end too, so all I speak is from first hand experience. So if this has been happening in the metropolitan city like Mumbai, you can just imagine the situation in other part of the country, if have to go by the clichés.
Honestly tell me, how many of your parents have 'warned' you to fall in love with any community people, but not 'them'? Ask around you. In my experience, have come across 7 of 10 people who have been told this and even believe in themselves too. And I have been a victim of this belief, first hand.

Am not sure if you are ready to hear more examples.

Many of them are just there to take the advantage of reservation or many flout the law.
To answer this, I want to take an analogy. Do you drive or ride? How many times have you bribed the cops to get away? Or let me come to even simpler example in the analogy. How many of you most of the times stop your vehicle after you cross the stop line at a red signal? Are you aware of the fact that you need to stop your vehicle before the Stop Line and not after? How many of honk unnecessarily while on the road? How many of you jump a red signal?
Maybe you're not aware, but you're very much doing things that is against the law and 'are taking advantage of the law'?
I do not wish to speak anything further on this. The analogy speaks for the topic itself.

On a promotional mode, to read in detail about the analogy, do find it on this link horn-not-ok-please

So let's just start treating everyone equally, reduce the discrimination from the source and then see, there won't be a need of reservation at all.

All in good 'faith'.




The author of this post:
- Calls up police after 10 o'clock if they play music on loud speaker whether it is Ganesh Chatturthi, Navratri or Ambedkar Jayanti. Yes, he had complained the previous night.
- Stops behind the stop line, rarely honks and does not jump traffic signal. Whoever has been a co-passenger would want to disagree?
- Likes to live on logic many a times. And doesn't approve of an idea if it doesn't fit the logic.
- Has friends from various faith and doesn't discriminate them on the basis of caste.
-Is sometimes a hypocrite, himself. Afterall, he's human.