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Ssc SOCIAL STUDY CIRCLE di (ESTD
1982) www.dalitindia.com ssc@dalitindia.com *********************************************************************** |
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October
10, 2002
The culture of creamy layer
Dear reader, we would like to
talk more about the concept or culture of creamy layer when we are not in the
condition of having provision of creamy layer. For that we can analyse all
positive and negative aspects (if any) of the culture of creamy layer.
The reservation for Dalits is
only 22.5 % while Dalits are now 26 % of the total population of the country.
While it is already accepted in the paper that reservation has achieved many
things for Dalits but it still has not achieved or failed to achieve much more
essential things. Reasons for this failure are many external ones like poor
implementation of the reservation schemes but very few weaknesses we also have developed during these 50 years after
independence.
The most prominent among all
these is the tendency that we have developed one practice or let me say culture
of limiting ourselves in the
defined lines which some times appear as high walls to us so that as individual
as well as society, which, most of times, we find difficult to jump or cross
over it. Some would like to say that this is not new thing we have been
crushed over not only for past centuries but for millennia. So, simple reason
for this all is obvious. However, as we have seen that the reservations have
achieved many things in these 50 years after independence. So first, we should
know what these achievements are. Discussing about these can identify them.
We can enlist these achievements
of the reservations then we should evaluate these achievements. However, one thing is very sure that these
achievements might have enabled few or very few to transcend the limits of
reservations, which were drawn or defined as safeguards by leaders of the
country on emphasis by our Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
At the time of Independence,
these reservations were recognised as safeguards for providing the equality of
opportunities to the Dalits. That is why these are also called positive
discriminations. These safeguards were implemented by those caste-Hindus
against whom these safeguards were provided. So it was and still is obvious
that reservations might not have achieved its desired results. Positively these
reservations have been working as the safeguards for Dalit community. However, we have limited ourselves, most of
the times, up to the limits of these reservations. Now time has come when
we should adopt the ways and means so that we can transcend the limits of
reservations. One bad practice of
caste-Hindus can provide us learning lesson in this direction. We all know
that many caste-Hindus by producing bogus SC/ST certificates have penetrated
the limited share of reservations in the pie in jobs. In addition, most of the
times they are left unpunished when their mischievous deeds are exposed to the
people as well as Dalits.
In such cases concerned
caste-Hindus as authorities do not act against these mischief (mischieves). One
reason for this may be that these caste-hindus must have identified these acts
as that of grabbing the whole pie which they used to have in the past. They
used to loot and plunder Dalits by various means some times in the name of
Dharma, sometimes in the cause of so-called meritorious criteria of
deservedness (Patrta). They are only 14% of the total population of the country
but they want 100% of the resources and jobs that is why they are not of the
habit of limiting themselves up to 77.5% (100 – 22.5) before provisions of
reservations for the OBCs now this would increase as they are bound within 50%
of the total jobs and resources as it is constitutional arrangement that
reservation should not be more than 50% of the total jobs. They have limited us
by various means up to the 22.5% of the jobs which they have not been
implemented by them (as majority of them in the authorities).
If we analyse this problem then
we would find that we also could increase our share of the pie by transcending
our limits. Reservations and an iota of
resources must have made few of Dalits in such a comfortable positions that
they can transcend the limits (by the virtues the development process has
endowed them). These limits can be transcended by such Dalits by not limiting
themselves only to reservations and reservations criteria or mind-set-up. They can take this choice as opportunity to
provide the share of the reservations for less confident members of Dalit
community while they can, of course with a bit of difficulty and also with the
spirit of sacrifice for the good of community they represent. They can take
jobs as general candidates as far as possible when they first appear for the
exams. The course of reservation should be the second choice when they do not
get success as general candidates. As they, the leaders of the community, so it
is their first duty that they should develop this practice as culture. So this
concept for the noble cause can be understood as the culture of creamy layer.
Creamy layer of Dalits which may be very thin but can make
historic contribution to the good of the whole Dalit community.
They can take jobs as general candidates through the competitive exams etc or
they can MNCs where work and salaries are better than that in the Govt. jobs. Less
confident members of the community would be able take jobs through
reservations. Thus we can transcend the limits of the reservations and would be
able increase our share of the pie.
This may appear more difficult
in the beginning. As we know that we Dalits have been compelled (or made) to
work for the well being or luxuries of the caste-Hindus in the past 3000 years
and continued to do so even after the Independence of the country. In other
words, the fruits of hard work of Dalits were reaped by the caste-Hindus. It is
time when we should work harder so that we can gain slightly more than what we
have been given by the provision of reservations. This would enable us to
slowly and slightly compensate what we had to sacrifice in the past centuries.
Having the concept of creamy
layer would certainly not create any separation in the Dalit community. One
obvious reason for that is the members
of the creamy layer would not be as if they had never been (very) part of the
community. Almost all of them are still having their roots among the common
more deprived members of the community. They individually, by virtue of
reservations, may have made their lives slightly better than that of rest
members of the community. However, they still have their kiths and kins as the deprived or plighted members of the Dalit
community. I am very sure this creamy layer would not behave as a separate
caste within the community, which is generally feared when we discuss the
issue. Many members of Dalit community who may consist the creamy layer of the
community, want to see the real well being of the community. Therefore,
I am very sure that they would certainly help coming up of the community as
whole. This would definitely help developing the community horizontally.
Otherwise, we as community will have vertical development of the few members of
Dalits community, generations after generations, while they have definitely more choices of developing
them than the rest members of the community.
Generally, members of Dalit
community lack confidence when they fight on the brahmanically defined pattern
of merits or ability, so they face difficulty in proving their talents or
utilising their capabilities. While some
of the members or their sons who already have performed impressively or excelled
in the academics where the caste-Hindus are dominant. This means they are
better than most of the members of the caste-Hindus. As we know swimming
against the flow of the river is very difficult. As we have many examples,
that Dalit students top exams or achieve their names in the list of the
toppers. However, it is again very sad development that rather they (these
Dalit toppers) take reservations at the very first attempts at jobs rather they
should take reservations as the last resort to take jobs. Thus, they recluse in
the shell provided by reservations. Their brethren are still left as deprived
and plighted masses of the community.
If we develop the culture of
creamy layer then there is very much possibility that we can compete with
general members of the country. There may be some difficulties in developing
this first as practice later as culture. First difficulty is that we, Dalits,
lack the spirit of entrepreneurship, so we, despite of having many choices,
choose the very protracted one (for this tendency also some valid reasons are
there).
If we see the
possibility of developing this practice as culture then we should discuss the
problems that we would face in developing the culture.
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