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> On 22-Mar-2023, at 11:07 AM, avinash shahi <[email protected]> wrote: > > ‘What merit completely fails to account for are the starting points, > the trajectories, the social networks, the affluence, the prejudices, > hardships and innumerable other factors that shape us’ | Photo Credit: > EMMANUAL YOGINI > https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/discrimination-in-the-iits-is-something-to-write-about/article66646925.ece > Darshan Solanki, an undergraduate student of chemical engineering at > the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, ended his life on > February 12, 2023. He was a Dalit. The institute formed a 12-member > committee to conduct an investigation, which submitted its report on > March 2. The report said, “It appears from the marks obtained in > various courses that the performance of Darshan Solanki deteriorated > specifically in the second half of the autumn semester. His > deteriorating academic performance could have affected him seriously.” > The report further said: “Other than the statement of Darshan’s > sister, there is no specific evidence of direct caste-based > discrimination faced by him during his stay at IIT Bombay.” > > A continuous process > Unlike the hard sciences, establishing causal links of discrimination > is challenging. However, the lack of tools to establish causality does > not negate the presence of discrimination. In thinking about > marginalisation, the tendency is to sympathise with the most > victimised. While that is understandable, it should not dilute the > many forms of discrimination. What is needed is not sympathy or > band-aid empathy for the most victimised but a constant engagement > with the politics of assertion because discrimination is not > necessarily a one-off, high-pitched melodramatic event of hurling > abuses at somebody. It is a layered and continuous process that > happens through everyday doses, steadily creating an atmosphere of > “us” and “them”. It takes subtle, seemingly innocuous forms such as a > smile combined with a frown, a wince, a hand gesture, or just silence. > And, a discussion on discrimination at the IITs needs to be predicated > on a discussion on merit as it is the embedded idea of merit that > gives licence to discriminate. > > The political philosopher, Michael Sandel, in the book, The Tyranny of > Merit, presents a scathing critique of meritocracy as a societal ideal > and argues how hubris among the elites and a politics of humiliation > are natural outcomes of meritocracy. This is not to suggest that every > upper-caste student at the IITs discriminates or that every > lower-caste student feels victimised. However, some upper-caste > students at the IITs, knowingly or unknowingly, embody what Sandel > calls “credentialist prejudice” as symptomatic of meritocratic > arrogance. This happens, when elites tend to “look down on those who > do not rise”. Such an approach “undermines social recognition and > esteem for those who lack the credentials the system rewards”. > > Variations of graded inequality and, consequently, discriminatory > judgements about one’s so-called abilities are deeply entrenched > within the veneer of merit at the IITs. > > On campus > Soon after one enters IIT campuses, one steps into well-demarcated > zones of hierarchy. The first level of hierarchy is whether you are an > undergraduate or a postgraduate student. Intermingling of these two > cohorts was an exception than the norm as undergraduates tended to > feel superior to postgraduates. For undergraduates, one’s abilities > are immediately tattooed in the minds of everyone based on one’s rank > in the entrance exams. Much like the accident of birth, one’s branch > of studies is an accident of one’s rank. This then becomes the unique > identifier of this phantom called merit; then, slowly, the lines > between being objective and objectifying get blurred. > > The accident of the branch of studies results in disinterest and > disillusionment among some students. But it plays out differently > among students across caste. On average, for some upper-caste > disinterested students, it becomes an opportunity to explore other > facets, which then acts as a justification for bad academic > performance in college. There is usually an implicit confidence among > such students that they could be bailed out when needed, owing to > their family connections, affluence, cultural capital or social > networks with ‘successful’ people. These act as cushions for them to > take risks in college. Think of how and whom you would refer for a job > in your company where you get a referral bonus. > ch not of their choice, they do not have the luxury to explore or take > the same kind of risks as their upper-caste counterparts. More often, > they lack similar connections, affluence or cultural capital as their > upper-caste friends. An apprehension of being stigmatised for bad > academic performance tends to amplify their anxiety and pressure. What > these imply is that even the freedom to take chances is implicitly > conditioned on one’s rank and caste location. The buoyancy of youth is > not equal for everyone. What merit completely fails to account for are > the starting points, the trajectories, the social networks, the > affluence, the prejudices, hardships and innumerable other factors > that shape us. Contrary to what we were told, we realised that it was > never a level-playing field. Metaphorically speaking, in a 100 metre > race, people like us were running downhill, and many others from > historically marginalised backgrounds were doing so uphill. In most > cases, not only did our slopes differ but also that some of us were > just running 50 m downhill while many others had to run 500 m uphill > and the only metric to compare our abilities was the time taken to > complete our races. This is what ranks or grades do. The argument of > using rank or grades as a proxy for merit is like using a person’s > body temperature as a sole metric to assess health, ignoring one’s > age, gender or other pre-existing health conditions. > > The principle of equal opportunity is only a corrective measure of > historical injustice. It is not a sufficient principle to foster an > equitable society devoid of discrimination. Sandel quoting British > economic historian, R.H. Tawney, writes: ‘social well-being depends > upon cohesion and solidarity. Individual happiness does not only > require that men should be free to rise to new positions of comfort > and distinction; it also requires that they should be able to lead a > life of dignity and culture, whether they rise or not.’ > > In perspective > We write this from the perspective of being alumni of two different > branches from two IITs and societally identified with the privileged > upper castes. This is neither a sentimental confession nor is this any > grand theory of caste discrimination at the IITs. This is merely a > reflection on what we saw and how we were occupants of the upper > echelons by default and, on occasions, were either silent or ignorant > about how discrimination operated on the pretext of merit. There is no > denying that every student at the IITs has put in immense effort to > get in but it has taken us a while to realise that calling it merit > was erroneous. The tragic case of Darshan Solanki should serve as a > reminder to lakhs of elite alumni from the IITs to pause and reflect > on the blind spots of biases they may have had during their student > days. Being key institutional collaborators, it is equally important > for the faculty at the IITs to re-imagine classrooms as spaces free of > meritocratic or discriminatory judgements. Building empathy and > fostering a culture of equality, dignity, and fraternity cannot happen > through short orientation programmes. These should be built-into the > curriculum at the IITs and should become the DNA of campus life for > learning spaces to be sanctuaries. These are not just moral > imperatives but can play a huge role for a healthier and prosperous > India. > > Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could seek help and > counselling by calling helplines > > Rajesh Golani is a researcher with LibTech India. Rajendran Narayanan > teaches in Azim Premji University, Bangalore, and is affiliated with > LibTech India > > -- > सादर/ Regards > > अविनाश शाही/ Avinash Shahi > सहायक/ Assistant > मानव संसाधन प्रबंध विभाग/ Human Resource Management Department > भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक/ Reserve Bank of India > लखनऊ क्षेत्रीय कार्यालय/Lucknow RO > विस्तार/ Extension: 2232 > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. 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