What seems to be happening is a rather deeper, more far-reaching phenomenon that effectively reverses the trend to make allowances for the underprivileged.
As long as it was a talking point in cocktail parties and seminar lunch-breaks, as long as 99% of administrative and professional opportunities go to the privileged, effectively the Hindu upper castes with a satisficing sprinkling of Christians, Muslims and Sikhs who had gone to the right schools, talking with great sincerity about the serious and compelling need to do something for the underprivileged was safe enough. Those were the days. Things happened. Mainly reservations. The steely grip that 'we' had on schools, colleges, engineering schools, medical training and professional opportunities or government jobs was pried loose. Sachar came along and raised a stink. Mayavati came along and spread the shit around. Brother-in-law Sashi's son failed to make it to medical school because some half-literate idiot with nowhere near his marks got a quota seat. All of a sudden, the vague discomfort began. Nothing direct and damaging, you understand. Nothing against the Scheduled Castes, no, that's not the word, is it, Harijans, no, no,that's the older word, Dalit, that's the word, not a word against them. Though they are such tiresome people, dahling, they keep snarling all the time, when they aren't whining, you know? It's just that it's so difficult to get along with them, they're so insistent on talking about the same dreary things all the dreary time. And hey, nothing against the Muslim either. Some of my best friends are Muslim, you know that? I know how to greet them on Eid, and what each Eid holiday is, and I say Adab on meeting them, Khuda Hafiz with a rueful smile and a quip about how the Tablighis don't say Khuda any more....it's just that they're so, I don't want to sound negative or anything, but set in their ways, somehow, not willing to compromise even a wee bit, rigid, is that the word I'm looking for? They're all converted Dalit anyway, why they give themselves such airs and graces, I can't imagine, they should be grateful that they get to lead such peaceful lives, look at the way they breed, their birth rate is way higher than Hindus, they'll be overtaking us soon. Which leads to the Great Question. And that's when it starts unravelling. Sent from my iPad On May 6, 2012, at 10:30 AM, Bonobashi <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Sent from my iPad > > On May 6, 2012, at 9:21 AM, ss <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On Sunday 06 May 2012 8:56:50 am Bonobashi wrote: >> >>>> This is like saying that everyone on my right is right wing. >>>> >>>> >>>> shiv >>> >>> Aren't they? >> >> Yes IG, but the observation tempts me to retype and post a footnote that I >> had >> earlier decided against posting. This is in the genre of mundane truisms >> masquearing as fundamental philosophical truths handed down by God or some >> similar authority. Such as a mullah. >> >> I was recently looking for Islamic injunctions on onanism and found that the >> rules, after much deliberation and multiple references to holy texts and >> historic precedents, state that one must not do it unless one must. >> >> shiv >> > > > Duly noted that you did not post that till you had to. Good, that should > ensure no hair on your palms. >> > > >
