An Untouchable Apology

[..May this apology be a first start to a better implementation of religion!...]

I find it really puzzling that Bengalis seem to have this excessive zeal for these ``causes``. A while back, another bengali chap was writing about poverty and the guilt complex about working in the IT sector and seeing beggars on the street etc. Of course all this chest beating was happening even as he was pursuing his MBA!! Damn insufferable hypocrites.

Why the hell dont you Bengalis fix West Bengal first before lecturing everyone else on what we should do on social issues? Calcutta has the most grinding poverty and inequality imaginable with despicable living conditions for vast millions. Until a few months back, hand pulled rickshaws with half-naked barefoot rickshaw pullers were still making a living as beasts of burden on the streets of Calcutta. Pseudo-intellectual, marxist Bongs would be transported by these human wretches every day even as they composed poetry, sang rabindra sangeet all day and waxed eloquent about the need for social justice!!

Lets talk caste. As far as caste is concerned, India is fixing the system. Reservations are kicking in for SC/STs, Dalits and pretty much everyone else, even in IITs. There were some protests but everyone has accepted the situation. What has Bengal done for casteism? Have you Bengalis reserved any more seats in your colleges? Oh, you hate reservations!! Ok, have you Bengalis created any special opportunities for the education of lower caste people? Any scholarships, any funding of anti-poverty schemes for lower castes? Anything tangible? Of course, not. After all, Bengalis can only lecture everybody night and day without doing anything concrete.

BD I agree with your article. An apology by itself will not do - what is required is action.
In this the Indian soceity has been good upto a point. It should be notedthat India was the first country to have affirmative action and reservations. Today you have a new class of people coming up. Initially the rates of improvement were slow but ar pickingup. Thre is less of a caste divide but more of a class divide in India. Regions which have urbanised and industrialised have seem this happen more rapidly than other areas.

Much as we detest or dislike what Gandhi (Indira) did with nationalisation, it was this which helped. FOr with one stroke she was able to turn private instistitutions into the public ones, and afirmitive action policies could be carried out. This increased the number of jobs available for distribution.

3 key things happened

(a) resersevation in education
(b) reservations in jobs in govt and public institutions
(c) Land reforms - which distributed land, and curbing large industry which enabled multiple small scale industries to develop.

It was the last point which helped India. Creating a much broader base than would have been possible. The curb placed on large scale private industries allowed every small timer to start a small scale industrial unit, leading to greater employment opportunties whilst the large scale public industry allowed freedom for greater affirmitive action policies to be put in palce. Land reforms, got rid of the feudals who would have otehrwise dominated the newly created state and India`s political situation would have been no better than that of pakistan. Fedall lords are the old-failed state of India. At the same titme distributed some wealth to the lowest of low. Hence today you have Lalloos mayavatis etc running the show and a guy like Kalaam able to reach the highest of highs the Indian State can provide. Again, these people are no slouches - Lalloo has been ableto transform the railways - profits for the first time!

Okay, so far everything is not hunky dory. Still steps enevertheless.

All the apologies in the world donot amount to anything - empty words. It is deeds which matter.

BTW BD perhaps you could visit the following http://www.aidindia.org

its an organisation with minimal overheads and admin. Almost some 95% of money goes to the work and they do a great job. I have seen these in action in Maryland and very very impressed. It is this kind of work which is a true apology from the heart.

#3 it has been consistently receving the highest ratings of any charity in the US four stars!

Can I point out that being a Baidya you don`t have to apologise for anything? Baidyas were not considered Brahmin because they would touch anyone in order to treat them.
And who were you accused of patronising?

Actualy apology is a good idea atleast for ``surviving`` the future.. Otherwise the roles would be turned in a few decades with the so called ``lower castes`` treating the so called ``upper castes`` with disdain..

:-)

Dear Mr Dasgupta,

While I find it very heartwarming and touchy-feely and all that you have apologised to the dalits of India, may I ask what specific crime did you personally commit against a dalit that you were wracked by such guilt?

Just curious
Burpy

#1Ranjit Singh

``I find it really puzzling that Bengalis seem to have this excessive zeal for these ``causes``. ..


atleast bengal had produced Rajarammohan, Tagore ,Nazrul, vidysagar and many whom we remener what is Ranjit Singh is known for?????????????????????

tolkinin

Who has not heard of the original Lion of Punjab? :)

Mr Dasgupta, a very good article indeed! An apology is an excellent idea, very important for us as a people coming to terms with ourselves.

Yet, some reluctance is natural. The key to overcoming that reluctance will lie in rightly framing and carefully presenting this whole issue to people.

#9Kal

May be but Kushwant Singh the octogenerian is the real lion hearted!

It`s none of my business, and I don`t know much about the state of affairs in this matter, but if what the author says is true, then indeed his is a noble resolution.

My best wishes to the author and all who support him!

:-)~~

Apologizing is OK but when are we going to actually DO something for them, apart from the lip-service in the guise of reservations and such sops, which are designed to fatten the cunning and street-smart, while the really needy ones are still where they were 60 years back?

``On one hand, there were statements effectively saying that everybody is born the same, while on the other hand, there are statements in religious books talking about how some are born from the head and some from the foot.....
........................................
Not that it is impossible for foot to recreat American constitution is ...All men(women) are equal`

I agree that reservations are being seen as hinderance to removing castism, but where most of the caste based crimes take place, reservations have not even reached there......how many do you think have benefitted from reservations in the interior areas of Bihar and Rajasthan, where casteism is rampant in its ugliest form?

Even if we agree that reservation strengthens the caste based divisions, what aternatives do you suggest to raise the social and educational level of so called untouchables?

#11 ntsyed, are you planning any apologies?

Could not this article ,well meaning as it may be ,is little winding and reptitious

may be could have been edited to shorten for some distracted and attention defecit ones????