Getting a Central Government Employment is a dream for everyone, but for me, i never asked for it but it just fell out of the skies and into my lap. It is a story by itself which i may tell in another blog, but lets focus on the part which i am going to narrate today.
My first posting was in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. A place which i have never even heard in 2013. But I packed my bags and took my sole trip first time in an Air conditioned compartment of an Indian Train.
Mind you in the twenty years I have in Tamilnadu no one has ever asked me about my caste, sometimes they do try to get my caste asking my family God whom I worship but never, I repeat NEVER asked me directly about my caste. This is first shock to me.
What I was seeing was shocking. Each and every marathi I met here asked three question whenever I met them first.
1. What is your name? Prabhu
2. What is your surname? I don't have a surname
3. You belong to Sc/ST? I was like Ahhh?
Second upper caste people hate them. Once I tell that I am neither lower or upper and belong to a in-between group they openly tell me how much they hate SC/ST, if there is no SC/ST men around. Again a cultural shock. Here upper class hates the lower class but not openly. There is vengeance but they are not expressing it directly and this is very very dangerous because when they get the right opportunity it will lead to community riots.
In Tamilnadu we youngsters even in college or school doesn't care about the caste of the friend, but here young ones are choosy. Yes even at grassroots.
Tamilnadu has the highest reservation 69% and was the first state to implement it. As per supreme court directive reservations can't be more than 50%. Maharashtra follows 50% reservations yet people are very vocal about reservations.
Now for the so called lower caste. People here celebrated Dr.Ambedkar birthday. People means only SC/ST people. Ambedkar is God like figure. All houses of SC/ST people has his photo. The celebrations of his birthday include so called bike rally Where youngsters carry the blue flag and roam about in street shouting. If this is called uprising of a caste I am sorry this is not uprising.
Also greeting each other SC/ST "JAI BHEEM" another shock for me. Apart from that higher class greets RAM RAM , JAI HARI I was like WTF? We in Tamilnad greets simple "vanakam" equal to namaste.. so God's.
And Placing of various colored flags ( saffron, Green and Blue) cannot be seen anywhere in TamilNadu
Tamilnadu has /had it's own communal riots. Recently SC/ST young man was murdered for loving higher caste girl. there is one party that banks heavily on caste based politics but still uprising for lower caste people started way back in E.V.R .Periyars period. E.V.Periyars Self Respect Movement. Some 60-70 years back yet no one keeps his photo in home and prays. He himself was opposite for it.
Congress which always said it is non communal historical had upper class leaders and supported upper class, BJP said to be as communal party Yes Maharashtra votes for them. In Tamilnadu last time Congress was in power was 1967 and I don't see bjp getting into power for another twenty years..
People of north India talk about corrupt politicians of Tamilnad as if theirs are as good as Gandhi. But still the politicians of Tamilnad has did far far more to the well being of SC/ST people than Maharashtra.
Recent riots and violence in Bhima-Koregaon battle anniversary event is totally unnecessary according to me as a victory against upper class some 200 years ago doesnt even matter considering that we are still suppressed.
P.S: all the views are my personal views. I dont support casteism. I am atheist too.
My first posting was in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. A place which i have never even heard in 2013. But I packed my bags and took my sole trip first time in an Air conditioned compartment of an Indian Train.
My first day at the office rather blur at the moment but the first shock came at the dinner that night which was cooked by the helper for me since i am newbie and also a South Indian. A rather old man came for the first time and after formal introduction, he asked for my surname. If anybody new Tamils, you know we dropped our surnames during the self respect movement by Father E.V.K Periyar, we just keep our father names as initials. When I told that i dont have a surname, he was shocked, He told he was a Kshatriya, war lords with such a Pride beaming in his face. Next he shots out asking what was my caste. I was like OMG.
Mind you in the twenty years I have in Tamilnadu no one has ever asked me about my caste, sometimes they do try to get my caste asking my family God whom I worship but never, I repeat NEVER asked me directly about my caste. This is first shock to me.
What I was seeing was shocking. Each and every marathi I met here asked three question whenever I met them first.
1. What is your name? Prabhu
2. What is your surname? I don't have a surname
3. You belong to Sc/ST? I was like Ahhh?
Second upper caste people hate them. Once I tell that I am neither lower or upper and belong to a in-between group they openly tell me how much they hate SC/ST, if there is no SC/ST men around. Again a cultural shock. Here upper class hates the lower class but not openly. There is vengeance but they are not expressing it directly and this is very very dangerous because when they get the right opportunity it will lead to community riots.
In Tamilnadu we youngsters even in college or school doesn't care about the caste of the friend, but here young ones are choosy. Yes even at grassroots.
Tamilnadu has the highest reservation 69% and was the first state to implement it. As per supreme court directive reservations can't be more than 50%. Maharashtra follows 50% reservations yet people are very vocal about reservations.
Now for the so called lower caste. People here celebrated Dr.Ambedkar birthday. People means only SC/ST people. Ambedkar is God like figure. All houses of SC/ST people has his photo. The celebrations of his birthday include so called bike rally Where youngsters carry the blue flag and roam about in street shouting. If this is called uprising of a caste I am sorry this is not uprising.
Also greeting each other SC/ST "JAI BHEEM" another shock for me. Apart from that higher class greets RAM RAM , JAI HARI I was like WTF? We in Tamilnad greets simple "vanakam" equal to namaste.. so God's.
And Placing of various colored flags ( saffron, Green and Blue) cannot be seen anywhere in TamilNadu
Tamilnadu has /had it's own communal riots. Recently SC/ST young man was murdered for loving higher caste girl. there is one party that banks heavily on caste based politics but still uprising for lower caste people started way back in E.V.R .Periyars period. E.V.Periyars Self Respect Movement. Some 60-70 years back yet no one keeps his photo in home and prays. He himself was opposite for it.
Congress which always said it is non communal historical had upper class leaders and supported upper class, BJP said to be as communal party Yes Maharashtra votes for them. In Tamilnadu last time Congress was in power was 1967 and I don't see bjp getting into power for another twenty years..
People of north India talk about corrupt politicians of Tamilnad as if theirs are as good as Gandhi. But still the politicians of Tamilnad has did far far more to the well being of SC/ST people than Maharashtra.
Recent riots and violence in Bhima-Koregaon battle anniversary event is totally unnecessary according to me as a victory against upper class some 200 years ago doesnt even matter considering that we are still suppressed.
P.S: all the views are my personal views. I dont support casteism. I am atheist too.
No comments:
Post a Comment