Should reservation be there in professional institutes ?

Let me begin by firstly stating that the concept of reservation, in my opinion, is based on a spurious idea. An idea, according to which, organizations, countries, universities, race, casts and cultures make a man. Though it is true that what a man looks like and how he carries out the social niceties is dependent on the above factors, but the crux of a man, the essence of his being, is still of his own device. Man is not the product of society, rather society is the product of mans mind. In this light, when we say that reservation in any field (social, political, educational etc.) leads to the betterment of masses, we are effectively saying that giving you a car makes you a better runner. Yes, it takes you far, but not far enough to improve you as a human, as an intellectual. And as a society can improve only by improving the members that constitute it, reservations strike at the very core of improvement by replacing the best with the needy. And it goes without saying that the future of the world we live in, depends not on the needs of the people, rather their ability to produce and give back to the world they inhabit. What does it mean to reserve a benefit, a college seat or a job? Does it ensure success? Does it ensure stability, happiness, prosperity for the society or for that matter, the person getting the benefit of the reservation? I think not. The only thing, in my opinion, that can result in the success, material and otherwise, is what is inside him and not what is around him. Intus bene. Coming out of the philosophical aspect of this remonstration, lets look into the practical aspect of the whole scenario in the Indian context. As far as I could understand, reservations had been introduced into the universities and professional institutions of India at the time of independence and clearly for a short period of time (2-3 decades at most). They were instituted to give a chance to the Have nots, so that they could work for their own development, uninhibited by the limitations of society for once. But, what did actually happen? The members of the cast who could afford a decent education (the primary sort, not the higher one) got in, while the ones for whom the whole plan was devised pretty much stayed where they were from the very start. With no strong education system in place and lack of economic support for the intelligent-but-underprivileged students, the plan failed with no foundation to stand on. So, in the end we could say that it did work out, but for the wrong people. And strangely, after a long period, when it was finally seen that the target population was not being served, instead of rethinking the whole reservation issue, the reservations were driven up even more and even more later on, all in the hope that someday. someday the faulty plan might work, by divine intervention I guess. Well the bottom line is that if it could have worked, it would have worked within the first two decades of its implementation and the country wouldnt have needed it after that initial span of time, but unfortunately no one in the government wants to believe that I personally have been against the whole issue of reservation from the get-go not because it doesnt do anything for the poor, but because it takes from able men what is rightfully theirs, opportunity. But ones personal feeling cannot be held as a justification for condemning something. That act should be preceded by a thorough understanding of the concerning issue. And looking at the reservation issue, all it seems to have become now is a hollow attempt to address the problem of unequal development of the masses, by appeasing the ones who make the most noise. Eshan Ganju, 081601.