Okay. So the word is out. Rahul Gandhi is not a PM candidate, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal are. You see everywhere, in the cyber space, such atrocious war between the Modi supporters and Rahul /Kejriwal Supporters. And I am talking about you, me, we the aam admi (no pun intended). People tearing each other down for what they believe in. Friendships gone sore because of difference in political opinion.
But it is not just about political opinion. It is deeper and much more complex than just having an opinion. The war between opinions have become so ugly that now people have forgotten how to be decent. There is a tribalistic adherence to a political party which is never a sign of a mature and a rational mind.
The question we have to ask ourselves is, what is the end, absolute end result of having an opinion and acting upon it.
I am not a political analyst, neither am I a devout follower of Indian politics. But I do observe, read and watch news, just like you, your friends and million other junta. I do not have any kind of political adherence and will never have. Because I see political party as a machine to run a country, just like a washing machine to wash the clothes or a computer to all the digital stuff or an AC to cool a room, you get the idea?
So the absolute end result of our opinion will lead to selection of a machine that would do its job in the best possible way, given the constraints whatsoever. The job being running a country. Running a country being making our living easier and safer. And like you guessed, this is a no-brainer. But why do even the so-called intellectuals get it wrong?
You know what I hated the most when I was in school? The fact that a teacher's kid was preferred over other kids. The ones who were good in academics were automatically assumed to be good in extra-curricular activities. The ones who were good in sports were assumed to be not good in academics and the worst, the ones who were not good in academics were considered worthless.
So, the words I am looking for are bias, partial and unfair.
Why are we Indians, afraid of Merit?
Why do we have to make everything complicated so "Merit" takes a backseat.
And we cannot just blame Indian politics or Indian film industry where merit is ignored and nepotism is practised. This mind clout is almost rooted in our social system. And like I mentioned earlier, you can see such an examples in schools too.
Maybe "Merit" is just an utopian dream in India. But, mind you, I am not talking about domains that require hard skill implying talent- such as in academics, technology, medicine, sports, art and capitalism-. Because here, only merit talks. That's why we do not find nepotism here.
But look at the domains that do not require any "special hard skills" or "talent" to get into- like Indian Politics or Bollywood- the two most glamorous and most lucrative fields in Indian. You get a lot of power and instant fame here. HERE- Nepotism is big. And anyone, who has talent and uses it to survive in these domains, faces a lot of resistance, like a lot. But that resistance makes the talent sharper. And like they say, "The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire" . So here is to Merit and its advocates! May your tribe increase.
But it is not just about political opinion. It is deeper and much more complex than just having an opinion. The war between opinions have become so ugly that now people have forgotten how to be decent. There is a tribalistic adherence to a political party which is never a sign of a mature and a rational mind.
The question we have to ask ourselves is, what is the end, absolute end result of having an opinion and acting upon it.
I am not a political analyst, neither am I a devout follower of Indian politics. But I do observe, read and watch news, just like you, your friends and million other junta. I do not have any kind of political adherence and will never have. Because I see political party as a machine to run a country, just like a washing machine to wash the clothes or a computer to all the digital stuff or an AC to cool a room, you get the idea?
So the absolute end result of our opinion will lead to selection of a machine that would do its job in the best possible way, given the constraints whatsoever. The job being running a country. Running a country being making our living easier and safer. And like you guessed, this is a no-brainer. But why do even the so-called intellectuals get it wrong?
You know what I hated the most when I was in school? The fact that a teacher's kid was preferred over other kids. The ones who were good in academics were automatically assumed to be good in extra-curricular activities. The ones who were good in sports were assumed to be not good in academics and the worst, the ones who were not good in academics were considered worthless.
So, the words I am looking for are bias, partial and unfair.
Why are we Indians, afraid of Merit?
Why do we have to make everything complicated so "Merit" takes a backseat.
And we cannot just blame Indian politics or Indian film industry where merit is ignored and nepotism is practised. This mind clout is almost rooted in our social system. And like I mentioned earlier, you can see such an examples in schools too.
Maybe "Merit" is just an utopian dream in India. But, mind you, I am not talking about domains that require hard skill implying talent- such as in academics, technology, medicine, sports, art and capitalism-. Because here, only merit talks. That's why we do not find nepotism here.
But look at the domains that do not require any "special hard skills" or "talent" to get into- like Indian Politics or Bollywood- the two most glamorous and most lucrative fields in Indian. You get a lot of power and instant fame here. HERE- Nepotism is big. And anyone, who has talent and uses it to survive in these domains, faces a lot of resistance, like a lot. But that resistance makes the talent sharper. And like they say, "The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire" . So here is to Merit and its advocates! May your tribe increase.
4 comments:
Nice blog..Merit indeed is a rare species in politics. All the best
Thank you Anonymous!!
Hey Sanjukta,
Good one! But a couple of caveats.
1. Never say I'll not join politics. Because life's to uncertain and I believe in keeping all the options on the table at all the time.
2. Not many ppl realize this, but Merits is gonna be the next big thing in India. Today all the pseudo seculars are harping about the Indian secular fabric but a decade down the line may be we will be at crossroads with reservations.
Yes, ppl are scared of merit as we have been taught all along that some sections of society had a upper strata for a long time and others didn't. It'll will be difficult to convince the people that this argument is not valid and it never was.
Hi Nishant,
Thank you for the feedback!
Interesting caveats. I agree with both but as per your 1st point- this blog is the point of view of a citizen deciding to elect a certain party/candidate. So whether I/anyone decides to join politics or not is a different question.
But certainly, with all sincerity most of us who value merit, wish and hope that merit rules the roost!!
Agreed, this will be an uphill task to say the least.
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