Text of email published in The Hindu
Published by Abhishek May 31st, 2006 in UncategorizedThis was in response to their editorial that appeared on May 30th 2006 titled “Get Back to work” They published the edited mail here.
The text of the email is as follows:
This refers to the editorial, “Get Back to work” carried in your newspaper on May 30th.
I understand that the health services have remain paralysed and it is causing immense hardship to the general public. The strike wasn’t intended for the said purpose. It is well known that caste based reservations would do no good to the present set up. Merit is a relative term and there is no reliable criteria to assess it quantitatively.
It would be naive to assume that despite “assurances” from the Government, the things would lapse on their accord. Throughout the write up, your biases are clearly reflected in the write up. If they were the same leftists that you love to lionise throughout your publications (in The Frontline/ The Hindu) were carrying out the strikes elsewhere, it would be “affirmative action based on collective principle”; but if doctors are fighting for their and the society’s rights, it is “morally indefensible”!
Why these double standards?
The power of the pen shapes up the public opinion. I am not qualified enough to tell you that through your editorial, you have done immense harm to the efforts of Youth for Equailty forum.
60 years and the reservations have only helped a certain section of the people instead of being all encompassing. There is a huge drop out rate at the primary school level. The higher secondary schools are in doldrums. The secondary education system doesn’t encourage lateral thinking or out of box solutions. It tends to stunt the development of the children. Further, the state level education stresses mostly on the regional languages which by and large leaves out a siginificant majority who is unable to compete on equal terms with their peers from elsewhere.
In this scenario which is more feasible? Reservations as a short term solution or revamp of education sector for a long term stable solution? The present strike by Doctors also highlights this aspect; which you have not highlighted at all.
I wouldn’t be able to comment on the actions of Indian Medical Association because it is a union on the lines elsewhere. I fail to understand the logic given by your editorial that IMA has opposed increase in the Post Graduation medical seats. The local chapter of IMA has always supported us as students whenever there is a demand for increase in the facilities or highlighting the sorry state of hospitals. I am not a member of IMA and not everyone chooses to be one.
Your editorial is contrived against the huge number of people who had taken part in the rally held in New Delhi. There has been support from cross section of the society because it affects their children in the future. This is a fatalistic step because for times to come,the governments would indulge in such short sighted ways to keep their vote bank politics intact. If we don’t oppose now, then the future would be bleak.
Perhaps sitting in an airconditioned office doesn’t affect you.
The editorial doesn’t support reservations, it merely says that the way the debate is being conducted leaves a lot to wish for. Suspending medical services to show how much you oppose reservations doesn’t make sense. Protesting over a matter that is being tried in court amounts to contempt of court.
“The power of the pen shapes up the public opinion. I am not qualified enough to tell you that through your editorial, you have done immense harm to the efforts of Youth for Equailty forum.”
If you’re talking of the power of the pen and you have a problem with someone criticizing the form of protest that has been adopted by the doctors, why is it that you don’t have a problem with the fact that the media was so one-sided in its coverage of the reservation issue? Why didn’t we hear anything about the pro-reservation rallies? Why didn’t we see any articles about how students from the reserved category are treated in colleges?
http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/03/stories/2006060301841000.htm
It’s not about the reservations. It’s about how the debate is being conducted. The Hindu isn’t shoving propaganda down your throat. They give you both points of view. you decide what you want to believe in. Why do you want them to block out the other side completely?
Talking of biases, you think none are reflected in this post of yours?
This was my stated opinion Sandhya! I think I am welcome to it.
How has affirmative action helped anyone? Name any ONE instance from ANY where in the history of world and I would eat my own words. The pro reservationists have specious arguments, full of hot air and overt concern for the “downtrodden”.
Fair enough. Unless you wish to rape the nation in the name of poor. Unfortunately, the likes of you have proliferated all over becoming “arm chair critics” and drawing room activists.
I’d like to clarify that I’m not pro-reservations. I’m against reservations. But I’m also against the way the reservation debate was conducted. The media coverage was very one-sided and there was a certain level of hypocrisy involved in the debate.
You’re entitled to your opinion all right but you’re missing the point of the editorial. It didn’t encourage reservations, it criticized the form of protest. Everyone who’s against reservations doesn’t necessarily have to support the form of protest adopted.