Understanding the OBC quota

For a long time, I have been juggling with two words "OBC quota". I have been trying to understand What does it actually mean and how will it influence everybody? How would it influence the beneficiaries , disadvantaged , benefactors and the neutral class? The neutral class certainly seems to be comprising of SC/STs. And the beneficiaries, disadvantaged and benefectors may seem to be OBCs, left out Upper castes and the politicians.
I have been restraining myself to comment on this issue, still trying to understand deeper links of this phenomena.
But now I am writing whatever i have absorbed from different permutations and combinations relating each other to this issue.
Though I still feel OBC quota has too many loop holes to make it reality. OBC quota could have been great boon to this developing country by helping all those who have been left out of the growth scene.
But it certainly proved out to be an important initiative in other sense . It has made the growing class to rethink on the issue of castes and caste system and re-evaluate their stand. With only SC/ST quota in place, they have been promptly relating everything related to SC/STs or Dalits to the quota provided to them. And viceversa , everything related to reservation was used to put the blame on to the SC/STs without trying to think the cause.
And till now they have been successful in isolating a certain class on the name of reservation. Even without reservation , they would have felt uneasy in including them to the mainstream on the name of popular customs and tradition. So they were successful in implementing this ideological phrase into action  "You remain happy with your quota, We are happy and accustomed to isolating you like your previous generations but from time to time, we would blame everything on you. ". But the monotony is broken now. They have been forced to look at this issue to the extent they never ignore. Now with reservation level rising to the waist, and not feet (sc/st reservation), the mouth is shouting , yelling and growling.
The mouth would continue to utter abuses till the head realizes that it is their rising mass and volume which is making the water rise up. And if they would have not grown that much, they would have drowned in it.
Reminder: It is not the war of the poor , by the poor or for the poor. It is war of growth. The poor has long back learnt to live like benthic organism unaffected by whatever happening above him.
Only the feet of others bother him and not the level of water.
With OBC reservation, the upper class/growing class is worried of its own growth.
I agree that 50% reservation is harsh but with this kind of severity, the growing class  may realize their mistake they did'nt realize when they had 22% reservation in front. Though it was to include the part of population into the mainstream but it gave the society another reason to isolate them, but surely they can't ignore and isolate more than 50% of the population on the name of quota now. Then they were enjoying the support of majority but now majority is against them to make them realize their mistake. After the income and least cut off cap on OBC quota, it may not benefit OBCs to a great extent, but it certainly has overturned the coin in the favour of deprived and victims. Now SC/STs have got the much needed support and freedom from chains of isolation. Now they know with almost 50% population branded as reserved, the racists/casteists can't bank upon the reason of reservation to victimize them. And true skin of the racists would be visible who were previously wearing the veil called anti-reservation. Certainly, this reservation can do more good to SC/STs then thought. It is the high time that society should rethink of its inherent major problems and not neglect them to appease themselves or it might lead to their isolation. The isolation of casteists be it on the grounds of reservation or the fake ideology they support is much needed. But certainly self realization is better than any kind of isolation, punishment or reverse-discrimination. The misguided growing class has to realize that humanity has to come before anything and they can't escape after exploiting humanity on the name of false culture.
The goverment may seem to be benefiting by the votes on the name of reservation and full support by the Parliament on this issue may seem to be appeasement or vote retaining. The government has also brought unknown consequences along with it. Politics has always been based on castes and its not that politicians have asked votes on the name of OBCs or SC/STs , the politicians have always asked for votes from their own particular castes first. A reddy leader has always been going to reddy dominant villages/places, A Rajput to Rajput dominant and so and so. And no reservation be it OBC is able to change that even if you call it game of votes.
SC/STs have always been treated seperatly or call it isolated. While other people in India are either Sharmas, Gujjars, Chaudharys, Jats etc, SC/STs have always been SC/STs or dalits before that or Shudras/Ati-shudras before that.
Who knows OBC reservation might bring some integration of Indian society ? people might forget what caste he may belong to and then at that time reservation may serve a bigger purpose.  I am not saying reservation is just because of dis-integration in the society and its has the purpose to dissolve it. But, if thats possible, we would need no more caste reservation then as the castes would have been dissolved into less-disintegrated groups OBC / SC/ST and general.
But today is very different , even if we remove the reservation from the constitution, the words like SC/ST ,dalits, castes would never be removed and for the society dalits would remain dalits.
But all this could have been better if OBC quota would have served its immediate purpose in an effective way. There are many irregularities and loop holes which are needed to be considered about OBC quota, In its current form, it can be described as political quota having consequences unknown to the political class.
Currently OBC list is vague and not like SC/ST list which is quite clearly described in our constitution.
OBC list even before reservation has been plagued by the game of power and politics.
OBC refers to Other Backward Class. As it Class and not caste which many think it to be, it contains mainy different castes from different religions. Among Hindus, It primarily consists of those castes which were referred to Shudras in scriptures. They were actual peasant or working class which didn't enjoy high social status. They shouldn't be confused with the dalits or ati-shudras or outcastes. But with time, many such castes grew out of the control of social hierarchy and became very prominent and powerful. Some went on to become even rulers later in history. From past generations it has been found out that these castes were most forward in exploiting lowest castes [dalits] and exploited them more to gain more social and financial power.
The OBC list could have been refined to benefit the actual needy, it had to include only only who have been left out or more suppressed. The political, social and financial power gained by some of those castes polluted the entire classification of OBC list. They made it a sort of general list including everyone except brahmins, baniyas etc. The social , financial and political power gained by them over the period time enabled them to do so. Currently it contains many castes which historically have claimed to be superior and few castes like Ansaris of Muslims. While this list could have been well used to benefit historically disadvantaged sections like muslims and some socially degraded hindu castes, it has become an instrument to show off political power.
Surely brahmins, baniyas and others excluded from OBC list weren't the only ones to propagate and fiercely practise untouchablity and casteism in India. If this list is refined, it won't reach to the levels of 27%.
Also the reason for OBC quota by political class seems ambiguous to me. It definitely is not aimed at shaking the roots of caste system as OBCs are supposed to be higher castes. It is not aimed at providing exclusive benefit to the needy as the list is much plagued . Certainly it can serve to fill the irregularities in the distribution of resources within the country but in a vague manner.
OBC castes can never be compared to SC/ST on the economic, social or political fronts because there is no known hatred, dis concern prevailing in the society against OBCs like SC/STs ,Even OBCs consider themselves much ahead of dalits in social front, at certain places OBCs are know to have suppressed dalits than other castes. Though there is an extent of educational backwardness among them, but unlike SC/STs who were prohibited or discouraged for amassing wealth or living in the mainstream, the ancestral businesses and assets like land seem to be serving OBC generations well in many cases.
Even in political front OBCs are much ahead, the same OBC list has given many prominent leaders including former PMs and presidents.
Whatever OBC list is for, it is possible that OBCs who once favoured unruly casteist brahmins to define the caste system in India and gave a blind dimension to caste restrictions, now due to OBC reservation may provide much needed awakening of indian society, helping the un-privilidged and we will at last reach the much desired goal of social equality and re-establishment of humanity.

CASTE SYSTEM AND CASTEISM

WHAT IS CASTE SYSTEM?

A caste is a combined social system of occupation, endogamy, culture, social class, and political power. Caste should not be confused with class, in that members of a caste are deemed to be alike in function or culture, whereas not all members of a defined class may be so alike.The Indian caste system describes the social stratification and social restrictions in the Indian subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups, often termed as jātis or castes. Within a jāti, there exist exogamous groups known as gotras, the lineage or clan of an individual, although in a handful of sub-castes like Shakadvipi, endogamy within a gotra is permitted and alternative mechanisms of restricting endogamy are used (e.g. banning endogamy within a surname).

According to the ancient Hindu scriptures, there are four "varnas." The Bhagavad Gita says varnas are decided based on Guna and Karma. Manusmriti and some other shastras mention four varnas: the Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (traders), and Shudras (agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups). Offspring of different varnas belong to different Jātis. Another group excluded from the main society was called Parjanya or Antyaja. This group of former "untouchables" (now called Dalits) was considered either the lower section of Shudras or outside the caste system altogether.Unfortunately this system is still followed today largely on the basis of birth, It is believed that a person is born into one of four castes based on karma and “purity”-how he or she lived their past lives. Those born as Brahmans are considered [or worthy of] priests and teachers right form the birth on the basis of genearation wise traits or gunas ; kshatriyas as rulers and soldiers; Viasyas as merchants and traders; and shudras/sudras as labourers. Within the four castes, there are thousands of sub-castes, defined by different profession. region, dialect, and other factors.

WHY IS IT A HUMAN RIGHT ISSUE AT PAR WITH RACISM ?

Established during the formative years of Hinduism, Caste system has prevailed in one of the most ugliest forms known to humanity. Although based on religious principles practiced for some 1,500 years, the system persists today for economic as much as religious reasons. Traditionally, although the mostly political power lay with the Kshatriyas, historians portrayed that the Brahmins as custodians and interpreters of Dharma enjoyed much prestige and many advantages. The caste supremacy complex has given rise to rigid caste segregation and subsequent social, economic degradation of lowest of its castes to the extent of "untouchablity". More than 160 million people in India are considered “ Untouchables ”-people tainted by their birth into a caste system that deems them impure, less than human. Untouchables are literally outcastes; a fifth group that is considered so unworthy that it wasn't included in the caste system. Because they are considered impure from birth, Untouchables [considered unworthy of doing any other job], have been forced to perform jobs that are traditionally considered “unclean” or exceedingly menial from ages . Even today when manual scavenging is banned in India on papers, One million Dalits work as manual scavengers, cleaning latrines and sewers by hand and clearing away dead animals for very little pay. It has been found that despite official ban many Municipal Corporation Departments across India [mostly villages where there are dry toilets] still have employed many Dalits to do the job with bare hand, carrying it on head, like the same way they used to do from ages. Millions more are agricultural/leather workers trapped in an inescapable cycle of extreme poverty, illiteracy, and oppression. Human rights abuses against these people, known as Dalits, are legion. A random sampling of headlines in mainstream Indian newspapers tells their story: “Dalit boy beaten to death for plucking flowers”; “Dalit tortured by cops for three days”; “Dalit ‘witch’ paraded naked in Bihar”; “Dalit killed in lock-up at Kurnool”; “7 Dalits burnt alive in caste clash”; “5 Dalits lynched in Haryana”; “Dalit woman gang-raped, paraded naked”; “Police egged on mob to lynch Dalits”. “Dalits are not allowed to drink from the same wells, attend the same temples, wear shoes in the presence of an upper caste, or drink from the same cups in tea stalls,” said Smita Narula, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, and author of Broken People: Caste Violence Against India’s “Untouchables.”Human Rights Watch is a worldwide activist organization based in New York. India’s Untouchables are relegated to the lowestjobs, and live in constant fear of being publicly humiliated, paraded naked, beaten, and raped with impunity by upper-caste Casteist Hindus seeking to keep them in their place. Merely walking through an upper-caste neighborhood is a life-threatening offense.Nearly 90 percent of all the poor Indians and 95 percent of all the illiterate Indians are Dalits, according to figures presented at the International Dalit Conference that took place May 16 to 18 in Vancouver, Canada Crime Against Dalits Statistics compiled by India’s National Crime Records Bureau indicate that in the year 2000, 25,455 crimes were committed against Dalits. Every hour two Dalits are assaulted; every day three Dalit women are raped, two Dalits are murdered, and two Dalit homes are torched. No one believes these numbers are anywhere close to the reality of crimes committed against Dalits. Because the police, village councils, and government officials often support the caste system, which is based on the presumed religious teachings of Hinduism, many crimes go unreported due to fear of reprisal, intimidation by police, inability to pay bribes demanded by police, or simply the knowledge that the police will do nothing. “There have been large-scale abuses by the police, acting in collusion with upper castes, including raids, beatings in custody, failure tocharge offenders or investigate reported crimes,” said Narula. That same year, 68,160 complaints were filed against the police for activities ranging from murder, torture, and collusion in acts of atrocity, to refusal to file a complaint. Sixty two percent of the cases were dismissed as unsubstantiated; 26 police officers were convicted in court.

Despite the fact that untouchability was officially banned when India adopted its constitution in 1950, discrimination against Dalits remained so pervasive that in 1989 the government passed legislation known as The Prevention of Atrocities Act. The act specifically made it illegal to parade people naked through the streets, force them to eat feces, take away their land, foul their water, interfere with their right to vote, and burn down their homes. Since then, the violence has escalated, largely as a result of the emergence of a grassroots human rights movement among Dalits to demand their rights and resist the dictates of untouchability, said Narula. Enforcement of laws designed to protect Dalits is lax if not non-existent in many regions of India. The practice of untouchability is strongest in rural areas, where 80 percent of the country’s population resides. There, the underlying hardcore and rigid religious principles of Hinduism dominate.
Dalit women are particularly hard hit. They are frequently raped or beaten as a means of reprisal against male relatives who are thought to have committed some act worthy of upper-caste vengeance. A case reported in 1999 illustrates the toxic mix of gender and caste. A 42-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped and then burnt alive after she, her husband, and two sons had been held in captivity and tortured for eight days. Her crime? Another son had eloped with the daughter of the higher-caste family doing the torturing. The local police knew the Dalit family was being held, but did nothing because of the higher-caste family’s local influence.