During the course of my under-grad studies, about five to six of my classmates lost a parent. It was almost like we began each semester with a tragic death. And each time, I personally found that I had nothing to say except for silence. And that I could do nothing but stand silently at the corner and give a helping hand when required. And for all the funerals, I just stood there silently – that was the only thing I could do. Do I really know the grief of my friend who has lost his/her parent? I have never been through that experience myself. How then can I offer words of comfort? Does my words mean anything at all? It is easy to say, “I am sorry.” But does that mean anything?
There are many experiences in life, which one can never feel or empathize with until one goes through the same experience. Being there, in that person’s mind and heart, can never replace the emotions of sadness, anger or happiness of any other who has never been through the same experience. With this handicap of never having been through it myself, I write this blog.
Reservation or affirmative action, has always been a tricky issue. On one hand, we have a group of people who were never treated as fellow human beings for thousands of years. And suddenly, we are expecting them to raise from the dust of history and take their place in the society. Is that justifiable? Are sixty years enough to dust away the eons of shame and humiliation?
On the other hand, you have a generation, which is confused on why it is paying for the sins of their fathers. The fathers work at the same place. They both study at the same school. Both families are placed at the same spot on the economic index. But for some unknown reason (as perceived by the other), the person belonging to a particular community gets to a good college! That is unfair!!
How is it possible to balance these two dilemmas? Affirmative action is necessary. But in addition, it is also necessary to ensure that it is fair and that future generations do not continue to bear the burden of past sins. Well, is there a solution for this?
I propose a system of tokens. Every family belonging to the lower classes get two tokens. These tokens can be used only for a single round of reservation. For example, if you use a token for getting a reservation at college, you cannot reuse the token for getting a job (in the public sector of course). Tokens can be passed to the next generation and should expire in two generations. So, here are some of the possible scenarios.
Mr. A gets two tokens when the tokens are allocated. He uses one of those to get a job in the Highway Department and he now has only one remaining token. He has two children and he leaves the token to his younger daughter. The younger daughter is brilliant and does not use the token. Likewise, her children also do not use the token. Since the token, has not been used for two generations, it expires.
Mr. B gets two tokens. He uses one each for his son and daughter to get them into engineering and medicine. The tokens are no longer in the family and have expired.
This is a highly data-intensive system but it is possible. In such a way, we can ensure that justice is done and that the system of reservation does not go on forever. Each generation is considered to be forty years and since the token can be used for at least three generations – they are valid for 120 years! Adding the 60 years that has already gone by, we have a solid 180 years for affirmative action. Scarcity of tokens also means that they will be utilized properly.
