The approval of the bill that provides reservation to SCs and STs in government job promotions by the Union Cabinet of India has triggered a lot of debates. The Hindu’s online page that reports this news is flooded with comments, most of them deploring the bill labeling it as anti-meritorious, vote bank gimmick or a bill that promotes inequality. The Indian mainstream media largely seem to agree with these commentators that it is time for reservations to go.

Is reservation a recent phenomenon?

Contrary to the popular belief, reservation in job is not a recent phenomenon that had sprouted after India’s Independence. It is an ancient Indian phenomenon which was always discriminatory and caste based. It existed in all professional spheres- be it education, medicine or priesthood. The blacksmith job was ‘reserved’ for castes such as the ‘Lohars’ or the ‘Kamars’ just as toddy tapping was reserved for the ‘Nadars, Thiyyas and Ezhavas’. We even had crime as a profession reserved for castes labelled as ‘criminal castes’. However, not all were condemned to practice menial jobs ‘reserved’ for the castes into which they were born. For hundreds of years, the right to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Hindu temples and perform rituals has been ‘reserved’ for certain communities. This is the oldest form of reservation seen in India; any ‘untouchable’ who dared to trespass into this reserved profession was doomed. One classic example is the case of the saint Nandanar who was burnt alive for trying to enter the Chidambaram temple. Even today in 2012, we find communities waging long struggles to gain the right to enter temples.

Ayurvedha, the mainstream Indian system of medicine rooted in the Vedhic philosophy was an exclusive domain of the caste Hindus until recent times; the ‘untouchables’ were forced to rely on the Folk system of medicine practiced by members of their own caste. It is impossible to believe that the ‘upper caste’ vaidhyas had touched and served the ‘untouchables’ given the communally charged atmosphere prevailing in the pre-independence era. In a way, Siddha- the Dravidian system of medicine patronised by the Tamil Jain saints was a rebellion against the Vedhic system of medical care that was accessible only to the elite castes. The Siddha system of medicine was not exclusive to any community and any ‘untouchable’ was permitted to become an Asan or a teacher.

Most communities from the BC, SC & ST strata are recent entrants into the field of education. Traditionally, these communities were entitled to receive only informal education related to the profession of their castes. There was no place for merit here and studious students such as the bright Eklavaya who managed to acquire the skills reserved for the upper caste were forced to surrender their skills or lose their thumbs.

 Learning is very much influenced by the environment in which an individual is born into. The situation of somebody born into a blacksmith’s family is not the same as somebody born into a temple priest’s family. A blacksmith’s son will have to face all odds including the need to put up with illiterate parents who might not be able to provide him an environment conducive for learning. I would personally consider the 70% of marks acquired by a blacksmith’s son as equivalent to the 90% of marks acquired by the son of a temple priest.

A few decades of reservation is not enough to undo the historical injustice done to the less privileged castes of India. It is painful to notice that it is the members of the same communities who once enjoyed the benefits of reservation now raise their voice in favour of merit and equality. It is equally painful to notice that their philosophy of equality and merit based recruitment doesn’t apply to the profession of temple priesthood.

I am ready to fight along with all my friends protesting against inequality and caste based reservations. Let us begin with the oldest form of reservation!

p.s. This article was initially submitted to The Hindu's open page and was rejected (because it was against the reservation system existing within the premises of The Hindu ?)