Society still split on reservations

Apropos of Vir Sanghvi’s article When The Saints Go Marching In (Counterpoint, July 1), India needs bold, unbiased and mature columnists like him. As every Indian has the liberty to believe in any religion/God of his or her choice, there should be no objection to any religious educational institution admitting students belonging to its religion.

Omar Luther King, Delhi

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St Stephen’s College has opened another Pandora’s box on the reservation issue. There is already reservation in institutions promoted by minority communities. Apart from reservation for STs and SCs, thanks to VP Singh, there are also reservations for OBCs. Now the Gujjars want ST status. Tomorrow some other powerful group will demand reservation in order to corner the benefits. This has become a political gimmick to retain votes and garner fresh votes. How long will this reservation on caste and religion continue at the cost of merit?

S Srinivasan, via email

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Vir Sanghvi promises to start a lively debate on an important subject with far-reaching implications. Not only are religion-based ‘entrance quotas’ and reservations anomalies in a secular society, they go against the very grain of national integration. Such educational institutions as Christian colleges (which indirectly serve to spread this faith), Muslim madrassas, Hindu universities, etc. also serve the same purpose in that they promote the concept of separateness rather than integration. The absence of a Uniform Civil Code helps different faiths claim the validity or legality of different laws that apply only to them.

Babuji, via email

Small goals

Apropos of Karan Thapar’s Can women make their own luck (Sunday sentiments, July 1), millions of women run their homes with meagre incomes and are eager to supplement this by running errands and semi-skilled work. They have a few small goals, to educate their kids and secure their future. The money some people spend in an evening at a mall is what many average families live on in a month.

Madhumita Satpathy, via email