Shiksha Adhoori IV [Education Incomplete IV]

I've been contemplating to write on this topic for quite a long time, some how couldn't put it on papers... this argues about the way caste system is integrated into everyone's life through education. I remember in my younger days of school education in every book on the front page there will be a printed message of "untouchability is a crime", "untouchability is a sin". We also used to recite a few poems which discusses about the same context and most of us would still / ever remember these lines by Bharati "Jadhigal illayadi papa, kul thazhchi uyarchi sollal paavam" [which translates to "My dear!, There are no such thing called caste, it’s a sin to talk about disparity"]. Wonderful!... The year ends in the class reciting the same poem!. By then I had to move out of the school due to some economic crisis at my home. Looked for a transfer certificate and got it and now I wanted to enroll in a government / aided school there. There was a few schools short listed and finally one of it was zeroed in. When I went for admission we got to know that I was not entitled to get admission because I didn't carry a caste certificate with me which will prove that I am from a Backward Caste. I was not that aware of all these stuff that time and somehow my parents were able to manage the certificate and enroll me in the school.

Some where I got a chance to interact with the head master of the school to discuss about the scholarship which the government provided for students. I initially thought it was on merit basis but the head master threw me a question "What is your caste?". Probably with my knowledge he was the first person in my life who has asked me this question. Having read and studied about the lines mentioned above by Bharati [most of Bharati's such lines are aggressive and we were thought to read those with that sense of aggression], with the same amount of aggression I replied him saying that, Sir I've been taught "My dear!, There are no such thing called caste, its a sin to talk about disparity". Oh!.. I still remember the kind of force with the cane which sensed in my hands. I didn't feel bad about what I did but I actually felt bad that being a head master he should have appreciated the fact rather punishing. He also shouted that I would not be getting the scholarship at all. Some how as one of my relative was a teacher in the same school and after his intervention, I could manage to get the money.

I some how could not relate to the education on caste provided by our schools. At one place you teach caste and creed should be eliminated and at the other place you put on caste as the third field to be filled in every application form you issue. As per my understanding the disparity of humans in the earlier era came in to picture based up on the kind of occupation they did. Some how there were different culture that existed at different parts of the world which lead to even wider difference in their approach towards a certain system which brought in community and within a certain community everyone didn't have all the expertise integrated into them and there came the difference in approach to a given problem [which can be termed as the kind of work they do]. Based upon the utilization of presence of mind, muscle power, thought process etc., further the community had a certain term for identifying like minded people in the name of caste [I'm not good at history and these are purely my interpretations].

Later in the stages based up on the kind of work they do people were termed as untouchables as well by a certain set of "so called" elites of those period [some how I still couldn't understand how all these came] and in the modern era we people after hearing so much of history as well as philosophy started to / starting to move towards a caste / creed free world, but the schools which has the responsibilities to provide /educate the knowledge about why caste and creed came and why it should be eliminated is somehow incorporating the need and necessity as a priority to people [knowingly / unknowingly is a question]... This is what the reason why a lot of younger generation people [inspite things are far far better these days], come up in asking / talking about caste etc., as a primary need for existence. [I have no arguments here about the reservation system which the government has brought in.. will talk about that in a separate article]. For the above said I find the primary fault lies in the education system and the way it handles caste. Until we (try to) change that the education on caste will be always adhoora!