Society at Loggerheads

Shivratan and Suneel are good buddies and underwear friends since junior school despite being from different castes. Both belong to village Jharpur in District Gurgaon. Both like their classmate Vandana since childhood and are having madly crush on her. Interesting point is that Vandana is not aware about that and treats both as her village friends. Whereas both friends spend hours in convincing each other why he is the best match for Vandana and other one should leave her. Argument will always end by Suneel with a smile that as per village rules your caste people can't marry Vandana, so leave her for Suneel. 

Except old village rules & strictly following 36 Biradari instructions, Jharpur is fully modernise developed village. Their living style is remarkable with current standards. The villagers are rich enough to sustain lifestyle and education, thanks to enormous increase in Gurgaon's land cost. Villagers feel pride in living with old school of thought of giving prime status to Panchayat & 36 Biradari. No one has objection of living and eating with different caste people but marriage between lower & upper caste is a BIG BIG NO. 

All elders have a different theory of caste, gotra etc. to prove single point agenda of no inter caste marriages. Elders do give examples of cutting ties of complete family with villagers in case of marriage and even khap killing of girls, who marry in different caste. 

Coming back to invisible triangle love story, Suneel notices that Vandana is getting attracted slowly slowly towards Shivratan. But Suneel is confident that ultimately he will win and society will not let marry Shivratan with Vandana. 

All three clear state civil services exams and get good postings in Gurgaon. Shivratan got advantage in selection due to caste based reservation. 

Suneel: It's not fair in our system that you people get prefrence in education and jobs due to your caste.

Shivratan: You are jealous, my dear.

Suneel: It's not a question of jealousy. It's a question of equality.

Shivratan: It's unfair in listening equality from you upper caste guy. See our village system, you guys got better set of rules. We had been oppressed since generations. 

Suneel: What oppressed my foot, you studied in same institutions, eating same set of food, same cost for selling land etc. etc.

Shivratan: It's so because we are in modern city Gurgaon. Go and see the condition of lower castes in other part of country. Even in our village Jharpur, we can't even marry in your caste.

Suneel: My dear friend, that rule is applicable to us also. 

Vandana: What shit you are getting into. Now we all three are part of the government system, let us put our best efforts in getting out of this menace created by politicians. 

After getting boost and encouragement from families Shivratan & Suneel try for union civil services exams. In exams Suneel scores higher than Shivratan. All gets sure that at least one guy from village will become high rank officer. In final result after interview destiny turns the table in favour of Shivratan. He gets preference in selection due to his caste based reservation. High kick of bad luck is that Shivratan got the last seat and Suneel was not selected just because upgrading of Shivratan. 

Obviously now not only Suneel but all upper caste people from village hold a grudge against Shivratan.

After training, Shivratan gets posted in secretariat in Chandigarh. Suneel carries on with his job of HCS in Gurgaon. Vandana gets transferred to Chandigarh. 

In Chandigarh, Shivratan & Vandana get time to know each other more better and become more close physically & mentally. 

Shivratan: You are my first and last crush. I am madly in love with you since standard-II.

Vandana: You liar, how can you know love in standard-II

Shivratan: Believe me, I would die, if I don't get you.

Vandana: I am surprised how could you dare to love me, with our village customs in place. 

Shivratan: Love knows no religion, no boundaries. 

Vandana: You flirt, actually I could sense your and Suneel feelings, since long.

Shivratan: What if our parents don't agree?

Vandana: I will handle mines, you manage yours.

Shivratan: Panchayat & 36 Biradri?

Vandana: Leave it on GOD and complete current assigned job.

As predicted, neither family nor villagers give approval. Suneel thinks his friend turned foe has not only looted his career but his love too taking advantages of being IAS due to reservation. 

Shivratan and Vandana do court marriage in Chandigarh thinking now villagers will be forced to bless them. But they were mistaken. Everyone got furious they passed an interim order of Shivratan's family for vacating the village and ties with all villagers. Above all they gave supari for khap killing of Vandana. 

Shivratan & Vandana go in hiding in some small remote village of Himachal Pradesh. Shivratan's parents call urgent 36 Biradri meeting.

Sarpanch: My dear fellow villagers, this decision can't be revoked. Shivratan and Vandana have drowned the name of our village and elders. It's a matter of shame for all. 

Shivratan's mother: My son had brought pride fro the village not shame. He is the first IAS of village.

Sarpanch: So what, he still belongs to lower caste.

Shivratan's mother: His blood is same of you upper caste people.

Sarpanch: Don't waste time of Biradri. This is not an argument. Our decision is final.

Shivratan's mother: What if he belonged to your caste, would Biradri allow Shivratan's marriage to Vandana?

Sarpanch: Of course upper caste boy can marry upper caste girl.

Shivratan's mother: To save my son and daughter in law, I don't feel any shame in declaring under oath that Shivratan is son you Sarpanch jee.

Biradri: Are you mad? You are putting false allegations on Sarpanch just to save your son. 

Shivratan's mother: You can get Sarpanch and my son's DNA tested. If I am proven wrong, you may hang me.

Sarpanch: You are crossing limit.

Shivratan's mother: How could you forget Sarpanch of forcibly taking me to your farm tubewell room repeatedly and raping me number of times. Shivratan is reward of those rapes. 

After a long debate 36 Biradri order for DNA test of Shivratan and Sarpanch. Which proved beyond doubts that they are father and son. 

Marriage of love birds Shivratan and Vandana gets stamp from society. Story doesn't end here. Now the big question arose that Shivratan got selected in IAS availing caste based reservation quota. But now he is proven upper caste person, so how could he avail benefit. 

Here comes enmity of Suneel in to story. He files a writ petition in High Court challeging the selection of Shivratan as IAS and in turn praying for his selection, he being next in merit list. 

Debates and hearings go on along with media speculations. Surprisingly all political parties are keeping mum fearing of loosing vote banks, if they support any party. Hon'ble High Court Double Bench gave following judgment.

It's a peculiar case of our whole career. Caste issue being socially very sensitive so without going into detail of merits and demerits, Court finds it fit to pass following judgement. 

Petitioner Suneel is allowed to be selected in IAS since last year. Respondent Shivratan will also carry on with his assigned job as IAS. No one from both is at fault. It is the failure of system. 

In British era and before lower caste people were highly oppressed by upper caste and were deprived of their human rights. To make society equally and fair for all, the reservation may be brought into system for a short time span. The duty of government was to make best use of this reservation in that span of time by providing equal opportunities and educating people to erode the menace of caste system in citizens' mind set. 

Even breed of Dinosaurs has been eliminated by Nature GOD but in our country Menace of Caste Based Reservation still exist and is flourishing. Politicians instead of minimising gap among caste took ill advantage and increased the gap to create dirty vote banks. The government is dividing people on the basis of castes for political advantages.

This resulted into hatred among masses. Most shameful part on system is that in most of low caste society, they still deprived of their human rights with few taking repeated advantage of reservation. Now the issue has been made such inflammatory that no political party is daring to end this menace under fear of loosing power.

The quality of the elite institutes is going down, because merit is severely being compromised by reserving seats for certain caste-based communities.Providing quotas on the basis of caste and not on the basis of merit is deterring the determination of many educated and deserving students of India.

Not everyone from the so-called upper classes are rich, and not all from so called lower classes are poor. Allocating Quotas on the basis of Caste is a form of racial discrimination , and contrary to the right to equality. If at all, quotas should be based only on economic hardships, not on race. 

Government should come up with alternative innovative ideas which make sure equal representation at the same time making the caste system irrelevant, the reservation is only fortifying the caste system. Government is directed to bring detailed new law in next parliament session.

? Pavan Datta

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

Always Indebted & Grateful to my Parents (GOD)