Is #reservation for #Jats under OBCs justified ?

The need for reservation came into picture when it was noted that some strata of society were shunned by all .They were not allowed to lead a normal social existence .People avoided sitting with them, touching them or sharing community meals with them.Children from these castes were denied the right to education and thus the right to rise above the unequality that was their fate due to the unfortunate caste system .In such cases there arose the need to create reserved spaces in our education system and government jobs to accomodate  these neglected sections of society and uplift them.

I personally feel , that reservation should not be caste based at all ,or if so the criteria should be revised every 10 years once the said caste has enjoyed the benefits of the reservation to recalculate the need for reservation for that caste or stratum.

The Jats form a powerful part of our society .Nowhere , be it in villages or urban areas , have I come across a person belonging to this community and feeling ashamed of this fact .They are not considered untouchables.They have traditionally been land owners unlike some other castes that were not allowed to own land or cattle of their own.

None of  my Jat friends , even if they are not well off economically have ever complained of social ostracisation or of being denied opportunities for education and employment because of their caste .Of course some of them are so wealthy that they do not feel the need for education for advancement in society .In fact you might have seen many SUVs with "Chhora Jaat Ka (son of Jaat)" written on them and proudly flaunted by the owners.There is not an iota of shame or embarrassment in that display of caste .

So I feel that the honourable Supreme Court of India has taken a very wise decision by not allowing reservation in government jobs for the Jat community .

I feel similarly for the Meena community in Rajasthan, I have come across so many IPS officers belonging to this community that I feel this community has immensely benefited from reservation and it is about time that this benefit be now taken to other castes that have been traditionally landless or are from socially ostracised sections of our society .

Holi celebrations in modern times

As a child there was a lot of enthusiasm about Holi .Of course to us Holi meant  drenching ourselves and innocent paaser bys in coloured water ,gorging on Mother's home made gujhias,pakorasand Dahi Bhalle  .A stream of visitors were a hallmark of that day .

Over the years , as we grew up , Holi was more about saving ourselves from opportunitic fondling and bear hugs and avoiding allergies to the chemical gulal .I now wonder how I could eat so much deep fried stuff being a kid then.But then we had so much running around to do ,shouting and squealing that we could have digested stones too !

This year our Holi was different from other times.It was far more peaceful.We invited a few friends over and after some playing a bit with herbal gulal  and Tesu colored water ,we had Indian snacks and Jaljeera (a tangy digestive indian drink ). Children and adults indulged in musical chairs .We sung songs and played antakshari and then had vegetable pulav and Raita for lunch .After a long time ,we had such a nice time .It was decided that we shall celebrate Holi thus every year , every friend taking turns to be the host .

How was your Holi ?