C. Rajagopalachariar was once pleaded by B.K. Nehru, a civil servant, to open high quality schools for talented children. Rajaji, with his profound intellect and eloquence in communication replied to this effect. "You want, young man, a new Brahminism. This country will not take it. It wants equality, not excellence."
Rather than accepting certain inborn, inherent qualities in a particular group or class of people; we have been going hammer and tongs at them, chiding them and branding them, and in the process, without learning from them, we have been suppressing them and the very qualities they possess. The suppression of a group or class has not been restricted to the so called 'high' or 'low', but to all irrespective of their standing in the social ladder.
Certainly this does no good to any. None have been proscribed to learn and acquire these qualities. It is open to all, at least in our times, if not during the times of our grandparents and the generations before their's. In principle, none are thus being deprived. But it is not implied that all have had the privilege to learn with an equal measure. Our society had been, and still continues to be, ridden with divisions. Those in the receiving end of the consequences of these divisions have to be taken care of and certain relaxations done to negate their deprivation cannot be countered.
At the same time, there has to be a limit and an extent to which such relaxation should be provided. A line thus needs to be drawn, indeed a very clear one, which will help us determine the efficacy of the methodology adopted to reach the goal and evaluate the progress we have achieved as a society in eliminating the damage that had already been done in the past. If not for this line, we will continue to proceed with these divisions, not knowing how well have we been able to tackle it and how much more is needed to be done.
If not for this line, we shall never rise above mediocrity, and excellence will remain a distant dream.
