the pressure's been paying off

I am really used to writing about myself on the internet, and personally, it freaks me out, but I think I should probably mention a really grand achievement of my live.

I have made it to IIM Calcutta.

I started last year without an aim and without a plan. Well, a plan to stay in India that is. Thanks to a lot of factors, I worked towards this competition in earnest, and thanks to the Almightly, its paid off. I always considered myself the dark horse - an NRI for the past six years, not an engineering degree, and without any science education in the last eight years. But hey, I proposed, and God disposed. I can't even imagine the number of absolutely smart kids I must have left behind. They were better than me in maths, maybe DI, and probably had a lot more practice, but I got through. But enough with beating this subject to death. Perhaps this blog is again speed up once I report to the Joka campus.

By the way, this journey hasn't been without its hiccups. Arjun "sycophant" Singh implemented the OBC quota, obviously on instructions from his gutless and divisive party, so that delayed the results by around three weeks. I had fears in my mind whether they will cut general seats to accommodate the new applicants, but fortunately that wasn't the case.

I can't bitch enough about the entire quota system in education. Only recently did I hear of the government's efforts to increase educational funding and other grants. This is the only way to go in our education system. We need to design it that it is equal for everyone, and everybody has an equal opportunity to get in.

The problem lies in the economically weaker sections. But the government isn't thinking about the economically weaker, it is thinking about the apparently 'backward' castes that it aims to exploit for their votes. This has been the quota trend for all our independence. What the government needs to do is ensure that the economically weaker students have enough money to fund their preparations, and if they make it, fund their tuitions.

The problem with our skewed and absolutely messed up economy is that even when they try to target the weaker sections, the only group of people who usually benefit are the stronger among the crowd. For example, because of a lack of accountability and unreliable tax set-up, the rich pose as poor to avail government benefits. Similarly, most perks for the "backward" castes are lapped up by the rich and politically strong amongst them.

I doubt our politicians will ever get rid of the quota systems in our every part of the state as the constitution envisions, and this situation will only get worse, and probably force a lot of good brains to flee. I am sure Dr. Ambedkar is turning in his grave seeing how his great name is being exploited by today's politicians for their own gains.