Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of Contributors
- I Introductory Framework: Allen G. Noble's Contribution to Social Geography
- II Conceptual and Theoretical Basis of Social Geography
- III Social Geography from a Global Perspective
- IV Social Geography in the Indian Context
- 15 Socio-cultural Regions in Pre-historic and Historic India
- 16 Distinct Regional Cultural Identities of India Based on Religion and Language
- 17 Linguistic Diversity Changes in India: A Regional Analysis, 1971–2001
- 18 The Geography of Folk Art in India
- 19 Indian Dance: Classical Unity and Regional Variation
- 20 Space, Gender and Social Value: Analyzing Gender Inequalities in Relation to Space
- 21 Encountering Reservation and the Reimagining of Caste
- 22 Spatial Patterns of Crime in India
- 23 Rural Human Resource Development in India: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis
- V Indian Social Geography: City and State Context
- Index
21 - Encountering Reservation and the Reimagining of Caste
from IV - Social Geography in the Indian Context
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- List of Contributors
- I Introductory Framework: Allen G. Noble's Contribution to Social Geography
- II Conceptual and Theoretical Basis of Social Geography
- III Social Geography from a Global Perspective
- IV Social Geography in the Indian Context
- 15 Socio-cultural Regions in Pre-historic and Historic India
- 16 Distinct Regional Cultural Identities of India Based on Religion and Language
- 17 Linguistic Diversity Changes in India: A Regional Analysis, 1971–2001
- 18 The Geography of Folk Art in India
- 19 Indian Dance: Classical Unity and Regional Variation
- 20 Space, Gender and Social Value: Analyzing Gender Inequalities in Relation to Space
- 21 Encountering Reservation and the Reimagining of Caste
- 22 Spatial Patterns of Crime in India
- 23 Rural Human Resource Development in India: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis
- V Indian Social Geography: City and State Context
- Index
Summary
On an early August morning in 2006 while I was rushing from the Metro Station to the Department for the weekly discussion with my tutorial group, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a few students in front of the Faculty of Arts on a 72-hour hunger strike protesting against Mandal II. On entering the D-School campus I noticed that, despite being 8:30 in the morning, groups of students had gathered around J. P.'s tea stall and Ambarda's canteen and were engaged in heated discussions. By this time I should have expected a few surprises at the Department because waiting for me were my students, all of whom had turned up and that too much before the scheduled time of 9 a.m. One of them asked:
‘Since the tutorial is for the course on Urban Social Problems may we discuss some of the social problems that we are facing today?’ And well what is that problem? ‘Of course, the future of India! With this reservation thing will India have any future? Will any of us have any future for that matter? What is the use of studying? It is all meaningless. Even if I do well there is no guarantee that I might get through the M.Phil [Master of Philosophy] course or any other. Come to think of it, it hardly matters how you fare in the exams. I guess at least some lucky ones are free of it. But supposing I do get through these courses, what then? Will I get a job? I have no future. I wish I was born anything but a Kayastha… I mean where are we heading?’
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Facets of Social GeographyInternational and Indian Perspectives, pp. 400 - 415Publisher: Foundation BooksPrint publication year: 2012