regionalism...some ism...some other ism...?

Not holding a brief for anyone but this is a facet of reality too ! Read on pl.

It has become a routine for the so called intellectuals and media to criticize the so called parochialists and the political parties that may be involved in it,

They often have a bird’s eye view of the problem, but that is not the only vantage point to have a view.
This is a worm’s eye view for a change.

This is an observation of a much specific sector where the recent problems seemed to have started and this observation has been made by being a part of the same for about two decades.

The Indian railways and its recruitment system.

As it is widely known IR is one of the largest organizations in India and is the largest employer.
Have any of the so called intellectuals had a look at the recruitment system of the Indian railways?
Does any CAG like body exist which can be a monitor on the recruitment process into the largest pool of jobs in India?
Is or isn’t there a need for such a body?
Unfortunately the recruitment system to the railway, both at the work force and the officer level is kept so shrouded in secrecy that, what happens inside, isn’t known to these intellectuals let alone the general public and the lay-men.

Also, this kind of problem does not arise in other Central Govt Sectors like the Defence and the Para-Military Forces, Telecom etc because these sectors have recruitment procedures which allow local level recruitments.

If one observes the demographic pattern of the railway employees in terms of their home state one will be able to see the drift that has happened down the years right from when the organization was handed over by the British to the Indians.

But a study into that will never be conducted by the government for obvious reasons.
The stated ideal for skirting the issue shall be the usual ones about the nation being one.

The truth is that the Railway Ministry was always the milch cow even in the days when it was supposedly running losses.
It was always the prize for loyalty or the carrot for the rebel, or a price to be paid in barter for support.

For the maximum period of the past six decades the ministry has been with the politicians from North. It starts from the top and continues to the bottom rungs.
I would like to speak basically about the recruitment process and keep other issues for later.

Typically it starts with a notification in the leading newspapers and the Employment News. Thereafter the respondents who are duly qualified (?) are called in for a nationwide written exam. Successful candidates are further put through an interview.
There are further steps down the line but they are quite open unlike the two first stages.

Observing the results of any railway recruitment exam, one will clearly see that the maximum number of selected candidates, in fact 100% many a time are from the states of UP and Bihar.

One has to be either naïve or an idiot to assume that candidates from other states are not interested to work for the railways or are not qualified enough or are unable to clear the selection process due to their limited intellectual abilities.

The truth being that many candidates from other states too apply, but an unseen screening process starts right from the first stage.
Regarding the quality of formal education the candidates have received before applying for a job in the railways one can safely state that the said north Indian states aren’t the only ones providing quality education. Their quality of education is known all over the country. Of course there are exceptions and some candidates are really brilliant ones, but they opt for greener pastures other than the railways!

Thus it’s a mystery as to how a majority of the candidates from other states with good education levels like Maharashtra; fail to qualify at least in decent numbers, in the recruitment process. Or are they screened and chopped off the lists?

This has been happening for the past couple of decades and it is only now that the murmur is growing loud.
The railway ministers from other states who were at the helm of affairs for short durations never did enough for their people or didn’t get the opportunity or were unwilling to do similar favors to their state subjects!
That is something that has to be urgently looked into.


This migration has its social impact too.
When there is genocide against a particular ethnic group it is called Ethnic Cleansing.
Is there a name for the process wherein you overwhelm a culture and a locality with uncontrolled migration of people from other locality or cultures?
That is what is happening in states like Maharashtra to a large extent and to a smaller extent presently in other states.
It will surely have its repercussions.


Another factor which is contributing to the resentment against migrants from the north is their habit of ghettoisation. The ostensible reason for this migration is always earning of livelihood. Unlike migrants from the south or Gujarat or West Bengal, the north Indian migrants never stop with the livelihood only. They tend to bring in their brand of politics and culture. That may not be a crime per-se, legally. Respect of the local cultures and ethos may or may not be not be something legally enforceable, but it is something that one has to accept and follow as a responsible social being.
But is it being done?
One can elaborate with examples as to how the local cultures and traditions are getting eroded by the un-controlled influx of migrants, but that can be seen even if one looks around keenly.

Taking a world view of the phenomenon, some observations can be made.
The so called Bhaiyyas and Biharis are to India, what Indians are to the US of A or UK.
While Indians are going there and taking away their jobs, something of a similar kind is happening within the country.
The USA, UK and others can put Visa restrictions if the need arises. Can we do so?
Shouldn’t a mechanism be found and put in place?
The intellectuals will say that the situations are different and that we are one as a nation.
I do agree to the former, but is the latter entirely true?

I love all Indians but it will be trifle impossible for me to love a migrant who takes away my job and my land, howsoever Indian I or he may be.

I am not a Son-of-the-soil of this land. I am a second generation south Indian in Maharashtra. I never felt threatened here because I never was a threat to anyone. No one ever tried imposing Maharashtrian culture on me because of the fact that I respected it on my own and did not try tinkering with it.
When I vote for the Parliamentary or Legislature elections, I will vote for the parties who are here or an independent. I will not try to bring in some South-Indian regional party here and then try to vote for them.

South Indians have been conducting our festivals in Maharashtra for decades, let it be the ones in Shanmukananda Hall or the ones in Ayyappa temples in many parts of this state. Numerous Bengalis and Gujarathis have been celebrating Durga pujas and Navratris respectively without any problems. That is because we don’t invite a politician from Tamilnad, Kerala, Gujarat or West Bengal to make political statements here.
If at all we will, we may invite a Maharashtrian politician, because we know that he will attend it for the festival and not for making a political statement.

The old adage `When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do` seem to have been lost. Maybe the so called Intellectuals and the Anti-Parochialists in their ivory towers remember it.