[Reader-list] "No Dalit cook for students in this UP school"

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Malik ji

It's not so simple as you think it is. Particularly in rural India, the
press is hardly visible, since it doesn't wish to cover that segment of the
society. Moreover, even if a journalist were to cover them, these
journalists would be in the village only for a few days, whereas the people
have to survive in that village for the whole of their lives. Hence, they
have to succumb to such tactics. Even the police are either hand-in-glove
with the upper castes or don't have the courage to take actions against
those committing atrocities because the latter are quite powerful.

What is more, the upper castes can get their children taught in the schools
meant for rich, and they will do so. What will happen as a result is that
the basic purpose of the Mid-day meal scheme is lost, which is to ensure
that children of all castes and religions can sit and eat together in an
organized and disciplined manner.

I personally believe that in such cases, a proper debate is necessary to
convince the parents, before taking the step you suggested. I would say so
because a major problem would be for girls in these upper castes who are not
allowed to study after completing their primary or at maximum 8th class
education in schools in rural areas. We need to ensure that they don't
suffer because of their dogmatic attitude of their parents. And the wrong
notion among children needs to be abolished, which is only possible with
sustained education.

Fines can help if necessary, but the larger requirement is that of a
sustained social campaign to root out such evils in the villages. As my
friend once said, we don't need one 'Swades' (the movie), we need a 'Swades'
in each and every village of this country to root out such evils.

>From the media side, it is important that such problems are made public
again and again to root out such evils on a continuous basis rather than
just one-time basis. And yet, journalistic reporting won't solve the
problem.

Rakesh