After years of Independence, the sporting culture in India has thoroughly failed in equalizing opportunities for the most disadvantaged sections. In this context, do you think Indian cricket need reservation quotas? Comment
Refer – The Hindu
IAS Parliament 7 years
KEY POINTS
· Even though, Dalits and Adivasis constitute around 25% of India’s population,theyare virtually absentin the Indian playing XIs.
· In a country, where the government school system is in tatters, one can easily imagine the quality of its sporting facilities.
· Nevertheless, the vast majority of the Dalits and Adivasichildren cannot afford anything more than these government schools.
· Thus, the invisibility of Dalits and Adivasis in Indian cricket is both a result of voluntary and involuntary layers of socio-economic discrimination culminating in almost immovable structures of caste and class exclusion.
· Therefore, it is not that Dalits and Adivasis cannot pick up cricketing skills. It is that they simply do not have the opportunities.
· Their better presence and glorious contributions in football, hockey and athletics show what is possible with sufficient support.
South African Model
· The quota policy for the disadvantaged communities of South Africa shows a mirror to India whose marquee sport, cricket, reflects severe social inequities.
· The South Africa’s policy which lays out that of the 11 players fielded by the national team, a minimum of six players should be colour, and at least two players black African, has democratized the game unimaginably.
Indian Scenario
· In India, there is an almost intractable tendency among the privileged to gloss over caste as if it does not exist.
· “Merit” has become a term which masks grievous historic exclusions and oppressions.
· Therefore, it is the right time to discuss reservation and other measures to broaden diversity in Indian cricket and to demolish the myth of merit.
· There is no other way to resolve the massive social inequities such as caste and race in sport other than by tackling them head-on.
· The contours of these policies need careful deliberation, which in any case cannot be imposed at the Test cricket level as a sledgehammer.
· But they must begin at the lowest levels, school and the domestic game.
· Of course, quota in cricket is not the most ideal resolution of the inequity problem.
It is the last resort in a system which has completely failed in providing equal educational and social opportunities to most marginalized communities.
