It is not a new stand that Dr Ashok S. Komaranchath took when he wrote a long and emotional comment on a Facebook page, explaining why reservation was needed. But it got caught on, liked and shared, opposed and criticised so much until the page — Beef Janata Party — made it a new post. His is a view that he formed from experience. Not as an underprivileged student, but on the contrary, as a young man with all the resources, who had at first been annoyed like the many others who now criticise him, that some of his mates got through reservation to an MBBS course that he had worked ‘his ass off’ for. He goes on to write how he changed his mind, vehemently supporting his mates, one of whom he remembers coming to college from his native one day, and announcing he just got electricity at home.
“It was a comment I made on the Beef Janata Party’s post on reservation, I was surprised to see it posted separately and shared so much,” says Ashok, coming home after the day’s work at Lisie Hospital, Kochi. He works at the oncology department there, after finishing 17 years of studies, taking MBBS, MD, DM among other super-specialty degrees. “There was a piece of news that Yogi Adityananth’s UP Government was doing away with SC/ST, OBC reservations in PG courses in private medical colleges. But that news is false. There never was reservation for PG courses in private medical colleges.”
Ashok gives the numbers to give an idea of how tough it is. “There were about one lakh candidates appearing for the all India entrance exam and you had to be in the top 3000 to get admission. And you had to be in the top 1,000 if you wanted specific courses — I wanted my MD in Medicine — that is 0.1 per cent of the applicants. It is tougher than getting into Harvard. So obviously there will be a lot of animosity among students in the general category, because they feel the others get a free pass.” Ashok’s own feelings of resentment vanished in the MBBS days he spent at the Kozhikode Medical College hostel with roommates who had none of the privileges he had enjoyed all his life. Like that guy from Nilambur who announced about getting electricity at home. “They couldn’t even afford our yearly fee of '1,750. They’ve never enjoyed the smallest of luxuries like going out to a movie.”
The argument that comes after he says is, what about afterward. They have got MBBS, they are on the same level as others, so why do they need reservation anymore. Ashok can’t answer every question but he has ideas. “My friend for instance had to pay off his parent’s debts, build a home, marry off his sisters and for that he needed to work right after MBBS. It is not possible to get admission to PG unless you spent many hours a day studying. So again I had more privileges than him.” Ashok says India is not Kerala. The condition of the lower caste in other states is much worse. “I believe if you can give them an edge, there is nothing wrong in that.”
