The Paramount Ruler : Mughals or Britishers

India has been deponent to many invasions but the Mughal and the British have re written the history of India in many ways. Both of them took a lot away from us.  Robbing our prosperous motherland of its resources, its beauty and the innocent people. They also robbed us of our ignorance our petty beliefs. If not for them Hindustan might still have been a province of princely states. They transformed Hindustan into India!!

Prior to the Mughals Hindustan was divided into several Hindu and Muslim sovereign kingdoms. With the advent of the Mughals, ushered in the era of multicultural society. The rudiment of the Mughals Empire began with vanquishing Ibrahim Lodi the last ruler of the Delhi sultanate. At the dawn of Mughal Empire mass murders were a common sight. People were mercilessly killed if they refused to convert their religion. The lands of the poor peasants were snatched away if they were not able to pay the heavy taxes levied on them. 

In spite of the barbaric behavior Mughals brought in a new charm to the architecture. The Alcazars had bulbous domes, the slender minarets with cupolas at the four corners, large halls, massive vaulted gateways and delicate ornamentation. The court rooms were adorned with eye soothing colors. The chandeliers were fitted with most precious of the stones like rubies diamonds etc. Hanged from the huge windows the most beautiful curtains that mankind had ever seen. Created by some of the best Persian craftsman, the curtains were a delight to the eye.

With the ascension of Akbar to the throne came the dawn of economic progress. Akbar with his liberal views created the environment where every religion thrived. He brought in harmony among people, this brought in an era where Hindus and Muslims took each other as friends. Mughals brought in Mughlai food along with them. Mughals cooking was a riot of colors, fragrances, experiments, table manners and protocol. The Mughlai food that we eat today is a mere greasy mash up. The eunuchs were treated like unrefined by the native Hindustanis. The foods were served to the Emperor and his family by the eunuchs. There by creating a social platform for this deprived section of the society.

Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last ruler of the Mughal Empire. One fine day during his regime marched in the white skin men. Marching in with their black boots and the westerns clothes they slowly took over India. They overpowered Bahadur Shah Zafar and deported him to Rangoon. Thus began the era of British Raj. They introduced western culture to us. Britishers always advocated the value of Independence, they taught their young ones to value and protect their independence but the treatment they dished out to the Indians was contradictory. They snatched every bit of Independence out of us!!!!!

They declared Calcutta as the new capital of British Raj. Britishers did bring in a lot of change for the natives. They banned sati system (the wife was put in the pyre along with his dead husband). The sati system was a disgrace to the Hindu samaj. The so called upper cast people with their petty beliefs had forced people to practice sati for ages.

The Britishers allowed education for all irrespective of their caste creed or religion. Education was not restricted for the son of the elites. David Hare started Hindu college to ensure best education for the young minds. Suddenly the huge classrooms were filled with giggles and joys of young boys. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar with the help of Britishers brought in another change and that was widow remarriage. Though there were a lot of people against it the British Government passed the law put forward by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The young girls who were widowed at a tender age had a reason to rejoice. The widows were treated like outcasts of the society but after this law was passed they had seen a new ray of hope in their life.

Both the rulers has taken away a lot from us. The Britishers had amassed a huge amount of wealth from India and taken it to their country unlike the Mughuls. Mughuls considered India as their own country. Though the Britishers took a lot away from us they did change a lot in us. Though they tried to divide eventually we became ONE country to throw them out. I feel the Britishers were the paramount rulers because they did bring in a lot of cultural change in us. They had their fair share of contributions to make India what it is today. The India we are all so proud of!!!!!! 

Reservation: A Necessary Evil?

After satisfying my taste buds with some lip smacking tunda kababs kheema paratha and Avadhi biriyani my colleague and I walking down the dark alleys of Lucknow were returning back to our hotel. Lucknow still carries that old charm of ancient India. Lucknow the city of Nawabs, Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian-loving Shia Nawabs of the city still has its footprints in this city. Suddenly my colleague had the urge to have a cup of tea and we walked into a small shop or as we Mumbaikars call “tapri”. A smiling young chap served us two cups of tea. Lucknow has never disappointed me in terms of food and beverages and true to its Lucknowi nature the tea was one of the best I ever had. I asked him his name and he told me it’s Sudhir. Out of sheer curiosity I asked the boy which class is he in as he looked young. The boy suddenly lost the smile on his face and replied that he doesn’t go to a school. An adenoidal voice of an old man said “Babu Education is not for poor people like us”. I turned back and noticed that there was an old man preparing tea. He seemed to be around forty five, hatched faced and hollow eyes. I being that typical Mumbai boy tried to explain him how so many doors of opportunity have opened up in the recent times. I was shocked what the old man told me next. His son had got into Benaras Hindu University or as we know it as IIT BHU after scoring 94% in his 12^th and was in the top 200 in the IITs entrance exam but he could not afford the tution fee of 50000 INR per year. I advised him to talk to some banks and try for an education loan but his reply left him speechless. He said “Babu I am a Brahmin and in today’s world it’s a sin to be born as a Brahmin, no one cares for us.” 

Some time passed by after this incident and one fine day I landed up at a family friends wedding. As usual before I turned up at the wedding with my parents they advised to me to be polite and to be a social couth. One of my dad’s friend Ramesh Uncle walked up to my dad and said “My son is taking up Engineering can your son please give him some advice, he is going to be the first engineer of our family”. Now I had always knew Aryan, Ramesh Uncle’s son as a rich spoilt brat and I was actually shocked to hear that he had passed his 12^th standard and to cap it he had a seat in an Engineering college. Remembering my promise to my parents, with lackluster I started talking to him. What he told me next was a bigger shock to me, the guy had scored 48% in his 12^th and some minimal marks in his entrance exam.and he had got into one of the best colleges of Mumbai, since he belonged to the category Schedule Cast/Schedule Tribe and to cap it up his tution fee was just 2000 INR per year. The fact that irritated me more he was happy he had got the seat because of his “special condition” and he had so little to pay as tution fee, now he could demand from his dad the latest iphone. Why did Aryan require this special favor his dad was a freaking millionaire!!!!!  I am sure Ramesh Uncle could afford a regular tuition fee.

Caste Reservation a rule that was proposed fifty eight years ago to help uplift the conditions of pupil belonging to certain sections of the society by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Dr Ambedkar little realized in those days that it would be misused to the extent that politicians would use it to secure their vote banks. I am not against reservations but I am against the term called Caste Reservation. Today in India about 50% of seats of various colleges and government jobs are filled up by caste reservation. Do the people belonging to general who doesn’t have the means have the right to good education and job. Reservations should be based upon Socio Economic Classification. Reservation should be for young boys like Sudhir who face number of hardships to grow in life and not for people like Aryan. Sudhir a boy with minimal facilities cracked IIT JEE. He should be given discounts in his Tution fees and not to people who have a rich dad.

I know this blog might not change anything in India but I am just trying to create an awareness how bad can caste reservations be. How many bright minds lose out on opportunity because of this stupid system. The laws of the country should be to help everyone equally and not to a selected few.