By-Manish Kumar
In 2011, as a young journalist who
recently jumped onto the bandwagon of this dynamic profession I was thrilled to
write a piece on a categorical casteist practice rampant across the medical colleges
of Bihar. Buoyed by the inside information I acquired through my old friends and
bolstered by one of my seniors to work passionately for the story I went ahead.
I was then posted in Deccan Herald,
Bangalore, one of the most reputed English newspapers from the state. After
compiling all sorts of cases of discrimination on the basis of caste which was
popularly christened as ‘phylum’ in those medical colleges I decided to call up
the authorities who are entrusted to safeguard the interests of the students and
take care of college affairs.
My first call to the Dean of a
government medical college at Muzaffarpur and his arrogant reply flummoxed me. Here
is the short conversation we had over phone from Bangalore.
Me: Hello Sir. This is Manish from Deccan Herald Newspaper. I
am calling from Bangalore. I am working on a story and wanted to talk to you
over an issue relating to your college.
Dean: Ji Bola Jaye (Yes. Please tell)
Me: Sir. I have heard that casteist practices are rampant in
your medical college. Students there are divided on caste lines and many cases
of discrimination are reported from your centre?
Dean: Hame is Vishay me kuch nahi bolna hai. Aise kijiye aap
mukhyamantri se baat kar lijiye (I am not going to answer on the issue. You
better talk to the chief minister on the issue)
Me: Ok sir. I will surely talk to Nitish Kumar but are you
denying that such activities occur at your premises?
Dean: ping..ping..ping..(hung up)
This was the Dean of Sri Krishna
Medical College and Hospital, Muzaffarpur. After my initial research I also
came to know that this was the same college where caste kitchens used to exist
few years back which meant that different kitchens used to cook food only for
one particular caste. The pre-colonial chasm between high and lower caste was
already pre-existing in the state and was often bolstered and provoked by the
different political parties in the state which often try to exploit the issue
to convert it into votes.
However, only casteist grouping and
caste kitchens are not the only issue affecting medical colleges in Bihar. Cases
of caste discrimination is said to be rampant in premier government medical
colleges like-Patna Medical College, Nalanda Medial College, Darbhanga Medical
College and others.
A dalit boy was reported to have
committed suicide at Patna Medical College when he was pressurized to give more
money as contribution for Saraswati Puja event. However it never became a
national story.
However let’s return to the focus
point. In general practice and accepted norms, a new comer in any medical
college in Bihar is often asked their ‘phylum’ (caste) when he/she joins the
medical profession. They are later brainwashed to remain adhered to their
phylum to maintain the sanctity of their caste.
The grouping starts in the first
year itself. Seniors of your caste will ask you to keep yourself away from the members
of other castes of the opposite sex. They will also tell to take help only from
seniors of your caste. Moreover, more astonishingly, there will be ‘caste
parties’ often called as ‘phylum parties’ where all the same caste students
from 1st year MBBS to last year will flock at a restaurant in Patna
and will celebrate.
But point to ponder what they actually
celebrate? Sovereignty of their caste? Discuss about how bad other castes are?
Stereotyping them? Paving a way for more discrimination in the coming days and
how to keep the casteist practice alive?
Such retrogressive practices are
evident at a time when many are into the cyberspace expressing freely about
freedom of speech, how our PM is a charismatic one, how to mow down people
having counter views. At a time when many of them claim that our country is
developing but do they ever bother how their activities are still pulling the
society backward? Also such practices blindly followed by students and youths
from the state is really worrisome.
However the menace is never alien
to medical colleges of Bihar. Such practices are reportedly existent in
colleges and universities in Uttar Pradesh. Astonishingly, a panel called- Thorat
Committee which studied presence of castesist thoughts at premier institutions
like AIIMS and IIMs also found out that the next generation high-fi doctors and
managers are also not untouched by the casteist thought.
The case of suicide of a dalit
scholar at University of Hyderabad has sparked the debate of casteism in educational
institutions and media is analyzing and debating in detail, a good sign for the
media at least. Otherwise many newsmen choose to avoid such regular practices
which are now ok for them.
At a latest speech one of the most
rational and senior journalists, Ravish Kumar at TISS gave a food for thought.
During his speech he said, “If people are not questioning casteist practices
aren’t they doing casteism. Aren’t they casteist if they accept the existing
discriminatory norms? At a time when people are writing their biography on
Twitter and boasting about development, dalits are forced to wear helmets while
riding on horses during their weeding in India. What an irony this is?”
Time to ponder, analyse and debate …
