Do I owe my M Sc Admission to Dr. Desh Raj? Past continues to fascinate and bewilder….

Yesterday (about 11.30-12.30 pm, 15^th June 2020), I was reading the broad policy statement of Prof. Carl Rothfels of University of California, Berkeley’s stand against racism everywhere and resolve to follow in letter and spirit for his workplace too (https://rothfelslab.berkeley.edu/2020/06/04/the-rothfels-lab-stands-against-racism-everywhere/). This has come through the recent movement, “Black lives matter” sweeping through the United States and across, in response to the killing of Mr. George Floyd by the white police officer on the 25^th May 2020. Rothfels has shared a letter of Tyrone Hayes, Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley which is an interesting and equally disgusting account of how he being black, as student and staff, was treated throughout despite being in the prestigious Universities. Like India, US too has a reservation system that they call “Affirmative Action” programme. And this is supposed to help the disadvantaged people, especially black African Americans, to earn admission with a bit of concession. I must hasten to state that Tyrone Hayes was not any ordinary or below average student who needed the support of this kind of reservation policy to gain the University admission or probably job in the academics. He also recounts discrimination during his job in University of California.

 

Tyrone recounts how systematically he is discriminated against in the system, the US system that we in India call the “land of opportunities” that US is.

 

One incident that caught my imagination is related to the event called “mixer” (a sort of get-together to introduce and know each other during first year’s admission at Harvard). I am reproducing it in his own words.

 It reminded me of my first day at Harvard…

“My name is tyrone”. An eager freshman, I reached out to the person in front of me at the first Harvard “mixer” (a new term to me). I was just happy to be there…introducing myself to anyone who would talk to me. And my intended recipient quickly placed his right hand behind his back, refusing to shake my hand. “It’s because of affirmative action and people like you…that I was waitlisted” he said. “YOU took my spot”, he shouted as he walked away. And that was how he reduced me. He knew nothing about me…my grades…my test scores…my awards from national science competitions…all he needed to know to determine that I “took his spot”… was that I was Black.

Back to me, my M. Sc. admission at the prestigious Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in 1973.

In the month of September of that year, I came to IARI to seek admission to M.Sc. I had my interview (Prof. N.C. Pant in Chair, Dr. N. Ramakrishnan, may be Dr. K.N. Mehrotra. Mrs Usha Ramakrishnan… and others). Of course, I did not know any of them by name at the time of my interview. During those days, IARI interviews for M.Sc. and Ph.D. were carried out in each Division and this practice has continued until this day. The interviews during office hours were followed by the academic council meeting at the Institute level which used to be late in the evening. In the meanwhile, Dean’s office will collate all interview results and combine with academic results at Matriculation and graduation stage etc. into one and prepare a list on the basis of merit for each discipline. It was a well-established procedure as per law of land and rules of the educational institutions. It was quite normal that academic council meeting would stretch into late night or even in early hours of next day. And following that, will come out typed statement showing admission in IARI in various disciplines that will be displayed the same time in all Hostel notice boards. It was an excitement to get up in the dead of night to see the name displayed in the list and rejoice. I still remember my excitement and repeatedly looking at the list where my name appeared. Of course, seniors would only disturb those who were admitted for the programme, keeping in view the disappointment of those who did not make it to the list. It is often quite a sorrow for those failed, as every admitted candidate was assured of fellowship during the degree programme.

In Division of Entomology, we two were admitted for M.Sc. myself in General and Desh Raj in the reserved category.  I soon realised that Desh Raj is no less in intellect and prowess in the subject or even better. I never thereafter bothered about the admission, but even boasted occasionally being one admitted at IARI through general category in which I am born in and entitled to.

Yesterday, while reading the above statement of Tyrone and those words. “YOU TOOK MY SPOT”, it bomb shelled on me if I am one to benefit from the reverse system that operates in India too.

In Tyrone’s own words, it operates in US as follows:

I recall incidents dating back 30 years when I served on the admission’s committee as a graduate student. In at least two cases our top candidates (4.0 GPAs, with 99% GREs and outstanding letters) were students of color and several faculty members pushed to have them nominated only for the diversity fellowships rather than the Berkeley Fellowship (our most “prestigious” fellowship). Although some faculty suggested that this decision was to maximize funding, if we follow this strategy, it means that a person of color would never get nominated for the Berkeley Fellowship, no matter how good they are. It is a sentiment echoed whenever we discuss whether we can get extra positions or extra funding for accepting a student of color or a job hire.

Back to me.

In India too, 18% reservations for SC and ST of the total intake in each institution are mandated in India as per law. Normally, even meritorious SC and ST candidates were used to be relegated to the reservation category of SC and ST as the Admission Committee will find it hard to get students to fill in this category [low level of education standard even by numbers] and also often by default (may be caste biased instinct too of the general category people). The latter will fill in the reservation quota even including otherwise meritorious candidates, so that others in General category [who are numerous in number] get admitted, rather accommodated to fill up rest, thereby completing total admission allotted to the institute. Thus, institute will ensure full utilization of its admission quota that the Government sanctioned, as it had made budgetary provisions for fellowship of each student and related expenses. And probably this was true for other educational institutions too.

Did I get admission by default as Desh Raj was relegated to the reservation quota list? Was I truly highest in merit list to deserve it as a general candidate? And the answer to this question can only come from the academic record of that time. However, given the fact that admissions are quite competitive and Desh Raj no pushover, it is most likely that I got admitted by default in General category.

[Those of us now after years of experience and close brush with the system know how merit list is drawn, even if merit does not exist to the naked eye].

All this boils down to the discrimination practiced in each society. In US, it is colour of the skin. In India, it is caste system. Occasionally, we may argue if it is really

Photo: Dr Desh Raj received on 18.6.2020 (about 66 year old)

 

possible to create discrimination-free society. We may or may not, but means to that goal are most important.  

 

PS: 1. This morning, I just whatsapped Desh Raj, no Dr. Desh Raj to say Hello, How are you? In my heart, he is my benefactor (patron or angel). Will I have courage to say it in presence of him? Will my suffering at the hands of SC madman prevent me from acknowledging this debt of Dr. Desh Raj, that he may not know through this discriminatory system or my own ignorance? Or else, why bother after so many years?

2. Twitted this morning (@Black lives matter) a beautiful poem of Leopald Senghor (translated in English) posted by A Lassala, 11.54 am June 11, 2020 in the commentary to the above of Rothfels and reproduced here.

Dear White Brother (English translation)

When I was born, I was black,

When I grew up, I was black,

When I am in the sun, I am black,

When I am sick, I am black,

When I die, I will be black.

While you, white man,

When you were born, you were pink,

When you grew up, you were white,

When you go in the sun, you are red,

When you are cold, you are blue,

When you are scared, you are green,

When you are sick, you are yellow,

When you die, you will be grey.

So, between you and me,

Who is the colored man?

3. Who are the black men and women in my country? Can an Indian Leopald Senghor write a poem to enlighten the masses?

4. Can we substitute Black with caste to create the movement similar to BLACK LIVES MATTER?  I wrote in my facebook post that the possibility of this movement crossing Indian sea is remote, although humanity does exist even in the country like ours.

5. Later amendments (when? ) in the Indian laws required that SC and ST candidates topping the merit list may be treated as general candidates and the rest below the merit list will be admitted under the reservation quota, thus aiming for more just and less discriminatory regime? Or !

JAI HO