My understanding is that people don’t really like reservations. It could be an empty table in a restaurant, seats in movie hall or in a train — if these are marked ‘reserved’, it doesn’t leave the waiting lot very happy. And for me that is a natural reaction.

It is, however, important to see whom these are reserved for. If the seat in a bus is reserved for, let’s say, pregnant women or a berth in train is marked for physically challenged persons, then our initial disappointment or even mild frustration does change into a more compassionate stance. I am not making a comparison between the cases in these examples and those of reservations in educational institutions. What I am trying to do is to illustrate the point that the idea of ‘reserving’ evolved in civilised societies when it was felt that certain classes/categories of people among us needed that extra help or concession.

When talking of reservation in educational institutions, I believe we have to create a situation where no deserving student is denied an opportunity to get educated. Unfortunately we are nowhere close to this ideal situation. In fact what we have is a situation where the demand far exceeds the supply in almost all fields of study, be it medicine, engineering, management or law. Our goal should be to have so many vacancies that reservations become irrelevant. Just think back to the time as late as the early ’90s when LPG and phone connections were tough to access because of supply shortages. Once they were available in abundance, the premium (and black market) for them also disappeared. Similarly, having enough number of good institutions that can absorb all those who wish to pursue higher degrees will rid us of the problem of having to ration admissions.

... contd.