Quota unquote

"You're a Gupta, right? You're a Vaishya?"

"Sen Gupta ufffd" "Sen being your middle name?"

"No, the whole thing is my surname. The gap is a breathing space for those who might need to address me."

"Phew!"

"And we're not Vaishyas. We're Vaidya Brahmins."

"Is that any good?"

"Well there are no reservations for our clan if that's what you want to know. We are just people in general; the quintessential aam aadmi."

"Life must be tough for you. But you have made it to the top, beating all odds! You're a role model for your tribe!"

"There's some Valium in that drawer."

"So how many Senguptas ufffd sorry, Sen Guptas have got nursery admissions this year?"

"There weren't any eligible ones in my family. The others must be doing OK."

"So you've never had the opportunity to savour the fruits of reservation?"

"Nope! Wrong caste, wrong community and wrong gender. I make enough money to be in the tax bracket.

Neither I, nor any close relative has had the guts to join the defence forces. I am handicapped in several ways but it's difficult to prove medically."

"So basically you've had no luck! But do you honestly believe that all politicians are wrong? Everyone from Left, Right and Centre supports the quota system!"

"Look, politicians benefit not by eradicating our differences but by building newer walls between communities. They use reservations and quotas not to empower people but to exploit them. It's not difficult to descry that for many netas to remain in business, millions of Indians must remain backward."

"You have to accept that several groups have braved injustices for years and deserve a break."

"When people from a certain community hold the nation's capital hostage by stopping traffic, blocking delivery of essential items, destroying infrastructure to prove that they are weak and deserve reservation, then it's easy to spot that something is terribly wrong about the policies devised by the government with such noble intentions at heart."

"So what's the way out?"

"Perhaps encouraging affirmative action instead of imposing quota; rewarding institutions and people who come up with innovative ideas and accomplishments in this regard etc."

"Wonderful! Can I use your phone? I have to check on my rail ticket; just need to know whether I've got a ufffd"
"Got a what?"

"Never mind!"