Reservations: the king's mistake and Sir M.V's stand

Perhaps the earliest instance of a Karnataka government screwing up on the issue of uplift of dalitaru is to be found in the wrong move made by His Highness Krishnaraja Wodeyar Bahadur of Mysore. Because of the king's unscientific though well-intentioned stand on the topic of reservations, Sir. M.V. resigned from the office of the Dewan of Mysore.

I quote Sir M. Vishweshwaraiah from his "Memoirs of my working life":

About the years 1916-1917 there was an agitation in Madras against the Brahmin community in view of the predominant position they enjoyed inthe Government services. This agitation spread to Mysore also. I was aware that non-Brahmin communities were backward on account of lack of higher education. The education problem had been vigorously attacked ever since I came to Mysore. I had arranged for the Mysore Government granting liberal scholarships to backward communities and depressed classes to encourage their education. Special steps were also taken to advance the prospects of mebers of backward communities in Government service. It was true that there was considerable inequality in preferment to offices and the Brahmin community had worked their way to the front. The policy adopted of spreading education rapidly was showing some results. As stated before, the school-going population had been nearly trebled. There was a desire in some quarters to hold back the proressive community by restricting their admission to educational institutions and otherwise reducing their opportunities for acquiring education. With this aim it was impossible to sympathise because it was an attempt to put back a section of the population which by its own special enterprise was going forward.

There was a definite proposal put forward by several leading members of the non-Brahmin community in Mysore to adopt the policy of the non-Brahmin leaders and their Press in Madras. A committee, presided over by Sir Leslie Miller, Chief Judge of Mysore, was appointed by His Highness the Maharaja to consider the question of adopting, in Mysore, measures similar to those advocated by the non-Brahmin leaders in Madras. My idea was that by spreading education rapidly and adopting precision methods in production and industry, the State and its entire population would progress faster. By ignoring merit and capacity I feared production would be hampered and the efficiency of the administration, for which we had been working so hard, would suffer. There was never any complaint that I favoured any particular community in making appointments. Nevertheless, I felt opposed to the establishment of the Miller Committee. His Highness the Maharaja seemed anxious to placate the backward communities and the leaders in the State who supported the policy advocated by the non-Brahmin leaders of Madras. After prolonged discussion and exchange of views for a considerable time, I obtained His Highness' consent to retire from service. Some time was required to arrange and place all new schemes in operation and other contemplated developments in a safe condition before I actually laid down office. So itw as agreed, some eight months beforehand, that I should retire at a convenient date at the end of the year. This arrangement was kept a closely guarded secret.

There is no doubt that Sir M.V. was right in his approach to solving the problem of the "backward communities". It is enlightening to note that one of the greatest sons of this soil opposed reservations - of the kind which is still in vogue - right back in 1916.

However, I am yet to understand Sir. M.V.'s stand on the application of Kannada in higher education. There seems to have been no work done by him which proves his undeterred belief in the fact (I'm saying that it's a fact) that Kannada is the only language through which his concept of "spreading education rapidly" would have been possible to his heart's content. If Sir M.V. hadn't realized it, he would have in due course of time. I think. Even if he wouldn't have, it's time we realize it.