Those who have benefited from the reservation system and become "equal" should volunteer to give it up out of self-esteem for other people from weaker sections who are in need, educationist Sonam Wangchuk said today.
Wangchuk, who inspired Aamir Khan's character in the acclaimed movie '3 Idiots' after he initiated reforms in school education in Ladakh, said, "I belong to the ST category, but I have not had to take up benefits of it".
"Once someone has become equal by the benefits of affirmative action (reservation), they should volunteer to give (quota) it up out of self-esteem and self-respect," he said, adding the nation is like a family in which "stronger should take care of the weaker".
Wangchuk, who also runs a school in Ladakh and is founder of Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, was speaking at the sixth annual convocation of Ambedkar University of Delhi.
A nation is as an extension of family, the engineer- turned educationist said, "In a family we all take care of the members."
"It is a shame that some are extremely rich and some are extremely poor in the world. Look at the nation as a family. Those who are bigger and stronger should take care of the weaker," he said, urging the people to make "affirmative action" more just and equitable, rather than waiting for years for change.
Wangchuk also suggested that education institutions and corporates should allow young people to take a sabbatical to know what their interests are.
"Ours is a nation which is obsessed with grades and ranks. But taking sabbatical would avoid wastage of resources. For instance, we choose something to study, and after a year or two we realise what we have chosen something that doesn't suit us," he said.
"It saves precious resource called time," he said
Delhi LG Anil Baijal, who was present at the convocation as the chancellor, too echoed the views, observing "that education doesn't take place only in stuffy classrooms, it happens everywhere and everyday".
"I urge you to take a break and travel. Greatest minds have often withdrawn from normal life and taken breaks to travel," Baijal said.
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