JUNE 16, 1982
Editorial : “Role of Intellectuals in society”
Every society, every country in the world is shaped and led mainly by its intellectuals. All those who are remembered by history are mostly intellectuals. An Intellectual may not get instant recognition by the society when alive but in course of time the person’s greatness will be recognised and recorded on the pages of history. Because an intellectual and intellectual alone can bring about socio-economic changes. The Buddha, Plato, Marx, Lenin, Lincoln, Gorky, Bernard Show, Thiruvalluvar, Mahatma Phule were all great intellectuals. It is intellectuals who not only think but make others think. Affer Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, M.N. Roy, Periyar EVR and Lohia, we have hardly produced any intellectual giants in India.
India’s ruling class has been systematically corrupting any up and coming intellectual and if any one dares to defy, he is mercilessly crushed. That is why rarely one wants to show originality, innovation. So much so, India has gone into total intellectual bankruptcy. The very fact that India has not received a single Nobel Prize after it became independent proves that we are a country of mediocres, dwarfs. But we are never tired of boasting that we have the second largest scientific manpower in the world … This is because our society and its value system does not believe in encouraging and promoting intellectuals. Our ruling class wants us to surrender our judgement. Dissent is disliked. Truth should not be spoken … Intellectuals alone can lead a society. But If the intellectual is corrupt he will mislead and this Is what is happending in India. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar has beautifully painted the picture of an intellectualin his book, Annihilation of Caste.
Indian intellectuals have become corrupt and spineless – bumlickers. Dr. Ambedkar became India’s tallest Intellectual giant only because he fought and died for justice and truth. A second Dr. Ambedkar could not come up because the ruling upper castes have corrupted and nipped in the bud every up and coming Dr. Ambedkar.
Why caste-based reservations? V. Anaimuthu, Trichy, TN : There can’t be competition between unequals. Equality does not constitute absolute equality. Over 85% of the people remain Illiterate because of the inequality preached by caste system. So these people need caste-based reservations if they have to be made literate.
