The Myth of Meritocracy and the Construction of Valour
In the race to be "brave," many from the Janajati communities have been systemically denied the opportunity to be deemed "qualified" within the so-called meritocracy of politics and bureaucracy. I do not claim that the leadership of major parties (like the NC) intentionally set out to exclude Janajatis from the National Assembly. However, when criteria like "Party Loyalty," "Career Continuity," and "Spending Capacity" become the decisive factors, it is no coincidence that Khas-Arya names consistently emerge at the top. This is a structural reality, not a random outcome.
I see this frustration on both sides. I have Khas-Arya friends who feel a deep, silent resentment because they weren't "brave" enough to become Lahures—losing out on the chance to build city houses, marry their choice of partners, travel abroad, or earn enviable pensions.
On the other hand, I have Janajati friends in academia, politics, and administration who have been barred from top tiers and labeled "unqualified." True, merit requires hard work. But my Brahmin friends had a "Tuppi" (sacred top-knot)—and with it, a centuries-old social tradition that equated a Brahmin son’s "Dharma" with studying, just as a Majhi son’s "Dharma" was fishing. My Janajati friends, lacking that "Tuppi" and the socio-cultural environment it represented, never had the same runway to “merit.”
Consequently, their numbers in politics and administration remain low. And those who are there often lack a decisive voice.
When the State—through religion, language, narratives, laws, textbooks, and traditions—predetermines who shall be "Qualified" and who shall be "Brave," I tell my friends on both sides: Do not take it personally. You are all capable. More accurately, we have all been failed in different ways by our respective economic, social, and cultural conditions. The only difference is the family and geography into which we were born.
In my life, I have known many "fearful" Janajatis who were naturally timid but became Lahures out of necessity. Similarly, I knew Khas-Arya friends who struggled through school, passing exams only after multiple attempts, yet went on to become successful teachers or bureaucrats.
This proves one thing: Bravery and Merit are not genetic or inherited traits. They are socially constructed categories designed by the state and society.
Conclusion: The person who considers himself "qualified" and successful in politics might actually be incompetent but "brave" in his maneuvers. And the person who walks around with medals and a pension, thinking himself "brave," might actually be a first-rate coward who was simply "qualified" to follow orders.