Dr Saheb Sahu
Myth- a widely held but false belief or idea.
Meritocracy is a system or social order in which position of power, success, and advancement are awarded based on individual merit, typically measured by factors like talent, ability, intelligence, and effort, rather than by birth, wealth, social class, or personal connection. In simple terms: A meritocracy believes that most qualified and hardworking individuals should rise to the top, regardless of their background.
The term was coined by British sociologist Michael Young in his 1958 satirical book “The Rise of the Meritocracy”, where he warned that such a system could become just unfair as aristocracy- if it ignored structural inequalities.
The first Indian Civil Service Exam as conducted in U.K. in 1855. After India’s independence, in 1950, it became the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). All the present competitive exams in India follow the IAS format with various modifications. The entire competitive exams like the IIT-JEE, AIIMS-NEET, UPSCs, to corporate recruitment, the assumption is that the “best” rise to the top. However, this ideal often masks the deep social and economic inequalities that influence opportunities in India. In reality, the idea of a level playing field is a myth. Merit, as it is commonly understood in India, is not just about individual ability; it is deeply shaped by caste, economic class, gender, and access to resources. The booming coaching industry in India is accessible only to the urban rich. In these centers students spend lakhs of rupees on coaching, while the rural poor have no access to them. The ability to perform well in all the Indian competitive exams is thus more reflective of socioeconomic privilege than raw talent.
Historical and Structural Inequalities in India
The Caste System
India’s social fabric is deeply intertwined with its caste system. It is a legacy that historically denied lower caste communities access to education, wealth, and opportunists. Even after decades of reservation and quota, people from SC, ST, and OBC continue to face discrimination. For example, a student from a rural and poor background competing with someone who has had access to elite English Medium School, private coaching, and supportive environment is hardly on a level playing field.
Gender Discrimination
Women in India, particularly from conservative or rural backgrounds, face additional hurdles. Patriarchal norms restrict their educational and professional choices, and their social mobility. In 2024, less than 20% of IITs students were female. In medical colleges, they are about 45% of admitting class. Even highly qualified women often struggle in male-dominated fields, facing both open and subtle discrimination.
Economic, Rural and Urban, and Language Biases
Meritocracy in India is also complicated by language and economic inequalities. English medium education is a gateway to better opportunity, sidelining students educated in regional language only. Similarly, students from urban areas have better access to infrastructures like internet, computer labs, better schools and colleges giving them an advantage over rural students. Poor students from rural areas have no accessor limited access to them.
The Role of Nepotism and Cronyism
In both private and public sectors, in India (like everywhere else), connections and influence frequently trumps competence. Government contracts are awarded to politically connected people. Political tickets are often given to sons and daughters of older politicians. Corporate hiring often relies on connections. From Bollywood to corporate houses and civil service, who you know can matter more than what you know.
What Real Merit Should Mean?
Meritocracy should not just be about exam scores and degrees. It should also include someone’s background, how hard has someone worked, what difficulties they have overcome, and what potential they have. But for that to happen, Indian society needs to create equal opportunities first.
That means:
. Better public schools and colleges for all, especially for rural students
.More scholarships and other support for poor students
. More support for women, minorities groups and economically disadvantage students.
Conclusion
I will conclude this article with a brief personal story. I am the youngest of three brothers whose parents farmed about 5 acres of non-irrigated land in Bargarh district of Odisha, India. They grew one crop of paddy, sugarcane, jute, potato, onion and some seasonal vegetables. In those days, because of lack of water, there were no double crops. We always had enough food to eat, mostly rice, lentils, some seasonal vegetables and occasional fish or goat meat. Our village of about 800 people had no electricity, running water but had an elementary school (up to 3rd grade).Somehow to our good fortune, our parents decided to educate all three of their children. My eldest brother was a good student and graduated at the top in his class at George High School, Bargarh. Because lake of money, he could not attend college and joined the Indian Postal Department as a clerk. By passing many departmental exams, he got multiple promotions and retired as Postal Superintendent. My middle brother could not even attend high school as my parents did not have the money to keep two of their sons at hostel at the same time. He became a vaccinator, health inspector, tea agent, drug agent and later on opened drug stores at Sambalpur and Rourkela. Later on,he also became a drug whole seller. Both of my brothers financed my education from middle school to all the way to medical college.
I attended our village Elementary School, Kamgaon Government Middle School, C. S. Zila School, and G. M. College at Sambalpur. I was a good student and got merit scholarship from 5th grade through my medical college days. During my premedin 1964, I was admitted to Burla Medical College (now VSS Medical College) based on my good grades. No entrance exam was required. I heard about AIIMS (New Delhi- there was only one AIIMS then) from one of my class mates and applied for it. I had to go to Kolkata to appear for the entrance exam. Fortunately for me, I was admitted to AIIMS, solely based on my entrance exam result. There was no interview. I had no connection of any kind. After graduating from AIIMS with a MBBS degree I migrated to USA in June, 1970 for higher studies but stayed. I had a successful teaching and private practice career and did well in USA. My family has prospered in America. My wife and I have been able to help our extended families. We have also promoted girls education and tree planting in Bargarh District of Odisha.
Let us analyze my career trajectory. It is true that I was a meritorious student and attended good schools and colleges. I was able to migrate to America and have lived a successful life. But did I do it just because I was a meritorious student? Did I not attend government funded schools and the top medical college in India? Did I not get financial help from my brothers and the government of Odisha in the form of merit scholarship and student loan? Did I not get help from my parents, brothers, and my teachers? To assume that we are successful in life because of our merit is outright wrong! There is a well-known African Proverb that says: “It takes a village to raise a child”. It is quite true. Here the village means; parents, relatives, communities and sometimes the government.
The idea meritocracy in India is comforting, especially for those who are already doing well. It lets them believe that they succeeded purely on their own, and blame those who did not for not being smart enough. But the truth is lot more complicated. Until we fix the unfair systems that hold people back, we cannot truly call ourselves a merit-based society. To be fair, no country in the world is 100% merit –based. Contrives who come close are Singapore, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Canada.
PS- Dr Saheb Sahu is a 1969 graduate of AIIMS (New Delhi) and retired pediatrician settled in USA.
Source
1-Chat GPT
2- Wikipedia.org
