Not many days have passed since the violent anti-reservation protests in India shook the whole nation. Student bodies from All India Institute of Medical Studies (AIIMS), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other central institutions of higher education all joined their hands to annul the Quota system in specialization and professional degree levels.

Nepal is said to be moving to a new era - a one that has freedom, peace and prosperity. At such critical stage, the leaders of our country have made a blunder. They just fertilized a baleful issue of reservation, which will have some sinister impacts on all the aspects of Nepal. It is not something that the political leaders have not seen coming. I do not underestimate their farsightedness but I can also estimate their greed. During the recent Jana Aandolan (People's revolution), we all witnessed the political involvement of minorities and female citizens and so did the parties. So they can not dare to jeopardize the prospective vote bank of future elections. And guess what? One of the early motions the current House of representative passed was to provide a 33% reservation for women in state mechanism. And the dalits (people from Other Backward Classes) are already getting 25% reservation.

Dalit (Backward Caste) women from far-western region of Nepal

If unqualified people are selected over qualified ones, for posts that can have serious impact on the development of Nepal, in the name of class and gender reservation, any and every Nepali citizen can suffer its consequences. Just imagine... what can happen if an incapable person becomes your doctor; designs your house; formulates your country's economic policies. I know your answer that is why I do not think that this is an option.

Yesterday I watched an interview of a female Maoist soldier on Nepal Television. As many other politically active women, she was saying that Women can equal men in every aspect so the reservation percentage should be elevated to 50%. I have nothing against them but I really feel sorry for them. In fact, they are just reverberating the voice of their leaders without having any knowledge of their selfish intentions. The dalit leaders are the ones who are actually utilizing most of the opportunities and also benefit by lobbying with political parties. I know few dalits who are easily getting scholarships although they are financially strong enough to pay for their studies. So how can this help the back ward class people of far western region who have never visited Kathmandu.

Another permanent problem they faced was the misfire of their star player, especially strikers. Italian team always had stars in their team like Vierri, Totti, Del Pierro and Toni but they never managed to sparkle in the world cup arena. Schillaci was a great Italian striker who was awarded with the Golden Boot in 1990 but he did not have a star stature before that world cup finals.

FIFA World Cup Germany, 2006 - Italy enters the Mecca de football with disturbing controversies at backdrop. With a wonderful 4-0 victory over the Germans in the practice match, Italians lit a hope in the hearts of their fans. There was something different with the way they were playing. They did not seem to be satisfied with a single goal lead. They were looking for more. All the credit to coach Marcello Lippi. Once again their stars did not kindle their victory but their mid fielders and wings were doing the trick. Players like Matarazzi, Zambrotta, Perota, Grosso, Gattuso, Pirlo all made their own mark at the world stage. During the whole series, ten of the Italian players had scored goals - more than any other team. But the man behind the Italian triumph was their venerable captain and world class defender Cannavaro. His perfectly timed tackles and important clearances hindered their oppositions. And finally the Goalie... Commentators were constantly repeating that Buffon was the most expensive Goalkeeper in the world but hesitated just a bit to say that he was the best. After his superb performance in this world cup, there is no doubt that he is the best of the best.