The Supreme Court’s recent observation that income should not be the sole determinant in identifying the “creamy layer” within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has reopened a fundamental question: what exactly are reservations meant to achieve? At first glance, the Court’s reasoning appears sympathetic to the idea that social discrimination can persist even among economically prosperous individuals. But this argument risks blurring the original logic of India’s reservation frame

trends in Padma awardees Over the last three decades, the announcement of Padma Awards has quietly evolved into more than a ceremonial recognition of individual achievement. In my view, it has become a mirror reflecting India’s changing ideological and philosophical self-understanding. While officially apolitical, the pattern of Padma Award recipients reveals how the Indian state’s conception of merit, contribution, and national identity has shifted over time. In the mid-1990