I think preaching equality among unequals is the worst form of

In the words of P. Chidambaram, “I think preaching equality among unequals is the worst form of discrimination.” These words cut through the illusions of shallow justice and strike at the root of true fairness. For to proclaim all equal when their circumstances are vastly different is not justice, but cruelty dressed in noble speech. It is to bind the weak and the strong with the same chains, to demand from the poor what only the rich can give, and to offer the hungry the same feast as the full while leaving them unsatisfied. Such false equality masks oppression, for it ignores the weight each one carries.

The ancients, too, knew this truth. In Aristotle’s teaching, justice was not sameness, but proportion—giving to each according to merit and need. He warned that treating unequals as though they were equal distorts fairness, just as much as treating equals unequally. For the farmer who toils without land, the child born into poverty, the widow bereft of power—what does it mean to say, “You are equal, now compete as though you had the same tools”? It is not freedom, but mockery.

History itself bears witness. In the decades after the abolition of slavery in America, Black citizens were told they were free and equal under the law, yet they were given no land, no wealth, no protection against violence. To declare them “equal” while leaving them powerless was itself a continuation of discrimination, cloaked in legal phrases. The same was seen in colonies where oppressed peoples were told they shared the rights of citizens, while their resources were plundered and their voices silenced. Preaching equality among unequals becomes a cruel joke when no real effort is made to bridge the gap.

Chidambaram’s words remind us that true justice requires recognition of difference. To uplift the downtrodden, one must first see that they are downtrodden. To heal the wounded, one must first acknowledge the wound. The teacher who demands the same performance from the hungry child as from the nourished one fails as both educator and human being. The ruler who proclaims all citizens equal, while knowing some are crushed under the weight of poverty, fails as guardian of the state. Equality must be more than a word; it must be shaped by compassion, by proportional fairness, and by courage to correct imbalance.

The deeper meaning here is that discrimination does not always appear as hatred or violence. Sometimes it wears the mask of false nobility. To declare, “All are equal,” without accounting for circumstance, is to abandon those most in need. It is to say, “I will not see your suffering, I will not see your disadvantage, I will not see the history that burdens you.” Such blindness is itself oppression, for it allows inequality to persist under the guise of fairness.

The lesson for us is clear: if we would seek true equality, we must not pretend all stand at the same starting line. Instead, we must build bridges for the oppressed, lift the weights from the weary, and grant opportunities to those who have been denied them for generations. Equality is not sameness, but justice made visible—justice that bends down to raise the fallen and ensures that none are left behind.

Practical steps flow from this truth. Acknowledge difference honestly, rather than ignoring it in the name of shallow fairness. Support policies that correct imbalance, whether through education, access to resources, or protection of the vulnerable. Resist the temptation of easy slogans, and instead demand actions that recognize history’s burdens. And in daily life, treat people not as abstract equals, but as real human beings, each with their own struggles, each deserving of compassion and fairness.

Thus, Chidambaram’s words endure as a warning to all generations: beware the false equality that conceals injustice. Do not preach fairness without first practicing compassion. True equality does not erase difference, but embraces it, lifting the weak until they too can walk with strength. Only then can we say with honesty that all stand equal before one another, and equal before the eyes of eternity.