The university-brand trap, for students & institutions

A few years ago, I was attending a wedding in the family — a congregation of old relatives distributed across geographies, who attend such events out of reciprocity.

- Abhishek Asthana

“They came for our son’s wedding too, we'll have to visit,” is the usual tenet put forth by parents. The multi-billion-dollar wedding industry survives due to this quid pro quo.

This bunch of relatives only meets at property-dispute court hearings, family weddings and funerals. There is always some attrition between two events. Covid led to a reduced headcount, but the ones who survived it, brought forth their renewed North Indian nosiness to this wedding.

One uncle asked a young looking guy point blank, “Beta, what's your in-hand salary? Haath me kitna aata hai?”

“I am in college, actually,” the boy replied.

“Oh badhiya! Which college?” asked the uncle without missing a beat.

And thus begins the ritual humiliation, especially if the kid is attending some obscure private engineering college. The uncle claims complete ignorance of the existence of the institution, and extends some unsolicited sympathy for not cracking an entrance exam.

The age-old desire of students is to study at a place known to their relatives. Now, this was only possible earlier with top-tier government colleges and the IITs, NITs etc,, which an average student usually does not qualify for. Or, a handful of private colleges such as BITS, where entry was similarly tough.