Academic institutions at different levels of learning earn name and fame based on factors as diverse as chalk and cheese. Nalanda University of several centuries vintage continues to be portrayed as the topmost centre of learning globally but without citation of any other institution of its times being ranked on any accepted scale such as 1 to 100. Chroniclers seem to have glorified the land’s ancient seat of knowledge highlighting the feature of students coming in quest of knowledge in large numbers from distant shores. Having existed at a time too far back in the past, its accomplished faculty as well as eminent alumni have remained virtually incognito unlike in the case of institutions of learning in our times. Although some highly rated scientists, philosophers, scholars, spiritual mentors of society and so on of different regions of the world figure in the pages of history, the names of institutions that nurtured them are either lost or got clouded.

The culture of crediting the rulers of their times, such as in the case of kings of the erstwhile princely State of Mysore, for their vision and inputs to establishing schools, colleges and also Universities has also ceased, maybe for the reason of a surfeit of institutions, apart from too many stockholders in the world of education.

Luminaries, who excelled in their chosen fields of pursuit such as Vishnu Gupta of Arthashastra fame, Charaka and Sushrutha, pioneers who laid down the principles and procedures for addressing health issues by scripting voluminous treatises are examples who mark a world of difference between persons shining by their own steam and those with a badge of alumni of some highly ranked institution or the other. In modern times, a genius like Srinivasa Ramanujan didn’t have to pass through the portals of any University before the world of knowledge took note of his eminence.

The societal ethos on institutions of learning is impacted by factors familiar to the literati, not to forget the factor of aggressive promotion through the courtesy of media. Schools announcing that every student crossed the bar and luring parents for patronising are the order of the day. The irony of pursuing knowledge in institutions ranked on the basis of elementary parameters is quite amusing. But, the culture of chasing rank appears to be irresistible, even as the alumni deserve adoration.