A totem pole of ruins. Review on University of Mysore

Like the University of Madras, the University of Mysore was once an excellent place of learning. I did not study there, but having spent a major part of my life in Bangalore this is what I have heard about it. But as an academic interacting with other academics from this university, I have no hesitation to say that it is now a poor specimen of what could be described as a University. Its problems are caste and politics, confounded by mediocre faculty and mediocre students who spend more time in matters other than teaching and learning. I do not see any future for this University, though there are individual faculty members in certain departments known for their commitment to the cause, scholarship, and hard work. It is desolate. It is forlorn. I suppose this is true of most other Universities in Karnataka and the reasons for this are obsession with caste-based reservations, reservation politics, and linguistic jingoism. Mangalore University is probably a cut above the rest because of its isolation from the mainstream Karnataka. If anyone should be blamed for the decline of Mysore University, it is the self-seeking politicians of Karnataka.