Aamir Khan’s 2009 movie “3 Idiots” directed by Rajkumar Hirani depicted parents’ obsession with getting their children into one of the prestigious universities. It showed to what extent dads go to see their children get into a prestigious engineering university. Of course the university and its comical principal were pieces of fiction, yet the Indian audience must have guessed what university the film had been referring to. Although the film did gain mass popularity, the reality on the ground remained the same.
The Indian middle class has long rushed to prestigious universities as it appeared to them to be the only means to upward social mobility. India is not new to political agitations of one hue or another. In recent years, the youth have taken centre stage in airing their grievances through mass protest movements. The catalyst behind the current movement is paper leaks and scoring discrepancies. Those who are watching the movement from the sidelines accuse the government of having added fuel to the fire. Critics are dubbing it as “one of the largest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government”. The protests have also rekindled a wider debate over transparency, merit and accountability in India’s highly competitive education system.
Habib K, Abbottabad
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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