Ratna Junior College

The secret seems too open to actually call it a secret anymore. Any IITian hailing from Ratna College would thank the management profusely for its extended help and co-operation. Of course, since he/she "hardly" graduated from there! Most of them opt for any other coaching institute other than the one in contention. So students attend an average of 2 days in the whole year. Many do not even bother showing up for the lab examinations. Some even forget the direction to the college. But Ratna never fails to felicitate all the meritorious students at the end of year. Who cares about a rule that decries a minimum attendance criterion? Sigh! Enron officials could have take lessons from us Hyderabadis on fudging records.

Ratna does have its own faculty that trains for EAMCET and other entrance exams. But that's about as important as a diet program for an anorexic. For the burgeoning masses, the management took care to contemplate on a better building. They took a 2-storied residential house nearby and converted it into a college. The parking lot doubles as an test-center with a few benches thrown in. A collocation like "Campus Playground" is as vague as a word like tchotchke.

Having said all this, Ratna still commands a lot of respect in the twin cities. Children are still admitted. Results are still splashed in newspapers. And the image of the Goddess Saraswati still smiles at the entrance.