University College Of Arts And Social Sciences (Osmania)

Among the twelve tasks of Asterix, in the 1949 comic book, is one where Asterix has to fetch a green pass from a bureaucratic building. These tasks, in the comic, are humanly impossible to accomplish, and therefore, getting that pass is a way to prove you are a god.

Well, trying to meet someone in the labryrinthine OU College of Arts and Social Science building is about as onerous a task as getting that little green pass. Without the famous 'male sense of direction', once you step inside, you will lose all your bearings. To reach a department is like undertaking a minor padayatra, and you can walk on for hours in the enormous corridors only to realise you are back to where you started.

The Arts and Social Science building is the most impressive of the various structures on Osmania's 1,400-acre campus. An example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, it was built in 1939, but looks brand new. The massiveness looks underutilised, especially considering they run only PG courses here.

A very large number of students pursue an MA here, so they can concentrate on getting into the Civil Services. Between themselves, bodies like ABVP, SFI, PDSU and TRS, which are frighteningly active here, manage to issue about 10 calls to boycott colleges in a month. Most students are sympathetic to these calls, and that means there is a good chance the campus will wear a deserted look if ever you visit it. The consequently relaxed academic load is probably why civil service aspirants favor this university.