In the welter of writings about higher education, few stand out. Saikat Majumdar's book is at once personal, learned, and original.

Howard Gardner

Life, school, and work blend seamlessly in these original, insightful and lively vignettes. This is a welcome take on what Indian “soft power” could be if we developed and democratized a truly liberal arts-science education.

SHASHI THAROOR

Majumdar's lucidly advanced and convincingly argued ideas on college education are radical and might take dec­ades for it to spread evenly across the moth-­­eaten landscape, but a tentative start somewhere should be a cause for hope.

Outlook

SAIKAT MAJUMDAR'S College: Pathways of Possibility is a fascinating sociological take on the higher education system in India… Majumdar's scholarship and experience as an academic have enriched the content of the book, but if it does not sound like a drab policy document or a forbidding academic book, it is because Majumdar the novelist keeps the narrative lucid, witty and sometimes playful, even as he analyses serious issues. He draws upon his personal experiences, stories from history and fables, which along with his vast knowledge of the subject, help establish a point in a manner that everyone can understand.

Frontline

College: Pathways of Possibility is a bold critique of our higher education system…Majumdar explores how a broader, more conceptual “liberal arts” education could greatly enliven the experience of college in India and make it more relevant to further study, work or just imaginative life.

The Hindu

College is a unique book, one of its kind. While most books on the nature of education or policy fall in the realm of academics, College brings the debates on undergraduate education firmly into the mainstream, marrying philosophy with narrative, anecdote with history.

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