Prior to their exams, countless people have nightmares of reaching the exam centre late. For students of S H Kelkar College in Devgad, however, this nightmare came true on August 9. They were told at 11.30 am that their viva voce (orals) for the semester end had started at 11 am at an exam centre 500 km away in Mumbai.

Given the fact that oral exams account for 40 per cent of the total marks, none of the Rural Development students could have ever imagined missing the crucial test. But little option did they have when the Mumbai University directive reached them on the morning of the exam. Though the test has been resc­heduled, this kind of fumbling and the resultant disorder are indicative of the chaos in the varsity.