India, Sept. 1 -- The highly acclaimed interviewer came storming out of the interview room, his face red, not from the summer heat, but from sheer frustration. "Everybody wants the job," he spluttered, "but nobody wants to reveal their qualifications!"

"Why?" I asked, "maybe their certificates were washed away in the last monsoon flood?"

"No, no," he said, shaking his head. "They say it's personal information! Personal! As if a high school certificate were the secret code to open Switzerland's vaults!"

And that's how the new India runs. Degrees are now classified documents to be hidden with the same care as nuclear launch codes.

Ask to see someone's marks? Defamation case!

Ask for their diploma? Violation of human rights!

Demand pro...