India, Dec. 1 -- Sir,

The ongoing efforts by the alumni of Maharaja Government Junior College to restore the historic campus highlight a deeper concern: How did an institution with such an unparalleled legacy fall into this state of neglect in the first place?

This is not merely a school building. Its origins date back to 1833, when Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar established the Raja Free School to provide education to poor children - a remarkably visionary initiative for its time.

The present-day Maharaja High School and Maharaja Pre-University College stand as direct continuations of this historic institution, carrying forward nearly 192 years of educational and cultural heritage.

Over the decades, this institution has produce...