From Temples to Ivy League: Networking as a New Darshan

The Ivy League is revered globally as a collection of elite institutions that offer unparalleled academic opportunities and access to powerful networks. This article tries to provide a provocative lens to explore how Ivy League institutions and certain Indian temples function in society, offering cases that point that the experience is not just about the formal purpose of the institution, but about the social and economic advantages that come with participation.

The Temple-Darshan Concept in India

In Hindu tradition, the concept of darshan—the act of seeing and being seen by the divine—is central to temple worship. Darshan is not merely a passive act but an exchange of grace and blessing, where the devotee gains spiritual merit by participating in the ritual.

Mandirs (Temples) often embody a sense of belonging and purpose beyond the purely religious experience. They act as venues where networks of community members gather, discuss, and forge relationships. Darshan, then, becomes both a spiritual exchange, economic, familial and a social one—a parallel that can be observed in modern elite institutions like the Ivy League schools.

In many temples, particularly prominent ones like Tirupati in southern India, the experience of darshan is often mediated by economic factors.

Entry tickets are sold at varying prices, with special privileges available to those who can afford them. The same is true for prasad (holy offerings), such as the famous Tirupati laddoos (sweet meat offered to god), which come at a high price (up to $3/piece, Rs. 200), symbolizing not just spiritual fulfillment but social capital. The average daily wage for a male casual laborer in rural India was about 392 Indian rupees, while female laborers received 265 rupees per day.

When I visited the Tirupati temple, it struck me how much of the experience was commercialized. The temple, renowned for its sacred status and the blessings it bestows, also functions as an economic powerhouse.

The Ivy League: Tuition as Access to the Divine

Much like darshan in a mandir, where devotees come not just for spiritual upliftment but also for social connectivity, students often enter Ivy League institutions seeking connections to future employers, mentors, and influential figures.

Ivy schools offer access to an elite network that provides long-term career and social advantages. In this way, they serve a dual purpose—akin to the mandirs—of being both institutions of higher learning and venues for networking.

Ivy League schools, much like Tirupati and other grand temples, are institutions that signify more than just their primary function.

Networking as a New Darshan

In the world of Ivy League schools, the act of networking can be likened to the act of darshan. Just as the devotee seeks the sight and blessing of the deity in a mandir, students and professionals seek out the 'darshan' of influential figures—professors, alumni, corporate leaders, and even fellow students.

This exchange is an economic and social transaction. Students participate in the rituals of Ivy League life—attending lectures, joining clubs, and networking events—to gain wisdom but also to be 'seen' by those who can shape their future careers.

In this view, an Ivy League education becomes a pilgrimage, a journey toward securing social capital. The school acts as the mandir, and the faculty, alumni, and powerful networks are the deities from whom students seek blessings in the form of mentorship, internships, and job offers. The objective is not solely enlightenment but advancement—both personal and professional.

Just as in Tirupati, where the expensive tickets offer quicker or more privileged darshan, Ivy League tuition grants access to an elite education and, more importantly, a powerful network. Both environments emphasize that participation in Ivy circles requires not only merit but financial investment.

In a temple, while the act of worship and darshan is the overt purpose, there is an underlying network of influence, community gathering, and social capital that is just as important.

Similarly, while Ivy League schools are ostensibly focused on education and the pursuit of knowledge, they also function as social hubs where the real value often lies in the connections students make and the networks they tap into.

Who Can Afford Darshan?

Preparation for entry into these schools, much like the ritual preparations for visiting a temple like Tirupati, is an elaborate and expensive process. Many students hire consultants, take preparation courses, and invest considerable time and money into their applications.

However, students (or devotees) see these fees as an investment. At a school like Harvard or Yale, the promise is not just an education but a key to the world’s most powerful networks. This is the Ivy League equivalent of darshan—being seen by the right people in the right places can open doors that may otherwise remain closed.

The Ivy League experience often involves navigating a complex social hierarchy, where networking becomes a new form of merit, replacing or overshadowing traditional forms of intellectual or academic achievement.

This highlights a tension between the ideal of wisdom and the practical realities of succeeding in elite institutions. Wealthier students are more likely to have access to better education from the start, making them more competitive applicants: affording expensive preparation courses, which increase chances of admission.

Similarly, at a temple like Tirupati, while free or lower-cost entry is available, the experience is often less fulfilling. Long wait times, less access to the deity, and fewer privileges can leave poorer devotees feeling excluded from the full spiritual experience.

This dynamic raises important questions about the role of privilege in accessing what are supposed to be public or spiritual goods. If both temples and elite schools are meant to serve as spaces for personal transformation—whether spiritual or intellectual—should access to them be mediated by wealth? And what does it say about these institutions that those who can pay more often receive more in return?

Both Ivy League schools and temples like Tirupati are commodified spaces, where the spiritual or intellectual good is wrapped up in a larger system of economic exchange. In both cases, what is being sold is not just the primary function of the institution but the secondary benefits—the social capital, the networking, the prestige—that come with participation.

In the end, the high costs associated with participating in these spaces—whether through expensive laddoos or Ivy League tuition—serve as a reminder that access to the divine, whether literal or metaphorical, often comes at a price. Just as those who can afford better access in a temple often leave feeling more spiritually fulfilled, those who can afford an Ivy League education are more likely to leave with the tools to navigate and succeed in a world that values connections as much as knowledge.

PS:

In a free-market economy, this market-driven access to systems like Ivy League education or temple darshan aligns with the principles of supply and demand. Institutions like these are in high demand, and their exclusivity naturally leads to higher costs. These costs serve as a reflection of the value they provide, whether it's networking opportunities or spiritual fulfillment. However people disagree such as in this video.

Harvard's celebrated Philosopher Michael Sandel makes the case against meritocracy in his book The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? 

Regardless, having worked in an education consulting firm that sends high school students to Ivy League institutions, I fully understand the market dynamics at play and hunger of Indian youth to achieve the best version of themselves through a global education instead of a sub-par Indian higher education.

I was privileged to study with professors who came to India after an education at Oxbridge (Oxford, Cambridge in UK), Ivy leagues and Global 100 Universities at both Azim Premji University (funded by Azim Premji Philanthropy) and Anant National University (funded by Piramal Philanthropy).

But everyone does not get access to global professors-faculty at Indian state-run and governed universities which are governed by low budgets, and adjunct, part-time or contractual (non-full time) lecturers handling old curriculum unaligned with industry requirements.

The ones who can pay a tuition are perhaps compelled to choose and invest in an education abroad.

This article is not a critique of the education system, but an observation of how access and privilege function within these frameworks. The costs involved are simply a reflection of the competitive nature of these spaces, where people are willing to invest in the value and long-term benefits institutions offer based on the personalized value accrued to each.