UoM pioneered higher edn in State, says President

Pranab inaugurates year-long centenary celebrations

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday set the ‘bell’ for year-long centenary celebrations of the University of Mysore (UoM).

The President inaugurated the celebrations by lighting the traditional lamp in the presence of 10,000 huge audience at the Open Air Theatre (Amphitheatre) at Manasagangotri, the postgraduate campus of the university.

Tracing the history of the university, the President said, Mysuru is an academic hub today, with prestigious institutions in a wide array of disciplines, from Ayurveda to medicine, management to engineering, law and commerce.

“The University of Mysore, which is headquartered here, has pioneered higher education in Karnataka. It was founded under the patronage of ‘Rajarshi’ Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and able assistance of Diwan Sir M Visvesvaraya in 1916,” he said.

The President quoted the speech of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar during the first convocation of the university, held way back in 1918, eulogising the services of Visvesvaraya: “I feel that I should acknowledge on this public occasion a debt of gratitude from myself and my people to Sir M Visvesvaraya, the Diwan of my state. It is chiefly his patriotism, his enthusiasm and his unflinching advocacy, which converted that was once little more than a dream of the future into a living creation and his name will always be remembered above all others, as the man to whom our university owes its being”.

Mukherjee also recalled the names of the stalwarts associated with the development of the university — first VC H V Nanjundayya, Sarvapalli S Radhakrishnan a Philosophy professor at the university, who later rose to became the President, earliers VC Brajendranath Seal, Dr C R Reddy, Thomas Denham, A R Wadia, M Hiriyanna, former VCs Dr K V Puttappa (Kuvempu) and De Javare Gowda (De Ja Gow).

The President drew an analogy between a small rivulet and the nascent days of the university, that started with 11 departments to reach the level of 54 PG departments, two PG centres, one satellite centre, four constituent colleges, 49 research centres and 38 outreach centres, having a student strength of 85,000, including 1,400 foreign students.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, also an alumnus of the university, described the day as a great day in the history of the university.

The government has sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the centenary celebrations and is ready to help the university in its future endeavours, he added.

Siddaramaiah released a book ‘An Era of Enlightenment (100 years of history of University of Mysore)’ authored by B Sheik Ali.

Ex-VCs feted
Centenarian and former VC De Javare Gowda, his successors P Selvie Das, S N Hegde, M Madaiah, J Shashidhara Prasad and V G Talawar were felicitated by the President. Centenarian lexicographer G Venkatasubbaiah, also one of the oldest alumnus of the varsity, was also felicitated.

Slew of openings
The President also inaugurated the Open Air Theatre modernised into an amphitheatre, Centenary Clock Tower, Centenary Gate and Kuvempu statue, besides laying foundation for setting up an interactive museum, regional science centre and a replica of Sabarmati Ashram.