Alumni associations should be functionary, not defunct

Alumni associations should contribute to the development of the respective institution, said Calicut and Kannur University former vice chancellor and Mangalore University Bio-sciences Department former chairman Abdul Rehman.

He was speaking as chief guest of ‘Sanga-MAA’, the get together of the alumni of Mangalore University, organised by Mangala Alumni Association (MAA) at Mangala Auditorium, Mangalagangothri, on Sunday.

“Institutions started alumni associations after the presence of alumni association was included as an indicator for accreditation of colleges by NAAC, but most of the alumni associations are almost defunct. The associations should be not mere establishments, but functionary and robust,” said Abdul Rehman and lauded the efforts of MAA.

Recollecting the experience of being a part of the team that earmarked the 350-acre land at Konaje – which was originally meant for airport in 1953 – for Mangalore University in 1960s, Abdul Rehman said that the then Mysore University vice chancellor De Javare Gowda was instrumental in setting up the PG centre in 1968 and the university in 1980. He also recalled the journey from Mangalore to Konaje via Beeri in a CPC bus as the Thokkuttu - Konaje route did not exist then.

“When attempts were made to shift the PG Centre, it was again De Javare Gowda, former MLA U T Fareed and Karnataka Bank founder Suryanarayana Adiga who stopped the shifting and succeeded in establishment of Mangalore University at Konaje in 1980,” he said and added that it was De Javare Gowda who took keen interest in developing the campus into a green land. “There was only one tree in the 350 acres of land then.”

He also recollected a professor who claimed to have planted all the saplings 15 to 20 years after the establishment of the university. In his address, Mangalore University Registrar Prof K M Lokesh said that the alumni association should contribute to the infrastructure of the University. The University plans to have an international-standard hostel, a swimming pool, a recreation club and a digital library.

MLA, former minister and an alumnus of the University B B Ningaiah said that the education policy should include points that will build moral values.

Walking down memory lane, a few alumni of the University too shared their feelings. Dr K N Vijayprakash, personal secretary to Sports and Youth Empowerment and Fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj, recalled an incident where his batch mates had punctured all four tyres of the car of the then registrar Malathi Das, who later become the chief secretary of Karnataka. “As a KAS officer, when I introduced myself and told the chief secretary that I was an alumnus of Mangalore University, she asked whether I was from the notorious batch that had punctured all 4 tyres of her car,” he recalled, but did not reveal the names of the students who had punctured the registrar’s car tyres, much to the applause of the ‘old students’.

Udayavani editor Balakrishna Holla, St Aloysius College registrar Dr A M Narahari and Government PU College (Balmatta) lecturer Ramya Aithal too shared their memories. A differently abled Ramya thanked the University for providing her an opportunity to study in the University despite her disabilities.

MAA honorary president and Karnataka Bank former CMD Ananthakrishna, who was a first-batch student of Mangalore University PG Centre (1968) too recalled his days as a student in the University.

MAA president Dinesh Kumar Alva said that attempts were made to reach out alumni of all the 36 departments in the University. He also inaugurated the website of Media Alumni Association of Mangalagangothri (MAAM).

MAA general secretary Ganesh Sanjiv and conveners Prof P L Dharma and Venu Sharma were present. After the formal programme, alumni from various departments of the university visited their respective departments, met their professors and made an attempt to relive the good old moments.