National High School celebrates centenary with eye on the future

National High School, the iconic  Basavanagudi  institution set up by Indian nationalist and former Congress president Annie Besant, celebrated its 100th year on Saturday, along with the  inauguration of the Adamya Chetana Seva Utsava.

The school prayer 'Yam Brahma Varunendra Rudra Marutah', which has been sung for 100 years, was recited at the beginning of the programme. Notable alumni such as Isro Chairman A S Kiran Kumar, former DRDO head V K Aatre and BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad were present at the event.

The chief guest, President Ram Nath Kovind, spoke at the occasion, appreciating the National Education Society (NES) and the Adamya Chetana for their contributions to society.

"I am particularly happy that I am here for a function associated with the cause of learning and education, and of giving back to society. These are attributes that are so dear and so typical of the people of this state. After all, Karnataka has a rich legacy of culture and knowledge, and of public-spirited citizens," he said.

A H Rama Rao, president, NES,  spoke about how the institution has followed its principles and provided affordable, quality education with an  emphasis on technology, culture and nationalism.

He said that from 216 students in one high school, the society now has 15,000 students in 16 institutions.

"We have ambitious plans of expansion for our institutions, and we want to have a digital education. We plan to offer courses in emerging fields such as Blockchain Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Virtual Reality (VR)," he added.

Students  at National High School cheered energetically when a video tracing the history of the institution was played at the function. Their applause grew louder when alumni H Narasimhaiah and Anil Kumble were shown on screen.

However, the Adamya Chetana Seva Utsava seemed to overshadow the celebrations of the historic school's centenary year.

Union minister Ananth Kumar, who set up the trust in memory of his mother, spoke at length about the work of the organisation and the new environment-related initiatives they have planned.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah could not make it to the event but sent his message saying the Karnataka government was committed to clearing encroachments on lakes, building feeder canals, treating sewage for a second use and making rainwater harvesting mandatory. Governor Vajubhai Vala was present at the function.