BANGALORE: Karnataka surely has an abundance of riches when it comes to higher education.
What state can boast of being home to the most prestigious scientific research institute in the country in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and one of the oldest universities in the country in the University of Mysore? Today, Karnataka boasts of 15 universities, besides universities exclusively for agriculture, technical education, medical education, law, music, and ayurveda.
It took a lot of years and efforts for the state to earn the famed status in the field of education.
People don’t know or seem to have forgotten the history. Thankfully, the journey has now been retold in the Raj Bhavan’s latest publication Heritage of Higher Learning in Karnataka.
The book, at a mammoth 416 pages, has been brought out in the format of a coffee table book, and provides a detailed account of how the various institutes were set up.
The book, which is structured in 9 sections, starts off with an explanation of the emblems of each university, which in turn is a reflection of the university’s goals.
On the origin of universities, one of the more interesting stories that emerges is the reluctance of members of the Madras University senate on blessing the University of Mysore when it was set up. A member of the senate stood up and asked should they bless a daughter who has run away.
Remarking on this years later, noted economist Dr D M Nanjundappa said, “We should invite the University of Madras today. She would see her 82-year old daughter grown into a beautiful, mature, and admirable person. The mother may not remember her words uttered in the past but would now certainly shed tears of happiness and embrace her daughter”.
The largest section in the book is devoted to chronicling the emergence of various colleges across the state. This is followed by a section on the aesthetics and architecture of the institutes, and another on museums that universities house within them. The section on hall of honour could’ve been shorter — many people are featured in these pages simply for receiving a honorary doctorate from one of the state universities. The section on reminiscences, which reads like entries made in a yearbook, could have been done away with.
But the real highlight of the book are its pictures, taken by V G Vadeyar and Antony Anjee. These remind you of the beauty that institutes of higher learning are set in — the Kukkarahalli tank at Mysore University, the stunning Akshara Granthalaya of Kannada University overlooking the river, the Jnana Sangama campus set against the backdrop of the Western Ghats.