While many have proved that age is no bar for learning, a life convict has proved that prison is no bar to excel in education.
R Arvind, serving life sentence at Bangalore prison, bagged the sixth rank in Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS) and hogged limelight at the 14th convocation of KSOU.
His conviction has not stopped Arvind, who hails from Mysore, from continuing his education. A student of the prestigious Maharaja’s College, he completed a post-graduate diploma in mass communication and journalism and then MA in sociology, both from KSOU, while serving his life sentence. Currently, he is pursuing a diploma in information technology from KSOU.
Arvind thanked Prisons ADGP Gagandeep for his encouragement and said continuing his education kept him busy in the prison.
Two other convicts involved in the same case - Satish and K S Deluxe lodged in Mysore Central Prison also fared well.
While Satish passed his BA with 60 per cent marks, Deluxe excelled in MA Political Science with 64 per cent. Chalapathi Rao Kasarabada was the oldest to bag a cash prize at the convocation. The 70-year-old Rao with a BE from IISc, Bangalore and PhD from University of Minnesotta, US, said his love for Sanskrit made him pursue a post graduate degree in the language.After retiring as the Chairman of Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), he is currently serving as Group Chairman of UTL, a telecom company in Bangalore.
Governor H R Bharadwaj conferred honorary DLitt awards on Prof Anand Teltumbe, literary critic G H Nayak and litterateur Prof C P Krishnakumar.
He gave away cash prizes and gold medals to those who excelled in various degrees.