Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Udupi: Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) College, the oldest institution in the district, will be celebrating its diamond jubilee from March 12 to 15.

Principal of the college P. Venkataramana Gowda told presspersons here on Monday that several programmes would be held to mark the diamond jubilee. A few postgraduate and diploma courses would be introduced from the next academic year. The women's hostel Vadiraja Nilaya would be renovated at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore. Vajra Soudha, a new building for Information Technology courses, would be constructed at a cost of Rs. 5 crore. A scholarship fund of Rs. 1 crore would be established to provide financial assistance to eligible students. The college was the first institution of higher education founded by the late T.M.A. Pai in 1949, he said.

Prof. Gowda said that several literary and cultural programmes would be part of the celebrations. Noted singer Suresh Wadkar from Mumbai would present a light music programme on March 12. Y.V. Gundu Rao and M.S. Narasimhamurthy would present ‘Hasyotasava' on March 13. A literary session by N.S. Lakshminarayana Bhat, Harikatha by Bhadragiri Achyutadasa and literary discourse on ‘New reading of ancient literature' by H.S. Venkateshmurthy would be held on that day. On the same evening, there would be a dance recital, Kanaka Darshana, by Kiran Subrahmanyam from Bangalore and a classical music concert by Vidushi Bombay Jayashri and party from Chennai.

There would be a Gamaka recital by A.V. Prasanna on March 14. This would be followed by ‘Yakshagana Ashtavadhana' by Kabbinale Vasantha Bharadwaj the same afternoon. The V.M. Inamdar Literary Criticism Award would be presented to writer Muralidhar Upadhya Hiriyadka on March 15, he said.

Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade will inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations on March 12. Home Minister V.S. Acharya will be the chief guest.