Moegling's contributions to Kannada literature hailed

August 18, 2011

Mangalore, August 18: Missionaries, especially the Basel Mission of Germany was responsible for rejuvenating and spreading Kannada literature to Europe, said B A Vivek Rai, Retired Vice-Chancellor, Hampi and Karnataka State Open University, after inaugurating a two day international conference to commemorate the bi-centenary of Rev Dr Hermann Moegling here on Thursday.

The conference is being organised by Karnataka Theological Research Centre, Mangalore along with Karnataka Sahitya Academy, Bangalore and Kittel Foundation, Mangalore at Bishop Jattanna Auditorium in the premises of Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore.

Mr Rai was appreciative of the works of Moegling, a German missionary, such as the publication of first Kannada newspaper 'Mangalooru Samachara' and a compilation of Kannada classics 'Bibliotheca Carnataca'. “We should understand the troubles he has endured 150 years ago to study and popularise several types of Kannada literature”, he noted.

Mr Rai, who is also a visiting professor of Indology to Wolfsberg University in Germany, revealed that there is a team of experts working to translate the works in German to Kannada and vice versa.

Prof T C Shivashankara Murthy, Vice Chancellor of Mangalore University, in his presidential address lauded the efforts of the missionaries in education, language and literature. He observed that it was due to the efforts of missionaries, the quality of education in the district was better.

Recalling a book on botany about 500 medicinal plants in Western Ghats published by the Basel mission in 1870, he felt that there was a great influence of the missionaries in popularising science across the region.

“We should be grateful to people like Moegling who have contributed to make our societies better”, he said.

Dr Hannibal Cabral, Principal, Karnataka Theological College, Dr Rathnakar Sadananda, Director, Karnataka Theological Research Centre, H M Maheshwarayya, Secretary, Kittel Foundation were among the dignitaries present during the occasion.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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