Alva's Nudisiri concludes with cultural show; Ten achievers conferred awards

November 13, 2011

Mangalore, November 13: The eighth edition of Alva's Nudisiri was concluded in a bright and memorable style on Sunday night at Smt Sundari Ananda Alva campus at Vidyagiri, in Moodbidri, with senior litterateurs sounding an alarm that Kannada culture and literature could be sustained only if people used Kannada in day-to-day life with pride.

The three-day conference on Kannada literature and culture, organised by Alva's Education Foundation, had attracted thousands of people from different parts of the state. The audiences were enthralled by the cultural extravaganza at the final day of the programme.

Ten eminent personalities who contributed towards the development of Kannada language, literature and culture including Prof K S Nisar Ahmed, veteran journalist M V Kamath were conferred with Alva's Nudisiri award. Chairman of the foundation M. Mohan Alva presented the awards.

Other awardees were theatre artiste Chidambara Rao Jambe, writers B T Lalitha Nayak, Chandrashekara Patil, C N Ramachandran, singer BK Sumitra, actor Srinath, and folk artistes Pandavapura Anke Gowda and Machar Gopala Naik.

The award included a shawl, memento, citation, fruits and a cash amount of Rs 10,000. The awardees were also offered traditional arathi.

Jnanpith Award-winner Chandrashekara Kambara was given a warm felicitation on the occasion.

Reopen closed schools

Senior researcher Dr M M Kalburgi, who chaired the three day convention, in his valedictory address exhorted the Karnataka government to take all necessary measures to protect the Kannada media schools across the state.

Stating that the closure of Kannada medium schools a threat to Kannada language, he said that it was the responsibility of the state government to reopen all those Kannada medium schools, which were closed during its tenure.

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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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