Srujanotsav: Panambur beech turns into a garden of Indian children

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar )

January 24, 2012

Mangalore, January 24: Around 1200 children from all across India were seen enjoying the waves of Arabian Sea and then busy in various activities at the Beach Utsav at Panambur on Tuesday evening. The fest was a part of on-going “Bal Bharat Srujanotsav”, the national-level festival, which began on Sunday.

The team managers of each of the children's groups had difficult time convincing their wards to get out of the water. The activities planned for the beach were kite flying, sand art and mass painting. The organisers had arranged a stall where kites were being sold.

To add some professional touch to the event, the well-known Team Mangalore also participated and showed of some of their colourful kites. Children were seen queing up near the kite stall so that they could fly them.

“We are very happy to be here and let our children fly kites. All the arrangements are wonderful, the accommodation, food and other aspects of this fest are proper”, said T M Joshi, the manager of the Guajarati team. “We are going to perform Guajarati Garbha for the crowd,” he added.

The deputy director of the Department of Women and Child Development, Shakunatala A reacting to the response received from the children and said, “We are more than glad to find that so many states have participated and after the success of the Youth Fest, this kind of fest for children is an attractive proposition for Mangalore.”

Some children who were on the beach involved in making sand sculptures like 13-year-old Rahul from Karwar, who boasted of his skills by making the face of a swami, just with his plain hands on the sand. “I got inspiration only after coming here to make this face on the sand. I have not tried to do this in Karwar due to lack of encouragement”, said Rahul. Many people gathered around the face and admired his art work.

The stage function began with Mookambika Chande team drumming their famous chande for the audience. Prior to that, Ice Creams were distributed to all the participants of the fest. Many of them purchased kites from the kite stalls and were seen enjoying flying them high in the air. The performances on the stage received good applause from the gathered children.

Deputy Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly N Yogish Bhat inaugurated the event by flying a kite. Speaking on the occasion he said that the event must be a great platform for the participants to showcase their talents.

Noted Children's Film director and actor Sunil Puranik also participated in the festival. As the gathered children flocked near the stage the performances began. The team from Maharashtra performed a folk dance which depicted the life of fishermen. Then the Guajarati team showcased their Garbha dance.

Popular Zee TV dancer of the 'Kuniyona Ba' famed Dhyana Aithal also performed a Kathak Solo for the audience. It was then the turn of Rajasthani Desert dance to perform on stage and the evening saw many children showcase and enjoy the cultural variety.

The local school from Baikampady, the Government High School also displayed their Radha Krishna dance. After each performance, Film Director Sunil Puranik gifted a Kite to the performing artists. The function was an apt celebration of the innocence of the children and a roaring success for the organizers.

ALBUM

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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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