Intro: Chief Minister Siddharamaiah will inaugurate the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Sarada Vilas Law College, Krishnamurthypuram, at a function organised at the Sarada Vilas Centenary Hall at 3 pm on Sept. 5. District In-charge Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad will preside. PWD Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Mysore-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Thoothukudi MP Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee will be the chief guests on the occasion.
A brief history of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions
A little more than 150 years ago, in 1861 to be precise, a new star took its birth in the educational realm of the then State of Mysore. It was founded by Rao Bahadur Bhakshi Narasappa, who enjoyed the confidence of the then King Sri Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. It was named Sarada Vilas Anglo-Sanskrit Pathashala and was housed inside the premises of a Palace temple. Sri Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Bhakshi Narasappa, both visionaries in their own right, worked in perfect tandem and sowed the seed of education. The Pathashala had the credit of being the first private school in Mysore State. Though just twenty students joined the school in its first year, it grew from strength to strength as a result of which the number of students increased very quickly. Naturally space available for the school inside the temple was not enough. Bhakshi Narasappa, the selfless citizen that he was, volunteered to shift the school to his own building which was popularly called Bhakshi Narasappa Choultry at Makkaji Chowk. Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the then Dewan of Mysore, was very generous in providing financial assistance to the school. In spite of the Dewan’s munificence, the school found itself in a tight spot owing to the demise of Bhakshi Narasappa and the resignation of Head Master Mandikal Ramasastri.
With a view to overcome all administrative and financial problems, the Government of Mysore set up a Committee of men of high eminence in the year 1899. The Honorary Secretary of this Committee was M. Venkatakrishnaiah, affectionately called as ‘Tataiah’ by young and old alike. He was committed to the cause of education and took upon himself the responsibility of strengthening the school. The year 1899 thus became a major turning point in the evolution of the Institution. Tataiah saw to it that the school turned itself into a model school. More and more students joined the school and once again the constraint of space became an acute problem. Fortunately, the King of Mysore rushed to the rescue and permitted the school to use the first floor of the Lansdowne Building. Tataiah recognised the need for a high school, strived hard in that direction and founded the Boys High School in 1919. He had a strong desire to house the school in its own building and succeeded in getting a sprawling campus in Krishnamurthypuram. Soon the High School was shifted to a new building in this area. Tataiah worked with utmost honesty and conviction and rendered yeomen service to the school as the Hon. Secretary of the Committee till his demise in1933.
The legacy of Tataiah was carried forward by another equally distinguished Mysorean, M.S. Ramaswamy. He took over Tataiah’s mantle and transformed his vision into reality. S. Ramarao, who took charge as the Hon. Secretary following Tataiah’s demise, put his best efforts to take the Institutions to greater heights.
M.S. Ramaswamy, like his mentor Tataiah, had very big dreams. He took initiative, obtained the approval of the Government and founded the Intermediate College in 1945. He continued his hard work and was responsible for starting the Degree College in 1952. He served the College as Principal for 20 years – 1945 to 1965 – and laid solid foundation for College Education.
The Management of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions was desirous of serving the society in many other ways in the field of education. In 1954, Sarada Vilas Law College, only the second Law College in the State at that time, came into existence. Likewise, Sarada Vilas Teachers College was started in 1963 and Sarada Vilas College of Pharmacy in1992.
Another milestone in the annals of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions (SVEI) is the establishment of Sarada Vilas Girls High School in 1961. The Management of SVEI started Pre-Primary and Higher Primary School in 1992.
The objective of SVEI has always been to give quality education at an affordable cost to all sections of society. The Management hopes to offer PG courses in pure sciences like Applied Sciences and Law.
—B .S. Parthasarathy, President, SVEI.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / September 03rd, 2014