Former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will inaugurate the 150th anniversary celebrations of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions at a function organised at the college Centenary Hall in city on Mar. 23 at 11 am.
Caption: Founders Bhakshi Narasappa and Venkatakrishnaiah (Tataiah)
About the institution: A little more than 150 years ago, in 1861, a new star took 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 Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and was named Sarada Vilas Anglo-Sanskrit Pathashala which was housed inside the Palace temple premises. The Pathasala had the credit of being the first private school in the then Mysore State.
Both Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Rao Bahadur Bhakshi Narasappa were fully aware of the value of education and hence nurtured the school in every possible way which had just 20 students in the first year but grew from strength to strength quickly.
As the strength increased, the space inside the temple was not sufficient to accommodate the students. Narasappa volunteered to shift the school to his own building at Makkaji Chowk, popularly known as Bhakshi Narasappa Choultry and was financially assisted by K. Seshadri Iyer, the then Dewan of Mysore. The school found itself in a tight spot owing to the demise of Narasappa and resignation of the Head Master Mandikal Ramasastri. To overcome all administrative and financial problems faced by the school, the Government of Mysore set up a Committee in 1899 with M. Venkatakrishnaiah, affectionately called ‘Tataiah,’ as the Hon. Secretary. Tataiah was committed to the cause of education and took the responsibility of strengthening the school which ultimately turned it into a model school.
As more and more students joined the school, once again the constraint of space became an acute problem and the king of Mysore permitted the school to use the first floor of Lansdowne Building.
Tataiah, who recognised the need for a high school, strived hard and founded the Boys High School in 1919. He desired to house the school in its own building and succeeded in getting a sprawling campus in Krishnamurthypuram. The High School was shifted to a new building in Krishnamurthypuram and he rendered yeomen service to the school as Hon. Secretary of the Committee till his demise in 1933.
The legacy of Tataiah was carried forward by M.S. Ramaswamy, who took over the mantle from Tataiah and transformed his vision into reality while S. Ramarao took charge as the Hon. Secretary following Tataiah’s demise and strived to take the institution to greater heights.
Ramaswamy, who had big dreams, got the govt. approval and founded the Intermediate College in 1945. He continued his hard work with great vigour and was responsible for starting Degree College in 1952 and served as its Principal for 20 years. In the year 1954, Sarada Vilas Law College was started, which was the second Law College in the State at that time. Sarada Vilas Teachers College was started in 1963 and in 1992, Sarada Vilas College of Pharmacy came into being.
The management, which felt the need to impart education to girls, started an exclusive High School for girls in 1961 which was a milestone of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions and started Pre-Primary and Higher Primary School in 1992. Now under the umbrella of Sarada Vilas Educational Institutions, there are various schools and colleges which cater to the educational needs of students of all ages. The objective of Sarada Vilas is to give quality education at affordable cost to all sections of society as it believes in creating good citizens who in turn will strive hard to create a good society. Sarada Vilas offers PG course in pure Sciences like Physics and Chemistry, and Applied Sciences like Microbiology and Biotechnology and is sure to go a long way in helping students acquire higher degrees and pursue research.
source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News /March 20th, 2013