After waiting for almost a decade, the Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University in Mysuru is hoping to get a campus of its own. A ₹57-crore project on this is expected to get the State government’s green signal.
The proposed four-storeyed main building of the university, which currently functions in a century-old school building in Lakshmipuram, will come up in the shape of a veena, the musical instrument, on an 8-acre plot in Hanchya-Sathagalli locality, off Outer Ring Road.
The university is running short of space for running classes and its efforts to have an independent campus with dedicated classrooms for various courses and other facilities bore fruit only recently.
“We are two steps from realising our wish. Administrative clearance is awaited for the project and I recently met the Principal Secretary of Higher Education to sort out some issues. On getting the Finance Department’s approval, work will be taken up in three phases. The Minister for Higher Education has promised all help to make the campus a reality,” said Vice-Chancellor Sarvamangala Shankar.
He told The Hindu that a Gurukula-style campus has been proposed near Hunsur, where over 60 acres of land has been allotted to the university. “Actually, we had plans to have such a campus in Mysuru but we didn’t get the land required to built a Gurukula campus,” she said.
Ms. Sarvamangala said the Gurukula-style campus may take a while to become a reality as more funds have to be received from the government. “Our priority is to have our own campus here. [We will] focus on other things later.”
The vision
“It’s my vision to have the campus in the shape of a veena. If we get the nod for the project soon, we hope to complete it in the next two years,” the V-C said.
The university was first allotted land at Varakodu near Mysuru but this got mired in controversy with the Forest Department raising objection.
The university, reckoned to be India’s second music and performing arts university, began holding classes six years ago, three years after its formation in the absence of a campus.
It functioned out of the century-old building at Lakshmipuram, where a government school used to function but was closed down because of poor intake.
The university, founded on February 14, 2008, offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses. It was founded to impart education in the Gurukula and modern systems.
While the Gurukula model aims to groom artistes, the modern system gives students academic qualification. Residential and non-residential courses will be offered once the Gurukula system is up and running. It was conceptualised as a unitary university and its faculty and students will live on campus.
Eye on KSOU building
With the fate of Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in the balance over UGC recognition, its ‘unused buildings’ at the Muktagangotri campus have caught the attention of the music university, which lacks a full-fledged campus despite being many years old.
As some buildings in the KSOU campus are said to be lying unused, the music university recently urged Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi to hand over one building for running classes till the university builds its own campus.
Music university Vice-Chancellor Sarvamangala Shankar said the Minister has asked her to speak to her KSOU counterpart. “This will be a temporary arrangement as we are running short of space in our current building,” she said.
