Now, Bangalore University will host marriages

After temples, plan to set up a community hall is on the anvil

BENGALURU - 21.12.2014 : (Top) MONKEY TEMPLE.... A miniature temple has come up out of the blue at a bus stand, (Bottom) Large surface excavations, for a community hall to come up on Bangalore University Jnana Bharathi Campus, off Bangalore-Mysore road, in Bengaluru on December 21. The community hall will host weddings, naming ceremonies and “office functions”. Photo: K. Murali Kumar.

Soon, students will have to endure loud marriage celebrations on Bangalore University’s Jnanabharathi campus.

In addition to the numerous places of worship that have sprung up on the campus, a ‘samudaya bhavan’ (community hall) is now being built. This move is likely to kick up a storm as earlier, a “temple” dedicated to a monkey that died on campus had been opposed.

Set to be built at Rs. 2 crore, the community hall will host weddings, naming ceremonies and “office functions”, a BU staff said. The hall is being built by the BU House Building Cooperative Society, which consists of members of the non-teaching and teaching staff and is expected to be completed within 18 months.

“The university has given us land; we will approach it for some funding. This is coming up near the staff quarters and will not affect classes in any way,” said a member of the society.

However, academicians are seeing red over this development. “First religious structures and now a community hall. Are these the kind of facilities needed on a university campus?” asked a professor, on condition of anonymity.

BU Registrar (Administration) K.K. Seethamma said the proposal to build the hall was passed by the university’s syndicate — the highest decision making body. “We have to look after the welfare of the non-teaching staff too. They cannot afford expensive halls in the city,” she said, defending the proposal.