The Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK), Mysuru, is moving to a new spacious building on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava here on November 1.
The centre, which earlier functioned at the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) on Hunsur Road and later moved to a housing quarter of University of Mysore (UoM) three years ago, is shifting to the National Centre for History of Science (NCHS) building in Manasagangotri.
The shifting to the new spacious office space, provided by the UoM, is expected to boost the research activities of the CESCK, which was lacking an independent office space since its inception.
The UoM has allotted a four-acre land on the Manasagangotri campus where the CESCK will be building its own campus. Until it relocates to its own campus, the CESCK will function at the NCHS building. An entire first floor of NCHS building had been allotted to the CESCK and the shifting process is almost done.
Virtual Rajyotsava celebrations will begin at 2 p.m. on November 1, in view of COVID-19. Jnanpith awardee Chandrashekara Kambar, who is president of Kendra Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, will be the chief guest. UoM Vice-Chancellor G. Hemantha Kumar will be the guest of honour and CIIL Director C.G. Venkatesha Murthy will preside. Suman Dixit, Deputy Secretary, MHRD, New Delhi, and CESCK Project Director B. Shivarama Shetty will be present.
Eminent Kannada scholars, who are the members of the Planning and Monitoring Board of CESCK, will attend. On the occasion, a work titled Lokopakaaram: Ondu Paramarshe will be released, besides the screening of a short video on the functions and activities of the CESCK. The entire event will be live-streamed on digital screens at the CIIL campus on Hunsur Road. The participants have been told to ensure all safety precautions are complied with.
Prof .Venkatesha Murthy, who assumed charge recently, told a press conference here on Friday about the shifting of CESCK to NCHS building and the arrangements made for the relocation marking the Rajyotsava celebrations.
The UoM has secured the Syndicate approval for handing over the 4-acre plot on the Manasagangotri campus to the State government for establishing the CESCK. Among the two locations suggested for CESCK, the land near the SJCE and CIIL, off Hunsur Road, was finalised and the same was placed before the UoM Syndicate for ratification.
The issue over land for CESCK was unresolved for many years. The UoM was recently asked to hand over 10 acres of its land on the foothills of Chamundi to establish the centre. However, UoM has proposed to develop a campus for the School of Commerce, Business Management and Hotel Management and an information technology park on the 23-acre plot on the foothills of Chamundi.
When an independent campus for CESCK was felt, the UoM was the first to offer a 3-acre land on the premises of the old Adult Education Department building on Hunsur Road. However, the search for the suitable land continued as the UoM land was already leased to some other department. The Department of Higher Education was subsequently requested to consider allotting the UoM land. The UoM later suggested alternative land for the same which was finally approved, realising the long wish of building the own campus of CESCK.
