The recently released logo of Sree Narayana Guru Open University (SNGOU) has stirred a controversy with many organisations and political outfits registering their disapproval over its design.
As per the official version, the logo reveals the image of Guru from an aerial angle through a creative convergence of colours, its tonal variations representing knowledge, peace, sustainable development, dharma, values and dignity. It also carries Guru's famous quote ‘Liberation through Education’ in English and Malayalam.
The university had invited entries for the logo and the selected work was designed by Prof.M.Gadhi, Department of Architecture, TKM College of Engineering.
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Following the release of the logo, several persons had pointed out the absence of Sree Narayana Guru’s image or any symbol connecting it to Kerala’s most prominent reformist icon.
“Mahatma Gandhi University may not have the picture of Gandhi, but it has the charkha, a symbol we instantly associate with him. All other universities have added something that indicate education or knowledge in their logos.
This is perhaps the only exception and SNDP Yogam has already expressed its objection,” says Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) vice president and community leader Mohan Sankar. Though the university had formed a three-member jury to select the logo, no meeting was held to finalise the logo.
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No final meeting
“I was part of the jury and we were asked to shortlist three from the hundreds of entries. There were many good and professional ones and it was a task choosing any three. As per the normal procedure, the jurors sit for a final discussion to select the logo but that wasn't held online or offline,” says architect Eugene Pandala.
According to Sree Narayana Pensioners' Council, the first organisation to stage a dharna in front of the office demanding the withdrawal of the logo, the work is below average even from an artistic point of view since it fails to communicate with the commoner.
“This is not a logo suited for a university and there isn’t even any abstract representation of Sree Narayana Guru in the logo. They claim you can find a top angle image, but it’s just an eyewash since many experts have pointed out the defects of the logo. The so called colour play loses all relevance when the logo gets printed in black and white.
Misguiding public
It's a deliberate attempt to avoid the image of Guru and the university authorities are trying to misguide the public through this false claim,” says council coordinator P.V.Rejimon.
He also alleges that the current logo shares a startling similarity with the logo of Suncoast, a US-based financial institution.
“We are planning to mail them pointing out the similarities since it's illegal to copy a logo. We want the authorities to reconsider the decision and select a proper logo from the entries recommended by the expert committee,” he says.