KMC to Celebrate Golden Jubilee of KMC Light House Hill Campus

KMC to Celebrate Golden Jubilee of KMC Light House Hill Campus

Mangaluru: To commemorate the golden jubilee, ‘KMC Light House Hill Campus @ 50’ has been organized on October 13 at 5:20 pm at the KMC Light House Hill Campus. On that day we will felicitate 14 former professors who had strived hard to serve the society through KMC hospital Light House Hill Road. When our founder Dr. TMA Pai started KMC Manipal / Mangaluru, it was a single composite college (split campus); the reason being that he had enough land in Manipal to start a preclinical wing (I year) and the clinical attachment was in Mangaluru with two government hospitals – District Wenlock and Lady Goschen Hospitals, both of which were given by the then Madras Government headed by stalwarts like Chakravarty Rajagopalachari and C Subramanium”, said the Dean of KMC Mangaluru Dr M Venkatraya Prabhu in a press meet held at the KMC Light House Hill Campus here on October 11.

Addressing the mediapersons Dr M Venkatraya Prabhu said, “When the first batch of students finished their I MBBS and entered the II year in January 1955 in Mangaluru, the classrooms were set up in the ‘Popular building’ at KS Rao Road; belonging to LIC of which TA Pai was the chairman. Their building had surplus space, which was leased to KMC for a duration of ten years. In the meantime, Dr TMA Pai put a herculean effort into having our own academic building, which materialized by 1967. An iconic structure came up at Lighthouse Hill Road and was inaugurated by the then Vice President of India, VV Giri on 14th October 1967. Coincidentally, the day falls on a Saturday this year too. Mangaluru was put on the international map by the alumni of KMC, who went far and wide across the globe and occupied positions of eminence. This was possible because of the fact that our first generation of teachers who were handpicked by our founder had worked with a commitment beyond their call of duty. They also rendered yeoman service to the poor patients of both the government hospitals of Mangaluru. Some of them formed the ‘Medical Relief Society’ – an NGO responsible for up-gradation of services at these hospitals. All this was possible due to the constant encouragement from our founder, Padmashree awardee, Late Dr TMA Pai, who during his lifetime and later Dr Ramdas Pai took the institution to greater heights. The deemed university status was attained in 1993, the silver jubilee of which will be celebrated in 2018”.

Dr Venkatraya further said, “Some of the pioneers of the teaching faculty present during the year 1967 will be felicitated in the presence of Vasanthi R Pai, Chairperson Hostel management committee, and Dr Ranjan Pai, Chairman of Manipal Education and Management group. Dr K R Shetty, Dr B M Hegde, Dr C R Kamath, Dr A C Shetty, Dr H T Manorama Rao, Dr R S Mahale, Dr C R Ballal, Dr M Laxman Pai, Dr M Govind Bhat, Dr Sunanda Kini, Dr K R Kamath and Jossie Lasrado (non-teaching staff) will be felicitated on the occasion.”

Dr Venkatraya also said, “This building is a piece of history in education and healthcare and for the Mangaluru city – its golden jubilee has to be celebrated with respect and pride. Pro-Chancellor Dr HS Ballal, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr V Surendra Shetty, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Poornima Baliga, Chairman of Manipal Health Enterprises Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Dean KMC, Mangaluru Dr MV Prabhu, Dean of MCODS, Mangaluru Dr Dilip Naik, Group President MEMG Dr Rajen Padukone and Medical Superintendent Dr Anand Venugopal and others will be present for the Golden Jubilee programme at the KMC Light House Hill Campus.”

Dr Unnikrishnan and Dr Santhosh Rai were also present.