Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Oct 17: The iconic multi-tiered temple like structure of National Kannada Education Society (NKES) High School in Wadalais preparing to bid its final farewell.
The school was inspired by sir M Visvesvaraya. During his visit to Mysore Association way back in, he appreciated the efforts of the Association to promote Kannada culture, but he exhorted the members to focus on education. This lead the formation of the National Kannada Education Society in 1939 and eventually lead to the institution starting in the current premises in 1957.
The school was built through the extraordinary efforts and philanthropy of R D Char and his fellow pioneers like R V Murthy, Narayan Swamy, N S Gubbi, Vidwan Mahahuli Gopal Acharya and others. The architect was B V S Iyengar.
The ‘Visvesvaraya Wing’ was added in 1960, explicitly in gratitude to the visionary who had inspired the members of the Mysore Association. Now this historically significant, distinct terraced facade, a style that has stood as a hallmark of educational heritage in Mumbai since it was built, is slated for modern redevelopment to make way for a state-of-the-art educational complex.
To honour this final chapter of architectural history, school management has officially announced that the campus will open its doors for a special farewell window. Former students, faculty members, and patrons are invited to visit the campus from November 2 through November 21.
During this dedicated visitation timeline, alumni batches are encouraged to walk down memory lane, reunite with retired teachers, and preserve their personal histories. The institution is facilitating organized sessions for individuals and groups to be photographed against the historic backdrop before structural transition work begins.
"This building is a direct link to one of modern India's greatest visionary minds," noted a member of the school's heritage alumni circle. "Knowing that sir M Visvesvaraya spearheaded the society's inception makes these final photographs incredibly precious. We intend to capture every corner of our childhood before it goes."
Currently, Parthasarathi Naik serves as the president and Kamala K as vice president, Dr Ganapati Shankarling as vice president, Padmaja Banwasi as hon secretary, Shashikant Joshi hon secretary, Bhavani Chandrashekar hon treasurer are serving as office-bearers in the committee led by him. And Dr B R Manjunath, K Manjunathaiah, Ananth Banwasi, B S Suresh serve as trustees.
Alumni coordinators are planning organized batch-wise schedules to manage the influx of visitors. Former students are advised to contact their respective batch representatives or with school administration to streamline timings during the November 2 to 21. The alumni may WhatsApp 9967546652 (Sunil Haribal) to notify their visit details time and for any clarifications.