GUNTUR: It was a trip down memory lane for four former Vice-Chancellors of Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU), who shared their feelings on coming together on a common platform, during the occasion of the University Foundation Day on Sunday.

The ANU was established 29 years ago to cater to the needs of students of the region. It has grown into an institute having 37 departments and 290 affiliated colleges offering graduate degree courses.

Memorable day

There are seven exclusive research centres to pursue advanced studies in functional areas, apart from the 55 post-graduate teaching-cum-research centres in the campus, according to the ANU VC, V. Balamohandas.

"This day reminds us of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001. But it is also the day when Swami Vivekananda addressed the World Congress of Religions in the United States in 1893, spreading the greatness of Indian culture," said Mr. Balamohandas. He hoped that the ANU spreads the light of education to all around.

"This is like a home-coming for me. Seeing so many people at one place makes me happy," exclaimed the fifth VC of ANU, K. Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Though the University authorities invited all the former VCs of the ANU, only four of them could make it to the programme and two of them sent their greetings. The ANU had 12 former VCs till date and three of them are dead, said Prof. Balamohandas.

Educational institutes are temples of learning. Hence they must work above narrow interests like casteism, regionalism and communalism, said Raja Ram Mohan Roy. The term of the VC should be for a longer duration, he opined. That would give him enough time to develop the university, said the fourth VC of ANU, D. Bhasker Reddy.

Integration between education and value system needs to be done by the teachers while the university should always strive for the highest quality of educational standards, said the sixth VC of ANU, G.J.V. Jagannatha Raju, while his successor, G. Ramakotaiah found a marked improvement in the students' attitude and devotion for studies.

Earlier, the University felicitated the former VCs and presented a memento to each of them. The ANU Registrar V. Luther Das, the University College principal M.K. Durga Prasad, the ANU Executive Committee members, staff and students were present.

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