One of the prime examples of Dharmasthala's practice of Dharma in action has been the role it has played in fostering education. The seed of what has today grown into a giant tree of knowledge was sown in the soil of Belthangady Taluk in Dakshina Kannada, many decades ago. Shri Manjayya Heggade, the then Dharmadhikari, realized that education was the only way out of the hopelessness and despair that pervaded this poverty stricken land. He made a small beginning with the establishment of Siddhavana, an educational institution that drew inspiration from the gurukul of ancient times. Continuing the tradition, Shri Rathnavarma Heggade, his successor, established the SDM Education Trust in 1966 to chalk out a long term plan for bringing education to this hinterland. The foundation built by the earlier Dharmadhikari's inspired Shri Veerendra Heggade to give added impetus to the Kshethra's efforts for the upliftment of society with the catalystic effect of education. The educational institutions that are within Dharmasthala's fold are run by the SDM Educational Trust while the management of the institutions is the purview of the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Educational Society.Comprising of eminent personalities, these two organizations, jointly provide purpose and direction to the institutions under the benign guidance of Dharmadhikari. Schooling: Primary education and schooling are the foundations upon which an edifice of education is built and Dharmasthala has consistently laid emphasis on providing a solid basic education. Siddhavana, the modern re-creation of the gurukul, provides students with an education that prepares them for life ahead. The students are not only taught Indian culture, Yoga and Sanskrit but also jointly work on and manage a farm to inculcate a work ethos in them. Rathnamanasa too, supplements a regular syllabus with practical preparations for the future. Colleges: Shri Veerendra Heggade has also ensured that higher education too is made available to those who seek it, through a number of colleges established by the trust and through the takeover of institutions that would otherwise have enclosed. The colleges run by the Society offer the full gamut of options from Arts, Commerce & Science to new one's such as Journalism and Computer Science. The society's SDM College at Ujire, exemplifies Dharmasthala's commitment to widening the available educational choices. This institution is accredited with 'A' grade by NAAC committee of UGC. It is also regarded as the College for Potential Excellence. To the regular courses that it has been offering, recently college has added full-fledged degree courses in Business Management, Bio-technology etc. A post-graduate course in Psychology that draws students from far & wide and a new MSW course that emphasizes Rural Development & Community Projects are some of the additional special attractions that the college offers. The college has the distinction of having students regularly winning awards in sports at the University, State & National levels. To support the educational system of the region, the management has also started a B.Ed. college recently. The MMK-SDM College for Women at Mysore, managed by the SDM Educational Society, offers women opportunities to study Electronics, Computer Science, Management and other new fields. When it comes to professional courses, Shri Veerendra Heggade has spared no expense and effort in the desire to provide the very best. The SDM Law College at Mangalore is a classic example. Its library, stacked with over 16,000 titles is a veritable storehouse of legal information that is accessed even by advocates and judges. The full-fledged Moot Court provides an excellent real life ambience for students to learn the art of advocacy and hone their skills. Situated in idyllic surroundings, with an architectural style that is distinctive, the SDM College of Engineering and Technology at Dharwad is today a premier institution by virtue of its excellent infrastructure and faculty. The college offers undergraduate courses in Civil, Electrical and Electronics, Mechanical, Electronics and Communications, Computer Science and Chemical disciplines. Post graduation is offered in Mechanical & Digital Electronics. Full-fledged labs, facilities for games and sports, cultural and community activities ensure that practical learning and personal development go hand in hand. One of the most ambitious projects of Shri Heggade, the SDM College of Dental Sciences at Dharwad is a unique example of the amalgamation of functional values and aesthetic excellence. Recognised by the Dental Council of India, this college offers BDS and MDS courses in all 9 specialities of Dentistry. Over 200 dental chairs, 60 phantom head tables, X-ray equipment, research microscope, cryostat, zimmer and stryker equipment plus chrome cobalt and ceramic labs enable the students to master the science of Dentistry. At a time when people did no more than lament the fact that the 2000 year old Indian healing science of Ayurveda was not getting the recognition it deserved, Shri Heggade not only took over the College of Ayurveda at Udupiin 1973 but also followed it up with another full fledged college at Hassan. Affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, the SDM Colleges of Ayurveda run courses that lead to the BAMS degree. The human cycle has come a full circle and is again trying to relate itself to nature. While interest in Naturopathy has resurfaced only recently, Shri Heggade in his farsightedness had already established the SDM College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences in 1989 at Ujire, the Gateway to Dharmasthala. The breath taking edifice not only helps the students to give their best but also sweeps the casual visitor off his feet by its soothing beauty and rich foliage. Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala is the visionary who was instrumental in establishing Yoga and Nature Cure Hospitalunder Shantivana Trust in the year 1987 with the view of spreading the message to the common man that human body has the capacity to provide cure for its own ailments through various drugless therapies. The management also runs other charitable hospitals, colleges, schools and provides free education for the deserving. SDM College of Medical Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad is the latest addition to this chain. Just like all other institutions of professional education run under the auspices of the Society, it iis also a unique institution of excellence, with spacious buildings, state-of-the art equipments, well qualified experienced staff and an excellent academic ambience. The hospital with 350 beds in the general ward had been inaugurated in 2003. It is well equipped with the most modern facilities for the investigation and management of all types of medical problems. There are 11 operation theatres and a full-fledged blood bank besides facilities like computerised tomography, MRI, nuclear Imaging and ultra Sonography. Mangala Jyothi Education is a basic requirement of human being in this modern world. Education is nothing but knowledge. We obtain knowledge through our sensory organs. How can the people with disability acquire knowledge.? In our country people with disabilities have remained at the lowest rung of progress. Social acceptance & benefits of education has been slow in reaching them. They did not have access to normal educational institutions. To fulfill the aspirations of the disabled, The Society for the Welfare of the disabled was born in 1981 which was incidentally the international year for the disabled people, started Mangala Jyothi Integrated School, to enable the Physically challenged children grow along side normal children so as to enable them develop skills to become self reliant. The school started with six Hearing impaired children and was initially housed in Mangalore. Now it is located in Vamanjoor on the out skirts of Mangalore city. The school provides educational facilities from Kindergarten to 10th standard. And the medium of study is Kannada. Integration is the panacea: Integration refers to the measures taken to provide educational resources within the educational system for those children who need them, the aim of integration is to avoid or reduce restrictions on any aspects of child's development which might result from segregated education. Children having speech, language and hearing disability needed early identification and intervention to bring them closure to the integrated education. The school has special speech therapy center equipped suitably to assist and monitor the progress made by the hearing impaired. The school provides computer programme to facilitate easy and quick learning which plays the role of a patient and unemotional mother for the challenged children. School has resource classes, which serve as a support base for these children. To cater to the orthopaedically challenged children the school has a well-eqipped physiotherapy center with a qualified physiotherapist. Towards self-dependence: To enable the challenged children acquire skills for gainful employment the Mangala Jyothi Vocational Training center was started in 1987. Training is provided in Tailoring, Bookbinding, Art and Crafts, Typewriting, Computer Education, Diploma in Electronics. The school also strives for gainful placements for its trained students. Impressed by the enormous work under taken by the institute, help has poured in from many quarters in the form of financial and technical assistance. Christian Children Fund is associated with the school for the last 21 years. Committed workforce: Behind the successful saga of the Mangala Jyothi Integrated School lay the efforts of Smt. Mohini A. Naik of Mangalore, who took great pains to establish the institution and worked restlessly to bring it to its present status. A committed staff comprising specially trained teachers, resource teachers, therapists, administrative personnel, arts and craft instructors, social workers and other helpers are contributing their might in fulfilling the goals of the twin schools. It is their special efforts, deep involvement and keen interest that makes integration a viable, valuable and reliable programme of education. Plans ahead: Today Mangala Jyothi Integrated school has about 607 students including Vocational Training Center. As the strength has increased over the years, the institute has to keep pace with the changed scenario and needs of the time by further expanding its activities. Plans are on the anvil to set up a counseling center for the family members of the disabled to help them come to terms with reality. Plans are also afoot to set up collegiate education beginning with plus two initially. In addition to this dining hall is also in the list of future plans. A new lease of life: A holistic approach is needed to give a meaningful life to the challenged children who are at the receiving end for no fault of theirs. In our endeavor to serve them better, we would like to involve and enlist the support and co-operation of the general public.
Ravi | 
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