NTR’s brainchild in the lurch

Dravidian University, nestled at the picturesque tri-state junction of Kuppam in Chittoor district, is the brainchild of former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao, though the institution saw its initiation in 1992 during the regime of his successor N. Janardhan Reddy.

Over a period of three decades, the university witnessed gradual expansion on a sprawling campus of over 1,000 acres at Gudupalle near Kuppam. When Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu came to power in 1995, the university saw unprecedented growth, with speedy construction of buildings and arrangement of advanced infrastructure.

However, the institution touched a nadir in academic and research activities after it lost political patronage following the end of the Chandrababu Naidu regime in 2004.

The university came up with the prime objective of promoting Dravidian languages, literature and culture on a par with that of Hindi. Research wings and separate chairs had come up to pursue these goals, but without tangible results so far.

During its initial years of formation, the university had received financial assistance for its programmes from the governments of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. At present, the neighbouring states have shied away from supporting the varsity’s principal goal of promoting Dravidian culture.

On the wane

Launched with just a couple of departments under the AP State Legislature Act, the Dravidian University is now home to six research departments and

23 academic departments. Ironically, the admissions into its degree and post-graduate programmes in arts, science, commerce and management streams have been dwindling during the last decade.

Allegations of mishandling of research programmes a few years ago, which rocked the university’s image, still haunts the institution. For instance, the number of students in the Tamil department is said to be in single digits, lower than the number of faculty. A similar plight is said to be prevailing in several departments.

Tough times

A senior faculty member of the university said that at a time when the youth are concentrating more on medicine, engineering and management, the university is bound to face a tough time as it offers mainly traditional courses in languages and literature. "The goal is a herculean one, and the time factor to achieve the target should not be limited," he said.

University Vice-Chancellor Prof. E. Sudhakar told The Hindu that the university has ambitious plans to introduce academic and research programmes. "We are set to embark on a new path to bring glory to this great institution," he said.

Published - May 11, 2019 08:24 pm IST