Acharya Habba 2014, the annual cultural extravaganza of Acharya Institutes, was conducted recently. The programme had over 40 events in sports,

academic and culture and was held over a span of two days.

Students from approximately 40 colleges from across the State participated in the events that included face-painting, drag race, beg-borrow-steal, ethical hacking and video games. There was also a fashion show, a group-dance competition and a series of mime shows. One of the main attractions was an electrifying live performance by Bangalore-based band AKS.

An ‘ethnic day’, games such as kunte bille, buguri, lagori and goli, a fire show, and appearances by Kannada actors Srimurli, Haripriya, Rakshith Shetty, and Anushree lent glitz and glamour to the event.

Conference

Sambhram School of Management conducted its first international conference on the topic ‘Dynamics of rural transformation in emerging economies’. The focus was on a debate for a genuine transformation of the rural scenario in the areas of human development, urban-rural eco-social distance, regional imbalances and inequalities and environmental hazards.

The conference was attended by 70 participants and had delegates from Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. A total of 44 research papers were presented. MBA students from Sambhram School of Management and other B-schools attended the event where eminent economists such as S.L. Rao, R.S. Deshpande, Gopal Naik, B.K. Pattnaik, Nelson Wawire and B.B. Sahoo were present. G.R. Chintala, CGM, NABARD Karnataka Regional Office, was the chief guest.

Optometry meet

Sankara College of Optometry, Sankara Eye Hospital and Karnataka Optometry Association organised a State-level conference on World Optometry Day 2014. The programme was attended by over 200 optometrists and students of optometry from across India. U.M. Shah, renowned optometrist, was the chief guest.

Senior optometrists presented papers on various topics ranging from basic ocular examination to the latest in contact lenses and low vision. As there are a number of diploma holders in Karnataka, a lateral entry programme aimed at upgrading their knowledge and skills, leading to an award of degree in optometry, was introduced.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shah said, “We need to keep ourselves updated with the latest in the field of optometry. Eye care is a must from the early childhood. By observing optometry day we become aware of many important facts. Eyes should be properly nurtured with proper diet having vitamin A, and daily washed with clean water. It is the call of the hour to protect our eyes from eye burn and irritation. At the same time we should protect our eyes from injury as it is one of the softest organs of the body.”

Inauguration

The sixth batch of the one-year, full-time residential Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Management at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIMB) was inaugurated by Rajiv C. Mody, Chairman and Managing Director of Sasken Communication Technologies. In his address, he touched upon three key aspects – technology, intellectual integrity, and ethics and governance.

M. Jayadev, Chairperson, Admissions and Financial Aid, IIMB, welcomed the students to the programme and presented the batch profile.

Devanath Tirupati, Director In-charge and Dean-Academic, IIMB, presented an overview of the entrepreneurial and innovation centre, NSRCEL at IIMB, to the new batch.

G. Shainesh, IIMB Professor, and case writer Suhruta Kulkarni have won second place in the 2014 NextBillion Case Writing Competition. Another professor, U. Dinesh Kumar, and case writer Menaka Rao have found a honourable mention.