Sir,

On the 5th of February 2018, Prof. B. Mahananda, former Deputy Director of Placement and Training in SJCE, breathed his last. He was a good friend of mine of whom I had seen very intimately the way he worked as the Deputy Director of Placements. He and I joined the College as lecturers more or less at  the same time; he as a lecturer in English and I as a lecturer in Mathematics. Unfortunately, the English language lost its importance as a subject in the curriculum.

He was entrusted with the responsibility of Placement and Training of fresh graduates from the College. Without any prior experience, using his common sense he evolved his own model and established a good rapport with employment sector.

Recently, the 1993 batch graduates (not all, about 200) of SJCE across the globe met in Mysuru and they have formed a WhatsApp Group of which I am a member as a teacher. I posted the news of sad demise of Prof. Mahananda in the group. Following are some responses:

Sorry to hear this news. I knew Mahananda Sir. Very nice person and when I couldn’t secure placement, he was super encouraging and made us feel good. Our condolences.

– Sudhakar Prabhu from USA

Very sorry to hear this unfortunate news. He was responsible for placement for many of us as we started our careers. We owe where we are today to the good start he helped us to get. RIP Mahananda Sir.

– Jagannatha Kamat

Shocked and very sorry to hear. My heartfelt condolences. My prayers and thanks for the guidance and support given with the campus placements that I   am grateful for.

– Srihari Madhava Rao

How grateful to him the graduates are even after 25 years after 1993! What a fruitful life Mahananda led!

There are plenty of graduates belonging to different batches. He used to arrange training sessions like group discussions, classes in communication skills and many such by inviting experts. It had become a mission for him and he had discovered a purpose in life. He had established very good rapport with the corporate world. I was an eyewitness for all his efforts.

He was democratic, secular, kind, positive, selfless, loved the students and ran an extra mile to help students, particularly poor and down-trodden. He has given financial help to many. The irony was he did not teach a subject but he was one among the most respected teachers for the students.

May his soul rest in peace.

– Dr. G.N. Madhuranatha Dixit, T.K. Layout, 8.2.2018

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