NIT-K, Surathkal, celebrated its 67th Foundation Day by garlanding the statue of its founder, Ullal Srinivasa Mallya, in Mangaluru on Thursday.

| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NIT-K), Surathkal, celebrated its 67th foundation day on Thursday by paying homage to its founder, U. Srinivasa Mallya.NIT-K Director B. Ravi hoisted the institute flag and garlanded the founder’s statue at the entrance gate of the campus. Over 200 faculty members, staff, students, and alumni gathered to reminisce about the institute’s history and celebrate its achievements over the past six decades.Children of NIT-K staff who achieved academic excellence in Classes X and XII were awarded prizes during the event. Two merit scholarships instituted by the 1981-batch alumni were also conferred. Twelve staff members who completed 25 years of service at NIT-K were felicitated.MoU signedOn the occasion, NIT-K signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IIT-Dharwad to establish a framework for academic and research collaboration. Prof. Ravi and IIT-Dharwad Director Venkappayya R. Desai signed the MoU. The agreement covers joint research projects, faculty, and student exchanges, industry-sponsored research and development and consultancy, joint workshops and conferences, and joint publications and patents.Speaking at the celebrations, Prof. Desai, an alumnus from the 1986 M.Tech. batch, broached the growing conversation around artificial intelligence. He urged the audience to approach it without anxiety or fear, and suggested that institutions draw on human intuition and traditional knowledge alongside it, noting that when approached with the right spirit, a profession itself becomes a form of art.Prof. Ravi acknowledged the alumni’s continued engagement with the institute and spoke about its vision of pursuing global excellence while staying rooted in local relevance and impact. He announced that the new undergraduate curriculum launching this month brings a balance of theory and practice, alongside plans for a new innovation corridor connecting the campus from the beach to the highway. He also announced that NIT-K will host the Global Convention 2026 on campus in December. Published - August 06, 2026 07:53 pm IST