Press release

Udupi, August 18“Higher education finds its meaning in establishing a cultural link between the local and the global. The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) constantly works with the surrounding community alongside its global vision. The Tulunadu Culture Online Course is one such attempt to reinvigorate study and research at the intersection of local and global cultures,” said Dr. Ranjan Pai, President of MAHE and Chairman of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), Bangalore. He was speaking after the inauguration of the online course Discerning India: Living Cultures of Tulunadu offered by the Center for Intercultural Studies and Dialogue (CISD).

Launching the event – Tiger Dance at the time of the inauguration, the Professional Chancellor of MAHE, Dr HS Ballal, said: “MAHE has maintained a close and cordial relationship with local art forms, literature and culture. . MAHE has thus established new models for educational institutions for their engagement with surrounding communities, he added”. This course ensures that the culture of the land is not only nurtured but passed on to future generations, he argued. Speaking on the relevance of the course, Vice Chancellor MAHE, Lt Gen (Dr) MD Venkatesh said, “MAHE is committed to the idea of ​​National Education Policy (NEP) 2022 and is making serious efforts to achieve its Goals. This online course is in line with that commitment. It focuses on the local knowledge systems and cultural practices of the region and presents them in an academic context. The documentaries and lectures covered in the course will be useful for academic research and understanding the philosophy of Tulunadu. As an online course, it has the potential to reach audiences across disciplines and space.

MAHE Registrar Dr Narayana Sabhahit said MAHE has engaged in the study and documentation of local cultural practices in several ways. Regional Resource Center (RRC), Yakshagana Kendra, Dvaita Philosophy Resource Center, Hebbar Art Gallery are some examples. This online course on the cultures of Tulunadu, by the Center for Intercultural Studies and Dialogue (CISD) is an important addition to our engagement with the region where MAHE is located.

The teaser launch was accompanied by the performance of Tiger Dance (Pili Vesha) by Ashok Raj Kadabettu and Team – a well-known Tiger dance troupe from Udupi. Dr Praveen Shetty, Discerning India Project Coordinator, presented the course.

Discerning India: The Living Cultures of Tulunadu – Level 1 is a self-paced online course offered by the Center for Intercultural Studies and Dialogue (CISD), MAHE, which introduces participants to the essence of the region. The course includes the following units: Theater and Performance: Yakshagana; Community and Sports: Kambala; Worship traditions: Bhutaradhane; Nagaradhan.

This is a two-credit online certificate course taught in English and open to students and all learners worldwide.

For registration log on website: https://manipal.edu/cisd

For any question relating to the course, write to [email protected]