Hans News Service Mangaluru

TheNational Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), working jointly with the NITK Surathkal Alumni Association, has extended a cordial call to every alumnus of Karnataka Regional Engineering College (KREC) and NITK, and to the families of those alumni, to take part in the Global Convention scheduled for 2026.

The two-day programme will be held on the 26th and 27th of December on the Surathkal campus in Mangaluru. The chosen theme, “From Vision to Impact: Rooted in Karavali, Engineering the Future,” signals an intention to connect the personal narratives of graduates with the larger trajectory of both the institute and its surrounding territory.

The coastal territory, known as Karavali, occupies the western coastal strip of India running from Karwar down to Kasaragod. It is framed by the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri mountains that form part of the Western Ghats, and it occupies a special place among the regions of Karnataka. Residents and visitors also refer to it as Tulunadu, a name that points to a distinctive language, culture, cuisine and customs.

The organisers present Karavali as a landscape still waiting to be fully rediscovered by audiences beyond its borders. The economic and educational character of the same stretch has altered markedly. Once recognised for its banking strength and respected educational houses, the region has developed over two decades into a concentrated centre of professional preparation.

During the past five years the arrival of software companies, technology enterprises and global competency centres has accelerated, turning a place long known for supplying talent into a place that itself generates technology. The emerging identity is already being summarised by the label Silicon Beach of India.

NITK Surathkal, the institution that began life as KREC, continues to be recognised for the quality of its professional education. The campus is now preparing to assume a more central part in the sustainable advance of the region that surrounds it.

Attention is directed toward academic programmes oriented to employment outcomes, research programmes oriented to industrial requirements, and innovation programmes oriented to measurable impact. These priorities are supported by contemporary laboratory facilities, a faculty of high professional standing and a staff committed to institutional goals.

A newly framed curriculum characterised as bold, balanced and beautiful has been introduced from the present academic year with the explicit purpose of preparing engineers who can respond to the future needs of the country, of industry and of society. Earlier global conventions succeeded in drawing together alumni who represented different academic branches, different places of residence and different periods of graduation. Those occasions allowed participants to re-establish contact with one another, to revisit formative memories and to renew their relationship with the institution that educated them. The convention planned for December 2026 is designed to move those exchanges forward so that the combined insight of the alumni body can help define the next phase for the institute and for Karavali.

Graduates are invited to return, to experience once more the campus that stands at the centre of the coastal region, and to consider specific forms of contribution.

Possible avenues include participation in the design of learning systems, identification of high-quality talent, engagement with the research and innovation ecosystem, investment in local start-ups, and the establishment of professional offices.

Those who wish to take part are requested to note the December dates in their calendars and to communicate with Professor Prasanna B.D. at the address dean.acr@nitk.edu.in or with Mr Niranjana Mahabalappa at mahabalappa@gmail.com.