The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mysore N.K. Lokanath said here on Thursday, January 4, that the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) may not be housed in the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion.
He was speaking at a media conference organised to announce the restoration of the heritage mansion with support from the U.S. Government’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (US-AFCP) and donation by Harish & Bina Shah Foundation.
In reply to a question, the Vice-Chancellor said though an MoU was signed with the Ministry of Kannada and Culture to restore the building instead of accommodating CESCK, it did not materialise. “The works had to start within a year of the signing of the agreement and the period lapsed while the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion was degrading by the day and hence we had to look for other avenues to fund the restoration works’’, said Mr. Lokanath.
