Inspiring students to discover new opportunities

Hyderabad: Started with a mission of providing a positive, professional and conductive learning environment where all students are inspired to achieve their potential abilities, here is a college which gives equal importance to sports and the management here believes that a healthy mind should be backed by a healthy body.

We are talking about Marri Laxman Reddy Institute Group of Institutions, headed by Chairman Marri Laxman Reddy, who stresses on the need for a physically fit society and believes that sports build self-esteem, confidence and motivation in students. Taking through the journey of the school along with the secretary and correspondent M Rajashekar Reddy, the Chairman of MLRIT Laxman Reddy in conversation with The Young Hans, said that students should have physical fitness, helping nature and leadership qualities.

Take us through the journey

It all started in the year 1986 when we started a school St Martin’s near BBR Hospitals at Balanagar in the city. The school had come up in an area of 1,000 sq. yards and with 300 students. Later, in 2002, three colleges were started and today we have reached to a stage where there are 25,000 students and 3,500 employees including 400 professors. The Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology at Dundigal was started in the year 2008. We have today five engineering colleges, four schools and one pharmacy college.

What have been your achievements?
We are among top ten engineering colleges as per NIRF, recognised to receive central assistance under section 2(F) and 12(3) of the UGC Act, 1956, recognised as a scientific and industrial research organisations (SIRO), over 3,000 national and international journal papers published by our faculty. Our college has inspired students to discover new opportunities and challenges through all round development. Our college has got permanent affiliation and ranked under top ten of JNTUH affiliated colleges and ranked 4th in Telangana, 37th in South India. The college is spread across 35 acres of land where the students are provided an atmosphere where they can concentrate on studies. We have an indoor stadium, cricket and football ground, good hostel facility with quality food.

Sports seems to be given top priority in the college…
We have the infrastructure more than what the JNTU prescribes. We have an indoor stadium with 12 international standard badminton courts, table tennis and gym facility. We have six physical directors, who take care of the sporting activity in the school. I want every student in the college should get involved in any one of the sporting facilities for at least two hours a day. We provide concession for the youth who involves in sporting activity. For example if students want to purchase a bicycle of Rs 5,000 the management provides an assistance of Rs 2,500. I am more than 70 years but even today I go through the college campus on my cycle. We have given free seats to over 30 students, who are good at sports at national levels. We have players playing at national levels including in Under-19 Cricket, badminton soon we are going to encourage the cricket team.

What have been your initiatives in making the students industry ready?
We have many programs including interaction with the industry people knowing what they need from the students. We have a technology incubator type of thing on the lines of the T-hub of the government in the college. We have Srushti, a centre for innovation and entrepreneurship. Through this centre, the college encourages students to come up with ideas. Our students have done projects on Smart Helmet- it detects the alcohol level of drinking person and stops the bike, Step Care for Blind- It is a smart stick provides directions to the blind people, Bore well Risque Robot- It saves the child stuck in bore wells. We also have a pre- placement and post placement counselling and training for students.

Any exchange program with foreign universities?
We have tied up with Purdue University, Indiana, USA. We have collaborated with them in community services through engineering.

Any expansion plans?
We are now looking for next level by converting the institution the centre of excellence. We are trying for a status of university. The group has institute of Technology and Management and Institute of Pharmacy.

How is the campus placement scenario?
We have a robust campus placement in the college where every year more than 1500 students are hired by the major companies. Major companies like Cap Gemini, TCS and Tech Mahindra have visited our campus.