"Shikshana Bheeshma" in the endeavour of starting educational institutions to reach the unreached of the society,
Founder, Sri Siddhartha Education Society, Tumkur.
The year 1947 saw India win its freedom. The fledgling nation had to rebuild itself to regain its rightful place in the world and education was the primary building block that could help empower this dream.
Late Sri H M Gangadharaiah, a visionary educator in the arts and a humanitarian, fueled by the teachings of the most inspirational Indian leaders of the time - Sri Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Mahatma Gandhi, the principles of the saint Sri Basavanna and the great social reformer Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar, decided to address this cause. He envisioned an educational establishment that will help disperse the seeds of knowledge and build an awakened, more intelligent society.
Blessed by the great Acharya himself: “May you be a staunch social worker and may this Gollahalli be a Shanthinikethan. Let your honesty be a beacon for your efforts”, Sri Gangadharaiah went on to establish the Sri Siddhartha Education Society (SSES) in 1959, with the primary vision to reach out and extend the wisdom of education to the needy. Quite naturally, he earned the moniker ‘Shikshana Bheeshma’, and named his brainchild after one of the greatest life philosophers of all time, the great ‘Siddhartha’ Gautama Buddha.
Over the years that followed, SSES was taken over by Sri Gangadharaiah’s two illustrious sons Dr. G Shivaprasad, an eminent ophthalmologist and Dr. G Parameshwara, a reputed scientist in the field of agriculture who followed their father’s footsteps and continued his legacy to develop over 84 eminent Academic, Medical, Engineering, Dental and Research establishments - with a total student strength of over 16,000 and staff strength of nearly 1,800 - spread out to serve the society and extend quality education and medical care globally. Among the avant-garde institutions of repute under the aegis of SSES are Colleges of Medicine, Dental, Engineering & Technology and Nursing.
