On 24th January 1965, the foundation stone of Lal Bahadur Shastri College was laid by the then Prime Minister of India, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, marking the beginning of a visionary institution in Sagara. This historic event was graced by the presence of several eminent personalities, including S. Nijalingappa, the then Chief Minister of Mysore State; Smt. Lalitha Shastri, wife of the Prime Minister; Dr. K. L. Rao, renowned engineer and Union Minister; Sri Ramakrishna Hegde, who later became the Chief Minister of Karnataka; S. R. Kanti and Veerendra Patil, both prominent political leaders; Sri K. C. Reddy and General Nagesh, respected Governors; K. G. Wodeyar, the President of MDF(R.); and Sri Gopalakrishna Adiga, the Principal of the College. Their esteemed presence at the ceremony underscored the importance of this occasion and laid a strong foundation for the college’s enduring legacy in Karnataka’s educational history.
In the early 1960s, the Sagara sub-division consisting of Sagara, Soraba, and Hosanagara taluks had no educational institution facilities whatsoever for youngsters aspiring to further their education beyond SSLC. This forced a substantial number of students, particularly girls and those from underprivileged sections, to curtail their academic pursuits at the high school level itself. In 1963-64, some Prominent Leaders from the three taluks, desiring to address this problem, came together to establish an education society under the name “Sagara Prantya Vidyavardhaka Sangha”. Freedom Fighter and ex-MP, Sri. K. G. Wodeyar, was the founder-president of the Sangha, and K. H. Srinivasa its founder-general secretary.
The society began its initiative with a pre-university college, which was run in a building rented from the Ganapathi Bank, Sagara. The other promoters of the society were the then Legislative Council Member and ex-Minister, Sri. A. R. Badarinarayana, the then MLA, Sri. V. S. Laxmikanthappa, ex-Minister and the ex-Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Sri. Kagodu Thimmappa, ex-MLA Sri. L. T. Timmappa Hegde, Sri G. N. Pai, Sri. H. L. Veerabhadrappa Gowda, Sri. Maruru Rudrappa Gowda, Sri. Tumbe Subbarao, Sri. T. Mahabaleshwara Bhat, Sri. K. V. Subbanna, writer and Magsaysay Awardee. The well-known Kannada poet, Sri. Gopalakrishna Adiga was the first Principal of the College.
Extending its field of work over the Shivamogga district in later years, the Sagara Prantya Vidyavardhaka Sangha came to acquire in 1975 a new name – Malnad Development Foundation (R) or Malenadu Abhivriddhi Prathishthana in Kannada.
The Malnad Development Foundation has 54 acres of land on its Tarapura campus and another 20 acres elsewhere in the town. It has all the potential and the infrastructure to establish and manage many more institutions like the ones listed above.
At present, more than 3000 students are persuing their education in the various institutions managed by the MDF. And more than 45,000 have passed out from them over these five decades. A significant number of them have earned distinction at the higher levels, and have gone on to occupy important positions in various sectors both inside India and abroad.
The establishment of the college was made possible through the generous donation of land by several noble individuals, whose contributions laid the physical foundation for the institution’s growth. Sri Siddayya Bennuru Mata donated 17.02 acres, Sri Kanle Venkatagiriyappa contributed 13.20 acres, Sri Yagin Sheshagiriyappa offered 12.02 acres, and Sri H. D. Mallappa Gowdru donated 10 acres of land. Their selfless support played a vital role in shaping the future of education in this region.
