Srinivas University Chancellor A Raghavendra Rao passes away

Mangaluru: Chancellor of Srinivas University, chartered accountant and philanthropist A Raghavendra Rao passed away on Tuesday night. He was 88.

Raghavendra Rao was best known as the visionary behind the Srinivas Group of Colleges, a network of professional institutions. What began in 1988 with seven students at Srinivas College of Hotel Management grew into a large educational movement spanning disciplines such as physiotherapy, management, pharmacy, nursing, engineering, education and hospitality sciences.

Born on October 16, 1937, at Benagal in Pejamangore village of Udupi district, he was the son of late Shama Rao and late Indiramma. He completed his early schooling at SVS Elementary School, Innanje, and SVH High School, before graduating in Commerce from MGM College, Udupi. He later moved to Mangaluru to pursue Chartered Accountancy, qualifying in 1965 and establishing his independent practice the same year.

Starting his career with a single employee, he built M/s Raghavendra Chartered Accountants into a multi-branch firm. In the business and trade sector, he held key positions including Secretary, Vice-President and President of the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). In 1988, he founded the A Shama Rao Foundation, he launched Srinivas College of Hotel Management, followed by Srinivas College of Physiotherapy in 1993, and went on to establish several professional and degree colleges across Mangaluru and surrounding areas. His ventures also extended to hospitality with Hotel Srinivas in Mangaluru.

Srinivas University was established in 2013. The university today offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes with around 71 courses, covering disciplines ranging from engineering, management and social work to health sciences and hospitality.

Raghavendra Rao’s contributions were recognised with several honours.