Calling upon students to pursue engineering courses at government colleges, Principal of Karnataka Polytechnic, Mangaluru, Harisha Shetty, said that the government colleges were providing quality technical education at affordable cost to students.

He was speaking at The Hindu EducationPlus Career Counselling Fair 2026 held at the Sri Sudhindra Auditorium of Canara High School, Dongarkery, in Mangaluru on Saturday.

Speaking about seat selection process conducted by Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA), Mr. Shetty said seat allocation for medicine courses is done by the KEA based on ranking provided by NEET. “Seats in Medicine are offered only on basis of NEET ranking. Do not fall to agents who seek money by offering medicine seats of different institutes,” he said.

There were enough engineering seats on offer. Aspirants can get seats by taking part in the seat selection process conducted by KEA, after announcement of ranks by taking into consideration 50% of marks each in the 2nd year Pre University and the Common Entrance Test. Aspirants can get seats in the courses they want to pursue. Over 13,000 engineering seats remained unfilled after completion of seat selection process in 2025.

On the question of parents booking seats for their wards by paying advance amount in different private engineering colleges before the start of seat selection process, Mr. Shetty said parents were doing this seeing the prospects of companies coming to college to offer jobs for students.

“The companies now look for individual skill of candidates, which can be gained by students by studying in any of the engineering colleges. Students from the coastal region can consider pursuing engineering from Government Engineering College in Kushalnagar of Madikeri district and in Government Polytechnic in Karwar of Uttara Kannada district, which provide quality education at affordable cost,” he said.

Career in medicine

Medical Superintendent of Government Lady Goschen Hospital,Mangaluru, M.R. Durgraprasad, said students should pursue career in medicine only if they have heart to understand the pain of patients. Dr. Durgaprasad spoke about various facilities provided at the Lady Goschen Hospital for lactating mothers, new born babies and their care givers.

R.G.Dsouza, Dean, Faculty of Engineeing and Technology, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangaluru, spoke about engineering courses.

Chartered Accountants Ramya Rao and Vinayaka Pai spoke about career prospects of chartered accountants. Career counsellor Syed Sadath Pasha, spoke on different degree courses and about selection exams conducted by KPSC, UPSC and Defense Services.

The following are sponsors of the event

Platinum Sponsors: The Institute Chartered Accountants of India, Presidency University, Reva University.

Gold Sponsor: CMR University, Chanakya University, East Point Group of Institutions, Hindustan Group of Institutions, Chennai, Ramaiah College of Law.

Silver Sponsorship: ACS College of Engineering, Alliance University, Adichunchanagiri University, B.G. Nagar, BLDE Association, Vijayapura, Bheemanna Khandre Institute of Technology (BKIT), Balki, Bidar, Credila, IIBS, IDP, JSS Science & Technology University, Mysuru, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, Karnataka State Open University, Mysuru, Khaja Bandanawaz University, Kammavaari Sangham Group of Institutions, Karnataka Bank, KLE Technological University, Hubballi, Nitte (Deemed to be University), Rajarajeswari College of Engineering, Shri Madhava Vadiraja Institute of Technology and Management, Soundarya Institute of Management & Science, SDM Educational Society (R), Ujire, Shanthivana Trust, Dharmasthala, Sharn Basva University, Kalaburagi, Shaheen Group of Institutions, Bidar, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, Mysuru, Navkis College of Engineering, Hassan.

Associate Sponsors: Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society, Kalaburagi, Azim Premji University, ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, Mahindra University, MS College of Engineering, VTU Visveswaraya Technological University, Belagavi, Canara Engineering College, Mangaluru.

Regional Sponsors: Kristu Jayanti (Deemed to be University), Royal College of Management Studies.

Published – May 09, 2026 10:03 pm IST

New Delhi:

Actor Deepika Padukone told students that patience is very important when it comes to exam preparation and results, though marks are not every thing. She added that it is important to sleep well, hydrate, exercise, meditate and express oneself to deal with all the stress that comes with exams.

The Padmavat actor told students during the eighth edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pariksha Pe Charcha that it is natural to feel stress, but important to know how to handle it. While admitting that she was weak at math, she said she was lucky to have parents who did not focus much on her getting good marks. She also stressed the need importance of friends and a community in helping deal with anxiety. “Parents have to understand that a child’s interest may lie in something else, and that is ok,” she said.

As part of an interactive session, the Ms Padukone conducted an activity where students wrote their strengths on pieces of paper and displayed them on a board. “This activity helps you realise that if you focus on your strengths rather than weaknesses, you’ll see how many things you’re good at,” she said. She added that competition is a part of life, but the ultimate endeavour should be to recognise our strengths and weaknesses and challenge ourselves.

Citing her mental health journey, the Piku actor said that she started feeling free and light when she began talking about her feelings. “When dealing with exams too, expressing helps. Focus on things that are in your control. And talked to your parents or someone you trust if you feel stressed,” she said.

While stressing on the importance of not being afraid of failure and enjoying what you like to do, Ms Padukone also shared a hack with students to stay in the present. “It is is called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Five things you can see around you, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, one thing you can taste . They bring you back in the moment,” she said.

During the conversation with students, she shared her strong inclination towards sports and extracurricular activities. “I was a very naughty child. Even today, my parents say that you will never find Deepika at the ground level. I was always jumping from sofas, tables, and chairs. I was more interested in extracurricular activities,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the eighth edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ on February 10 in Delhi, interacting with students at Sunder Nursery during the first episode.

Highlighting the significance of technology, he had encouraged students to understand and make optimal use of it. “A student’s life does not stop if they fail an exam. One must decide whether they want to succeed in life or books. You should turn your failures into your teachers. You are fortunate to be born in an era of technology, and our focus should be to understanding technology and have an optimum utilisation of it,” PM Modi said.

Kyiv, Ukraine:

Anton Yushyn spent four years studying Italian at university in Kyiv but the outbreak of war taught him the most valuable lesson of his student life: to prioritise what matters most.

When he enrolled at Kyiv National Linguistic University, Russia had not yet invaded, and his main concerns were socialising and passing exams to placate his parents.

“Maybe it’s not my goals that have changed but my values,” Yushyn, 22, told AFP on graduation day in Kyiv last month.

“It all used to be about parties and having fun. Now you need to spend more time with family and friends because they could be gone at any moment,” he said.

Thousands of Ukrainians graduating from around 300 universities this summer are entering into a society transformed by war — their futures in doubt with no end in sight to the fighting.

As Ukraine mobilises young men to replenish the army’s stretched ranks, male graduates face the prospect of being called up once they turn 25.

Higher education has not been immune from the conflict.

Dozens of teachers and professors have been fighting on the front lines and one-fifth of the sector’s facilities have been damaged or destroyed by Russian bombardments.

In December 2022, a missile landed just a few hundred metres from Yushyn’s campus.

To stay, or leave

But on graduation day, the mood at Yushyn’s alma mater was festive. Perfume hung in the hot summer air and staff congratulated joyful students for completing their studies in the face of historic turbulence.

Student life was barely back to normal after the Covid pandemic when Russia invaded in February 2022.

Universities suspended classes and Korean language student Nikoletta Shova was sent by her parents to stay with relatives in Italy.

The 22-year-old compared the “emotional” time abroad to being in a “stupor”, left wondering if she would ever be able to return.

Teaching restarted at most universities just a few weeks later — online or in person — when Russian forces were still on Kyiv’s outskirts.

Shova returned after three months away and was able to finish her degree in person while raising money for the war effort with classmates.

Now, with her diploma in hand, uncertainty had returned.

She was considering studying abroad — possibly marketing in the United States — but she was also open to finding a creative job at home.

Building a future in Ukraine despite the war was possible, she said, borrowing a popular phrase to underscore that it would take perseverance: “he who doesn’t take risks never drinks champagne”.

Jokes, memes

“So I’m being realistic but with a bit of positivity,” she said of her future.

Daryna Dekhtiar, 22, also a graduate of Kyiv National Linguistic University, went numb when Russia invaded.

“I didn’t cry at all. I just went into autopilot,” she said, but her friends had helped lift her spirits too, she added.

“We created our own memes, our jokes, it made it all much easier,” she recalled.

Dana Andriichuk, who already had secured an office job by graduation, was rushing to meet friends after the ceremony.

She didn’t want to dwell on the relative comfort of her student years or spend too much thinking about the prospect of a long war.

“I’m trying to avoid being a pessimist stuck in the past. I want to live now and not in the future, because we don’t know what will happen next,” she said.

“If the government encourages young people to stay and do everything possible to build a better future even in a state of war — and society becomes nationally conscious — then we can consider staying in the country,” she said.

– ‘Don’t run and hide’ –

Like thousands of other male graduates, Yushyn does not have as much freedom to choose. Authorities have barred men aged between 18 and 60 from leaving Ukraine.

Thousands have left illegally and dozens have died trying.

But Yushyn was resigned to life at home.

“Real men don’t run and hide. If the time comes and I get a summons, I won’t run from it,” he told AFP.

“I can wind myself up, cry, sit here trembling all I want, it won’t change the trajectory of the rocket,” he said.

Whatever the future holds, he said he was unlikely to use Italian, but was resolved to spending his time as best he could.

“I need to use it to the fullest.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Instead of waiting for authorities to take action, students and techies in Bengaluru took matters into their own hands and came together to clean a dangerous stretch of Balagere Road. Notably, the slit buildup on the busy Balagere road between Kadubeesanahalli and Varthur made the road slippery for two-wheelers and hazardous for pedestrians. 

Frustrated by the situation, several IT engineers, college students and even schoolchildren, decided to step in. Pictures and videos of the cleaning drive that have surfaced on social media show several people donning gloves and removing the silt build-up on the road with cleaning tools. The citizens’ action comes after Bengaluru’s civic body, BBMP turned down multiple requests to clean the roads, citing a lack of funds.

See pictures and videos:

Clearing the way for the road side drains all by themselves. Roads are always flooded for little rain. Multiple requests to clean were turned down sighting no budget.#BalagereDemandsRoad#SaveMahadevapura@CMofKarnataka@DKShivakumar@0RRCA@WFRising@BPACofficialpic.twitter.com/QgnfeSAJy7

— NammaMahadevapura (@OurMahadevapura) June 23, 2024

The wonderful act of community service was praised by social media users. One user wrote, ”Techies in Bengaluru work for corporates during weekdays, earn, pay taxes, and spend their weekends  fixing BBMP’s neglected issues.”

Meanwhile, many also slammed the authorities for their inaction. A second user commented, ”This is shocking. Bangalore municipal bodies should be ashamed of themselves for harassing honest tax-paying citizens.”

A third stated, ”Just imagine how annoyed and irritated they must have been with the roadside dirt causing pollution that they took up the responsibility to clean it up instead of complaining.” A fourth added, ”Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also reacted to the cleanliness drive and said that he has instructed BBMP officials to take immediate action to ensure the safety of residents.

He wrote on X, ”Sometimes some lessons turn out to be the best learnings, and taking a cue from the incident of Bengaluru residents cleaning Balagere Road, the concerned officials at BBMP have been personally instructed by me to take immediate action. The comfort and safety of our Bengaluru residents is of priority to us, and therefore BBMP has been also instructed to ensure that no such incident is ever repeated in the future.”