Christ University was founded in 1969. Back then, it was known as Christ College. Presently, it caters to more than 18,000 students from India and abroad. The university offers 46 undergraduate, 44 masters, 17 M.Phil and 21 Ph.D degree programmes. It also boasts a huge established alumni network. Christ University alumni have made their mark in various fields, including Music, Television and Film industry, Politics, Administration, Management, Law and Arts, among others.
Some of the acclaimed alumni of Christ University are:
Vineeth Vincent a legend in the world of beat boxing in India – has been working as a professional beat boxer since 2008 and done more than 600 shows. A huge risk taker, he entered into this field when there was no one in beat boxing in India. Born in 1989, he pursued his graduation from Christ University. He had also enrolled at Mrinalini Sarabhai’s famous Darpana Academy of Performing Arts in Ahmedabad.
In 2009, he performed with the Austrian beat boxing group, Bauchklang and with The Boxettes in 2010. On 10 January, 2011, in an event titled ‘Can You Say Beat Box?, Christ University created the largest human beat box ensemble, only to be featured in the Limca Book of Records with 2136 participants, under Vineeths guidance.
MN Reddy has served the Indian Police Service for more than 30 years. Presently, he holds the position as Director General of Police, Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services, in Karnataka. Born in 1960 in Andhra Pradesh, he pursued his graduation from Christ University and obtained his M.Phil in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, before graduating from the National Police Academy. He also holds a meritorious service to his record, and received the Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2009.
Previously, he was also the City Commissioner of Police in Bangalore city. Known for his tech-savviness, he introduced digital friendly communication between the police and people through social media like Facebook and Twitter. In fact, he even announced his new posting of DGP through Twitter, in 2015. The Bangalore social media handle is quite people friendly, as their quirky memes and safety tips can’t be easily missed and all the credit goes to MN Reddy.
Krishna Byre Gowda has an interesting record of being offered the post of Minister of Agriculture in the Karnataka Government, at a young age of 40. At the same time, he is also the Member of Legislative Assembly, in the Byatarayanapura Constituency, Bengaluru, since 2013. In 1994, Krishna graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Christ University. He completed his Masters in Arts from American University in 1999.
His political career initiated in 2003. During his early political life, he actively strived and focused on road infrastructure, sanitation, sewage and other issues of urban areas. Initially, he also had his own agricultural farm.
Ankur Betagri, noted poet, fiction writer, and visual artist Ankur Betagri is presently based in Delhi. His works are often praised for their innovative imagination, combined with emotional precision. It is no wonder, that in 2012, he was featured as one of the top ten best writers of India. Born in 1983, he holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Christ University, Bangalore.
Betageri will be always known for Hulchul; a public arts and social activist platform used to reclaim public spaces through artistic expressions. Now that is something we don’t see every day. Art, images talking of everyday life on roadside walls, benches, The Bliss and Madness of Being Human and Bhog and Other Stories are some of his important works.
Rima Kallingal, a prominent face in the Malayalam cinema, Rima Kallingal is an actress and TV anchor and has acted in many Tamil and Malayalam films. Born in 1984 in Kerala, she completed her schooling there and pursued her graduation in Journalism from Christ University, Bangalore. A dancer by profession, she has performed on several national and international stages and is also trained in martial arts. She made her acting debut with Ritu (Malayalam) in 2010 and rest is indeed history. She is a recipient of the Kerala State award for Best Actress in two years of her film debut.
KM Chaitanya, a talented film director, documentary maker and theatre person, KM Chaitanya is another person from the film industry who deserves mention here. He tasted success with his first feature film itself, Aa dinagalu (Kannada). It bagged several awards including the Filmfare Awards South for Best Director in 2007.
With several awards for his other films, including Best Debutant Director by the South Indian Cinematographers’ Association, Chennai Film Fans Association, KM Chaitanya is a household name in the Kannada Film industry.
He holds a Journalism degree from Christ University.
Madhukeshwar Desai is the great grandson of Morarji Desai. Born in 1987 in Mumbai, he completed his schooling from GD Somani and Kensri School, and his degree in Law from Christ University. He started his political career in 2011 with the BJP and was appointed as the National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha two years later. This year, he was re-appointed as the National Vice President for another term, at a young age of 29. He really does live up to his title; the youngest vice president.
This year also marks Indias entry to International Young Democrat Union with Madhukeshwar being elected as the Vice Chair of the IYDU. IYDU is basically a union of young leaders coming together from 71 countries, across the world. He is also the founder and CEO of Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration.
Shruti Hariharan is a film actress and producer and has worked in Malayalam and Kannada films. She debuted her acting career in 2012 with Malayalam film, Cinema Company. Being a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she also worked as a background dancer in many films.
She was awarded Filmfare award for Best Actress (Critics) in 2016, for her performance in Kannada film; Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu. And she nailed it again this year by winning the Karnataka State Award for Best Actress.
Born in Kerala, Shruti Hariharan was actually raised in Bangalore. She did her schooling from Sishu Griha Montessori High School and graduated with a Business Management degree from Christ University.
Bruce Lee Mani is only Indian guitar player to have won the Rolling Stone Magazine ‘Guitar Player of the Year Award twice – in 2009 and 2012.
In 1996, he formed a rock band, Thermal and A Quarter (TAAQ) with his band mates, who studied at Christ University and began his journey of songwriting and music. He was soon an established name among India’s top singers and guitarists. He was the recipient of the Leon Ireland ‘Vocalist of the Year Award in 2011.
In 2010, the band also opened a music school in Bangalore called the “Taaqademy” and in 2016, they started a campaign ‘No Wall Too High to make music education available to the underprivileged school children in Bangalore.
