VINAYAKA MISSION’S RESEARCH FOUNDATION

VINAYAKA MISSION’S RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Vinayaka Missions had its inception in the year 1981 with the establishment of the Thirumuruga Kirupananda Variyar Thavathiru Sundara Swamigal (TKVTSS) Medical Educational and Charitable Trust. In the year 2001 the ‘Deemed to be University’ status was conferred on Vinayaka Missions by thw Government of India. Vinayaka Missions Research Foundation (VMRF) became the forty eighth university in India. The emblem of the university is in the form of a pennant sporting an icon of Lord Ganesha in standing posture with a halo around his head on water, supported by a pair of lotuses. The pennant is crested by a mortarboard or Oxford hat and supported by its motto ‘Vision, Wisdom, Unity’. Lord Ganesh or Vinayaka Ganesha is one of the most popular and worshipped deities in Hinduism. He is known as the remover of obstacles and the god of beginnings. Ganesha’s big belly represents generosity and total acceptance. His upraised hand depicts protection, meaning ‘Fear not, I am with you’ and his lowered hand depicts his endless giving as well as an invitation to bow down. Ganesha also has a single tusk which signifies one-pointedness. He carries in his hands the ‘Ankusa’ (signifying awakening) and the ‘Paasa’ (signifying control). Lord Vinayaka is obviously chosen as an icon for students and the university. The mortarboard hat meant for graduates meaning the graduation of students in their chosen subjects; lotus denotes purity, enlightenment, rebirth, transformation, personal growth, resilience, overcoming obstacles and divine beauty and water denotes the rivers of the land and its vitality in life. The shape and form of a pennant represents a show of pride.