Kudy Mahanty was 10 when she lost her life in a fire on Founder's Day in Jamshedpur in 1989.

On her birth anniversary on Wednesday, her management consultant parents Niroop and Rupa Mahanty performed the ground-breaking ceremony for a 300-seater auditorium on Jusco School premises in Kadma to be built in Kudy's memory.

The hall will be ready by June 20, 2019, her mother said. Once built, schools that don't have halls can access the Kudy Mahanty Auditorium.

The ceremony was performed in the presence of the representatives of various religious faiths such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

Rupa, who is also a Reiki master, chanted Buddhist prayers.

Others present at the event were Sunil Bhaskaran, vice-president (corporate services) of Tata Steel; Ruchi Narendran, patron of All India Women's Conference and managing trustee of Jusco Education Mission (JEM) Foundation; Jusco MD Ashish Mathur and wife Vandana and the principals of various schools.

Earlier this year, Niroop and Rupa had signed an MoU as trustees of social organisation Kudy Mahanty Children's Opportunities with JEM Foundation for the auditorium project.

The auditorium will be built over 835sqm with a 10mx7.5m stage. It will have indirect window position for proper light and ventilation, acoustic wall treatment, false ceiling, digital AV facilities and ramp link to the stage and backstage.

"The auditorium is meant for less privileged schools who do not have such a platform. All not-for-profit educational institutes will have access to the auditorium. We are putting our life's savings in the project in the loving memory of Kudy. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on her 39th birthday and we plan to inaugurate it on her 41st birthday in 2019," Rupa, who is also a philanthropist, said.

The couple also runs a Trust, Kudy Mahanty Children's Educational Opportunities, that gives scholarships for the needy.