Text of Vice-President’s address at 4th Convocation of NIT, Delhi in New Delhi
Text of Vice-President’s address at 4th Convocation of NIT, Delhi in New Delhi
Good morning, all of you !
A great occasion, must have been waiting for it for long. Shri C.K. Birla Ji, Chairman Board of Governors, passionately committed to the cause of education, institution builder, comes from a family that contributed to the freedom movement and also to the cause of education.
If we look at education as service to society, we will first focus on Pilani, a gift of this family to the nation. And they set high benchmarks. Education is not commerce. Education is a service to society. Education is your obligation. You must serve. It is your duty, divine ordainment to pay back to the society, and the best way to pay back to the society is to invest in education. Investment in education is investment in human resource, investment in our present, investment in our future. It is through education that we discover our glorious past of thousands of centuries.
You, therefore, boys and girls, are lucky to have such a visionary as Chairman Board of Governors. I heard with rapt attention his address, how thoughtful it was, what guidance he gave you, and he alerted you on several aspects. I will urge you to go through it very carefully once you are done away with this function.
Professor Ajay Kumar Sharma, the founder director, has lived with your institution and can have some happy moments, moments of satisfaction for a new campus having come into being. And I have no doubt, the trajectory which is incremental will further gallop. An institution is known by institutions like the Senate. When I had the occasion to be photographed with members of the Senate, a photograph that I will ever keep in my heart and also in my house. I was touched by young minds. Their eyes reflecting a nation, they were in execution mode. I can make out. You have a reservoir of talent in the Senate.
Distinguished faculty is the spinal strength of an institution. It is much beyond infrastructure. Faculty defines an institution. Infrastructure is need. Faculties are fragrance of it. I’m happy to share with you. Your faculty enjoys a status that will do good to all of you. Members of the staff and those who are associated with the institution at any level, must never be forgotten. But most importantly, I am here for graduating students, and their proud parents.
Greetings to all on this fourth convocation. It is significant. Let fourth convocation not drive the message. It’s a convocation of great importance and personally, I am delighted to be associated. This convocation ceremony is for graduating class of 2023 and 2024.
Convocation is indeed a milestone in the lives of the students graduating, their parents, the members of the faculty, and the colleagues you leave behind when you walk out. Academic credentials by way of degrees are a culmination of your hard work, dedication, and achievements over the years. This is also a reflection of the teachers and remember me. The teacher you found most uncomfortable will ever be remembered by you soothingly because he has imparted in you qualities to be what you are.
Congratulations to the awardees. For one reason, this glorious moment will ever be etched in your memory. Undoubtedly, graduating students will make the nation ever proud as they leapfrog into new chapters of their lives equipped with knowledge and skills to make positive impact on the society. From this day and from here onwards, you all join previous alumni batches. Some in this category I gather are making this event memorable by their gracious presence.
Alumni of an institution are in several ways its lifeline. They are ambassadors of the institution. For you in this NIT, this category is a nascent happening. For you it is time to evolve in a lively manner and generate systemic connect with the institution, your Alma mater. It is an acknowledged method globally and nationally that the best way to pay back to your institution is to be an active member of alumni association.
I strongly urge you to have an alumni fund making annual contributions is all important. Quantum of that is irrelevant. All are on equal footing. But taker is whole. You will contribute to that fund, the amount is immaterial. Some of the best institutions globally have been on an upward trajectory because these institutions are fueled by alumni energy. You have to conserve and converge your alumni energy for better prospects of all those who step in this institution to get education.
My young friends, We all applaud the accomplishments of our graduating students and wish them success as they step out into the larger world.
This milestone is fruition, but not the end of it. Always remember, and we need to remember it every second. When you step out after graduating from this institution, your learning does not end. Learning is lifelong. Never stop learning. It has been wisely said, I will not elaborate, change is the only constant. Rather than be swept by change, we see it every day. We are at the cusp of another industrial revolution. We see this change, be part of it, shape it, and also reflect deeply. Why not script the change? Achieve the change of your belief.
My young friends, you are fortunate to avail quality education and fortunate also that you have in the country-home to one-sixth of humanity, an environment of hope and possibility that awaits you. Something people of my generation could not even think. Much less away, you will really be stunned if you see the difficulties we faced in every aspect to get quality education. I was accolading Mr C.K. Birla and his family because they facilitate the same for many doing a great service to the nation. Friends, take note of my words, the opportunity basket for our youth is getting bigger and bigger with our exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructure growth. World outfits, you know more than I do, are applauding our Bharat as matchless investment and opportunity center.
In spite of all these soothing, wholesome situations, You will face unexpected hurdles and setbacks. There will be occasions when you will be distressed that your failure is as much unjustified as the success of others.
Take these in stride, never be daunted. One aspect must every steer you, and that is you are living in times unlike our times when governance is transparent, accountable, people-centric, where meritocracy prevails with patronage and corruption no longer passwords for success, job or contract.
Some people have inbuilt negativity in them. Let me address them. There will be aberrations in what I’ve said. You can always look for a dent with a microscope. But mind you, some aberrations or minor visible remnants of patronage and corruption only go to prove the broad proposition ground reality I have indicated to you. My own experience in life is that more often than not, a failure is a stepping stone for success.
I was selected for IIT Kharagpur. Couldn’t join, I didn’t have money. A major setback. A hard reality. You don’t have that situation now. When I focused on alumni fund, it was on this emotive platform, and also remember, the other point of view carries greater merit on most occasions than your point of view. So be humble in learning and be empathetic. When faced with such scenarios and you will have occasions to have such scenarios before you, you must heed the sage advice of our great thinker, Vivekananda.
I quote, “Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is achieved.”
My young friends, State of the Nation allows citizens and youth in particular to unleash their energy and potential in varied forms. You all need to update. You can achieve your aspirations and goals. Let me reflect on some of the new areas.
The man from the industry knows it more than I do. Look at the vast opportunities that are available for these young minds, trained minds, skilled minds, from such a prestigious institution. Blue economy, space economy, disruptive technologies, they are amongst the new ideas that need harnessing.
Let me reflect a little away. India is amongst few countries that have a quantum computing commission allocated 6,000 crores. A country that already has in place the Green Hydrogen mission committed 18,000 crores. There is a great focus on disruptive technologies that are no less equivalent to another industrial revolution. And I therefore will urge time to come out of silos. Our silos are that we don’t look beyond conventional basket of opportunities.
We don’t advert to what is before us. We have to be enlightened. Let us get beyond government approach access. Government job is not the only option. And I would say, perhaps not even the best option these days. People of your generation have scripted new milestones in industry without family background, only fueled by education. That has been your sole promise you attained. And therefore, my message, explore being job creator and job giver.
We are living in times and there is great focus. Manufacturing has to gallop for attainment of Viksit Bharat. Undoubtedly, and we are proud that our Bharat is on the way to emerging, a third largest global economy that will be ahead of France and Germany. It will happen in a year or two. But we must be alive to the situation, the requirements, the daunting requirements of a developed nation vision. We will have to take a quantum jump. Our per capita income has to go eightfold. It is achievable. It is implementable for a simple reason. I have before me those who shall bring it about. You will have to stand committed to this.
Let us resolve to be contributors to this journey, my young friends, alongside Jayant Ji, a generation a little older to you. The ones who saw the light on the planet in the early 90s and you are the most vital stakeholders of democracy and growth. This demographic dividend, this demographic component, this element of our population is the envy of the world, not only on account of a statistical number but the kind of quality skill it has, the kind of excellence it gets in academic institutions.
Research and innovation in a sense are key to the attainment of a goal of a developed nation. As a matter of fact, how high are we in the field of research and innovation, that will define our prowess to the global community. It will give cutting edge to our soft diplomacy. By way of illustration, imagine the time when India launched the first satellite, it was not from our station and now satellites of developed countries are being launched by us. As I indicated earlier, our share in space economy must at least be in consonance with our population. Though our scientific expertise has a potential for much larger game, research and innovation are defining components of our growth. And success in this domain will put us in the big League of Nations.
Educational institutions such as yours are obvious crucibles of innovation and research. These are proven game changers. If you look around, why a particular country is ahead of us, it is ahead of us on account of research and innovation. These crucibles, these institutions need to be supported by corporates. I have said on several occasions. I will again appeal and I’m sure your Chairman Board of governors will take this message to industry barons. I appeal to CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHD Chamber of Commerce and industry, Associations of trade, industry, business and Commerce to come forward, to fuel research, spur innovation, by liberal financial contributions.
A word of caution: in the name of commitment for research let us not have something that is just surface scratching. It must be real, authentic research. We must be deeply critical that people who get aid and assistance for research and innovation must actually equip themselves admirably by performance in that domain. This is an area that needs priority and urgent focus. And I’m confident our corporate leadership will rise to the occasion and commit their CSR fund liberally for this cause, through our Institutions that are many and deserving.
Bharat, the oldest, largest and functional democracy, needs also to be the world’s most powerful. And for a simple reason, we were. It can’t be our dream. It has to be a dream retrieved, a position retrieved. A powerful Bharat will be an assurance for global harmony, peace, and happiness. Because we nurture a thought over centuries. We practice it. Vasudhaiva kutumbakam- One earth, one family, one future.
Friends, my young friends, this calls for unflinching commitment to nationalism in its fullness. National interest has to have precedence or partisan or otherwise interests. We see easy transgressions of this. You can reflect.
Economic nationalism has to be the dominant concern for business, as according to me in my modest understanding, no fiscal gain. How so justifiable, How so ever maybe begin volume or fiscal quantum, is an excuse for compromising economic nationalism. This denudes our commitment to the principle of keeping nation first. Let us resolve never to undermine our national interest, come what may, and this takes me to some concerning areas.
I must advert to some areas that dot our discourse and need response. What we see around, sermonizing to all and demonizing our constitutional institutions is fast becoming a pastime even with those who constitutionally matter in the political arena. This does no good to the nation. It is a recipe for chaos and impeding our growth. Time to bid adieu to this and also I say with utmost restraint Time for our elites to be elites. To them I appeal to be a worthy elite you have to be spurred by fervour of nationalism.
Friends, a new Bharat is waiting to embrace you. It is different Bharat than I grew up in. It is a different path compared to what the first batch of students entered into. I should amply admit this is a journey. Much has to be done. We have been accredited by global institutions for our great achievements, monumental achievements but we have to traverse a long way. We can never rule out headwinds. And there will be difficult terrain, and the future of this transformational journey rests on your shoulders and the shoulders of Gen Z. So my young friends, you have to charter, control, and manage our growth trajectory. The destination, mid-destination, in 2047 is a developed Bharat.
Friends, as you step out, you’ll be called upon to take a call, whether you be a job aspirant or a provider. For neither, there is going to be a cakewalk. Even with a corruption-free environment, affirmative governance, there will be unexpected jolts you will not be able to rationalize. The Chairman Board of Governors had reflected on this. Both your failure or setback or somebody else’s reward or success may on occasions baffle you. You may find it beyond rationalization. These prospects are here. They are embedded in every system. Look at past history you find. A failure which can’t be explained, a success which is not justified. But these are learning lessons, and I’m sure you must have been trained by your faculty to face and weather these heavy winds. To ever expect a red carpet environment is not practical. We have to be alive to the ground situations. Challenges are learning exercise the hard way. Learn to convert the challenges into opportunities.
As you begin your journey, remember that true success balances achievements with well-being, transforms challenges into growth, embraces lifelong learning and serves a purpose greater than yourself. Go forth, make India proud and remember that every setback is simply preparing you for a greater, stronger, more impactful comeback.
I’ll conclude with Chanakya’s words, and Chanakya must be read and read on various facets. Education is the best friend, and educated person is respected everywhere. Looks on the face of its simple words, but go to the depth of it and realize the obligations that an educated person carries on his shoulders.
May you all, my young friends, shine bright in your chosen paths and contribute satisfactorily and meaningfully to our nation’s journey to become a Viksit Bharat. Stay curious. Be inquisitive. Never fear tension or stress. Never fear failure. I once again am grateful to the Chairman Board of Governors, the Director, for giving me this privilege and honour to connect with those who are the most vital stakeholders of governance, nurturing our democratic values and shaping the future of this great country.
Thank you so much !