Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan told students not to be slow in today’s technology-driven competitive world and advised them to sharpen their skills, set high goals and taste success but achieve the all-important work-life balance.
Dr. Tamilisai was speaking at the third convocation of SRM Universiry-AP here on Saturday. Addressing the graduate class of 2023, she said if students don’t find opportunities, they should create the same and spoke about the Centre’s slogan of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India). She also stressed the need to create an eco-system for start-up culture.
President of Indian National Science Academy Ashutosh Sharma spoke about the need to be “disruptive and transformational” and advocated three ways of solving a problem. Using Hindi words ‘jugaad, dhanda and panga’, he said the first meant a make-shift solution, which may not always be a good one, as it is not globally accepted and often cannot be scaled up.
Dhanda, he said, is stable and the continuity of business on which the society thrives and survives. “80 % of our business is dhanda, i.e., business as usual. However, not all problems are solved by business as usual,” he said, citing the challenge of climate change as an example. “Panga” he said is disruptive and transformative ways of solving problems through creativity, independent thinking and by employing risk-taking ability.
Speaking about the benefits of inter-disciplinary approach, he said the success of Chandrayaan-3 is an example of it. He referred to the demographic dividend and called for the need to leverage on it as “this is a window of opportunity we cannot let slip by.”
He said the new graduates will face a change as they step into a new world. “Start planning now, future belongs to those who can understand, navigate and leverage diversity. Gain control of the knowledge pyramid,” he said, adding that no knowledge is any knowledge unless it can be converted in the form of socio-economic good.
Prof. Sharma advised the students to connect with the best of people who believe in “We Can”. “Do not confuse career for a job and success for quality. Aim for quality and success will follow,” he said.
Founder-chancellor of the university T.R. Paarivendhar and the Governor conferred Honorary Doctorate on Prof. Sharma for his contribution to the field of science.
Degrees were awarded to 883 graduates, including to 13 Ph.D scholars, 17 gold medallists, six silver medallists and two bronze medallists. Pro-chancellor P. Sathyanarayanan, Vice-Chancellor Manoj K. Arora also spoke on the occasion.
