Self belief and overall personality development are the key factors that can help students achieve their dreams, said S.K. Varshney, Secretary and Advisor, Head, International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, on Sunday.
Delivering an address at the valedictory function of the 14th edition of graVITas 23, a three-day annual techno-management knowledge carnival organised by the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) on its campus here, Mr. Varshney said students should gain practical knowledge by participating in various technological competitions. He said graVITas was one such platform that helps students from various engineering streams showcase their talent.
“The knowledge gained through books should be applied [practically] to make products that can serve society at large...,” he said.
He said students should find out their areas of interest and develop the required skill-sets. “Most of the inventions by students are already available in the market. Nevertheless, students can create a brand of their own products by improving their efficiency and adding more features,” he said.
Referring to the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission, Mr. Varshney said most of the engineers of ISRO who were involved in the project had studied in tier-2 cities and small towns rather than premier institutions based in big cities. Their self belief played a key role in the mission’s success.
G.V. Selvam, vice-president, VIT, delivered the special address. Manoj Krishna Suseela, vice-president, Compute Business, Site Leader, R&D India, Hewlett Packard Enterprises; and Rambabu Kodali, vice chancellor, VIT; were present.
Prizes were handed over to winners of various contests. The three-day event witnessed the participation of over 13,000 students in more than 150 technical events.
