VP attends 69th Convocation of Panjab University in Chandigarh, calls for maintaining peace at university campuses and focus in academic excellence
AMN / Chandigarh
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Friday May 6 attended the 69th Convocation at Panjab University in Chandigarh as the Chief Guest. He was accompanied by Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Minister Som Parkash, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Greeting people in Punjabi, Chancellor of Punjab University Venkaiah Naidu said that graduation ceremony should be a stepping stone for the students to continuous learning and the faculty to improve the educational process.
Vice President said, the universities like Punjab University must be at the forefront of the knowledge revolution, through path-breaking innovations and cutting-edge research. He said that there should be closer interaction between universities and the government so that more robust policies can be formulated.
Mr Naidu congratulated the graduating students on reaching a milestone of great significance in their lives and carriers. He conferred degrees on about 1128 students.
Emphasizing that education should transform the way we look at the planet and the way we interact with fellow human beings, the Vice President said that our life should be illuminated by five virtues of Guru Nanak Devji, namely – Sat (honest, truthful behaviour), Santokh (contentment), Daya (compassion), Nimrata (humility) and Pyaar (love). I hope these principles will continue to inspire us to be better human beings, he added.
The Vice President asked the students to use their knowledge to change the world and to work proactively to address the many challenges we face as a nation. “Aim high, devote yourself to building a bright future for yourself and for the nation at large. Success and fulfillment will then follow,” he told students.
Referring to India’s demographic dividend, the Vice President said that with the right education and encouragement, our youth can excel in any field and make the country proud. He exhorted the youth to work for building a New India, a prosperous India, a happy and peaceful India. “This should be our aim,” he stressed.
Terming peace a prerequisite for progress, Naidu called upon all universities to see that peace is maintained at campuses and focus their attention on bringing academic excellence. Emphasizing the importance of cohesion and harmony in the society, he said that these values should be inculcated among the students from a young age in our schools. “There should be no place to divisions of caste, creed, religion and gender in 21st century. We all belong to one country, India,” he said.
Praising the Panjab University for earning itself a place of pride in the higher education landscape of the country, Naidu called it a University with glorious past, a very impressive present and a bright future. He also complimented the University for its students’ consistently good performances in sports.
Expressing Happiness over the progress made by Panjab University in all aspects of higher education, Shri Naidu complimented the Vice Chancellor of the University, the faculty members and the Senate members for steering the University so well. He expressed confidence that in coming days, Panjab University will emerge as a leader for internationalization of education by creating mechanisms for collaborative research, faculty and cultural exchange programmes, among others.