As many as 19 of the 36 Ph.D degrees were bagged by girls. In addition, 100 students across all the five university campuses received gold and silver medals for academic excellence. Out of the graduating students, 587 are from Bengaluru campus and 306 from the Mysore campus of Amrita University.
The faces of thousands of Amrita students beamed with pride and joy as they clicked pictures and waited to receive their degree at the grand annual ceremony. The largest contingent of students (1,896) belonged to the B.Tech stream, followed by M.Tech (473), MCA (196), MBA (191), BCA (188), B.COM (162), B.SC (131), MBBS (95), and others. All disciplines of study such as engineering, business, medicine, biotechnology, nanotechnology, arts & sciences, dentistry, nursing, Ayurveda, pharmacy, social work, mass communications and teacher education were represented among the students.
In his convocation address, guest of honour Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, said thatIndia needs todrasticallyramp up the number of Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) and also create world-class universities, even as he called upon the students to be agents of change in an increasingly strife-torn world. He said, “By 2030, India is likely to be the youngest nation in the world, with 140 million youngsters ready to enter the portals of a HEI. Higher education with an innovative mindset is the key to leveraging this demographic dividend. The Indian higher education system needs to elevate itself in the knowledge economy by striking a balance between quality and quantity. In addition to institutions that focus on skilling and teaching, there is a need to promote many more world-class universities which would be hubs of innovation and research excellence. They will transform India into a knowledge superpower.”
Sharing the learnings of his own life with the students, Prof. Sharma said, “Now you are plunging into a new phase of personal and professional life and need to make all your decisions on your own. While your decisions will be your own, never make the cardinal mistake to think of your successes to be your own! Now, you will have to be a serious and committed team player. Never forget to bring positivity in interacting with your team.”
Delivering the benedictory address, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, president of Amrita University, said he was confident that Amrita students have the capacity to shift their focus from self-fulfilment to serving others. He said, “Instead of being result-oriented, be action-oriented, because action is more important than the result. When focus on action becomes 100 percent, when dedication in action arises, productivity increases automatically. Today’s youth blindly believe in a fast pace. Velocity has become more important than the goal. We should make sure that there is love and dedication in work, that it is not just mechanical. Nature has given you students certain qualities, skills, and talents. Only by understanding that will you be able to elevate yourself. Use your knowledge and skills to serve the society with a loving and compassionate attitude. Create a beautiful blend of science and spirituality in the service of mankind.”
Dr. Venkat Rangan, vice-chancellor, Amrita University, presented the university’s annual report, while Dr. Prem Nair, medical director, Amrita University delivered the welcome address at the convocation. Also present were Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya, pro-chancellor; Prof. C. Parameswaran, Director-Corporate & Industry Relations; Dr. K. Sankaran, Registrar; Dr. Sasangan Ramanathan, Dean-Engineering; and Dr. Shanti Nair, Dean-Research, Amrita University.
With headquarters at Coimbatore, Amrita University is a multi-campus, multi-disciplinary, research-intensive university with 5 campuses in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
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