New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave some life lessons to graduating students of IIT Delhi Saturday, urging them that before every decision they make as they venture out of the institute, they should also consider how it could benefit the nation and what national need it would fulfill.
“What you do over the next 30-35 years will shape India’s journey towards a Viksit Bharat…your degree is not merely proof of passing exams, earning a good CGPA or securing a placement, it is a testament to your ability to solve complex problems and face the challenges of a changing world,” Modi said, addressing the graduating students at the 57th convocation ceremony of the institute, which he attended physically for the first time.
He had attended IIT Delhi’s convocation ceremony virtually in November 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PM’s visit to IIT Delhi assumes significance since it comes in the backdrop of the students’ protest at the Capital’s Jantar Mantar about a fortnight back which led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Modi said the success of several IIT alumni was not only because they had found the right answers, but because they had identified questions that the world had stopped asking.
“Don’t just ask questions. Have the courage to find the answers,” the PM said.
Modi also cautioned the students that they are graduating at a time when the world is changing rapidly and strategic equations, the global balance of power, technology, industries and professions are all evolving at an unprecedented pace.
“No one can predict what the world will look like 20 or 30 years from now. But every period of change brings both challenges and opportunities. Remember, those who keep learning will succeed, and those who find new solutions will turn challenges into opportunities,” the PM said, urging the graduates to keep their curiosity and learning instinct alive.
On the occasion, the PM also inaugurated the Param Pragya AI-powered high-performance supercomputing facility established at the Sonipat campus of IIT Delhi.
Highlighting the importance of research, the PM said the government is arranging Rs 1 lakh crore in funding for research and innovation.
He drew a comparison between examinations at IIT and the challenges graduates would face outside the campus. “In the IIT exam, there is a syllabus. But in the life exam, everything is out of syllabus,” he said.
Modi added that, while students at IIT know what they have to study, which assignments to complete and which examinations to take, life would not always tell them what the “real question” was.
“You have to recognise that question yourself,” he said.
In a lighter vein, he said that while all students were present at the ceremony, there must be something else going on in your minds. “I am not Baba Bageshwar, but there must be something on your mind. Every student must have their own picture of the future…”
“Somewhere in the back of your mind, something else might be going on. I am not Baba Bageshwar, but surely, thoughts are running through every student’s mind. Each of you likely holds a vision of the future…” he said.
The PM presented IIT Delhi’s most prestigious honours, including the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, and Perfect Ten Gold Medals, to meritorious students at the convocation ceremony.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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