BURLA: Childresn are like stem cells, they can frame and reframe their lives the way they want to, said Prof. Yash Pal, JNU Chancellor. Just like the cells that are intertwined, all subjects should be interlinked and new possibilities explored, said Prof. Yash Pal addressing the second convocation of VSS University of Technology here today.
Calling upon the engineering graduates to be innovative, the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, said it is high time things changed and India showed to the world its talent through innovations.
Suggesting the budding technocrats to excel in their chosen technical fields rather than making efforts to complete MBA, in his brief inspiring address, he called upon them to look things from a new angle.
Outlining the need for more autonomy to universities particularly in the fields of academics, recruitment and promotion, he said all universities should be guided by a Constitutional Body. Taking a dig at HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, he said universities should be free from any kind of interference. Higher education is in a terrible condition, he observed.
Chancellor of the VSS University of Technology and Governor MC Bhandare said the present global trend reflects that technological advancement will dominate the years to come. Explaining that knowledge is becoming superior and physical power pushed behind, he stressed on effective technology management to gain a competitive edge over others to ensure that India becomes a superpower by 2020. The function presided over by Vice- Chancellor of VSSUT Prof. DK Tripathy.
Later students who excelled in their fields were honoured. Supriya Mohanty of Civil Engineering bagged Gold for best academic performance among all the outgoing B Tech students. Similarly, Madhusmita Sahoo of Electronics and Telecommunication branch notched the Gold Medal among the outgoing M Tech students while Tusar Ranjan Patra won the Gold Medal for academic performance among all the outgoing MCA students.
Yesterday, Prof Yash Pal shared his thoughts on simple topics like stability of water surface, capillarity and shape of the earth with the students and spoke about the flaws in the contemporary education system and emphasised on the need for creativity and out-of-box thinking.
As a parting shot he left the students pondering with this question -- Is God a Designer or an Architect?