CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan boycotted the 167th convocation of the University of Madras on Thursday, an event attended by Governor and chancellor of the university RN Ravi.
In a statement that followed, Chezhiaan said the governor continues to act in a manner that undermines the dignity of the state legislative assembly and is consistently working against the interests of the Tamil language, the Tamil people, and Tamil Nadu.
“A governor who spreads falsehoods and demeans the knowledge and intellect of Tamil Nadu’s students has no moral authority to award degrees,” he said in the statement.
A Sivathanu Pillai, defence scientist and former CEO of BrahMos, while addressing the convocation, called upon graduates to drive India’s technological strength and sustainable growth as the nation moves towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
Speaking at the event, Pillai said BrahMos had proved its effectiveness by making the enemy ‘kneel down’ through its unmatched speed, precision and power. He noted BrahMos has made India the only country to possess an operational, multi-platform supersonic cruise missile system. Developed under the Indo-Russian joint venture model, the missile is now being exported to friendly nations. “Strength respects strength,” he said, adding only a strong nation can effectively advocate peace on the global stage.
Pillai emphasised the urgent need for India to focus on clean and futuristic energy solutions, particularly solar power satellites positioned in geostationary orbit to provide continuous, carbon-free energy. “In 2047, we must go for fusion reactors using non-radioactive Helium-3 extracted from the Moon,” said Pillai. He stressed India should work towards green hydrogen, circular economy models and advanced clean technologies to ensure long-term energy security.
Higher education secretary P Shankar, who heads the convenor committee in absence of the vice chancellor, presented the annual report of the varsity. A total of 1,93,686 candidates were awarded degrees of this 1323 received the awards in person. 951 candidates were awarded PhD degrees, while one candidate received D.Sc and two received D.Litt degrees.