My Dear Students,  all the faculty and staff members,

It is indeed a great pleasure to deliver the 21^stConvocation Address at Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College (Autonomous) and award degrees to the graduates.

Founded by His Holiness Srimad Andavan Swamigal, and inaugurated by the then President of India, Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1996, this prestigious institution has been serving the cause of higher education for the past 23 years.

I am happy to learn that Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College, since its establishment, has been striving to build a thriving learning culture, responsive to the needs of the community at large through affordable and value-based education.

It is reassuring that the college has kept “fostering and encouraging innovation and creativity” among students as its mission statement.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I appreciate the Management for providing free transport facilities and other student support services.

I congratulate the Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College for dedicating itself towards the spread of education to the students belonging to the downtrodden community and hailing from rural areas. Its initiatives to impart higher education through various curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities are also laudable.

As you all are aware, education is meant for enlightenment, enhancement of knowledge, empowerment and employment.

It must prepare the students with adequate life skills to face challenges. It must empower people to make informed choices and strive for societal benefit.

Education must develop holistic personality of our students.  Swami Vivekananda had said: “We want the education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one’s won feet”.

Education must aim at character-building, inculcate moral values and develop social consciousness among students. Every student should become socially responsible with qualities of compassion and empathy. Our institutions must also involve students in community services from a young age. The students must also be encouraged to join NCC and take up NSS activities for fostering team spirit and camaraderie among them.

Our students must also be made aware of the importance of Indian history, culture and heritage. Similarly, students must be involved in gardening and tree planting activities. For the past few decades, we have been seeing the adverse impact of global warming and climate change. We have tinkered with nature for too long and now we are experiencing the impact of nature’s fury.

 I have always been advising youngsters to protect nature and preserve culture for a better future. Students must spend adequate time in the nature’s lap.

Education does not end with the acquisition of a degree or post-graduate degree certificate. It is a life-long process where an individual constantly acquires new skills, knowledge and newer perspectives. In fact, there are no full-stops to learning.

As stated earlier, education must mold the character and nurture students to become responsible, productive members of society and equip them with the ability to overcome any adversity with equanimity.

Here, I would like to stress the need for schools and colleges to impart yoga training to students as physical fitness is equally important in the present-day, fast-paced world. It is also necessary to curb the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases in the country. Youngsters must avoid junk food and develop healthy dietary practices as food plays an important role in the overall wellbeing of an individual.

Dear sisters and brothers,

Every college must also pay greater attention to skill development as India is blessed with a huge demographic dividend. Students coming out of the portals of educational institutions must acquire employable or entrepreneurial skills to face the competitive world in this technology-driven 21^st century. The government had launched the ‘Skill India Mission’ to train over 40 crore people in several skills by 2022.

There is an urgent need to reorient syllabus, and teaching methodologies in our institutions to train students at par with industry requirements. Institutions such as yours must lay greater emphasis on skill development and establish industry linkages to give students firsthand experience of working in an enterprise and at the same time cultivates the spirit of entrepreneurship to enable them to stand on their own feet.

Tailor-made and need-based programmes must be initiated for specific groups in language and communication skills, life and positive thinking skills, personality development skills, management skills, behavioral skills, including job and employability skills.

As the country marches ahead with the quest to become a 5 trillion dollar economy, our energetic, innovative and entrepreneurial youth will have a major role to play in achieving that goal.

Eradicating poverty, ensuring inclusive growth, making agriculture more reliable, remunerative and viable, bridging the urban-rural divide, empowering women, ending illiteracy, making effective use of programs such as Make in India and Digital India, will help in building a prosperous New India.

I congratulate the Management, Principal, Teachers and the students on achieving “A” grade accreditation by NAAC.

I convey my warm felicitations to Shri R.Rajagopal, Chairman, National Executive Committee, Andavan Ashram, Shri CA. Ammangi V. Balaji, Secretary and Correspondent, Shri N. Gopalaswami, Chairman SRPVT, Shri. H.Devaraj, Board of Trustees, Director, Principal, Staff and Students of this institution and all other guests present here. I once again wish Srimad Andavan Arts and Science College all success in its endeavors.

Pongal Greetings to you all ! Jai Hind!

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 1599143) आगंतुक पटल : 191