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 Good morning, all of you. Let me first take 180 degree turn. Congratulations to you,

Shri Sharad Jaipuria, Chairman Board of Governors, Jaipuria Institute of Management, and slightly more important, Shrimati Anjali Jaipuria, Spouse of Chairman Board of Governors, Jaipuria Institute of Management, and the one who will carry the baton forward, Shri Srivatsa Jaipuria, Vice-Chairman, Jaipuria Institute of Management. Navneet Sehgal ji, whenever I use the word Vice, I am a little more careful. He is Vice-chairman, I am Vice-president. So our connect is very different. I am sure an illustrious person like you, with such a massive background, having seen total political landscape of the country from all sides. Am I right, Sudhanshu Ji? Your home state better knows it.

I must recognise the very distinguished presence of the Board of Governors. They are the final strength of an institution, the very distinguished faculty that defines Institutions, members of the staff, proud parents, dear students. There are many in the audience who qualify much better than I do to render this convocation address. I would make reference to some of them, Shri Sudhanshu Trivedi, A senior member of Parliament. I have called him, political statesman, and no one has contradicted so far.

Shri Susheel Nongta, who is accompanied by his wife, a former chairman of Steel Authority of India Limited. In the world of metal industry, a global authority, and a friend of six decades standing. His wise counsel has always been useful to me. I made a reference to Navneet Sehgal ji. His spouse is making impact by her absence. We had such a great occasion at Lucknow. Honourable Governor Anandiben Patel, चुनौतियाँ मुझे पसंद हैं – उनकी किताब का विमोचन था, वह वहाँ पर थीं। वह सक्रिय थीं।

I remember my tenure as governor of the state of West Bengal for getting culturally enriched, economically well-informed by one who has been president of FICCI also, Shri Sudhir Jalanji. I would have made a big blunder of my life if I had not been a junior Parliamentary Affairs minister in 1990. Whose brother was with me in Council of Ministers is here, Shri Sunil Shastriji, accompanied by his gracious wife. Sometimes these omissions are never explainable. I am a victim of these even today when I look around. I wish to be excused. It is an absolute honour and a privilege to address this unique august gathering of joint convocation of the Jaipur Institute of Management.

My warmest congratulations, best wishes, and greetings to all the graduating students, their faculty, and families.Convocations, they are very different. Convocations are milestones in a student's life journey, a moment that is ever etched in history and memory. Most importantly, it is culmination of the hard work, learning, and growth in celebration.

But dear students, always bear in mind a convocation is, in Hindi, known as दीक्षांत समारोह. Yes, दीक्षांत समारोह, यह शिक्षान्त समारोह नहीं है। Your learning has to continue lifelong. It doesn't end with this momentous occasion. I'm reminded on this occasion a great Greek philosopher in pre-Socrates era, Heraclitus, and he reflected what is commonly all over these days.

The only constant in life is change. And you keep pace with the change with your learning. So always be a good learner, and from here on, you would have got a great skill of self-learning as well. A convocation, dear students, is much beyond a formal occasion. It is not ritualistic.

You will frogleap in the larger world, you will face humanity in very severe conditions. You will be challenged. You will have highs and lows. You must be ready for that. But fortunately for you, unlike people of my generation, in the country there is an environment of hope and possibility. You have an enabling ecosystem, affirmative government policies that facilitate your fullest exploitation of talent and potential.

You can realise your dreams and aspirations. You only have to look around. Having heard the chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, I find it expedient to pay my tribute to the great visionary Shri M. R. Jaipuria, who was accorded Padma Bhushan by this government.

His foresight and commitment established firm foundations and bedrock on which this institution now stands. This visionary foundation now flourishes under dynamic leadership of Chairman Srivats. I'm sorry. I called him Chairman.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is no slip of the tongue, and I'm sure this seamless transition will take place. It will impart greater excellence, dynamism, and will be more futuristic in line with young boys and girls. But I must applaud the vision of Shri M. R. Jaipuria Ji. He exemplified, in a sense, the spirit of our civilisational ethos, the mechanism to give back to the society.

And the best way to give back to the society is by way of making education available. Education, boys and girls, is the most impactful, transformative mechanism to bring about equality, to cut into inequities. It's a great leveller.

The times in which we live, our educational level will define the growth trajectory of Bharat. So bear that in mind. I must on this occasion, since I'm addressing youth of the country in particular, my salutations to our armed forces and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remarkable success of ongoing Sindoor operation.

It was a remarkable retaliation befitting our ethos of peace and tranquility to the barbarity that happened on April 22, Pahalgam. Deadliest attack on our civilians since 2008 Mumbai attacks. The Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi, sent a message from India's heartland, Bihar, to the entire global fraternity.

Those were not empty words. The world has now realised what he said is a reality. In the mechanism of war and fight against terrorism, a new benchmark has been set.

Indian armed forces targeted Jaish-e-Mohammed at Bahawalpur, deep inside Pakistan territory, beyond International border, headquarter of Jaish-e-Mohammed, also Lashkar-e-Taiba's base, No one is asking for proof now. No one is asking for it. The world has seen, acknowledged, and we have seen the saga how that country is deeply engrossed in terrorism when coffins are taken with armed forces and military power and political power accompanying them. Justice done by Bharat to Sindoor in sublimity.

Boys and girls, historically, you need to know two things. One, it is India's deepest ever cross-border strikes. A strike that was carefully, precisely calibrated to cause no damage except to the terrorists. This happened on May 2, 2011 when a global terrorist who planned, supervised, executed September 11 attack inside the U.S. in 2001, he was dealt with by the U.S. similarly. Bharat has done it and done it to the knowledge of the global community.

I can say without fear of contradiction that all that I am today, beyond the contribution of my wife, is education. So accessibility and affordability of education for all in democracy is fundamental. Democracy cannot blossom, cannot be nurtured if there is no education available but that education has to be quality education. That education has to be beyond getting credentials of degrees, and therefore national education policy was evolved by Prime Minister Modi after a gap of more than three decades. Getting inputs from all stakeholders and this is turning out to be a game changer. On this occasion, my message to corporates, invest in education. If you invest in education, you are investing in your future.

You are investing also for growth of your industry. You are investing for skill. You are investing for national gain. And on that account, I would expect that Jaipur Institute of Management should have greenfield footprints.  I know it is challenging but time has come  When you have green field footprints and with respect to emerging technologies and that is why I said, The vice chairman needs to shake off that prefix voice.

 In last few decades we have seen good Institutions are come.  there has been investment in education.  We have brand schools but what is alarmingly worrisome and a matter of great concern this country cannot afford commercialisation and commodification of Education. It is undeniable, it is present. We have to change our mind because educational health. As per our civilizational ethos are not areas of making money,  these are areas to give back to the society.  We have to discharge our obligation to the society. Institutions will be judged on whether you are making education quality education To one who otherwise cannot  avail it.  if I have not got scholarship for Sainik School Chittorgarh, I would not have got quality education. And therefore this can happen only when all pervasive approach is there that yes no commercialisation,  no commodification,  only service to humanity.

Good enough make it self-sustaining by getting adequate assistance from Alumni. Distinguished people are here. We will have to reflect on this moment is occasion our glorious historical past. I Think about 1300 years ago or 1400 years ago When Sudhanshu Trivedi is present, I am always careful about statistics.  but it's a country where we had Nalanda, Vikramshila, Takshila, Valabhi, Udantpuri and many more. They were institutes of global excellence.People thronged there became there but Nalanda was destroyed in 1190. The library kept on burning for several days,  several weeks. Books were destroyed by marauders.

Boys and girls you need to know about it because you are the most vital stakeholders in governance, In future and you have to pilot the trajectory of Viksit Bharat therefore time has come now to look higher up. Let us be part of the Global best at the moment, We have to find place among the best in Asia.  Let us march towards the direction.

To young boys and girls, your placement is fine. I'm told it's about 85%, excellent, amazing. But let me address in general the youth of the country.

The youth of the country at the moment is in silos. It thinks only of government jobs, not beyond. Whereas the opportunity basket is ever increasing.

It is fattening, of a nature where medical doctors don't take offence at it, not easy to notice it. Even doctors don't take notice of it. The opportunity basket for our young minds is fattening, fattening, and fattening.

Because all that is good cholesterol. And what we have is space exploration, digital governance, disruptive technologies. These are issues in which India is dominating. We are in the front league of nations. Bharat, boys and girls, is no longer a nation with a potential. We are a nation on the rise.

Our growth is incremental. The trajectory is sustainable. And our march is known to one and all in the world. Right now we are the fourth largest global economy. I think in a matter of a year or two, we will be the third largest. And therefore, boys and girls have to bear one thing in mind.

I salute your intelligence. You are well informed. You would be aware that the International Monetary Fund has applauded India, accoladed India, that India, Bharat, is a global centre, important centre of investment and opportunity. Surely it is not for government jobs. You have to think about it. They are coming here for opportunities. You are very much in this country. Please do that. The India, boys and girls, you will be stepping out after getting these degrees, is bold, confident, and unstoppable.

India is the envy of the world on one count. And that is our youth demographic dividend. The average age, the median age, as they call it in statistics, for India is 28, for the U.S., 38, and China, 39. Now, in the last 10 years, India has seen economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructure growth, deep technological penetration, people-centric policies have rewarded the men in the last row, with a toilet, with a gas connection, with Internet connection, with road connectivity, and what not. So people have tasted for the first time development on the ground. This has converted Bharat into the most aspirational nation in the world today.

And when a nation is aspirational, the youth can be restive and restless. And therefore, I appeal to the youth, it is your obligation to look around. Look for opportunities, and I have no doubt you'll find it. Let me take, for instance, disruptive technologies. These have come during your times. I'm an old man.

Artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, machine learning, blockchain. These are challenges, but opportunities. These challenges have to be converted into opportunities. You would have read in history books, Industrial Revolution. What a big change it was. We are at the cusp of something which is much beyond Industrial Revolution.

There's a paradigm shift. Call it incursion, invasion, inclusion. Artificial intelligence, disruptive technologies are with us. We have to get opportunity out of them. And this can be only through young minds. You can handle situations by research. But on research, I have one thing to say. And I appeal to one and all. The research must be real research.

The research must be a solution. The research must make a difference on the ground. The research should not be for self. The research should not be for self in the library. And therefore, those who engage in research need to know about it. The future belongs to those who do not fear change.

And please do not do that. Research will define where India will be in the global comity of nations. Whether it is with respect to war or development. The world has come to know our Akash. Its potency, its efficacy. The world has also come to recognise our Brahmos.

And there is much more to that. And therefore, educational institutions must get fully funded by corporates. CSR fund must take it as a priority.

Because investment in research is fundamental. Gone are the days when we can wait for others for technology. If we do that, we are handicapped right from the beginning. We must avoid that. One challenge which, of course, this institute is well handling is the challenge of faculty. But technology can greatly help in that also.

Boys and girls, it may seem slightly a transgression. It is not. Because we as a nation are unique. No nation in the world can take pride in having 5000 years of civilisational ethos. We need to bridge. I am not saying breach.

We need to bridge the divide between the East and the West. Without such a dialogue, a distorted version of the Orient is portrayed and perpetrated. How can we countenance or overlook narratives that are anti-national? We have to bear in mind. And now every young boy and girl has power in the palm because of smartphones. You can make a big difference. Please don't observe silence. Say something which will resonate for the future also. A word of caution which Sudhanshu Trivedi can take note. Foreign universities coming to this country is something which requires filtration.

It requires deep thinking. It is something we have to be extremely careful. It is a path pregnant with several situations that may turn out to be worrisome. We have already seen in this country with respect to some educational institutions.

I think I have taken time but I will focus on one aspect. Every individual is empowered to help the nation in security. And trade, business, commerce and industry in particular can play a pivotal role in security issues. Can we afford to empower countries that are inimical to our interests? Time has come when each one of us must deeply think about economic nationalism. We no longer can afford by travel or import.

Economy of those countries get improved because of our participation. And those countries in times of crisis are positioned against us. And therefore I firmly believe that we must always keep one thing in mind.

And that is nation first. Everything has to be reckoned on the fulcrum of deep commitment, unflinching commitment, dedication to nationalism. Because there is no other way out.

And that mindset we must teach our toddlers right from day one. Boys and girls, I am concluding. I am sure you must be tired. I am sure you are. Because you smile only when you agree with the speaker. Never fear failure. Fear of failure is a myth. There is nothing like failure. Failure is a success step to real success.

There is nothing like failure. It is success, maybe not fully, partly. Never hesitate to ideate. You have to ideate. Because artificial intelligence or something may come in the future also. It will be a very poor substitute of this mind.

Don't make your mind a parking place for ideas. It is not meant to be a parking place. If you get an idea, get into innovative mode, try to execute. And I am sure you will find what I said was at least not wrong.

Thank you so much for your patience.

Thank you so much.

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JK/RC/SM

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