Convocation ’15

It was both a joyous and teary occasion for the passing out batch of ’15 as IIT Kanpur held its 48^th convocation on 7^th of June’15.  A total of 920 students were awarded degrees by the director, Dr. Indranil Manna and chairman of Board of Governors of the institute, Dr. M Anandkrishnan. Of the total degrees awarded, 634 were awarded in Undergraduate Programmes and 286 in Post Graduate Programmes. In addition to these Dr. Pawan Kumar Goenka (B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, batch of 1975), the executive director of Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, was awarded an honorary degree (Honoris Causa). This was second of the two convocations planned by IIT-K this year, the first one being held earlier this year in February.

The chief guests for PG and UG convocation ceremony were Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan (President, National University of Singapore) and Mr. B. Prasada Rao (CMD of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.) respectively. The chief guests addressed the gathering with their inspiring speeches which were received very well by both students and their parents.

In the PG convocation address Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan spoke about the importance of constructive dissatisfaction, which is the philosophy of transforming our dissatisfaction into concrete ideas and a force for positive change. He gave the example of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore, who transformed the third world country to a thriving metropolis in his lifetime by converting his negative emotions of dissatisfaction into positive ones of belief and optimism.

He then addressed the issue of how vital it is for each of us to be personally well rooted, so that despite an exhilarating lifestyle, we can retain a strong sense of our identity – of who we are, where we came from, and what we value. He concluded his speech with a message for the graduating batch to cultivate the habit of periodic introspection, which would help them provide the inner context for their choices and help them achieve personal fulfilment.

Mr. B Prasada Rao’s speech focused on the indispensable role of manufacturing and innovation for our economy, wanting to inspire the graduating batch to keep this in mind as they built their careers forward. He stated how India’s economy had made a jump directly from being an agrarian to a service driven economy leapfrogging the intermediate manufacturing stage. India will be experiencing a rapid growth in its workforce which will be an opportunity to promote the manufacturing sector since it possesses necessary potential in raising income levels and providing greater employment opportunities. He applauded the Prime Minister’s Make in India initiative as one of the best platforms to strengthen our domestic manufacturing capabilities, producing quality products without any adverse impact on the environment and make the country a manufacturing hub.

He concluded his address with the words of Swami Vivekananda –

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life- think of it,

 dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves,

every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every

other idea alone. This is the way to success” 

While we’re talking of speeches delivered in the convocation, the one by the director Dr. Indranil Manna cannot be ignored. He urged the outgoing batch to go forth and make a difference for the betterment of our society. Dr Manna brought to light a myriad of ground realities which made it clear that there was much to be done to reach the position of glory aspired by us all.Our majestic past of the Takshila – Nalanda era, he said, was in stark contrast to our present state of decay. India, over the course of only the last few centuries, has allowed its indomitable spirit to                                                            be tamed by external influences.

He moved on to say that India was on its way to becoming the youngest nation with two thirds of its populace being younger than 35. Tapping this vast workforce would be vital for us to reclaim our past stature. On talking about the IIT’s, Dr Manna said that we have invariably enjoyed the fortunate privilege of significant funding and high quality of research and educational infrastructure. We have one of the most proficient faculties in the country. That being said, it is more so our responsibility, through our relentless pursuance of enterprising endeavours to come up with solutions to societal needs.

Dr Manna concluded his speech by imploring the outgoing students to salute their parents, who have had a tremendous hand in where they are today. He left the dais after wishing them the very best on their voyage of life and was met with exuberant applause by the graduating batch.

Various awards and honors were conferred during the ceremony, the details of which are given below.

President’s Gold Medal – KARAN SINGH

(For the best academic performance in the graduating class among all disciplines of the undergraduate programme)

Director’s Gold Medal – SARTHAK CHANDRA

(For outstanding all round achievement and leadership among students programmes graduating in B.Tech/ BS/ M.Sc.(Intg.)/B.Tech. – M.Tech. (dual degree))

Ratan Swarup Memorial Prize – PRATIK PRADYOT RATH

(For the best all round students graduating in B.Tech/ BS/ M.Sc(Intg.)/B.Tech. – M.Tech. (dual degree))

Cadence Gold Medal – ABDUL SAYEED KHAN

(For the best M.Tech. thesis in any of the engineering departments)

IIT Kanpur Excellence Awards

• Community Service – For outstanding work in various aspects of community service

ANURAG VAISHNAV, HARSH GUPTA, KARN VOHRA, SONALI GUPTA

• Art & Cultural Activities – For outstanding work in various fields of art and cultural activities

MRIGANK SINGH, IFFAT SIDDIQUI, HARSHA MULCHANDANI, BIPIN KUMAR GUPTA

• Leadership in Students’ Affairs – for exemplary work related to aspects of student governance, hostel management affairs and leadership in organization of events at Department/ Hall/ Institute level

IFFAT SIDDIQUI, ANURAG VAISHNAV, CHINMAY NEMA, SHIVENDU BHUSHAN

Vox Populi congratulates the passing out batch and wishes them the best of luck in all their future endeavors. The completion of your degree in no way ends your association with IIT Kanpur. We hope that you people achieve unprecedented success and set benchmarks for us, this country and the entire world.

YOU WILL BE MISSED.