The Graduation Ceremony of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri campus, was held on August 31, 2018, in the Main Hall of Mata Amritanandamayi Math, Amritapuri. The ceremony witnessed 1325 undergraduate, post-graduate and Ph. D. students, belonging to the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Ayurveda, the School of Biotechnology, the School of Business and the School of Engineering, attaining their degrees in the presence of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), the Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The chief guest of the event was Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation.
The colourful Graduation Day ceremonies started with all the students,dressed in traditional golden Kerala clothing and graduation caps, participating in a procession to the Amritapuri Ashram’s main hall. The 15th Annual Convocation and Graduation Day Ceremony began with the lighting of the lamp by both Amma and Dr. K. Sivan.
Dr. Bipin Nair, Dean, School of Biotechnology, welcomed the gathering. The presidential address was delivered by Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice-Chairman, Mata Amritanandamayi Math and President of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. In his presidential address, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri said, “Life is always an examination which put you to the test and learning process provided, until you are open to learning.” He added, “The students who are graduated today should be elevated to a higher position and the students’ responsibility to society, country, human beings, family and parents are even greater than ever before. From here on, graduates should be matured human beings endowed with love, patience and honesty.” Explaining the value of a human being, he further added that it is the quality of the person that matters and one should have peace with oneself to improve the quality of life.
Dr. K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO, in his convocation speech, said, “The valuable lesson that I gained in every stage of my life is that career is not about opting for the best choices but making use of the best of the opportunities that is available to one”. He also motivated the graduates by saying that if something is denied in life, something bigger is waiting for you. He said that each student must contribute towards the development of the nation and that this is possible only when students take up their tasks without fear of failure. He added, “Technology should be used in a constructive and innovative way. Indians do not have fear of failure for taking a risk.” He further added that in the present scenario, the youngsters have a lot of challenges to overcome such as poverty eradication and alleviation, providing good sanitation, clean drinking water, providing quality education, reducing urban garbage, etc., and it is their responsibility to address these issues to perform their duty to the society.
Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, administered the convocation oath to the graduates. Dr. K. Sivan presented the award of degrees, medals of honour and certificates of merit to the 12 Ph. D. awardees and all rank holders of undergraduate and post-graduate programs.
Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), the Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, told the graduates, “Your lives should also be for the service of the world. You should try to understand what is needed to protect the harmony of nature and put it into practice. At the same time, you should move forward, keeping your faith in the divine power that controls everything. Spiritual knowledge should be your eyes. Science and technology should be your arms. Through this, your knowledge should benefit the whole world.” She also gave the key message to the graduates to spread love and compassion wherever they go.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Balakrishna Shankar, Associate Dean, School of Engineering, Amritapuri campus. He expressed his gratitude towards Amma for her divine presence and blessings at the event. The Deans, Principal, and Directors of Schools and Centers of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, were the other dignitaries present on the occasion.
The event concluded with the national anthem.
