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Students from all disciplines across five campuses received degrees, including 36 PhD’s and 100 medal winners

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, ranked No. 1 private university in India by global ranking agencies, awarded degrees to a total of 4,477 students, including 2,212 women, at its 13th convocation held at Coimbatore campus on August 21, 2016. As many as 19 out of 36 Ph.D. degrees were bagged by women. In addition, one hundred students across all the five campuses received gold and silver medals for academic excellence. The faces of thousands of Amrita students beamed with pride and joy as they waited to receive their degree certificates and clicked pictures at the grand annual ceremony.

The largest contingent of students receiving degrees belonged to the B.Tech. stream (1,896), followed by M.Tech.​ (473), MCA (196), MBA (191), BCA (188), B.Com (162), B.Sc. (131), MBBS (95), and others. All disciplines of study such as engineering, business, medicine, biotechnology, nanotechnology, arts & sciences, dentistry, nursing, ayurveda, pharmacy, social work, mass communication and teacher education were represented among the students.

In his convocation address, Guest of Honour, Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, said that India needs to drastically ramp up the number of Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) and also create world-class universities, even as he called upon the students to be agents of change in an increasingly strife-torn world. He said, “By 2030, India is likely to be the youngest nation in the world, with 140 million youngsters ready to enter the portals of a HEI.  Higher education with an innovative mindset is the key to leveraging this demographic dividend. The Indian higher education system needs to elevate itself in the knowledge economy by striking a balance between quality and quantity. In addition to institutions that focus on skilling and teaching, there is a need to promote many more world-class universities which would be hubs of innovation and research excellence. They will transform India into a knowledge superpower.”​

Prof. Ashutosh added, “Now you are plunging into a new phase of personal and professional life. Now you need to make all your decisions on your own. While your decisions will be your own, never do the cardinal mistake to think of ‘your’ successes to be your own! Now, you will have to be a serious and committed team player. Don’t forget to bring positivity in interacting with your team. And don’t forget to cheer people with those great words: ‘You did a splendid job’, ‘What is your advice in this matter?’, ‘Could you please?’, ‘Many thanks’.  Let the emphasis to be on ‘We’ rather than, ‘I’.” Focus on your dreams, be prepared to take calculated risks and do not get deterred by failures. In fact, there is no such thing as a failure. Strive to realize your fullest potential.”

Ronnie Oldham, a well-known sales executive has rightly said, and I quote “Excellence is the Result of Caring more than others think is Wise, Risking more than others think is Safe, Dreaming more than others think is Practical, and Expecting more than others think is Possible.” I am sure each one of you will leave your unique footprints of excellence.

Delivering the benedictory address, Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, President of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, said he was confident that Amrita students have the capacity to shift their focus from self-fulfilment to serving others. He said, “Instead of being result-oriented, be action-oriented, because action is more important than the result. When focus on action becomes 100 percent, when dedication in action arises, productivity increases automatically. Today’s youth blindly believe in a fast pace. Velocity has become more important than the goal. We should make sure that there is love and dedication in work, that it is not just mechanical. Nature has given you students certain qualities, skills, and talents. Only by understanding that will you be able to elevate yourself. Use your knowledge and skills to serve the society with a loving and compassionate attitude. Create a beautiful blend of science and spirituality in the service of mankind.”

Dr. Venkat Rangan, Vice-Chancellor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, presented the institution’s annual report. Dr. Prem Nair, Medical Director welcomed the gathering. Also present on the occasion were Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya, Pro-Chancellor; Prof. C. Parameswaran, Director-Corporate & Industry Relations; Dr. K. Sankaran, Registrar; Dr. Sasangan Ramanathan, Dean-Engineering; and Dr. Shanti Nair, Dean-Research, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.

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