The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee attended the 8th Convocation of Malaviya National Institute of Technology at Jaipur today (July 10, 2013).
Speaking on the occasion, The President called upon students to have a clear perspective in their minds as to what education means to them; as to what success implies; as to whether a good professional career with an attractive salary is the be all and end all in life.
The President said students must understand that considerable resource, effort and sacrifice has gone into their education. Society has invested in them and it is legitimate to expect that they would pay a dividend back to society for this investment. Students should pay this dividend by helping the weak, needy and deprived in society.
The President said human values and a sense of social commitment must be inculcated in students. The fact that in the India of today, our society is still bothered by moral unrest, reminds us of the task ahead of us. We must reverse the value erosion in society, and for that, we must instill in our youth the essential civilizational values of love for motherland; performance of duty; compassion for all; tolerance for pluralism; respect for women; honesty in life; self-restraint in conduct; responsibility in action, and discipline. He called upon academic institutions to play a leading role in guiding the young minds in this direction.