As the curtains came down on VIT University’s annual knowledge carnival, “graVITas 2017” on Sunday, Rajdeep Sardesai, consulting editor of India Today TV , told students to celebrate the journey of life and live life in each moment.
“Life is the ability to enjoy every step of the journey. We live in a world of fame and celebrityhood. It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice,” he said at the valedictory of the three-day technical fest.
This generation, he said, lives in real time. “Use technology in your own small way to transform the lives of people,” he said.
Calling youth the demographic dividend of the country, he urged them to find ways to empower themselves and to empower others. “In young India, many are impatient. But that impatience should liberate you and make you believe that you can seize all opportunities around you,” he told the students.
Mr. Sardesai said that politicians and media do not spend enough time investing in education and health. He referred to former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran’s mid-day meal scheme and said it made thousands of students from underprivileged families to go to school. “This State has the best mid-day meal scheme. The likes of MGR deserve far greater credit,” he noted.
Addressing the gathering, VIT’s Chancellor G. Viswanathan said science and technology was a must for any developing economy. “We are a big nation of diversity. We need the help of science and technology for economic development and growth,” he said.
Swapnil Jain, chief executive officer, Essar Power Gujarat Ltd, said the world was changing fast, and bright, young and talented minds were the reason for the change.
K. Gokul Kumar, convenor of graVITas 2017, said 18,100 students had registered for events and workshops. A total of 4,800 students from 12 countries took part through online events.
The Hindu is the media partner for the event.
