Students should preserve their innocence and enquiring spirit that would make them innovate, said Mylswamy Annadurai, director of Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.
It was the spirit of innovation that led team ISRO’s success in both Chandrayaan - 1 and Mangalyaan in their first attempt, despite financial constraints and a restricted schedule, he told the graduates at the 37th convocation of Anna University here on Friday. Success comes to those who take up challenges and do not believe they are impossible to resolve, he said, giving examples.
Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan said the university’s efforts in research had put it on a par with technical universities in countries such as Greece, China, South Africa and Russia.
Higher Education Secretary Sunil Paliwal, the chairman of the convenor committee, who conducted the proceedings in the absence of a Vice Chancellor, said that of the 2,01,244 engineering graduates qualified to receive their degrees at the convocation, 1,65,417 were undergraduates and 34,320 candidates and completed their postgraduates. As many as 1,507 candidates were awarded their Ph.D degrees.
Among the graduates were 65 gold medallists from various affiliated institutions, constituent colleges and university departments.
Boycott
A section of the teachers of the university boycotted the convocation on Friday as they did not approve of the Higher Education Secretary Sunil Paliwal signing the degree certificates in place of the Vice Chancellor.
I Arul Aram, president of the Anna University Teachers Association, said over 400 teachers had stayed away in protest. However, senior officials of the university were present.
