Google Can Never Replace A Guru, Says VP Naidu Addressing The 13th Convocation Of KIIT University

Google Can Never Replace A Guru, Says VP Naidu Addressing The 13th Convocation Of KIIT University

Bhubaneswar, November 11: Stating quite matter-of-factly that Google could never replace a ‘guru’, Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu said, “No doubt Google is important, but it can never replace the place of a guru or a teacher in the life of students. Teachers play an important role in transforming the society”. He was addressing a congregation of graduate, post-graduate and doctorate degree recipients at the 13th Convocation ceremony of KIIT University, on Saturday.

 “Accessing, adopting, adapting and assimilation of new ideas has been India’s strength. We must revive and adopt these to grow and bring back the lost glow on the face of our motherland,” he said while exhorting the students to remember four things: mother, mother tongue, motherland and guru.

Advising students to develop the ability to adapt to the rapidly changing work environment and strive to be the best in whatever field they choose, he said, “Learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge is vital in today’s knowledge economy. Upgrading our competence, updating our knowledge and adapting to a rapidly changing work environment is the need of the hour.” Explaining further to the students, the importance of keeping their eyes, ears, minds and hearts open, he said that students should learn to discover and innovate, and think outside the box. This would help them collect as well as connect facts. They must also acquire and utilise vast resources that are now more readily available than before: information and knowledge.

He even emphasized on learning their mother tongue well. He said, “There is nothing wrong in learning English, Hindi or French, but students should also be proficient in their mother tongue as it will help them express their feelings properly.”

Governor S C Jamir, who graced the occasion as the guest of honour, also encouraged the students to work hard and to be focused in achieving their dreams. A total of 4820 graduating students of 2016 – 17 batch of KIIT University received their degrees at its 13th Annual Convocation.

The University honoured three eminent personalities from different walks of life with D.Litt. Honoris Causa degrees – Padma Vibhushan Shilpi Guru Dr. Raghunath Mohapatra; eminent sculptor, Dr. Bithal Das Mundhra; and Chairman of Bhartia Charitable Trust, Kishanlal Agarwal.

Tathagata Bandyopadhyay (B.Tech. CSE), Priyanka Bera (M.Tech. in Geotech) and Kuldeep Pandey (B. Tech. Civil) won Founder’s Gold Medals for their outstanding all round and academic performance. Similarly, 18 students were awarded Chancellor’s Gold Medal, while 26 students got Vice Chancellor’s Silver Medal. PK Bal Memorial Gold Medal, PPL Gold Medal and Nanibala Memorial Gold Medal were also given away on the occasion. Total 62 research scholars were awarded Ph.D. degrees.