New Delhi, Nov 22 (Mayank Nigam) ISRO Chairman Somanath S, on Tuesday said the future will see a fusion of many of the new emerging technologies that will define the world. Addressing the students in his convocation speech after paying homage to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai and participating in the 41st convocation of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) here, asked the students to reflect upon all they have learned and to make an effort to assess their transformation as they receive their degrees. Speaking on the role of technology in changing India’s socio-economic landscape, he said while the electronics and IT revolution has shaped the past few years till now, the future will see a fusion of many of the new emerging technologies that will define the world.
Students, he said, must be ready to embrace change and unlearn and learn regularly to cope with the speed of technological advancement and become a nation of innovators, technology disruptors, and start-ups based on Atma Nirbhar Bharat to usher in a new technologically powerful and leading nation. He exhorted students to aim high and dream big and drew their attention to the prevailing issues like economic crises, terrorism, climate change, and resource constraints and urged them to find impactful solutions and seek challenging opportunities and take the path less taken and make their family, teachers, and country proud. While drawing parallels to the passion and dedication that helps ISRO successfully put satellites and several objects in orbit defying distance and gravity, he believed every student could reach heights in both personal and professional life by developing key attributes like Passion, Commitment, Excellence, Determination, Focus, and Learnability. Quoting the vision and Mission statements of SSSIHL, Somanath said that both empathy and compassion in individuals are critical for us to thrive as a progressive society and believed the graduands who are now moulded to be professionally sound, socially responsible, and spiritually aware are ready to offer this to the world.
He praised the visionary Founder chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for “igniting a revolution in the academic landscape and setting up the impeccable institution”. Speaking on the occasion, Vice-Chancellor Prof C B Sanjeevi gave a glimpse of the high-quality research carried out for societal benefit by leveraging the world-class Central Research Instruments Facility (CRIF) and the Central Research Laboratory (CRL) at SSSIHL. He stated that currently there are 19 ongoing research projects with an outlay of over ?6.9 crores. Referring to the Actuarial Science programme run by the Institute, he said the exemplary work done by the team was recognized globally by the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) in the USA. SSSIHL won the CAS University Award for 2022, the only Indian Institution to win this recognition so far since its inception. ISRO Chairman and Chancellor of SSSIHL, K Chakravarthi gave away certificates of merit and gold medals to the meritorious students.