Speech by Her Excellency the President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil at the First Convocation of Sikkim University

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very happy to be here in the beautiful state of Sikkim and its capital Gangtok during spring - the season of hope and promise. I had been looking forward to my visit to the State and to Sikkim University for its first Convocation - a very special occasion indeed. It is a momentous event for all involved in its inception, growth and sustenance. I convey my warmest greetings to the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor, Members of the Executive Council and all the students.

Sikkim University fulfils a long cherished aspiration of the people of Sikkim to have a higher learning institution of a national level. Higher education brings with it a number of individual and societal benefits. On the one hand, it opens up myriad opportunities for an individual, and on the other hand, it leads to higher productivity and awareness levels in society. It is young educated persons, with their trained minds and skills, who can and must channelise their energies towards taking our nation forward. India is blessed with a land rich in natural resources, time-tested values of an ancient civilization and human resources. These strengths hold the promise of making India a developed country. Already, we are being called a major emerging economy. The foundations are laid. This generation of our youth graduating from Universities now must, within their lifetimes, deliver on this promise.

It is in Universities that the knowledge and values of the students will be shaped. I believe that the entire purpose of education is to enrich the personalities, inspire confidence, bring about new and beneficial changes in the life of the people and development of nations and to prepare youth to face the basic challenges of life, to become enlightened individuals in a society and responsible citizens of the country. I wish the students of the University of Sikkim a bright and prosperous future.

A young University, like any new institution, has the challenge of establishing itself. It needs to construct buildings as well as equip classrooms, laboratories and libraries. It needs to set-up various faculties as also supportive administrative structures. It needs to get good lecturers and professors. All this requires tremendous effort and commitment. However, a new University also has some advantages as it can learn from others and organize itself in a more effective manner. I am confident that Sikkim University will build its reputation as an academic institution par excellence, that encourages high quality intellectual pursuits and broad based participation; and as an institution that produces leaders, thinkers, professionals and, of course, good citizens.

Students will substantially gain, if the University uses innovative efforts to impart quality education in a stimulating environment. The success that this University can achieve would depend on its ability to encourage new and innovative thinking. Pandit Nehru had once remarked that "Success often comes to those who dare to act; it seldom goes to the timid that are ever afraid of the consequences".

The willingness to adopt a forward-looking and a creative approach is evident in the way the University has tailored its entire curriculum, evaluation system and admission process. It offers traditional, policy and non-traditional programmes with courses ranging from medicine, Communication and Information Sciences to folk studies, livelihood management and Environmental Studies. I am also happy that students are allowed to choose subjects of study across disciplines. Academics are increasingly becoming inter-linked and multi-disciplinary. No longer are there definite borders of subjects within which students have to confine their studies. Issues like climate change, food security, diseases, and economic development are now global discourses. The University would benefit from interaction and collaboration with other academic and scientific institutions. To keep itself updated with the latest trends in research and thought, the University should establish contact with other academic institutions in the country and overseas. Fortunately, in the present ICT age, with its advantage of connectivity, such linkages can be established with relative ease.

As a University which has one of its missions, to mobilize the rich intellectual heritage of this region, I am glad that it undertook a collaborative project on mountain agriculture heritage with the United Nations University in Tokyo. Social practices, folk traditions and ancient wisdom as well as rivers, glaciers and bio-diversity of the Indian Himalayas are rooted in our civilization. Sikkim University should be the platform for bringing forth this very rich local heritage to the national and global community. This also means focused effort to study, understand, develop and conserve these cultural, natural and intellectual heritages. The year 2010 has been designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Bio-diversity. This would therefore be a good opportunity for the University to set-up during this year, a Genetic Garden of rare, endangered and threatened species of Sikkim, so as to spread awareness about the unique biological heritage of the state.

Sikkim is on the path of development. It requires that the youth understand the vision, direction and challenges as well as the aspirations of the people of the State. How can this be done? Students must be encouraged to engage in a dialogue with the local population and with civil society members. To take an example, Sikkim is rich in horticultural crops. As part of its engagement with the people, the University could think of building the capacity of women's Self-Help Groups in all aspects of sourcing raw material, processing, storage and marketing of horticulture produce. A small unit dedicated to this purpose can be set up on the University campus. The University should deliberate on launching a literacy movement. As a part of this, they can train local communities in a manner so as to strengthen their capacities in disaster management as well as in taking mitigation and adaptation measures to deal with climate change.

I am happy that the University is planning to adopt green architecture principles, while constructing its campus. The buildings should adopt solar energy and rain water harvesting, energy economy and efficiency, biodiversity conservation and all other steps which can help to promote harmony with nature. I am happy to share with you that in Rashtrapati Bhavan also we are making efforts to make it an eco-friendly estate.

Once again, in the end, I would like to say that how happy I am to be here and to participate in this landmark event of the Sikkim University. I am confident that the students who have received their degrees today will do well in their careers. You should always remember that success is based on dedication, perseverance and hunger for knowledge. I would also like to felicitate the faculty and the management for their devotion.

With best wishes to all of you, thank you.

Jai Hind!