(Vice president of India M. Venkaiah Naidu, Odisha Governor S C Jamir flanked with dignitaries during 13th Convocation of KIIT in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.)

By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, November 11, 2017 : Mother, mother tongue and motherland should get priority in everybody’s life and one must remember Guru always, said Vice-President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday here.

Speaking at 13th Annual Convocation of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University here, he underscored the need to be proficient and efficient in mother tongue.

“There is nothing wrong in learning other languages, but you must be proficient in your mother tongue. One can’t forget mother, mother tongue and mother land. One must remember Guru always. Google can’t replace Guru”, Naidu remarked urging the students to “connect with Vishwam and contribute to the welfare and well being of our countrymen and the people on this beautiful planet”.

Congratulating the students, faculty and parents, the Vice-President said, “Education occurs in the classrooms, the sports fields, at home, through internet and the media and multiple daily interactions with people around us. All formal, non-formal and informal channels contribute to making us educated”.

Naidu reminded the students that they are among the 25% of our country’s youth who are enrolled in institutions of higher education. “I compliment you on successful completion of the courses you have pursued in the University. I hope you will continue to learn even after you leave the University”.

He called upon the student to liberate them from narrow, tunnel vision, “Education is that which liberates, according to our ancient visionaries. It should liberate us from narrow, tunnel vision. It should liberate us from prejudices, hatred, intolerance. “Vidya dadaati Vinayam”, Education should make us humble, should make us patient and make us good listeners”.

Learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge is vital in today’s knowledge economy, Naidu said advising the students to upgrade their competence, update knowledge and adapt to a rapidly changing work environment.

“To do this, you must keep your eyes, ears, minds and hearts open. You must learn to discover and innovate. You must know how to think outside the box and collect as well as connect facts. You must acquire and utilize vast resources that are now more readily available than before: information and knowledge. You must strive to be the best in whatever field you choose”, the Vice-President emphasised.

The Vice-President also complimented KIIT University and its founder Dr. Achyuta Samanta for creating such a wonderful University and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS).

Odisha Governor Dr. SC Jamir also spoke on the occasion.

Naidu gave the Founders and Chancellor’s gold medals to students of the 2016-17 graduating batch of all streams their degrees. He also gave away DLitt awards to Padma Vibhushan Shilpi Guru, Dr Raghunath Mohapatra, Dr Bithal Das Mundhra, chairman, Simplex Infrastructures Ltd, Mr Kishanlal Agarwal, chairman and Bhartia Charitable Trust.

As many as 4,820 students received degrees during the annual convocation of the university this year, out of which 3678 students received Bachelors, 837 students received Masters, 240 students received Dual Degree and 62 students received their PhD Degree.