The examination of life begins now: Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala at Crescent's 'physical' Convocation

The examination of life begins after the completion of your formal education. Your performance after this will showcase what you learnt here, said Dr Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Institute Professor, IIT Madras while speaking at the 10th convocation of BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology on Monday. Providing an insight into what the students who graduated should focus on now, Dr Jhunjhunwala added, "I believe you have acquired considerable soft skills at the institute, if not, you should acquire them now. Always remember, two-thirds of what you have learnt in college is already obsolete. One should keep learning throughout their lives."

The convocation was held at the convention centre on campus in Chennai on Monday keeping in mind the safety protocol prescribed by the Government of Tamil Nadu owing to the ongoing pandemic. A total of 1865 graduated, out of which only 71 received their degrees in person and the others attended the convocation online.

While congratulating the students for their achievement, Dr Jhunjhunwala emphasised on the importance of entrepreneurship and how the institute has been nurturing those skills among their students. "The next 5-7 years is the best time to take risk, fail and get back up again. To become an entrepreneur, you have to work much harder and it would be a tougher life, however, it will be equally satisfying," he added.

Speaking about how the students graduating now are standing at the threshold of major transition, Dr Jhunjhunwala said, "By 2030, most of India's vehicles will be running on electric power, which will be a great disruption. Similarly, robotics, AI, 3D-manufacturing, will all aid in transforming society. Your knowledge and skills honed by this institution could make a difference while the world is going through a major transition. Your ability to learn new things, train and adopt yourself quickly to change, can help you to lead the world."

Also, speaking on the occasion, Dr A Peer Mohamed, Vice-Chancellor, explained how the institution has adapted to the changing ways of learning during the pandemic. "An in-house learning management system was immediately set up as the nation went under complete lockdown. Our faculty is being trained regularly to understand the facets of online learning. We believe in learning from anywhere and everywhere."