The 14th Convocation of the Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS) was held in Chennai on September 16, 2023. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Road Transport and Highways, General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (retired) graced the event as the chief guest. Dr Peter Koenig, Professor and Head of Automotive Technology, Trier University, Germany; Pablo Gandara, Team Leader, International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC), Germany and Sudhanshu Mani (retired), the General Manager, of Integral Coach Factory, Chennai were the special guests, as stated in a press release by the institute.
The convocation was presided over by the Chancellor, Dr Anand Jacob Verghese. Ashok Verghese, Pro-Chancellor; Dr Aby Sam, Executive Director: Dr SN Sridhara, Vice-Chancellor and other officials participated. The event epitomised the mission of HITS: to groom the next generation of youth leaders, innovators, and game-changers. About 1,457 students graduated from the various academic programmes, 740 students from BTech (Bachelor of Technology), BArch (Bachelor of Architecture); BDes (Bachelor of Design) programmes, 333 from Liberal Arts/Law, 274 postgraduates, 56 PhDs (Doctor of Philosophy) were awarded the degrees and 62 other ranks.
Dr Anand Jacob Verghese, Chancellor emphasised that education is more than just acquiring knowledge and skills. It expands your horizons and connects you to new opportunities. He was happy and proud that another new chapter in HITS’ distinguished history was created and HITS was on its way to becoming a university well renowned for its world-class research, education and innovation. As chancellor of the university, it was his vision that education would provide immense opportunity and scope for employment and ensure a developed India, devoid of poverty.
Minister General Vijay Kumar Singh commended HITS on the patents received and the unique subjects taught and made specific mention of the Aviation department. He told the students to always remember the sacrifices parents make to educate them and to keep learning continuously. He asked them to follow the religion of humanity and never stop trying, even in the face of all adversities.
Pablo Gandara and Sudhanshu Mani were awarded Doctor of Science / Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) in recognition of their work. Pablo Gandara opined that research has become the important raw material for societies to prevail and commended HITS on becoming the cornerstone of sustainable development by nurturing bright minds and offering support and guidance towards top researchers and scientific excellence. He committed to supporting future international academic exchange and research activities.
Sudhanshu Mani expressed that one should keep learning all the time and shared that the secret of his success was that he learnt more from his subordinates than his seniors and this was what brought the image of ICF into the national limelight. His advice to the students was not to fear failure and not measure success by the outcome but to work with passion and commitment to eventually succeed.
Founder Dr KCG Verghese Award for Best Research was conferred on Sugan Elankavi Rajendran, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Founder Chancellor, Dr (Mrs.) Elizabeth Verghese Award for best academic proficiency was presented to Kolengadan Justin Paul, Batch of 2023 (BTech in and Mechatronics Engineering), and Chancellor Dr Anand Jacob Verghese award for the best outgoing student was bagged by Lindsay Shantha Rubia K, Batch of 2023 (BTech Mechanical Engineering.
HITS's pursuit towards infrastructure modernisation and capacity expansion efforts continues with the inauguration of a brand new, state-of-the-art Bay Range Aircraft Hangar used by General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh, and a 450 K W solar power system. To help society, and promote the quality of life of students is highly commendable.
As per the press release, Vice-Chancellor, Dr SN Sridhara presented the Annual Report highlighting the remarkable achievements of the Institution over the last year. HITS has once again proven that it continues to be an educational institution of repute.
