Addressing graduating students at the 75th annual convocation of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in Vadodara, Gujarat, President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu highlighted the essential role higher education plays in nation-building.
The President stated that academic achievements become truly meaningful only when applied to uplift society and advance the country’s development goals.
“When you move ahead in your professional field by prioritizing the interests of the nation and society, you will also progress, and that progress will bring you immense satisfaction,” President Murmu told the graduating class.
Embracing a Multidisciplinary Approach to Solve Modern Challenges
Reflecting on the university’s 75-year legacy of combining diverse fields of study, President Murmu noted that contemporary global challenges cannot be solved through isolated academic silos.
She advocated for a holistic, integrated mindset across higher education institutions to build problem-solving capabilities:
- Cross-Disciplinary Integration: Effective solutions require blending the curiosity of a scientist, the sensitivity of an artist, the perspective of a historian, the insight of an economist, and the consciousness of a sociologist.
- Institutional Agility: Universities like MS University must stay dynamic and alert to prepare students for multi-dimensional real-world issues.
Defining Professional Roles for Societal Impact
President Murmu urged graduates across disciplines to view their technical knowledge and careers through a lens of service and responsibility:
- Engineers: Focus on innovating technologies that directly improve quality of life for everyday citizens.
- Doctors & Healthcare Workers: Treat medicine as a service to humanity rather than merely a commercial profession.
- Entrepreneurs: Concentrate on creating sustainable employment and opportunities alongside economic value.
- Teachers & Public Servants: Nurture future generations while viewing positions in public life as duties of stewardship rather than authority.
The Youth’s Role in Building Viksit Bharat by 2047
Underlining the nation’s mission to become a developed nation—Viksit Bharat—by 2047, the President emphasized that universities and young professionals are central to achieving this vision.
She outlined the core pillars of this national goal, which include universal access to quality education and healthcare, technology utilized for human welfare, equal opportunity, full participation of women and youth, and a life of dignity for every citizen.
