MSU convocation

Congratulating students who had completed their graduation and received their degrees, Vittal said they should consider themselves lucky to be beginning their careers with the new millennium.

“Development is now measured in terms of the sophistication of information technology”, Vittal said. “Our country is no way backward, nor are we short of resources. The problem lies with the system.

“Instead of considering the 950 million-strong population as a brain bank, we look upon it as a problem.”

The fact that Indians generally did well in other countries was proof of their potential, Vittal said. Citing the instance of MSU alumnus Sam Pitroda, he added, however, “While the university is proud to have conferred degrees on such people, the country has been able to exploit very little of their talent.”

Moving on to the strides made in the IT sector, the CVC said it could spell only good news for graduates, since it implied the creation of more jobs.

“The process of learning does not end when one steps out of the portals of the university”, he said. “With facilities like distance learning, universities are making learning a continuous process.”

Expressing hope that MSU’s new graduates would help the country tackle illiteracy, Vittal said that just as every letter could be a mantra and every plant had a medicinal value, so no person was born incompetent.

“Every person has the power to become a visionary. The only thing that matters is the optimum utilisation of resources, whether mental or physical”, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, MS Univaersity Vice-Chancellor Anil Kane said the new graduates should regard the convocation as a platform that would allow their fledgling careers to soar.