President exhorts students of Central University of Kerala to become ’agents of change’

President exhorts students of Central University of Kerala to become ’agents of change’

Mangalore Today News Network

Kasargod , July 19 , 2014: President Pranab Mukherjee attended the first convocation of the Central University of Kerala in Kasaragod today. Speaking on the occasion, he told the students that they should be ’agents of change’.  The president said the success of India will lie in mobilizing all the positive forces to fight the scourges of poverty, deprivation and backwardness.

 

 

 

 

"The students here enjoy a privileged position by virtue of having access to higher education. This privilege comes with a serious moral responsibility. Their success will lie in becoming the agent of change the catalyst in mitigating the hardships and sufferings of the people. The President said "it is alright to have personal ambitions. But it should not be the ’be all and end all’ in life. While pursuing your individual goals, always keep the bigger picture; the higher calling; the greater good, in mind. Treat your personal aims and the greater good as one integrated whole, without separating them," said Mukherjee.

The president went on to say, if students are the future of this nation, it is the teacher who shapes them.  "Teachers in ancient India led exemplary lives, worthy of the reverence they received. India needs such teachers in greater numbers today, who are not only dedicated towards teaching and committed to their students but are also driven by a selfless desire to mould the moral fibre of our society," he said.

The president named the campus of the University ’Tejaswini Hills’, after the river in the region. In the context of the unfortunate ’Endosulphan’ tragedy at Kasaragod, the President welcomed the initiative to establish a School of Medicine and Public Health. He said this school should be a platform for higher learning and research in all systems of medicine, with particular emphasis on community healthcare and affordable medical treatment.