Srinagar, Feb 26 (IANS) Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan addressed the 21st convocation of Kashmir University on Thursday at the Hazratbal main campus in Srinagar city. He started his address by speaking in Kashmiri and asked the audience if everyone was okay. “I ask you not to say ‘Mera Kashmir’, ‘Tumhara Kashmir’, but always say ‘Hamara Kashmir’, Vice President advised the graduating students. He told the audience that both the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have been his friends for over three decades.

“I am today the happiest person for three reasons, our education minister of the state is a woman, second, the vice chancellor of the university is a woman and third the majority of gold medal winners are also women. My additional joy is that this is my first visit here as the Vice President of the country. When my good friend, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, invited me to come to address the convocation, I immediately said ‘yes’. The real legacy of the University is its graduating students: the character they impart and the contribution they make to society," he said.

The Vice President said the university alumni include high court judges, civil servants, doctors, engineers and Dr Karan Singh (first Chancellor of Kashmir University). The university has completed 78 years of its historic journey. "I may be there, or I may not be there; you will soon be celebrating your centenary year."

He said that with its Anantnag, Baramulla and Kupwara campuses, the university has extended its reach. The university has an A plus plus NAAC accreditation. It is ranked number eight among the public universities in the country. Since 2019, over 10,700 research papers from the university have been published.

“Dear graduates, the day belongs to you, but it also belongs to your parents, who have put in all their resources to see that you reach to this stage. Convocation is not merely a ceremony, but is a day built with patience, hope and opportunity. You are graduating at a time when the world is changing very fast. Twenty-five years ago, the change was not so fast. The world you are stepping into in 2026 is different from the world when you entered the University. The world is changing, and change is the only constant. India is emerging not as an innovation seeker but as an innovation provider. The purpose of technology is not progress alone,” he said.

He also spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s innovative ideas of startups, Make in India, etc. “The one thing I ever ask you is to focus on Swadeshi innovations. We need not worry. We have to give up our colonial mindset. The Prime Minister gave us the slogan of ‘Mera Bharat Mahan’. In the outside world, initially, the Covid vaccination cost not Rs 7,500, but 7500 US dollars. “We made the vaccine available free to our people and also to outside countries. Modiji did not aim for patents,” he said.

The Vice President appealed to the graduating students to keep away from narcotics and also ensure that people around them are free from the scourge of drug abuse.

He also advised the youth not to be addicted to digital screens. “Everything must have its limit. You are stepping into life, and life will ask you questions that will not be from the syllabus or something you were taught in university. Challenges will test your patience; you must be patient, failures will test your courage, and you must be courageous,” he told the graduating students.

In the end, he wished everyone well and thanked the Lieutenant Governor, the chief minister, the vice chancellor and also those who made this day possible and memorable.

Earlier, Vice Chancellor Nilofer Khan said in her convocation report that the university was established in 1948 as the J&K University and was bifurcated into Jammu University and Kashmir University in 1969.

“In its 78-year long history, the university has undertaken a journey of ambition, achievement and excellence. At today’s convocation, 59558 degrees, 44910 undergraduate, 13545 postgraduate, 465 degrees in MD, M.S.M.Ch, 638 MPhil degrees, 168 PhD have been awarded. A total of 239 gold medals have been awarded. Out of these,186 medals have gone to female scholars. The university has 14 schools, 84 teaching departments, and three satellite campuses of Anantnag, Baramulla and Kupwara. There are 209 affiliated and constituent colleges in medicine, engineering and other degrees."

“University of Kashmir is the oldest university in J&K. It has NAAC A++ accreditation and is ranked 34th in the NIRF rankings. The University is among the top eight State Public Universities in the country. The alumni of the university include Padma awardees, high court judges, civil servants, journalists and other professionals. Recently, one of our teachers and alumni, Prof. Shafi Shauq, was honoured with the Padma Shri award. We have students from foreign countries, including those from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Malaysia and other countries,” the Vice Chancellor said in her report.

--IANS