Sathyabama 21st convocation day held

CHENNAI: The usually solemn convocation procession was enlivened by the whistles and excited cheers of  2,950 students of Sathyabama University who were receiving their degrees on Thursday. The 21st convocation of the university also saw four honorary doctorates being awarded.Dr P Sivakumar, Director, Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Avadi; Dr Sriram Parasuram, musician and composer; Anooradha Sriram, playback singer; and Rajkumar Bharathi, musician and composer, were awarded honorary degrees by the university in recognition of their work in their respective fields.In his convocation address, Dr Sivakumar referred to the young graduates as future builders of the nation. “You are the leaders of the 21st century and we are capable of being world famous with respect to technical power. India can rule the century,” he said.Dr Sivakumar spoke about the need for newer methods of renewable technologies. “Our economy has a 9 per cent growth rate and to sustain this we need 40,000 MW of power. Currently we import 70 per cent of our oil needs – soon this is going to increase to around 90 per cent. We are utilising only 1 per cent power from renewable resources, whereas Germany uses 16 per cent and Denmark 25 per cent. We need to start utilising biomass and nuclear fuel in effective ways,” he said, adding that the future generation would be grateful to them if they implemented such ideas.Playback singer Anooradha Sriram sang a couple of her favourite inspirational songs, like Ovoru Pookalumae and Achcham Achcham Illai much to the delight of the students. She thanked Chancellor Colonel Dr Jeppiaar, saying, “I have two MA degrees, but never had time to pursue a PhD. It was a dream of my father’s and now you have fulfilled it.”Chancellor Jeppiaar gave the students valuable advice on life outside college. He advised the engineering graduates to pursue an additional degree, as BE was a basic qualification. “Improve your communication skills and your knowledge of technology. Once you start earning, you will be tempted to change your lifestyle. Be careful how you spend your money and do not get into the trap of debts,” he said.During the convocation, 1,489 graduate degrees, 1,461 PG degrees and 30 PhDs were awarded. The university celebrated Achievers’ Day 2012 on Wednesday, April 25.