Bareilly: Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University celebrated the 80th Independence Day with patriotic fervour, with Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.P. Singh emphasising that empowering and appropriately guiding the country’s youth would be crucial to realising the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
Prof. Singh hoisted the national flag and extended Independence Day greetings to the university community. Cultural Club students Satyasakshi, Manisha and Tanu participated in the National Anthem. Tricolour balloons were released as a symbol of national pride, prosperity, courage, peace, progress, development and the aspirations of the younger generation, with wishes for the progress of both the nation and the university.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Singh said India’s freedom had not been achieved easily. Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rani Lakshmibai and countless known and unknown freedom fighters had sacrificed their lives not for personal interests but for the nation’s freedom and the future of generations to come.
He said Independence Day was not merely an occasion to remember the glory of the past but also an opportunity to determine the direction of India’s future. Special attention, he said, needed to be given to the younger generation, which is advancing rapidly in knowledge, information, technology and innovation and is increasingly digitally connected, globally aware and receptive to new ideas.
Prof. Singh said parents, teachers and other stakeholders needed to adapt their methods of communication and engagement to understand what young people know, what they can achieve and what they aspire to accomplish. Instead of restricting young people, society should provide the right direction to their curiosity, creativity and talent.
He stressed the need to connect students with education, skills, employment, entrepreneurship, research and global opportunities. Career guidance and mentoring, he added, should create an environment where aspirations can be transformed into goals and goals into achievements.
“Without developing the potential of our youth, the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 cannot be fulfilled,” he said, adding that today’s youth would shape India’s social, economic, scientific and technological landscape over the coming two decades.
The Vice-Chancellor particularly highlighted the need for teachers and parents to keep pace with a generation growing up with digital technology, the internet and artificial intelligence. He said digital and AI literacy must also increase among educators and parents so that they can better understand and support the younger generation.
He said young people did not merely want instructions but sought dialogue, collaboration and opportunities. Universities and educational institutions should create environments where students can ask questions, experiment, learn from failures and develop innovative solutions.
Prof. Singh said Rohilkhand University was moving forward with this approach. The university’s Directorate of Research, centres and cells, RIF, affiliated and constituent colleges and cultural centre were being strengthened, while research and management systems were being made more effective. Various directorates, he said, were gradually moving from dependence towards greater self-reliance.
He pointed to the growing student population as an important indicator of the university’s development. The number of students on the university campus has increased from around 1,700 earlier to more than 6,000 at present.
He said continued development of infrastructure, technology, laboratories, innovation facilities, research capabilities and academic programmes could enable the university to play an even more significant role at the national level. The university’s goal, he said, was to develop according to global academic standards, which would require collective efforts by teachers, employees and students.
Prof. Singh also said efforts were underway to connect faculty members and students with the global academic community. National and international projects were being used to provide students with wider exposure and opportunities.
Calling upon the university community to make youth empowerment its central commitment, the Vice-Chancellor said every young person was an important member of the team working towards a developed India. He urged students to set goals, work consistently and make full use of their potential.
He said taking the university to new heights in education, research, innovation, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, technology and global academic collaboration would be a collective responsibility.
“As the youth progresses, the university will progress, and with the university, India will progress. It is through the strength of our youth that we will realise the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047,” he said.
The programme was conducted by Cultural Coordinator Dr Jyoti Pandey. Registrar Prof. S.K. Pandey, Controller of Examinations Dr Anil Yadav, Prof. Alok Srivastava, Dr Jyoti Pandey, Mamta Singh, L.R. Bhandari, Vinay Verma, Tapan Verma, Sudhanshu Sharma, deans, heads of departments, teachers, officers, employees, research scholars and a large number of students attended the celebrations.
Report from Bareilly by Akhilesh Chandra Saxena
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