Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Vinod Tawde addressed the convocation ceremony of IIIT Bhagalpur and congratulated the graduating students on this significant milestone. He said that the degrees awarded to the students today mark not the end of their academic journey, but the beginning of a new intellectual and professional journey.
Tawde called upon the students to use their knowledge and skills for the development of society and the nation. He said that education carries within it immense possibilities. When a student enters an institution, they bring with them curiosity, dreams and potential. Years of education, experience, guidance and continuous learning shape these possibilities into capabilities. The convocation, he said, marks an important milestone in this journey of growth.
Highlighting the significance of Bhagalpur, Tawde said that the region has a distinguished legacy of knowledge and learning. Centuries ago, Vikramshila was a major centre of knowledge creation, study and dissemination. Today, IIIT Bhagalpur is carrying this legacy forward in the era of modern technology by shaping new possibilities in information technology.
Tawde said that in today’s rapidly evolving technological environment, the pace of knowledge creation and dissemination has become extraordinary. Artificial Intelligence has further accelerated access to information, research, data and analysis. In such a scenario, the importance of education lies not merely in acquiring information, but in the ability to understand it, examine its context, identify connections across different fields and draw meaningful conclusions.
He said that many of the innovations of the future will emerge at the intersection of different disciplines. New possibilities will arise from the convergence of Artificial Intelligence and healthcare, semiconductors and geopolitics, climate and technology, as well as agriculture and data. Therefore, students must develop not only deep expertise in their respective technical fields but also a broad and interdisciplinary outlook.
Tawde said that in an era of rapidly changing technology, the most enduring asset of a graduate will not be a particular programming language, software or technological system. Rather, the ability to learn continuously, understand complex problems and apply knowledge in new and changing contexts will be their greatest strength.
He emphasized that the role of technology becomes even more significant in regions such as Bihar and Bhagalpur. The challenges faced by the region are not merely academic case studies but real-life problems requiring practical solutions. He cited the work being undertaken at IIIT Bhagalpur in areas such as Artificial Intelligence-based identification of pests and diseases in Bihar’s agriculture, solar energy-based cold storage and rural healthcare as examples of how education and technology can be connected with the real needs of society.
Tawde said that innovation is not limited to launching new enterprises. A new research methodology, a novel application of existing technology, a tool that makes public systems more effective, a new framework that transforms industrial processes, or a fresh approach to solving a complex problem can all be forms of innovation.
Addressing the students about their future careers, Tawde said that their professional journeys would not necessarily follow a straight line. A student may move from research to industry, technology to entrepreneurship, the corporate sector to public policy, or teaching to an entirely new field. He said that many significant achievements in the future would emerge from the intersection of different disciplines and areas of expertise.
Speaking about failure and uncertainty, Tawde encouraged the students to view setbacks as an integral part of the learning process. He said that in any meaningful endeavour, there will be moments when the first solution does not work or the outcome does not meet expectations. Such experiences should not be seen as obstacles, but as opportunities to learn, improve understanding and chart a better course ahead.
He said that education today does not merely prepare students to find their place within existing systems; it also equips them with the intellectual capacity to improve existing systems and create new solutions. The students graduating from IIIT Bhagalpur, he said, have the potential to achieve accomplishments in the coming years that may not even be imaginable today.
Tawde urged the graduating students to “connect knowledge with humility, skills with national service, and success with values.” He said that the greatest success of education lies in transforming an individual from merely a participant in their times into a meaningful contributor to society.
Congratulating all the graduating students, Tawde extended his best wishes for their future endeavours. He said that although their journeys after IIIT Bhagalpur would take them in different directions, the education, values and perspective developed at the institution would always remain with them.
He called upon the students to transform their ideas into innovation, innovation into opportunities, and opportunities into meaningful contributions to society and the nation.
