Tuesday, June 28, 2016

“Stay hungry, stay smart and make a difference" says TN Ninan to the fifth graduating batch of Ashoka University's Young India Fellowship


The Convocation at Sonepat campus honours the 193 bright young Fellows of class of 2016

June 25th 2016: Ashoka University, India’s premier Liberal Arts University, hosted the Convocation ceremony of Young India Fellowship (YIF), Class of 2016 at its campus in Sonepat on 25th June 2016. The fifth cohort of 193 enthusiastic Fellows received their certificates from the Guest of Honour on the occasion, veteran journalist T. N. Ninan in the presence of Founder & Trustee Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee along with Pro Vice-Chancellor Mr. Vineet Gupta, faculty, friends and families of the graduating students, and other members of the Ashoka family.

Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University, led the ceremonial procession, with the Guest of Honour, Founders & Trustees, faculty, and the students. Later on he spoke about how students from diverse backgrounds in YIF come together with a common curiosity to learn and during the course of the Fellowship develop an ability to channelize their fervour for a larger goal. Emphasizing on how Ashoka represents not only the best of India, but also best for India, he added, “Today’s Fellows are tomorrow’s leaders in whatever they want to do. I sincerely believe that your tenure as a Young India Fellow has given strength in your individuality: the strength to lead when no one leads, the strength to lead when no one follows and the strength to follow when no one follows. The strength to be alone when required. And the strength to be the still centre when all around is noise and tumult.”

T. N. Ninan, Chairman and Editorial Director, Business Standard, expressed his happiness on being a part of the occasion and gave away special awards. Pride and joy filled the air with families and friends cheering the students as they went onstage to receive their certificates. Nivedita and Karthik J N were awarded the Torchbearer Award for embodying the spirit and ideals of the programme and displaying all-round excellence. Saransh Pahwa and Kavya Sindhuja Thatavarthi received the YIF Valedictory Award for leading the batch in academic excellence. The YIF Class of 2016 was an eclectic group of Fellows whose achievements shone brightly across diverse fields. Some of the accomplishments among several others include that of Neha Batra, who visited China as part of the Indian ruling party delegation to a pre-BRICS summit, Phalguni Guliani, recipient of the Stiglitz Essay Prize awarded by the International Economic Association whose paper is going to be published at the next annual IEA World Congress in Mexico and Harshal Kale who was invited to join the Youth Leadership Advisory Committee of World Federation of Hemophilia, Canada for 2 years.

Pointing out to graduating Fellows, T. N. Ninan shared with the students that how he has witnessed professions evolve over decades during his experience at the helm of different publications. “Change is all around us. The world you see at the end of your working life will not be same as you see it today. Most of you will be joining the corporate sector or not-for-profit organisations and some of you will go abroad for higher studies. The point is to embrace change, be ready for it and ride the waves of change. World is an exciting place, India is an exciting place. So follow your destiny, but do not forget your country.” he said.

Speaking of the journey that our nation and its economy has made, the challenges it still  faces and the role that young Indians will have to play, he added “A graduating student today has crucial choices to make. Which part of the world do you relate to? And which world will you want to be a part of? You are already, as a student of Ashoka University, a part of the new India that has emerged. So you can quite easily become the part of world that India has joined. But you could also choose to devote yourself to the India that still has widespread poverty and economic problems. An India that needs good institutions, good administrators and good policy that deliver positive outcomes.”

As the evening drew to a close, Vineet Gupta, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Founder, Ashoka University concluded the evening with a heartfelt vote of thanks, “While the Fellowship strives to open opportunities for students and gives them an outstanding academic experience, we are committed to achieve on our vision of nurturing individuals who are self-aware, humble, ethical, intellectually curious and who have deep sense of commitment to public service in making this world a better place.”

About Young India Fellowship:
The Young India Fellowship is now in its fifth year and has rapidly become one of the most sought-after programmes in India. The one-year multidisciplinary courses that the Fellows study at YIF, complemented by the Experiential Learning Module (ELM) allow them to think critically from various perspectives and the skills to apply this understanding in the workplace. We help them become problem-solvers with the ability to identify challenges, grasp the bigger picture and effectively communicate clear and concise solutions. YIF alumni are making their mark in some of the top organisations across the public, private and social sectors. They can be found at leading multinationals such as BCG, The Gates Foundation, McKinsey, Microsoft, STAR TV, TIME Magazine, and the World Bank. In India, acclaimed organisations like Avendus Capital, Cipla, Genpact, Goonj and Teach for India count Ashoka alumni among their ranks. Those interested in furthering their education have gone on to premier global research universities like Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, Stanford and Yale, and been awarded prestigious scholarships, such as the Chevening, Commonwealth, Fulbright and Rhodes Scholarships.

About Ashoka University:
Ashoka University is an unprecedented example of collective public philanthropy in India.  It is a pioneer in its focus on the Liberal Arts, offering its students a multidisciplinary liberal education, which is usually defined as one that transcends the boundaries between the arts and sciences, and carries a strong emphasis on learning across subjects. The aim is to help students become well-rounded individuals who are able to think critically about issues from multiple perspectives, communicate effectively and go on to become ethical self-aware leaders with a commitment to public service.
The University is helped in its endeavours by some of the top-rated institutions in the world. Ashoka’s academic partners include University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; University of California, Berkeley; University of Michigan; Sciences Po, Paris; Carleton College; King’s College, London and Trinity College, Dublin. These partnerships extend to the development of faculty exchanges, summer abroad programmes for students and research projects.
For more information, visit www.ashoka.edu.in

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