Mysuru: Isro former chairman S Somanath, on Monday, said, to make India’s potential real and to make our country a powerful, developed nation, the academic world must walk in step with industry, govt and civil society.Delivering a speech at the 106th convocation of the University of Mysore (UoM), he stated that universities should be crucibles of translational research, where discoveries move from paper to prototype to product. “The coming endeavours, Gaganyan, the Venus mission, the Bharatiya Antariksh station, are invitations to your generation: to design, to build, to test, to fly, to ask not merely if we can, but how responsibly we should,” he told the graduates.“The horizon you face is rich with transformative fields, which are going to influence whatever you do in the future,” he said.Governor-chancellor Thaawar Chand Gehlot emphasised that developing an education system that integrates modern knowledge with strong values is essential for preserving national unity, harmony, and cultural integrity. “India’s rich cultural heritage has always promoted universal brotherhood, peace, equality, and harmony. An education system rooted in values, along with modern knowledge, will help safeguard religion and culture, strengthen national unity and integrity, foster social harmony, and provide a positive direction to the world while benefiting humanity as a whole,” he said.Congratulating the graduating students, he said the degrees awarded symbolised their academic excellence, discipline, research, and intellectual achievements, and urged them to use their knowledge not only for personal growth but also for the development of society, the state, and the nation.Film director SV Rajendra Singh Babu, state Human Rights Commission acting chairperson T Sham Bhat, and social activist and educationist P Jayachandra Raju were conferred with honorary doctorates at the event. Higher education minister and pro-chancellor MC Sudhakar, vice-chancellor NK Loknath, registrar MK Savitha, and others were present.
