The world needs you

One who achieves a grade is a graduate. Today is your graduation day. You’re formally entrusted with the grades you have achieved during the course of your training programme here at Christ University. You are now graduates. This is a tremendous achievement from many perspectives.

It is an achievement by you. We believe that you have acquired the required experience, sufficient knowledge, and the capacity to make good judgement. This was what we aimed at while giving training to you here.

It is an achievement by your parents. They have brought you to the best educational institution. They applied their muscles and toiled for you while you were muscling with the books. They prayed for you while you were buried with your assignments and tests. They spent their precious time worrying about you while you systematically invested your time and energy to reach this glory.

It is an achievement for your nation. You are from different parts of the world. You become another fortunate son or daughter of your nation by adding yourself to the skilled force of your nation.

As graduates when you step out of your alma mater, we entrust you with a prophetic mission that was well presented in our core values. You were trained to be human beings whose ultimate goal is the fullness in God, knowing the truth and leading a virtuous life. We do want you to be real guiding lights. It should be not like, as the most famous European humanist of the 16^th century Erasmus puts it, in regione caecorum rex est luscus. Become true beacons of light. We want you to work as positive catalysts in the world.

For some of you, study was cakewalk. Some of you never worked any way near to your potential. For some it was real struggle. It was fight against all odds. The sweetness of your achievement depends on the way in which you reached this day.

Let me take your attention to two persons and a sports team which became viral in the social media recently.

Srinivasa Ramanujan

An immensely talented Mathematician of our Land was Srinivasa Ramanujan. The recent movie, The Man Who Know Infinity, is based on his life. He independently compiled nearly 3,900 mathematical results. Humble to the core, he attributed all his works to the divine assistance. He died at a young age of 32. He was not a graduate in Indian terms. But he was one of the youngest Fellows of Royal Society. Although he was highly gifted, a good trainer like GH Hardy was needed to make him an effective contributor. If you are ready to be trained, your effectiveness is unimaginable.

Anant Ambani

An immensely rich young man is Anant Ambani, son of Mukesh Ambani. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. As a teenager he was often presented as the side effect of wealth as he was hugely obese. Reaching 21, his inspirational mother transformed him to a good looking handsome young man. He walked 21 km a day, practiced yoga, followed a strict low-carb, zero-sugar diet, i.e., avoided any kind of processed foods, such as, breads, pastas, cereals, sweets, soft drinks etc., concentrating instead on proteins and healthy fats. Finally, he shed 108 kgs in 18 months. It’s like a fairytale. But it’s not a myth. It happened just recently. Some of you have worked like this to achieve your graduation. Hardwork counts.

Leicester City

Until the second half of 2015, very few in the world had heard about Leicester City football team. It was placed last in the English Premier League. But on 7 May, 2016 they became the Champions with three games left in the league. In one of the toughest leagues in the world with 38 games, at the time of winning the title they lost only 3 games. The story of Leicester City as a team is a case study material. There are many players in English Premier League who has salary more than the total salary of all members of the Leicester City Team. The Team is owned by an Asian. The Coach never won a major title. Then, how this has happened? Educationalist John Dunford, lists five reasons for the great success of the team as follows:

1. Hardwork, 2.Teamwork, 3. Right Decisions, 4. Support of the Leadership and 5. Evidence-based policies.

If you have achieved the real goal you set years ago, do not be complacent. The world needs you.

If you have not achieved the real goal, do not lose hope. Still you have not lost time. The world needs you.

If you have underperformed while achieving your goal, do not regret unncesserily. Start today. Perform well. The world needs you.

Message to the Graduating Students of Christ University May 2013

Jesus after his resurrection delivered a convocation address. After training his disciples for three years, he addressed them saying, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15).  At this glorious moment, when you are brimming with joy and happiness, when your parents are in elated mood of fulfilment and when your dear and near ones are proud of you, we sent you the entire world. We sent you to the world with a mission. It is a mission to spread the good news you have heard from this alma mater.

You are chosen ones from various parts of the world. Several young ones of your age hoped to study in Christ University. Only a section of them could apply to the University. Among those who applied, all could not turn up for the selection procedure. From among them, only those like you could prove the credentials and potentials to become students of Christ University. Again, not all those who started with you could graduate today. This is a wonderful message to your future life. The process through which you passed through for the last couple of years is a blue print for your life. The lectures you listened to, the classes you attended, the tests you had taken, the assignments you submitted, the people with whom you interacted with and who interacted with you, have all prepared you to this glorious moment. But they are not just for this moment. It is for your life. Your dreams have come true today. But, you are only at the beginning of your bright future ahead. Your dreams are not over. You should have more and more dreams from today. Dreams for a successful life, for a peaceful world, for a united humanity and for a stable family life.

Christ University has given you ample of opportunities for your holistic development. The training given and opportunities you grabbed, made you to this august graduation ceremony. As you are graduates of Christ University, you will always bear the signs of this University. You have the potentials to be excellent. You must serve others with grace. The vision of the University, Excellence and Service and the tag “Christite” will help you to cast out sadness in others, to speak in golden tongue, to overcome difficult tasks, to mantle tough responsibilities and to work miracles in the lives of others.

The visionary of this institution had a great hope of combining secular and sacred education. Your professors have fulfilled that vision with a mission of training you with and to have faith in God. They trained you to be socially responsible and morally upright. You sometimes had gone through some struggles during your studies here. But it is the same struggle, diamond or gold has, before becoming an attractive jewel. You are precious stones. Same as precious stones make the owner rich, proud and happy, you make the people around you rich, proud and happy by involving in socially responsible tasks and morally upright ways.

Be other-oriented in this largely self-centred world. You can expect a corruption-free nation, only if you are also corruption-free. Corruption is the after effect of self-centredness. It is the outcome of selfishness. The practise of one of the core values of the University, love of fellow beings, should be motivation for you to be other-oriented. When you start loving others, when you have other-oriented life, this world will be a corruption-free world.

Your pursuit of excellence does not end with graduation. Your real journey begins here. A beautiful piece of advice given by St Paul to his disciples is very apt here. “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.”(Col 4:5-6). Have a great life ahead!