‘Graduates are architects of Aatmanirbhar Bharat’: Vice-President at DU convocation

Tracing the university’s history across its 104-year journey, he reminded the gathering that it began with “three colleges, two faculties, eight departments, a modest library of gifted books, and 750 students”.

Today, he said, it has grown to include “16 faculties, 86 departments, 90 colleges, 20 halls and hostels, more than 30 centres and institutes, 34 libraries, and over 6 lakh students”.

“Delhi University has indeed come a long way in its historic journey,” he remarked.

Positioning the convocation within a broader national narrative, the Vice-President said the moment was not merely ceremonial. “Convocation is not merely a ceremonial event; it marks both an ending and a beginning. It celebrates years of study, discipline, friendships, examinations, and self-discovery, while also signalling the graduates’ formal induction into a larger arena, the arena of responsibility.”

That responsibility, he suggested, unfolds in a world marked by disruption and flux. Technology, he observed, is reshaping industries; artificial intelligence is redefining work; climate change is challenging growth models; and democracies across the globe are being tested. In such a context, he argued, education must anchor ethical purpose.

The Vice-President tied this responsibility to the national goal of “Viksit Bharat 2047,” invoking the leadership and vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India, he said, has articulated the aspiration of becoming an Aatmanirbhar Bharat and building a developed nation by 2047, when it marks 100 years of Independence.

“Aatmanirbharta is the capacity to innovate, manufacture, research, and create solutions rooted in Indian realities yet globally competitive,” he said.

Universities, in this vision, must become engines of research, entrepreneurship and indigenous knowledge systems. “Viksit Bharat stands for inclusive growth, technological leadership, social harmony, environmental sustainability, and transparent and accountable institutions. It aims to ensure that development reaches the last citizen and that opportunity becomes a promise to all.”

Addressing the graduates as “architects of this vision,” he said that whether they became scientists, civil servants, entrepreneurs, artists or teachers, “the realisation of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat will depend on their integrity, competence, compassion, and innovative spirit.”

The Vice-President also underscored a demographic shift within the graduating class. “Over 50% of graduates and more than 70% of gold medallists are women,” he said, noting that the number of women receiving degrees exceeded that of men this year. He described it as “a reflection of the phenomenal growth of women’s education in India.”

The university’s academic stature, he added, continues to rise. He noted that it has retained the number one position among Indian universities in the QS World University Rankings for four consecutive years.

In his concluding remarks, he urged graduates to sustain intellectual curiosity beyond the campus gates. Learning, he said, is lifelong.

The V-C said a total of 1,09,003 undergraduate, 11,362 post-graduate, and 43 four-year undergraduate (FYUP) programme students, including regular DU students, NCWEB, and SOL students, were awarded degrees during the ceremony.