Rajendra Pachauri, the Director General of The Energy and Research Institute (TERI), gave a clear-cut advice to combat issues like global terrorism, pollution and natural calamities, among others, at the 57th convocation of M S University on Saturday. He said there should be no distortion of responsibilities. The entire country should come together so that the knowledge percolates to every section of society, and every hurdle in the area of development is sorted out, he added. “We can’t have a society where the rich becomes richer and poor remains poor. The hiatus should be filled,” he said. He quoted a statement of a scholar and said: “Faced with the global slowdown and rising calamities such as floods, droughts and cyclones, the world is now confronting a defining challenge.” He told the degree holders and the 228 gold medallists: “At this juncture, knowledge plays a very important ingredient.”Pachauri also addressed the problem of rising sea water in Gujarat. “There has been a rise in the salinity level in Gujarat and a rise in the sea-level has also been observed along the state's coastline,” said Pachauri, who is on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He also quoted Mahatma Gandhi's statement at a conference at Britain. “Gandhi said: Britain has used half of the world's resource to develop; imagine how many planets India will have to use to build up more.”Apprising about the Green House Gas emissions, Pachauri said: “There should be a systematic strategy to prevent Green House Gas emissions, and this is not that difficult.” By curtailing the emission of carbon dioxide and using renewable energy sources, he said, “we will benefit greatly. Germany has created 2,500 jobs by taking steps in formulating stringent rules against Green House Gas emissions. Gujarat has a larger scope, in various forms of energy: Wind, Solar energy and biomass.”On the global meltdown, he said it is due to the lack of proper Corporate Leadership. “There should be proper strategies for clear cut devolution of taxes. There should be a mix of both old experience as well as culture, along with the fervour of youth,” he added. Commenting on the recent terror attack on Mumbai, he said it is surprising how some sections of societies get misled. Therefore, for the overall development of society, the students should get their hands ‘dirty’ in research, he said. “I am using the word 'dirty' in a positive manner. Higher education should encourage research. There should not be institutes only like CSIR, but also other universities, which should do their best for more research. In such matters, the National Knowledge Commission will come into play.”SNIPPETS* More number of girls secured gold medals at MSU's 57th convocation ceremony. Girls secured 149 gold medals compared to the boys who managed 85.Shobhit Mathur from the university's Baroda Medical College secured the maximum number of gold medals.* Parul Khirsti, who secured a gold medal for getting the highest marks in Sanskrit BA, is the daughter of a head constable who serves as a PSO at Navapura. Parul said: “We have a small house at New Sama Road. My father always supported me and my sibling. They never forced me to do anything. I want to study more and make them proud.” Her father Benjamin said, “I get Rs 4,000 as salary, but my real earning is the education of my daughter.”* Hetal Parmar, who secured a gold medal in the Hindi department, is serving for a Vadodara-based NGO: Sahiyar. She said:“I was 10-year-old when I stared going to Sahiyar. I want to study more, especially on the contribution by women in Hindi literature."
