Women have outstripped men with their achievements, and will go on to scale even greater heights in the future, said M.K. Narayanan, former governor of West Bengal and former National Security Advisor, on Saturday, February 17, 2024.
“One of the most repeated aphorisms of modern times, is a quote from the first president of Communist China, Mao Zedong, who said, ‘women hold up half the sky’. Mao was partly right and partly wrong. This was made at a time when women in China and many parts of the world, were being discriminated against day after day. But today the situation has changed dramatically, and women have far more opportunities to excel,” said Mr. Narayanan, citing the example of President Droupadi Murmu as an inspirational role model.
Mr. Narayanan, who was delivering the convocation address at the Shrimati Indira Gandhi College (SIGC) in Tiruchi, also advised students to be aware of global geopolitics and understand their long-term impact on their lives.
“Reflect on the churn taking place in the international order and prepare for the aftershock. It is almost two years since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in March 2022. The conflict has reached a point today where it could usher in an entirely new world order and fundamentally transform the life that we are accustomed to today. Remember to understand its implications,” he said.
“My hope is that many of you will be ambitious enough to take up the challenge and come up with possible solutions to issues like climate change, growing inequality and extreme wealth disparity.”
Murali Raghavan, former chief operating officer, TAFE USA, urged the graduands to expand their knowledge in their chosen fields, and share this knowledge with others. He also asked them to be appreciative of the people behind their success.
SIGC chief executive officer K. Chandrasekharan, also spoke on the occasion.
A total of 1,350 students, including 69 rank-holders, received their degrees at the convocation.
