SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL, AT THE 1ST CONVOCATION OF THE NORTH EASTERN REGIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (NERIST)

Itanagar, 1st April, 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am very pleased to be here in the beautiful city of Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, on this landmark occasion of the First Convocation of the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST). I extend my warm greetings to the students, faculty members and the Director of this Institute, which is also celebrating the Silver Jubilee of the occasion when the then President of India, Giani Zail Singh had laid its foundation stone, 25 years ago. The Institute was affiliated with the North-Eastern Hill University till it assumed the status of a deemed university in 2005.

Being the First Convocation, there must be great anticipation and excitement at this Institute. Similarly, I can say for myself, that I too am filled with a sense of excitement on my first visit to Arunachal Pradesh. I had heard much about the beauty of Arunachal Pradesh and its friendly people and my very first impressions confirm this.

The people of Arunachal Pradesh, every morning experience the warmth of the first rays of the morning Sun touching India. Arunachal Pradesh, "The Land of the Rising Sun", may be our Eastern most State, but it has never been far from the centre of the consciousness of the nation. This largest State in the North-East, stretching from the snow capped mountains in the North to the plains of the Brahmaputra Valley in the South, is inhabited by a number of tribes. They have a rich culture, where life is celebrated with dance and music and its diversity captured in the strong tradition of artistic craftsmanship of weaving, carpet making, pottery, woodcarving and ornaments. Moreover, it is a society in harmony, where various tribal communities have been living together in peace for thousands of years. As the State is moving on the path of development, it retains its distinctive culture, showing that the traditional moorings of a society can be retained, while development takes place.

Arunachal Pradesh is a land known for its diverse flora and fauna. Its forests are home to a vast bio-diversity of more than 5000 species of plants, over 500 varieties of birds and a large range of insects and reptiles, making it one of the 18 bio-diversity "hot spots" in the world. The people of Arunachal Pradesh have a strong belief in the oneness of humankind and nature. Its folk tales are full of this symbiosis. Today, there is great concern around the world about the impact of human activity on the environment and the adverse fallouts of climate change. Respect for nature that is ingrained in the tribal communities here, gives me confidence, that as Arunachal Pradesh continues to progress, special care will be taken of the ecological system. The North East, perhaps, can prove to be an example of how development and the well being of the environment need not be antithetical to one another.

Development and progress become sustainable only when the people receive the benefit of education. Education is essential for preparing a population that is not only knowledgeable and skilled, but is also aware of its responsibilities and is willing to contribute to the growth of the nation and as well as the well being of society. Education should be a process that imparts knowledge and values, develops the personality of the individual and opens up new opportunities. Students should be made aware of the many hues of life and the reality that along with opportunities, there will invariably be obstacles and difficulties. This is the truth of life. Swami Vivekananda said and I quote "In a day when you do not come across any problem you can be sure that you are traveling in a wrong path." Unquote. Challenges are a daily occurrence, we should not get intimidated by them but rather learn to surmount them. Self discipline is that one quality which can help tide over many difficulties. So, I would advise that the youth develop a sense of discipline in all aspects of life.

In the 21st century, Science and Technology will increasingly influence the course of human civilization and hold the key to economic growth and social development. Technical institutes around the nation including NERIST will play a major role in making India a major scientific and technological power in the world. Science and Technology, Research and Development, and innovation must continue to receive high priority. I am told that many students do not opt for technical disciplines, as the general perception is that these courses are tough. Teaching should be done in a manner that enables students to grasp its intricacies with ease. A good teacher is said to be one who makes hard things easier for his students. Teachers have the onus to arouse and retain the interest of students in science, so that the nation can benefit from the skilled technical students who graduate from our educational institutions.

Higher education must make our youth employable, including encouraging them to set up their own enterprises. I am happy that NERIST has adopted an innovative teaching-learning scheme through a unique modular pattern in a number of courses in different technical disciplines at the Certificate, Diploma and Degree levels. This allows skills and knowledge accumulation at various levels at various points of time of the life of an individual. Students not only get an opportunity to adjust their professional requirements and the need to earn a living, but also to apply the theory learnt, to the practical realities of technology in the real world. Then, when they come back for the next level, they can use their work experience in the learning process. I believe that the modular course concept would be of particular help to women students who can adjust the needs of their family and professional commitments with increasing their skills sets.

I am happy that the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology is contributing to our national efforts to create a skilled workforce and to have a knowledge based society. Your institute especially has a greater role, as the skilled manpower produced here at different levels, is making a difference even as I speak, to bridging the technology gap between the states of the North East and the rest of the country. When we speak about technology we must speak also about innovation, as the two go together. We want that NERIST should work on practical uses of technology to make geography irrelevant so that in the North East, terrain and geography are not an impediment to faster development. Better connectivity will help in forging backward and forward linkages. It will help in the process of national integration with North Eastern States benefiting from as also contributing to national growth. This region of the country can also be at the vanguard of India's Look East policy to work meaningfully with South Eastern countries.

The most important telling impact of Science and Technology is when it makes a difference to the lives of the common people. You are already catering to local demands through extension services imparted under the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Rural Development. Efforts should also be made to democratize innovation, by tapping into innovative ideas at the grassroots of society. The North-Eastern region is known for its vast pool of traditional knowledge in many fields. Efforts should be made to identify this knowledge, document it, conserve it and improve it. Let NERIST take the lead in this activity.

Women have been found to be important drivers of change in many parts of the country. Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) are a good way of mobilizing women and empowering them as well as giving them economic independence. NERIST could think of working through Women SHGs in Arunachal, to incubate innovations that would be of practical use in the daily lives of women of this region. This could be done through inter and intra SHG discussions on innovations which women would like to see, that would reduce the daily drudgery. The ideas generated could be given final shape in your labs. This could be a good example of how innovations by the people, for the people, practicably usable in daily life, can be delivered to them with fine-tuning from technologists.

I would like the graduating batch of NERIST to remember that education never ends for a technologist. Today, only one phase of your life is at an end. From tomorrow your new phase of education and knowledge accumulation begins, where you should constantly be thinking about the possibilities for the application of technology to make a positive impact on the quality of the life of the people. This would be an apt tribute to the confidence which the nation has in the genius of the people of the North-East.

Thank you.

Jai Hind.