Pursue excellence in every sphere: Pranab

Visakhapatnam: Gandhiji is not just the Father of our Nation but also the 'maker of our nation'. He gave us the moral vector to guide our actions, a measure by which we are judged.

He saw India as an inclusive nation where every section lived in equality, enjoyed equal opportunities and celebrated its vibrant diversity and commitment to pluralism.

These were some of the points highlighted by former President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday when he visited GITAM Deemed to be University to take part in its 39th Foundation Day celebrations.

Pranab Mukherjee, who served as the 13th President of India, said Gandhiji wanted people to move forward united in thought and action.

"And most of all, he did not want us to convert the celebration of his life into a mere ritual," added the Bharat Ratna recipient.

While delivering the GITAM endowment lecture, Mukherjee said that Indian institutions must pursue excellence in every sphere of academic activity, be it teaching, evaluation, research or project work and called for urgent improvement in academic management.

He underlined the need to utilise resources with existing technology but observed lack of investment in research.

Further, he added that research and innovation are the keystones for widening the country's production potential.

"My dear students, today we are in the middle of the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'. More than ever before, this is leading to unprecedented disruptions in the status quo.

The explosion of disruptive technologies and internet of things has resulted in the blurring of physical, digital and biological spheres," he said.

As a part of the institution's foundation day celebrations, GITAM president M Sribharat presented the Foundation Award – 2019 to Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of the institution's Vice-Chancellor K Sivaramakrishna, vice-president M Gangadhara Rao, Pro Vice-Chancellor N Siva Prasad, Registrar

KVGD Balaji. Later, Pranab Mukherjee unveiled the statue of GITAM founder-president late MVVS Murthi at GITAM Campus.

He also presented the best teacher and best non-teaching staff awards and student awards on the occasion.