Ahmedabad, April 3
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) held its 58th annual convocation, where Infosys founder Narayana Murthy was ithe chief guest.
The ceremony was held on Sunday at the Louis Kahn Plaza, which has been the venue for all graduating students since 1974.
A total of 597 students graduated from the institure this year, with 380 from the the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP); 48 from the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Food and Agribusiness Management (PGP-FABM); 140 from the one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management for Executives (PGPX); and 29 from the Ph.D. Programme in Management (Ph.D).
With the passing out of these batches, the IIM-A alumni network has now grown to 41,875, spread across the world. The institute is preparing to welcome the PGPX Class of 2023-2024 in April and the PGP and PGP-FABM classes in June 2023.
Meanwhile Pankaj R. Patel, Chairperson of the IIM-A Board of Governors, Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM-A, Board members and faculty members also graced Sunday's event.
Delivering the Vonvocation address, Narayana Murthy said: "The most powerful instrument of a leader is leadership by example in demonstrating courage, sacrifice, hope, confidence, innovation, hard work, truth, fairness, transparency, accountability, austerity, discipline, a good value system, and open-mindedness. How you behave when you are on top and have power and wealth is your true character. In such moments, grace, courtesy, and humility shown to others reveal the real you."
Murthy also recalled how he built Infosys and the value system he carried over the years.
"No caste, religion, social background, economic background matters... only meritocracy matters in our organisation. We have the same lunch area and toilets for everyone. We do not discriminate. We have fought for our ethics and value system, we have sacrificed a lot for it, we have also gained a lot due to our value system.
"In the future, at a time when there is fog on your windshield, I hope these time-invariant ideals will serve you in gaining clarity. These ideals define the finish line. Until these ideals become your second nature, my young friends, your journey and mission will not be over. My hope for India of the future is that you, the future corporate leaders, will ensure that for all ages, for all seasons, for all regions, for all businesses, and for all people, our country will be led by the ideals I have laid out today. Be original. Be daring. Be unreasonable. Be anything that will assert the integrity of your purpose," he added.
Pankaj R. Patel, Chairperson of IIM-A Board of Governors, also addressed the gathering, saying: "As students of this institution, there is no doubt of the talent that you possess and the value that you will bring to the institutions that you will join or set-up. The expectations from you are many."
He encouraged the students to keep building on the knowledge they have gained and to continue to stay curious and explore new ideas.
Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIM-A, spoke about the institute's focus on promoting excellence through research, impactful teaching, and enabling meaningful contributions to knowledge creation in various disciplines.
