The Indian Institute of Technology, Jammu (IIT-Jammu) marked a significant milestone on Sunday with the commencement of its 4th convocation.

The event witnessed the conferral of degrees upon 268 graduates, comprising 179 BTech students, 73 MTech students, and 16 PhD scholars. Eleven outstanding scholars who received prestigious medals for their remarkable accomplishments.

The ceremony received heart-warming messages from dignitaries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Dharmendra Pradhan, education minister; Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS PMO; Manoj Sinha, LG Jammu & Kashmir; Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (retd), LG Ladakh; etc.

The convocation was further enriched by the presence of Prof A Sivathanu Pillai, a distinguished Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee, former chief controller of R&D at DRDO, and founder CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace, as the chief guest. In his insightful address, Prof Pillai inspired the graduating students to lead a life filled with dedication, hard work, and moral values. He urged them to become responsible citizens and upright individuals, sharing invaluable insights from his experiences in ISRO, Chandrayan-3, Aditya L1, Defence Technology, BrahMos, Industry 5.0, Start-Ups, and the “Save the Earth” initiative, among other notable endeavours.

The commencement speaker, Prof Noam Shpancer from Otterbein University, USA, emphasized the importance of these three Cs and quoted the renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud, who once said, “How bold one gets when one is sure of being loved.”

Dr Sharad Kumar Saraf, chairman of the board of governors at IIT Jammu, also graced the convocation with his esteemed presence. He extended warm congratulations to the graduating students, highlighting that they are not just graduates but ambassadors of the esteemed institution.

Dr Saraf expressed full confidence that they would carry forward the legacy of excellence and humanistic innovation.
As a cherished tradition, the convocation featured the unveiling of “Desire Wings,” a magnificent sculpture dedicated to the outgoing batch of 2023. Prof Pillai, Dr. Saraf, Kagliwal, Dalmiya, Prof Gaur, and Prof Misra, among others, were present for this special moment.