Bijoy Ghimire
Assam Don Bosco University observes its fifth Convocation at its Azara campus on Saturday, the 10th of September 2016 at which Degrees were conferred on 648 students, of which 172 students received the degree of Bachelor of Technology, 31 Master of Technology, 54 Master of Social Work, 23 Master of Computer Applications, 37 Master of Business Administration, 10 MA in Psychological Counseling, 9 MA in Human Rights, 11 MA in Mass Communication, 11 MA in Education and 16 students received M.Sc. in Physics. A total of 267 students from around 37 countries graduated in various disciplines through Don Bosco Global centre of Online and Distance Education. Doctoral degrees were conferred to 7 scholars. From among those who received degrees for the campus programmes there are students from different states of the country – 231 from Assam, 72 from Meghalaya, 15 from Manipur, 14 from Nagaland, 13 from Arunachal Pradesh, 5 from Tripura, 5 from Mizoram, 10 from Kerala, 5 from West Bengal, 4 from Chattisgarh, 2 from Delhi and 1 each from Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa. There was also one student each from Maldives and Myanmar who received Masters Degree in Education during the convocation.
Gold Medals under various categories were awarded to 13 outstanding graduates with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average in each program. The Chancellor’s medal has been awarded for outstanding performance during Post Graduation to Kangkana Barman of the department of social work and the Vice Chancellor’s medal has been awarded for outstanding performance during Graduation to Ankita Patowary of the department of Civil Engineering, for their notable and exceptional contributions to campus life.
The Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, who was the Chief Guest for this dignified and prestigious event, in his address mentioned “Today is a great day for Assam Don Bosco University. The outstanding performers of the university have been felicitated and honoured, which is a great inspiration to all”. He also said “In the field of skill development, I believe Assam Don Bosco University can play a big role in the near future”. The chief minister said that whenever he visits a Don Bosco institution he always feels at home and is proud to call himself a Bosconian. He further mentioned that Assam is not a region of conflicts and problems, but is an area of potentialities, prosperity and possibilities.
Commencing the convocation ceremony, Salesian Provincial of Guwahati and Chancellor of ADBU, Fr. V.M. Thomas congratulated the graduates while emphasizing on importance of recognizing the purpose of life. In his address he mentioned how Don Bosco has been producing leaders over the years, and stated “Look at this young and dynamic leader sitting here, our Chief Minister. A past pupil of Don Bosco, Dibrugarh, who has made it big – dream come true for him and for us. Your close association with the Don Bosco Society is not only a matter of great pride for all of us, but also an inspiration for all the graduating Bosconians present here. Shri Ranjit Das, Hon’ble Speaker of Assam, is also our past pupil from Don Bosco, Barpeta Road and so are many leaders of our state. Our dreams to produce leaders in the state are being increasingly realised day after day”. He concluded his speech saying, “Embrace the upcoming journey and know that this moment, right now, is a proof that everything will be amazing. Carpe Diem! ”.
The Vice Chancellor Dr. (Fr.) Stephen Mavely began his address congratulating the graduates for their significant achievement. He emphasized, “At Assam Don Bosco University, our endeavor has been to bring together the theoretical and practical to fuel your minds and wills with a desire for research and experimentation, to keep on learning, and to equip you with the skills to do so”. While presenting the annual report the vice chancellor reiterated the immensely significant milestone achieved by the university, of inaugurating the new academic session at Tapesia Gardens for five Departments of the School of Social Sciences and three departments of the School of Life Sciences. He stated, “The campus at Tapesia is proving to be a gold mine for the University – apart from providing us with an enviable location for academic pursuits, it is slowly developing into a nerve centre for the development of the entire region around it, especially the 42 villages that surround the campus. The plantations, in the near future, will turn into demonstration farms and seed production centres for the National Boards, research avenues for the university into pest resistance, hybridization, and mass multiplication through tissue-culture, and an excellent training platform for our social outreach programmes in the villages.” He concluded wishing the students an abundance of God’s blessings and motivating them to grab every opportunity that comes their way.
Ankita Patowary who was awarded double gold medal for securing highest CGPA in Civil Engineering and the prestigious Vice chancellor’s medal expressed her gratitude towards the university for moulding her into a confident and dynamic individual and igniting the spark in her to achieve success in life. She mentioned “It fills my heart with immense pride when I remember that from this University I attended the 2015 Republic Day function in New Delhi as one of the 100 meritorious Indian students and sat alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and the American President Barack Obama.”
Expressing happiness on graduation day, Fr. Jose Karipadam, who has been awarded the doctoral degree on this occasion expressed his profound gratitude to the university and stated “we have reached this far because of you and we wish to assure you that we will be there for you, through thick and thin. Let me conclude with the promise that knowledge has made us humble, and we shall carry it more in our heart than in the head. We shall adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles”.
The Azara campus of the University looked illumined with bright faces of the students and the atmosphere was filled with merriment and emotional moments as the graduating students were celebrating their success.
