"In your endeavor, there could be many situations where you may feel 'why should I continue?', you may have frustrations, your attempts may even fail but when you do fail, do not give up. When you give up, you are not doing justice to yourself or to your talent...So never give up," said Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan, MD, Kennametal India Pvt. Ltd at the Graduation Ceremony of Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) on Saturday. 

The college held the 36th Graduation Ceremony for the Batch of 2023 in 3 sessions. 1505 graduates are receiving their degrees today from Kishore Jayaraman, President, Rolls Royce India and South Asia; Dr.Aravind Srinivasan, Director - Projects, Aravind Eye care System and Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan.

Shankar Vanavarayar, President, Kumaraguru Institutions declared the Graduation Ceremony open. Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan, MD, Kennametal India Pvt Ltd., participated as the Chief Guest of the first session.

Prof. M.Ezhilarasi, Principal, KCT while delivering the Annual Report said that KCT remains steadfast in its mission to equip students with skills, knowledge and values that are needed to thrive in the changing world. Addressing the graduates directly, she said "today you step into the world as ambassadors of Kumaraguru Institutions. Use your knowledge, skills and values to make a difference".Shankar Vanavarayar while addressing the graduates appealed to them to always be aspirational and never settle."You cannot settle in life, enjoy the unsettlement, be aspirational and keep reinventing yourself," he said.

Vijaykrishnan in his address underlined the importance of continuous learning. As the world has become a fast-changing one, what one learns becomes irrelevant in 5 years, he opined. Have the mindset to learn continuosly. Be ready and hungry to learn, he advised. "Develop something (skill/talent) that is unique to you and keep building on it with passion," he underlined. He wanted them improve their communication skills. One may have a bright idea that can be transformational but when he hesitates to speak up, it may not take off. Hence be courageous, and speak without hesitation, he emphasized.

Give importance to ethics. Your competency, achievement and money won't matter without ethics. It is ethics that define you and what you stand for, he stressed.