Have courage to seek solutions: PM Modi’s message to Gen-Zs at IIT event
NEW DELHI, AUG 8 : “Keep curiosity alive in life. Keep your learning instinct awakened.”
That was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to graduating students at IIT Delhi’s 57th Convocation. He asked them to test things that are accepted without thinking, raise questions and, more importantly, have the courage to find answers.
IIT Delhi celebrated its 57th convocation on Saturday where over 3,000 students and 587 PhD scholars were present.
This comes soon after massive Gen Z protests at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leak, as Modi steps up his efforts to connect with India’s young generation.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “Somewhere in the back of your mind, something else might be going on. I am not Baba Bageshwar, but surely, thoughts are running through every student’s mind. Each of you likely holds a vision of the future.”
He said that, from orientation to convocation, cherish every moment of your journey while looking forward to the beginning of a new chapter.
His advice to students was to live these days to the fullest. He said, “As responsibilities grow in the future, these memories will become a cherished reminder of your journey, bringing you back to the past.”
Modi also stressed the need for greater participation and representation of women in academic excellence. He said India should see more female students among the toppers, highlighting the importance of creating an environment where more young women can excel in education, research and innovation.
DON’T JUST ASK. FIND THE ANSWER
Modi said the world students are entering will keep changing. Technology, industries, professions and even global power equations are evolving rapidly, making it impossible to predict exactly what the next 20 or 30 years will look like.
But there is one skill he believes will remain important: learning.
“Those who keep learning will succeed,” he told the graduates, urging them not to lose the curiosity that brought them to IIT Delhi in the first place.
FROM IIT STARTUPS TO INDIA’S BIGGER DREAM
Modi also pointed to the role of young people in India’s startup revolution.
“It is young people like you, from this very generation, who have shaped and empowered India’s startup revolution,” he said.
He noted that several founders have emerged from IIT Delhi and said the achievements of one institute show the potential being created across the country.
“If a single institute can achieve so much, just imagine the immense force that is being built across the entire country,” he said.
RESEARCH IS THE NEXT BIG OPPORTUNITY
Modi also urged the graduates to explore research, calling it another major opportunity before them. He highlighted initiatives such as the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship, the Research, Development and Innovation Scheme and the National Research Foundation, aimed at supporting new ideas and strengthening research in India.
He said up to Rs 1 lakh crore is being arranged for the research sector. He also pointed to the One Nation One Subscription initiative, through which prestigious global research journals are being made available across the country, including in smaller towns, at no additional cost.
FROM CHIPS TO SHIPS
The Prime Minister used India’s semiconductor push as another example of what becomes possible when difficult challenges are taken seriously.
When India began taking steps in the sector, questions were raised about whether the country could manufacture semiconductors. Today, production has begun at the first semiconductor unit.
“I firmly believe that from chips to ships, everything will be made here by your hands,” Modi said.
BREAK IT DOWN, THEN BUILD IT
Modi also asked students not to be intimidated by problems that appear too big.
“Whenever you find a challenge big, don’t get scared. Divide it into small parts,” he said, recalling how students often spend hours or days working through simulations before finding solutions.
Life, he said, will bring problems, but those problems can also create opportunities for people who remain alert and are willing to find new solutions.
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He reminded graduates that their next 30 to 35 years will influence India’s journey towards ‘Viksit Bharat’. Their decisions, he said, should therefore also ask: How will this benefit the country? Which national need will this fulfil?
His final message was simple: the courage to find new solutions can turn challenges into opportunities: a lesson IIT Delhi has already taught them.
