Work hard in silence, let success make all noise: Dr Mashelkar

Staff Reporter

“Always keep your aspirations high. To achieve aspiration, one has to endeavour. Remember, hard work has no alternative. Work hard in silence and let success make all the noise,” advised Padma Vibhushan Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, former Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), during the 20th convocation of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) held on Thursday at its renovated auditorium.

After sitting patiently for four hours in the convocation that was held after a gap of two years, Dr Mashelkar gave five mantras to students.

General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff, Indian Army, was the guest of honour. As he could not come, his video message was shown on the screen to the audience. Dr Pramod Padole, Director of VNIT and others were seated on the dais.

“You can’t predict your future, when you begin your journey. Second, there is no substitute to hard work for becoming successful. Third, purpose, perseverance and passion matters. Quitters are never winners and winners are never quitters. Fourth, always be a part of a solution, never a part of a problem. If you can’t find the way, create your own way. Fifth, there is no limit to human endurance, no limit to human achievement and no limit to human imagination, excepting the limits you put on your mind yourself. Everyday, when you wake up, no matter how old you are, say to yourself that my best is yet to come and may be today is that day,” said Dr Mashelkar.

Narrating his own example how one should keep high aspirations, Dr Mashelkar said, “I was born in a poor family. I studied under streetlights. When I was studying Newton’s laws of motion in school, I did not realise that I will sign in the same book as Newton did, while getting inducted in a ceremonial process as a Fellow of Royal Society in London, an honour considered to be among the top after Nobel prize. I am the only Maharashtrian to sign in that book in the last 360 years.”

It was the committee headed by Dr Mashelkar that recommended the conversion of Regional Engineering Colleges into National Institutes of Technology. VNIT erstwhile VNIT is one of those.

Dr Pramod Padole gave a brief account of the institution, its achievements, new plans, students’ awards, the projects of staff, the patents received, contribution of alumni. He also introduced Dr Mashelkar. VNIT awarded a total of 1,375 degrees, which include 70 Doctor of Philosophy, 375 Master of Technology, 56 Master of Science, 819 Bachelor of Technology in various engineering disciplines and 55 Bachelor of Architecture Also, this year, VNIT felicitated students and research scholars with 47 medals and numerous awards for meritorious academic achievements.” Dr Sarika Bahadure compered the programme while Registrar Dr Shailesh R Sathe proposed a vote of thanks.