Dr. P.K. Dharmarajan, Vice-Chancellor,

Shri Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Noted Film Director,

Dr. K.S. Ravikumar, Pro Vice-Chancellor,

Prof. S. Mohandas, Member Syndicate and Convenor, Steering Committee of Silver Jubilee Celebrations,

Prof. K.K. Viswanathan, Member Syndicate and Chairman, Steering Committee of Silver Jubilee Celebrations,

Prof. M. Manimohanan, Registrar-in-charge,

Dear Teachers, Priyappetta Vidyarthikale,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Friends in Media,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmaare,

Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram.

I am very happy to address you at the closing ceremony of the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady.

Let me at the outset, congratulate the academic and non academic communities of this University on the notable progress achieved by the institution in the last 25 years.  I am sure that the Silver Jubilee Souvenir we have just released will have a detailed account of these achievements.

At this moment of joy, let us all recall with gratitude, the dedicated services of several teachers, non teachers, students and people from various fields in raising this university to its present level.

The completion of 25 years is also a reminder of the greater progress yet to be achieved. As we conclude this celebration, our minds must be engaged in the academic and developmental targets for the future.  And these targets should not be confined only to the campus at the headquarters of the university. As an institution which has crossed 25 years of existence, this university's concept of future expansion should consider the development of its regional centres too.

So far, this university can take pride in having adhered to its commitment to the proclaimed mission of the promotion and propagation of Sanskrit, the mother of many Indian languages.  To simple minds, the name, 'University of Sanskrit' may sound like a limitation in the broadness of its academic domain. But, Sanskrit being a language with a documented history of over 3500 years and a rich literature  covering areas as varied as philosophy, science, religion,  theater etc, the academic range of this institution cannot be restricted to the study of language alone. Therefore, expanding the academic domain through qualitative research should be a priority in the coming years.

I am happy to note that the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit was marked by several academic and developmental initiatives.
I also had an opportunity to be part of this celebration through my presence at the recent Special Convocation and the function to felicitate the awardees of PhD.

It is commendable that the conferences held as part of the celebration had discussed changes in the academic content with a view to attracting the younger generation towards Sanskrit, exploring the scope of inter disciplinary research and enhancing international collaboration. I was also happy to see that the students of Fine Arts of this university could portray the cultural legacy of north Kerala at the Kannur Airport through an imposing Mural Relief. Such contributions deserve to be encouraged as they throw light on the artistic capabilities of the students and enhance the social reach and prestige of the University.

Along with the achievements of this institution, I must also mention a word about the university community's inner strength in enduring the Floods of 2018 and in coming forward to help others who suffered the same fate. I am informed that the students, teachers and the university leadership stood together to clean up the buildings and to put things back to shape.  It is truly laudable that despite suffering a loss of Rupees Seven crore due to the flood, the university community could contribute more than Rupees One crore to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief fund.

I hope such a sense of unity would be sustained in the furtherance of academic initiatives of the university, too.
I would suggest that we give utmost importance to knowledge sharing with other institutions through more active interactions and journals. Let me once again share my desire to see this university bringing out highly rated journals with the desirable impact factor in the coming years.  I would inform you that my desire to see a full-fledged Sanskrit version of your official website in the near future, is equally strong.

At a time when the role of Sanskrit in science, technology and the future knowledge society is being actively discussed, we must ensure that our students are equipped with thetwenty-first-century skills which would accustom them with the changing trends.  Such training should also instill in them a strong urge to adhere to the principle of academicand intellectual integrity and to desist from any form of intellectual insincerity.

I would like to conclude with a thought about Sree Sankaracharya, the great son of Kerala whose philosophy of Advaita enriched Indian thought in the most sublime ways. This university should always be guided by the light of his vision which has underlined the concepts of pluralism and secular democracy. Such a vision would convince us that there are very few places more beautiful than a university. The beauty of a campus is defined not by the imposing structures and towers, but by an unending quest for knowledge which erases ignorance. The beauty of a university also lies in the selfless readiness of those who have perceived the Truth to strive to make others perceive it. I sincerely hope that the further growth of this university would be enriched by the beauty of the unending quest for knowledge and the selfless readiness to share it.

I compliment the University authorities for having organized this function in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind