The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : At convocation, Barnala departs from tradition

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

At convocation, Barnala departs from tradition

Special Correspondent

Consoles father of a topper who died in a road accident and leads standing ovation for another student

— Photo: M. Vedhan

Governor Surjit Singh Barnala presents a certificate and a medal to Kailasam, father of Kulandaivel, who died in a road accident. Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy is in the picture.

CHENNAI: The 12th convocation of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) on Monday turned out to be more than the usual occasion for handing over certificates to graduating veterinarians. Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, who distributed certificates, did a little more: he consoled the father of a topper who died recently and led a standing ovation for another student.

Kailasam, father of Kulandaivel who died in a road accident, walked up to receive a medal from the Governor. When he broke down, Mr.Barnala consoled him.

The star of the evening was J. Lakshmi Kripa, who took home 31 medals, and received a standing ovation, too. The Governor himself stood up and applauded, inviting the audience to follow suit. Mr. Barnala awarded degrees to 210 candidates in person, and a total of 77 medals to 33 students, in the presence of Minister for Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry and Pro-Chancellor Pongalur N. Palanisamy.

Entrepreneurial spirit

Earlier, delivering the convocation address, B.M. Vyas, Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, urged the graduating veterinarians to develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Instead of looking to the government for employment, they could start their own remunerative career. They would relish the liberty and freedom of doing so.

MOMENTS OF JOY AND POIGNANCY: J. Lakshmi Kripa who bagged 31 medals at the convocation of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University held in Chennai on Monday.

Pointing out that animal husbandry, fisheries, poultry and dairy farming offered aspiring entrepreneurs a wealth of opportunities, Mr. Vyas urged the graduands to change rapidly, keeping pace with the requirements. Veterinary expertise would be required in developing nutritious feed and fodder, both in the rural as well as urban sector. There were also a number of opportunities in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. He said veterinary professionals have an extremely important role to play in the economy and socio-economic development. Their mission should be to take science and technology to the doorsteps of the farmer.

Vice-Chancellor P. Thangaraju said the university would forge more international collaborations in future. It had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, U.S. and Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Bangladesh. The State Government, he said, had sanctioned two schemes for setting up an ethno-veterinary herbal research and training unit and developing a vaccine against coliform mastitis, with a financial assistance of Rs.35 lakh.

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