Republic Day is observed in SRM University-AP to commemorate the day on which the Constitution of India came into effect, in the year 1950, and the country became a republic. Like every year, this year too the faculty, staff and students of SRM University-AP gathered around to honour the day. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the university celebrated Republic Day by following the safety rules and regulations. The Celebration started with a Rangoli Competition, in which our neighbours from the surrounding villages joined us. This was followed by flag hoisting ceremony and march past of the staffs. Prof D Narayana Rao, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, did the honour of hoisting the National Flag. Mr Ernest Samuel Ratnakumar, registrar; Ms Revathi B, Assistant Director-Student Affairs, Mr Abdul Mohimin, Assistant Director-Sports were among the dignitaries.
In his address, Prof Narayana Rao briefly explained India’s progress since independence in the fields of Education, Industry, Healthcare, Agriculture, Information Technology and others. At the time of independence, India was a poor country with 12% literacy rate and 35-40 years of average life expectancy. In the past 70 years, India has emerged as one of the world’s leading knowledge superpowers. Many other countries also earned independence at the same time as India’s. But only India has been able to utilise its human resources and wisdom to achieve greatness. In the following years after independence, India did not even have enough food grains to feed a country of 30 crores people. Food grains had to be imported from other countries like Myanmar. However, today, India not only is solvent enough to feed its 130-crore people but also exports food grains to other needy and poor countries. Be it agriculture, education or healthcare, India’s progress so far has been remarkable. The reputed institutes such as IITs, IISERs, NITs, IISc, ISIs, AIMs are performing beyond expectations educating the people of this country. Leading research organisations and regulatory bodies such as CSIR, ISRO, DRDO, DST, DBT are rigorously working to make this country do big and achieve big. “These organisations came into being with great vision, and we feel very proud to say that they are on par with any other organisations of the leading developed countries. COVID-19 pandemic brought an unprecedented crisis all over the world. But Indian biotech companies were able to make the COVID vaccines within a very short span of time. It is a moment of pride for every Indian that India has become the world’s vaccine factory. No other country has the capability to produce vaccines in such a large number”, asserted Prof Rao. He further added that India had progressed very much in establishing communication even in the remote villages with the help of satellites. India’s advancement in designing, developing, and launching satellites is exceptional. Data connectivity and the Internet are the basic needs of today’s world, and India is the country that provides such connectivity at the lowest price in the world. Over the years after independence, India has learnt to use its human resource effectively. In today’s world, India produces the most numbers of skilled professionals to meet the need of this era. Indians are scaling greater heights in every sphere. Satya Nadela, Sundar Pichai are a few examples of how Indians are taking over the world with their brilliance and intellect. This country has been politically independent for a while, and it is now high time to be technologically independent. “We are progressing very fast, and we have the power and potential to emerge as one of the major economic powers in the coming days. With a capability to turn every crisis into an opportunity, we move forward towards an ‘Atma-Nirbhar Bharat’ following our Prime Minister’s advice of Innovate, Patent, Produce and Prosper,” said Prof Narayana Rao.
Adhering to the spirits of patriotism, Mr Raviteja Reddy, Mr A Chaitanya, Mr P M Aditya, Mr K Praveen, K Yeshashwini, A Sravya, K Vasu, G Priyanka, students of mechanical engineering, demonstrated their eco-friendly bike which was made recently by converting IC Engine bike to electric bike, under the mentorship of Dr Venkata Nori and Dr P Jayaprakash Sharma. Their successful venture was highly praised by the dignitaries present in the event.
The event concluded with the Prize Distribution Ceremony. The Winners and Participants of Rangoli Competition and Fancy-Dress Competition for Kids were congratulated by Prof D Narayana Rao, Mr Ernest Samuel Ratnakumar and Smt Priya. Prof Rao felicitated Dr Sutharsan Govindrajan, Department of Biology; Dr Mannathan, Dr Mahesh Kumar Ravva, Dr Nimai Mishra, Department of Chemistry; Dr Jatis Dash, Dr Siddhartha Ghosh, Department of Physics for their research contribution in Nature Index Ranking-2020.
