The process of acquiring knowledge never ceases in today’s age of constant technological change and global integration. *Syamal Gupta, the chairman of Tata International, stresses the need for modern professionals to see and pursue learning as a lifelong process

I feel greatly honoured to be invited to the third graduation ceremony of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s offshore campus in Bangalore. I have, over the years, been watching with great interest the development of this offshore campus. It is indeed a great pleasure to see it come out a glorious success.

I would like to begin my address with a quote by the great philosopher Descartes: “I think, therefore I am.” It is the human brain and its still untapped potential that makes humans superior among God’s creations. Thoughts, ideas and inspirations have given rise to modern society as we know it today. Information and communication have become as instant as coffee, and our world is now a bit different from the mystical one J. K. Rowling so imaginatively created in the hugely popular Harry Potter series.

Thoughts and ideas, however, may well remain nebulous, and may not realise their potential as the ‘next big thing’ unless guided and moulded in a stimulating and challenging academic environment. This is where the true significance and importance of education becomes apparent.

Today your efforts have borne fruit, and your thirst for knowledge rewarded. This deserves the highest appreciation, and I compliment you on your achievements as much as I laud the organisations that have supported, motivated and driven you to excel in your chosen professions. With your newly-acquired knowledge and skills, you will, no doubt, scale greater heights in your vocations, and continue to pursue your career goals with renewed zeal.

In our times, facilities to pursue higher learning alongside our jobs were fairly limited, if not totally absent. Now, with the phenomenal exposure students receive as a direct result of technological advancement and globalisation, the challenges are unlimited.

Today you are being conferred with master’s degrees in telecommunications, software engineering and computer science, with specialisation in software engineering. Technology and innovation are the key drivers of the modern world, and more and more organisations are responding to changing demands by facilitating a continuous exposure of their professionals to cutting-edge technologies.

Professionals already in full-time service find it difficult to keep abreast of continuing technological advances. Conventional institutions of learning are unable to cater to this demand for constant improvement. Continuing one’s education through distance learning is a viable option these days and all of you are ample proof of this.

The Illinois Institute of Technology — back in 1997 at the invitation of Motorola India — was one of the first overseas institutes to set up a full-fledged offshore campus in Bangalore to promote such education. The Institute has harnessed the opportunities made possible by technology and infotech to create and develop minds that will bring new knowledge and new possibilities to the world. I warmly congratulate the Institute as well as Motorola India for their commitment, contribution and support to this endeavour.

India has old ties — spiritual ties even, if I may say so — with Chicago, the home city of the Illinois Institute of Technology. One of those associations was the one started by the revered Swami Vivekananda with his historic address to the World Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893. The great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore visited Chicago in 1929 to address a meeting. Chicago, and indeed America, has been in the intellectual consciousness of Indians, and this has led to a continuous exchange and cross-fertilisation of ideas.

The ties between America and India have strengthened over the years. The Illinois Institute’s entry into India, by way of setting up this world-class educational facility, has contributed to a further cementing of these ties. This is a shining example of a successful Indo-US collaboration.

In today’s global village, the kind of world that one aspires to be part of is a society sharing the best of what is possible. The Illinois Institute is already making a strong impact in India and on Indian minds by contributing towards bringing in global technology and management. Such cooperation offers Indian students international exposure without having them travel abroad.

It may not be out of place to dwell on why the Institute chose Bangalore for its first offshore campus in India. Bangalore has earned a reputation for having some of the finest schools, colleges and institutes of higher learning and research in the country. It has deservedly been dubbed India’s Silicon Valley.

The Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management, occupying pride of place in this city, reinforce Bangalore’s stature as a seat of education and higher learning. The city, as indeed the state of Karnataka, has been associated with luminaries in the field of science and technology, among them Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman, Sir Vishweswar Iyer and Dr Homi Bhabha.

It is, therefore, a fitting tribute to Bangalore’s reputation in the field of higher education that it has now come to be associated with Chicago, a city with its own tradition of education and research, for promoting the best in global learning.

I would like to share a few points about the reputed institute that some of you have been lucky to be part of. As you may be aware, the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, is a private, non-profit, PhD-granting university established in 1890. It offers dozens of accredited learning programmes in engineering, science, architecture, business, psychology and law.

The Institute began in 1997 by offering two of its master’s degree programmes, gradually drawing students from among the engineers at Motorola India, Wipro, Infosys and Verifone Oracle, to name a few. Its track-record and reputation ensured that, by December 2000, the Institute was able to attract over 150 students from 12 different companies for its master’s programmes.

It is a tribute to the Institute that some of its distinguished Indian alumni, among them Jamshyd Godrej, Atul Choksey and Sam Pitroda, hold high offices in the country’s industry.

I understand that this year three students are being awarded diploma certificates for the first time. Two of these students have enrolled for the master’s programme after a three-year degree course. The Institute is doing a commendable job in exploring new avenues, and adapting to students’ requirements by offering suitably tailored courses.

Each person today has to be prepared to live in and contribute effectively to a learning society. People must, therefore, be lifelong learners, for it is necessary to stay updated, and to continually upgrade one’s skills and knowledge, to cope with the changing nature of occupations. The process of education, therefore, has to be reoriented to develop these skills at various stages of learning. This is an ongoing process of evolution, for the learner as well as the learning process.

I remember a day not so long ago when my daughter, then aged six, came to me and said very wisely and solemnly, “Life… is a learning game.” This happened to be her lesson in ‘value education’ class that day, and it had obviously made enough of an impact to stay with her through the day. I was much amused by her worldview of life and learning, but I did not dismiss it as a child’s prattle. The desire to learn and know more should only end with life. And then, too, our souls probably seek spiritual knowledge.

It may be appropriate for me to share with you my personal experience of continuing my education. I went back to pursue a postgraduate degree after seven rigorous years at the factory, and this opened up myriad opportunities and vistas of knowledge unknown to me till then.

I was working with Tata Steel then, and I realised that I needed to know more. My employers undertook to sponsor my higher studies and training. This merits special mention because during those days it was difficult to secure an employer sponsorship for higher studies in engineering.

My employers fully supported me in my pursuit of knowledge, and for this I am extremely grateful to the house of Tatas. The founder of the Tata Group, Sir Jamshetji Tata, was a great visionary and a staunch nationalist, and he envisioned an economically developed and progressive India. Not only did he set up integrated steel plants and hydroelectric power plants, but also trusts and foundations to actively promote education and higher learning. He sowed the seeds that led to the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

Education is a prerequisite for all Indians. With the burgeoning of the middle class, the need and demand for education at the graduate and postgraduate levels have seen rapid growth. Recent years have, consequently, seen a rise in the number of technological institutes and regional engineering colleges all over India.

The premier centres, such as the IITs and the IIMs, have down the years built and nurtured a unique knowledge base, and specialisations that are widely considered to be on par with world-class learning. Many of these institutes have spread their wings beyond their geographical boundaries and gained worldwide reputations.

To keep pace with advancements in learning and technology, we must not just have new institutes but we must also upgrade the existing ones to bring them on par with the best in the world. Only then can we provide greater resource support for high-quality research. In the context of globalisation, it is imperative to identify areas of cooperation and enter into collaborative ventures to leverage the complementary strengths of each partner. The success of the Illinois Institute here is a case in point.

As a tool, however, education must not be limited to mere self-development. Education, coupled with a sound value system, will not only cultivate fine minds, but also create social and economic opportunities for the many deprived sections of our community. You will help shape the future of our society. We must collectively apply our learning to the task of finding solutions for the larger benefit of our society.

There is no doubt that the competitive advantage that can benefit us the most in the long run is the value education that we are able to build into our people. After all, the ultimate purpose of education - technical, medical or liberal - is to produce well-rounded human beings ready to serve society, promote peace and harmony, and create a world where knowledge and creativity will drive human progress.

Our society will need to master new technologies, its tools and its products. This means that technological literacy will assume greater importance. Engineers and professionals who are creative, responsible and widely knowledgeable will become a precious national resource and a global asset.

Not only must they possess the intellectual curiosity to look at a system holistically, but they must also have the courage to devote themselves to working for a higher standard of life, rather than for standards of living.

One of the areas of concern in India has been the lack, save for a few instances, of adequate industry-university interaction. The Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, has done some pioneering work in this area, and I am sure it will help redefine the standards of higher learning in India, as well as open up new frontiers for international collaboration and cooperation.

*This is an edited version of the speech delivered by Mr Gupta at the third graduation ceremony of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s offshore campus in Bangalore. The function was held on December 16, 2001.