( My address as DCE Director, on 4th August 2008 )

Budding Engineers, may I take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to you and greetings to your parents for joining the prestigious DCE, the alma matter of large chain of highly distinguished world class engineers and technologists which include Vinod Dham, the designers of the Pentium Chip, the Chip craft of the world, Promod Haque, the world's biggest venture capitalist, Raj Soin, the avionics wizards of US, Durgadas Agrawal, the renowned techno-entrepreneur of Houston, Dr Yogesh and Dr Bhuvanesh Goswami the distinguished academicians of US, Dr Yogesh Sood, the NASA top ranking scientist, KL Chug, the top ranking corporate manger, former CMD of ITC, Nitesh Gupta, Abhinav Bhatia and abhinav Duggal, the designers of the first Hybrid Car, the DCE Hybrid, Sameer rastogi and neha juneja the designers ofthe famous DCE Supermilege2005, Jayant Rathi andAnkur khetrapal, the designers ofDCE UAV which won the most innovative Design Award 2006in world competition at Georgia US and many more. Let these bright stars of the engineering and technology horizons be your role models for making the best of your stay at DCE to scale newer heights of glory in engineering and technology education, research and innovations.

This prestigious institution has the honour of being the Mother of IIT Delhi, School of Planning and Architecture, College of Arts and Delhi's world renowned College of Pharmacy, now DIPSAR Let this be the inspiration to cause a fusion of intellect, intuition and imagination to acquire world class education at DCE. Let you get the benefit of being in the company of highly talented and inspired faculty and let you and your mentors together march on the path of enlightenment, acquire both knowledge as well as capabilities to greet the challenges of the new Knowledge Age.

Young friends, we are at a highly opportune time when India's rich intellectual and scholastic tradition is yielding high dividends in the new knowledge age, an age in which the intellectual capabilities of people matter more than any other resource.

India's march to the horizons of Global Knowledge Power began with India's resolve for self reliance in strategic defense, nuclear power, communications, agriculture and there after in communication and information technologies.

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Indian mind, capable of taking flights of imaginations and translating dreams and visions into realty, today is the propulsive force behind India's rapid track transformation into the World's strongest Global Knowledge Power.

Enterprising Indians are managing a large quantum of economic and business activities of many countries including the advanced nations of the world from their networked, technology savvy, highly secured outfits in major towns and satellite cities of our country.

The silicon valley of the US is being over shadowed by the Cyberabad of Hyderabad, Electronic city of Bangalore and IT Parks of Gurgaon, Pune and Noida.

The attraction to pursue the science and technology education and the urge to translate the dream of a developed India in 2020 is the drive force behind the youth of India who turn to technology institutions and universities in great numbers for professional courses and research programs.

India's resurgence to Global Knowledge Power is now a certainty as our young people like you have discovered the value and worth of knowledge power to create both prosperity and happiness.

The prime question before us is that whether tomorrow's Global Knowledge Power India will be a peace loving India, a cultured India, a clean and green India, an India having its firm faith in truth, non violence and universal brotherhood.

The young budding engineers and technologists present here have therefore to understand the value and worth of self discipline, professional morality, work ethics and above all love and respect for life and dignity of labour.

In the new Knowledge Age, the competence and caliber of people will have a great meaning only if they are cultured and motivated to give their best to the organizations they belong to and are unconditionally committed to serve the society and Mother Nature.

The founding father of free and independent India Mahatma Gandhi ji and our freedom fighters worked for creation of such an India.

Our first prime minister Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru laid a solid foundation for the growth of India's Science and Technology power

by establishing a network of world class science and engineering institutions ( IITs ), chain of world class research laboratories, Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO, Bhabha Atomic Research Center and highly agile and ever vibrant PSUs the Navaratnas of India's industrial power.

The mission of Pt Nehru was further strengthened by Shri Lal Bhadur Shastri ji who envisioned and successfully launched India's green revolution. This was followed by a focused attention to strategic defense by Smt Indira Gandhi and Sri Atal Bihari Vajpaiyee, which enabled India to be a member of the nuclear club after the first nuclear explosion at Pokhran.

The rhythms and vibrations of a technologically strong India of 21 st century were perceived with clarity and with a firm resolve by Sri Rajiv Gandhiji who realized that Connectivity, Communication and Capabilities will be the 3 Cs, the building blocks of India's march to the horizons of a Global Knowledge Super Power in the 3rd millennium.

The vision of the Bharat Ratna Dr Abdul Kalam, who later became India's most popular scientist president, ignited Indian minds to develop India into a Global Power capable of wiping out poverty, hunger and unemployment and cause the much needed Resurgence of India to the horizons of a Global Knowledge Power.

This vision of a vibrant and strong developed India is being further sharpened by the genius of Dr Sam Pitroda, the Chairman of India's Knowledge Commission who has provided a highly valuable framework for developing India as a Global Knowledge Power. Creating facilities for world class education in Science, Engineering, Medical and Management is the focus of Knowledge Commission reports to the nation. Synergy between Education and Research, Synergistic Partnership between Institutions and Industry, using technology to enhance effectiveness of education delivery and its reach to millions, including those who are on the worktable or shop floors in the industry are among the action points which we in DCE shall take up for further strengthening our contribution to the national mission on lndia Knowledge Destination for the world.

India today stands as world's second largest economic power, its economy growing at around 10%, Indian Entrepreneurs emerging as global entrepreneurs, Indians figuring increasingly in the list of the richest persons in the world, India's knowledge power making India as a preferred destination for out sourcing knowledge services from India, India fast emerging as a destination for world class R&D Centres and Innovation hub. Young friends, these are the signs of a brighter tomorrow for India and its people. 

It is therefore our responsibility to ensure that the young budding engineers and technologists understand their responsibility to work consciously for creation of India of our dream, a developed India, India inhabited by peace loving people, capable people, cultured people, people capable of providing to the world a new world order wherein fair prosperity and peace in plenty is nurtured by the people the world over.

We, belonging to the engineering fraternity, owe it to our people to solve and solve without loss of time the pressing problem of energy shortage, mounting problem of environmental degradation, inefficiency and indifference in our administrative and governance set up, near chaotic traffic situation in our metros and capital cities, info security of our networks, internal security and safety of our people and above all provide S&T driven solutions to make India a heaven on planet mother earth.

It is not an easy task, but not an impossible one. You as highly inspired minds should resolve today to consciously work for achieving technology breakthroughs to empower our country with the power of science and the might of technology needed to transform India into a Global knowledge Power.

The Delhi College of Engineering is seriously engaged in preparing a cadre of S&T professionals who will meet and greet the challenges of the new Knowledge Age and strengthen our resolve of shaping India into a Global Knowledge Power. With the Troika of Education, Research and Innovation, our vision of shaping DCE as a world class knowledge Enterprise and with a campus gravitating with an inspired environment we with your support shall enable the mankind to march from IT to KT and there after to WT.

You will have a role in strengthening our resolve and to be the part of the winning team of DCE. Remember that the 21st Century requires breakthrough technology leaders, Speed leaders having breakthrough leadership qualities such as those demonstrated by Dr Abdul Kalam in DRDO and in ISRO and E Sridharan in Delhi Metro project implementation. Let you therefore make every effort to shape and mould yourself as a 21st century leader in your own domain of activity. DCE has a tradition of nurturing leadership qualities along side developing capabilities to challenge the state of art technologies.

We shall engage you in breaking the technology barriers and will allow you to redefine the meaning of cutting edge technologies by inspiring you to work on innovative design and development, will cause you to challenge the world best teams of innovative product development and will give you the trill and excitement of engineering. We shall also enable you to realize and visualize the meaning and purpose of life, bridging the gap between man and divine and elevating man to the levels of Godhead, creating the much desired harmony between man and nature.

Let us ponder for a minute on the reasons for your choice of engineering and technology as a pursuit of your education and research goal. Your decision to pursue engineering education, I am sure must be based on the immense possibilities for making profound contributions to the ever advancing frontiers of S&T and infinite opportunities of employment and techno entrepreneurship. You have an opportunity to be globally competitive technocrats and yet an Indian in true spirit. Let Indianess in you nurture India's non negotiable, namely, strict adherence to truth, nonviolence, peace, respect for life and respect of all religions.

The profession of engineering is a profession of privilege, it is a privilege to serve and a privilege to excel. The privilege to serve gives you an opportunity to empower yourselves with the power of knowledge and equip yourselves with the wings of knowledge to serve the vast humanity with infinite capabilities and specialized skills to trans form the world of misery into a world of eternal bliss, a heaven on earth and a place to realize the fullest potential of man in otherwise earthly existence. The privilege to excel should inspire you to life long learning and enlightenment and get laurels for yourselves and your Alma matter. It is up to you to make your choice of joining engineering education a relentless pursuit of engineering excellence.

Let you make the best of your stay in this prestigious institution. Let your knowledge and capabilities get immensely enriched by your association with the scholastic traditions of DCE and let you make rich contributions to the literary, cultural and sports life of DCE. The cultural Council, the Sports Council, The SPIC MACAY unit, the professional society chapters of IEEE,IEE, SAE, ASME,SEM, CSE and many more engage our imagination to create an academic environment enriched by strong cultural and socially relevant activities.

At the end of your four year term for graduation and two years for postgraduation you should be equipped with world quality knowledge, industrially relevant skill sets and an attitude akin to highly inspired, self motivated, ready to run kind of professionals having a positive mindset tuned to high ideals of human existence unconditionally devoted to the service of the society and inspired to continue to excel in engineering profession. I wish you such a preparation of your DCE life. We in administration and in faculty shall always be pro actively engaged to support you in your resolve to bring glory to your Alma matter, the DCE and to your parents and to yourself.

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Let me close by giving you a set of advices on your first academic day in DCE:

• My first and most important advice is that pay your greatest attention to studies and academic activities. As Knowledge is the necessary condition to succeed and excel in the Knowledge driven work environment. But remember that knowledge is not the sufficient condition to achieve the goals and objectives of life. You need to develop yourself as a highly responsible person caring for self and the society and lead a dignified human life.

• My second advice to you is to submit to strict self discipline and be a person having a high Personality Quotient, PQ comprising of high Intelligent Quotient IQ, high Emotional Quotient EQ and a high Spiritual Quotient SQ. You will have plenty of opportunity to develop yourselves in DCE.

• My third advice to you is to be tech savvy and take full advantage of the excellent knowledge warehouse which exist on net. Yet protect yourselves from the virus of misguide, misbehaviour and misconduct. Let you be an ethical leader and a person of high integrity.

• My fourth advice to you is that always work to protect the fair name of DCE as it will be your identity for life. You would be able to do so by your good deeds and will fail to do so if you engage in misdeeds and misconduct. I advice you to be ultra vigilant and protect your own and your Alma matter's interest.

• My fifth and the last advice to you is to fight the menace of ragging and help us to ensure the DCE emerges as institution having Zero Tolerance in Ragging. Your support and cooperation of your seniors is vital to help achieve a Ragging Free DCE Campus.

Well I think I have said enough and gave you the right counsel. This is my first day on return to DCE after a gap of nearly two years as I was away to Rajiv Gandhi Technological University as its Vice Chancellor for the second term on lien from DCE. I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude to the Govt. of Delhi and the Department of Technical and Training Education for give me the opportunity to build RGTU as a Knowledge University of the third millennium and for the retention of the lien to post of Principal DCE now Director Delhi College of Engineering.

I am happy to be back to serve the talented DCEites.

Young friends I wish you very happy and academically highly rewarding years ahead.

Jai Hind.