Convocation at Srinagar Agri Science & Tech varsity

26 Nov '07

3 min read

Following is the text of the address of the Vice President of India Mohd. Hamid Ansari at the '4th Convocation of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar' at Srinagar:

“Rakht kusha ba-Kashmer, kohe tal-o-daman mee-gar Sabz a jahaan jahaan bibeen, laleh chaman chaman ni-gar

I deem it a privilege to be the Chief Guest at the Fourth Convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

I am not a stranger to the Jammu and Kashmir, except in my new responsibility. I consider it a good sign that its focus is on the world of learning. The opportunity to meet the youth of the state, who symbolise the Kashmir of tomorrow, is precious and invaluable.

Graduation is an important aspect of academic life, for the institution and for the students. A university is a place of learning where the students learn to think, acquire knowledge, polish their thought process and learn a thing or two about how the world functions in the diversity of its activities.

When they step out of its precincts, they discover that the real world is more complex, somewhat harsher. The training of the mind, however, helps them understand this better and respond appropriately. This is all the more important in a specialised, technical, institution devoted to the most important area of activity, namely, agriculture.

The facts speak for themselves:

• The agriculture sector, that includes horticulture, forests, sericulture, fisheries, animal husbandry and allied fields is pivotal to the economy of J&K as it contributes more than 50% to the net domestic product of the State and is the main source of livelihood for around 80% of the population.

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