Addressing the 4th Annual Convocation of JNU through a Video Message, President Kovind said students coming from all parts of India and from all strata of society study in JNU in an atmosphere of equal opportunity for excellence. The President said, JNU reflects all shades of Indian culture and the names of buildings, hostels, roads and facilities on the campus are drawn from the Indian heritage. It represents a cultural and geographical picture of India at its best. President Kovind said, this Indianness is JNU’s legacy and it should be strengthened.
Referring to the glorious past of teaching and research in ancient India, the President said that in dealing with today’s challenges, we can draw inspiration from universities in Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramshila and Vallabhi which had set high standards of teaching and research. He said, scholars and students from all across the world came to those centres to attain specialised knowledge. He urged Indian scholars to create such an original body of knowledge which is utilised for dealing with contemporary global challenges and JNU is among those select institutions of higher learning which can reach globally comparable excellence.