“Be good citizens and commit yourselves to values such as tolerance, humanity, pursuit of reason... and respond to the challenges of diversity,” N. Ram, Chairman of The Hindu group of publications, told the graduands of the Madras Christian College in Chennai on Monday.
“India is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-political country. The graduates should understand the history of the country and commit themselves to respecting and cherishing its diversity,” he said.
Delivering the 41st graduation day address, Mr. Ram urged the graduands to remain secular. Any deviation from the path of equality and the doctrine of non-discrimination would be disastrous, he said.
He urged students to not bring religion into politics or use it for political gains. He praised the college for its liberal and progressive approach to education. He compared it to The Hindu, both of which, as old establishments, had to constantly innovate and reinvent themselves to prepare for challenges.
“The MCC had a liberal and progressive approach to education. It has been known for its excellence in education while maintaining accessibility,” he said. He recalled his experiences with former principals and professors of the institution when he had to take a few classes in history during his college days.
College Principal R.W. Alexander Jesudasan read out the report of the college and the achievements of the graduating students. According to him the college had 3,394 students in the aided stream, 58% of which were women. Last year the college had 57% women, he added.
The college had been awarded the green institution award by the Ministry of Human Resource Development recently, he said.
College officials said as many as 915 candidates were awarded degrees in the aided stream and 880 students in the self-financing stream courses.
President of the MCC Alumni Association K.M. Mammen also participated in the event.
