N Sankar delivering the convocation address. Others in the picture are (l to r) Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala, Anna University Vice Chancellor Dr D Viswanathan and K Ramalingam, Chairman, Airports Authority of India.
Things have now definitely improved in many ways. The focus has switched to imparting knowledge, rather than passing examinations. Syllabi have been modernised to keep in touch with the changing technologies of the day. But one thing I can say with pride has not changed - the graduating classes from these institutions continue to be the cream of India’s emerging technical manpower.
N Sankar, Chairman, The Sanmar Group was the Chief Guest at the 26th Annual Convocation of Anna University, Chennai, on 3 November 2005. The Tamil Nadu Governor and Chancellor of Anna University Surjit Singh Barnala, the State Education Minister C Ve Shanmugam, and the Vice Chancellor Dr D Viswanathan were present at the glittering function. N Sankar, delivered the convocation address.
We reproduce below the text of N Sankar’s convocation address in full.
I am genuinely delighted and honoured to be present on this occasion when another group of bright and enthusiastic young minds prepares to leave the portals of academia, and embark on productive careers, and at the opportunity to address them. One reason for this pleasure is that I myself am an alumnus of Anna University, or perhaps I should say one of the current constituents of Anna University, having graduated from the AC College of Technology forty years ago. As my mind goes back to that time, I marvel at how things have changed. Guindy, and particularly the environs of Guindy Engineering College and AC Tech were then fairly quiet and sleepy, with none of the hustle and bustle that you see today, both within and without their compounds. IIT Madras was just graduating its first few classes. Academic life was at a much slower pace, probably reflecting the slower paced life styles of the time. The academic evaluation system was different, with the dreaded annual exams always in the minds of the students. This was before the days of the semester system, open book exams, and so on, and we had to take exams in thirteen different subjects over a fifteenday period, including two Sundays. Things have now definitely improved in many ways. The focus has switched to imparting knowledge, rather than passing examinations. Syllabi have been modernised to keep in touch with the changing technologies of the day. But one thing I can say with pride has not changed–the graduating classes from these institutions continue to be the cream of India’s emerging technical manpower.
Anna University is now a huge institution with about 240 colleges under its umbrella. From these it graduates over 50,000 students each year covering the whole spectrum of Engineering and Technology. There are several Centers of Excellence and Institutes in specialised areas. I would dare say that Anna would rank among the top global technical universities. Similarly, Guindy, with its many technical institutions, like the College of Engineering, The AC College, IIT Madras, and the many other departments located around here, would bid fair to be a world-ranking center of technological education, comparable, for example, to the research triangle around Raleigh, North Carolina in the US. It is indeed a privilege to be present here today as Chief Guest.
You are all aware that of late Tamil Nadu, and particularly the environs of Chennai, have been attracting huge investments in the areas of Software and Information Technology, Business Processing, Automobile and Auto Component manufacture, not to mention a whole host of other engineering-based industries. Apart from the other advantages that Chennai and Tamil Nadu offer, there is no doubt in my mind that one of the main reasons attracting so many multinationals and Indian business houses here, is the availability of large numbers of well educated engineers and technologists. Anna University can proudly lay claim to being one of the main factors behind the industrial and economic advancement of Tamil Nadu.
All of you graduating today are on the threshold of your careers. You have a wide variety of choice. You could study further, you could take up jobs where you utilise the knowledge and skills you have acquired, you could enter into areas of research, or you could think of building upon the technical foundations you have gained with a management degree. The student of today is very well networked globally, and I am sure all of you have already mined and processed the relevant information you need to make this choice–probably most of you have already made it. Notwithstanding this, I thought I would talk to you on a few issues, not necessarily linked, but which I feel are important points for you to consider at this stage.
Apart from the other advantages that Chennai and Tamil Nadu offer, there is no doubt in my mind that one of the main reasons attracting so many multinationals and Indian business houses here, is the availability of large numbers of well educated engineers and technologists. Anna University can proudly lay claim to being one of the main factors behind the industrial and economic advancement of Tamil Nadu.
At the convocation (l to r): N Sankar, the State Education Minister C Ve Shanmugam, Tamil Nadu Governor S S Barnala, Dr D Viswanathan and K Ramalingam.
The Indian economy is now on a high. It is finally beginning to achieve the growth rates that were always talked about as being possible, but somehow were never achieved. If industry and economy are clocking 7 – 8% growth or more this year, it is on the basis of some very strong fundamentals, and not a flash in the pan. India is integrating herself with the global economy on a permanent basis. The liberalisation measures started in the early 90’s gave Indian industry the shock treatment it needed. Decades of protectionism had resulted in Indian businesses producing goods which were sub-standard in quality, and selling them at prices unrelated to their global values. The lifting of the veils of protectionism, and the dismantling of licencing and industrial controls in 1991, all resulted in a sudden surge of competition. There were several businesses that were unable to meet this challenge and went under. But happily, a large proportion of industry has restructured itself and emerged from the fire in much better shape, producing goods of international quality and cost, and invading and securing markets all over the world. The benefits to the Indian consumer are obvious. He has access to all sorts of products produced here or imported, many at prices significantly lower than to a consumer in other parts of the world. Product quality is also international.
Today as an Indian you can hold your head high – Indians occupy the highest positions around the world as Chief Executives of huge global corporations, are among the top rungs of most of the major Universities in the world, are top Doctors at leading hospitals; Indian entrepreneurs are being counted among the world’s leaders in their fields, and so on and so forth.
From the global economic point of view, India is perhaps second only to China in terms of its potential and importance over the next few decades. There are reasons for this.
Current trends in the western world are that as nations develop, forces build up within them that mitigate against establishment of large capacities of heavy industry, and these economies seem to gravitate more and more towards the secondary and tertiary consumption sectors. This holds out the opportunity for countries like India to become the manufacturing powerhouses of the world.
India offers three very valuable attractions to global industry. Firstly, a huge and growing market; secondly a very attractive manufacturing destination; and thirdly, an ever refreshing pool of excellent manpower. All three are equally important. Current trends in the western world are that as nations develop, forces build up within them that mitigate against establishment of large capacities of heavy industry, and these economies seem to gravitate more and more towards the secondary and tertiary consumption sectors. This holds out the opportunity for countries like India to become the manufacturing powerhouses of the world. To illustrate, just ten years ago if some one had said that the world’s largest refinery would be located in India, he would have met with severe skepticism, but with the current on going expansion of Reliance Petroleum’s Refinery to 50 million tons, they will easily outdistance the next largest competitor. Mittal Steel Limited, the world’s largest steel producer, and many others are setting up huge scale grassroots steel plants in Eastern India.
But more important, India also offers a huge market for most manufacturing products and services. The per capita consumption in India of any product you take is today only about 1/4th or 1/5th that of even countries like Thailand and Malaysia, let alone the western world where per capitas are very much larger. Thus, if we catch up with the consumption levels of even our closer neighbours, the multiplier effect of India’s one billion population will ensure demand for most products and services at double digit rates for several years to come.
Equally, India offers the opportunity to set up manufacturing units at perhaps the lowest conversion costs anywhere in the world. The capital costs of setting up green field projects are significantly lower here, as are the costs of conversion once the units get underway. Both these arise primarily from the significantly lower cost of our excellent Indian manpower–the engineers, the technologists, accountants, lawyers, software specialists, and what have you. The rest of the world has awoken to this fact, and this has resulted in the flood of technology companies from around the world setting up research or basic engineering or design and development centers here in India–GE, Ford, Microsoft, Intel, Emerson Electric, Amazon, Alcatel, etc., are already here, and the queue is long.
All this leads me to hold the firm belief that India is on the threshold of several decades of high growth. This should be a heartening factor for those of you bidding to enter the world of industry and business today.
The next point I would like to make is that when you receive your degrees and diplomas today, you must appreciate that you hold in your hands something that is very valuable on a global assessment. The forethought of the leaders of our nation in realising the value of education and taking it to large numbers of the Indian population through heavy subsidies, has resulted in a fairly low cost of education. Even with the recent upward trends in fees, you have all acquired an education which would have cost many times more elsewhere. But the earning and productive potential of that education is no different from that of one earned in the US or UK or anywhere else. The market for brainpower is global.
Another point you should consider is what exactly earning the engineering degree has taught you. While no doubt you have been immersed in a variety of courses in various fields of technology and engineering, all of which are relevant and important, I personally found that the most valuable take away from my engineering degree, was that it taught me to logically analyse problems and issues, and work to their solutions. This is a technique that you use every day in solving problems in say, heat transfer or machine design or reaction kinetics. But this methodology lends itself to application in many fields.
Even with the recent upward trends in fees, you have all acquired an education which would have cost many times more elsewhere. But the earning and productive potential of that education is no different from that of one earned in the US or UK or anywhere else. The market for brainpower is global.
A section of the audience at the convocation.
Let me talk to you from personal experience. In 1967 I came back from the US and joined our group as a management trainee. At that stage my education was all in Chemical Engineering, where I had a bachelors degree from AC Tech and a masters degree from an institution in the US. But I found I was dealing mostly with financial matters, and knowing nothing of double-entry book-keeping, trial balances or other accounting and financial matters, I was all at sea. But once I understood the basics, I found that my engineering background was very helpful in terms of being able to visualise problems and issues, and analyse them for solutions. I must point out that this is not an approach practised naturally by say, accountants. They are numbers - and calculations - driven, and their approach is more rule-bound, and somehow they do not generally have a macro appreciation of the problem. For example, in comparing different financing flows and their costs, techniques that we use in engineering like calculations of heat flows and resulting temperatures, came in handy. Within a short period I found that I had gained a reputation as some sort of an expert in finance, although I was still ignorant of accounting principles or tax laws and so on. For many years I kept this opinion to myself, that of the engineering discipline being what had given me this edge. It was not until I read the very same sentiment expressed by Jack Welch, the legendary Chief of GE, in his
memoirs–of how education as a Chemical Engineer had helped him enormously in his management of different aspects of business. It is only after reading this, that I started espousing this view strongly in public. In fact, in our own group companies I insist we look at any problem in a logical four-step process:
A simple tool, but properly used it yields good returns. Every one of you have by virtue of your education the seeds of such processes in you – use them well.
Leading on from here, this technique that engineering teaches you is nothing but a discipline. One of the Webster’s Dictionary definitions of discipline is ‘adherence to a rule or system of rules i.e., an orderly or regular pattern of behaviour’. Discipline so defined will stand you in good stead in all facets of life. When you join a company or other institution, you will find they have their own rules and codes of conduct, and your discipline will be in adhering to them. The education that you have received so far makes it easier for you to accept discipline, and this discipline will in turn result in your completing your tasks quicker and more efficiently. I know that of late, there have been issues in this campus and elsewhere, resulting from some initiatives of the University management, but when you look at it from the macro perspective that discipline is a way of conducting your affairs and of addressing issues and problems in your work, and not just the less important matters of personal appearance and behaviour, then I think you would begin to appreciate the value of discipline.
Moving on, I have one thought that I would like you to consider when making your choices regarding your future. Over the last several years, you are all aware that a very large proportion of the best minds graduating from our leading technological institutions like Anna University, have pretty much given up engineering and moved on to fields such as finance, or general management. In these areas also,the education that they have received has helped them shine brightly, but there is no doubt that the hard technical areas are beginning to feel the non-availability of the best minds. At the time I graduated in the 60’s, most of the graduating engineers went on in their fields. If they continued their education, they took up MS or Ph.D programmes in a specialised field of engineering. If they took up employment, it was as manufacturing or sales or design engineers. However, in the last twenty years or so, I would hazard a guess that a very large number of engineering graduates have taken up management courses and moved on to Wall Street and other similar areas around the world. With the industrial progress that India is making, there are going to be huge investments in manufacturing, research, design and development, and the opportunities for engineers in these areas is going to be enormous. I would personally urge all of you to seriously consider sticking to the Technology and Engineering areas you are graduating in, and excelling in them. If the greater proportion of the technical graduates can be convinced to do so over the next few years, I can very clearly see India emerging as a Technology and Manufacturing powerhouse of the 21st century.
This is not an idle claim. You don’t have to go very far from here to see the proof of what I am saying. If you drive down the Old Mahabalipuram Road, you will see a very large number of manufacturing and design and development centers, each employing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of engineers and other technicians. Many of them are owned 100% by multinational corporations. No doubt these technological and engineering centers are at present outnumbered by the gleaming steel and glass buildings housing software development and BPO outfits, but keep in mind that these software and businessprocess units are there ultimately to service the industries and businesses turning out hard products. Their growth depends on the growth of the manufacturing, process and infrastructure industries – the so called ‘Old Industry’ sector. If therefore a young engineering graduate of today came to me for advise, I would certainly urge him to stick to his knitting.
Another important point that I find every one of my predecessors at this function over the last few years has made, and that I would like to endorse very strongly, is of the inevitability of change. Today change is the only constant. The speed of technological advancement is very high, and is accelerating further. The life cycles of products and technologies are continuously getting shorter, as they are overtaken by newer technologies and better products. The Internet is just ten years old. Can any of you think of life without it today? I won’t even mention the PC or mobile phone or what have you. Unfortunately, what this means is that when you receive a degree today, you cannot afford to think that you have completed your education. If you do so, you will find yourself becoming obsolete very shortly. You will necessarily have to continuously educate yourself, as developments of new products, process and technologies happen. Continuing education is essential, not just for improving your position, but just to maintain status quo.
Here, I have a suggestion for Anna University. With the huge numbers of young engineers being employed within a very short distance of this campus, the constituent colleges of Anna University should consider taking up the cause of continuing education in a major way. Short-term courses, perhaps offered after working hours, which enable engineers to upgrade themselves to current developments in their field, would be extremely valuable. I am sure the syndicate is already seized of the matter, but considering its importance I would emphasise an early start.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I realise have meandered a bit, touching on disparate issues, not necessarily cogently, but I hope I have impressed upon you my basic and unshakable belief in the future of India and of Indian industry. The opportunities for young minds like yours are enormous, and more important, growing at a fast pace every year. The potential is there - the future beckons - but what you make of it is in your hands. For myself, I am confident that all of you will make great contributions to our nation’s development.
If you drive down the Old Mahabalipuram Road, you will see a very large number of manufacturing and design and development centers, each employing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of engineers and other technicians. Many of them are owned 100% by multinational corporations. No doubt these technological and engineering centers are at present outnumbered by the gleaming steel and glass buildings housing software development and BPO outfits, but keep in mind that these software and business-process units are there ultimately to service the industries and businesses turning out hard products.