Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said India’s quest for knowledge has always been about shaping the future of mankind and that IITs presently stand as global power houses of ideas.
Addressing the faculty and students at IIT Kharagpur’s 75th foundation day, Pradhan said, “It is not just a celebration of the past but also a window to the future. When we speak of Viksit Bharat, we speak of an India leading in clean energy and health care for every village. The question should not be what job you will get but what change you can bring.”
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said, “This institute (IIT) was born in the heart of Bengal, the land that once was the torchbearer of India’s cultural scientific and cultural renaissance. It must not only honour its legacy but must lead the resurgence. We look at these as lighthouses of knowledge reaching out to the remotest part of the country.”
In his special address, Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani said India’s “future independence would depend not on territorial control but on command over technology, data, and innovation”.
“We must now fight for the freedom of atmanirbharta if we are to be truly free. You are the next generation of freedom fighters. Your innovation, your software code and your ideas are today’s weapons. You will decide whether India takes command of its destiny or surrenders it to others. Infrastructure, technology, intellectual property are the roots of our freedom. A nation standing on borrowed soil cannot hold its head high,” he added.
Drawing a parallel between India’s struggle for Independence and the challenges the nation faces in today’s rapidly shifting global landscape, he said while the country is politically independent, its heavy reliance on imported semiconductors, oil, and defence systems leaves it vulnerable. “The wars we have to fight today are often invisible. They are fought in server farms, not trenches. The weapons are algorithms, not guns. Empires are built in data centres, not on land,” he said.
IIT Kharagpur director Prof Suman Chakraborty said, “On this historic day, we celebrate 75 years of wisdom, resilience and achievement and we also stand ready to embrace new horizons and create new landmarks that will define our future. Our legacy isn’t a museum but a launch pad. We stand at a turning point in history when the world is being reshaped by the convergence of digital and biological frontiers.”