Gandhi cap steals the show at MANIT

BHOPAL: A day before Republic Day celebrations, a new tradition began at the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT). Students wore Gandhi caps during its convocation ceremony held on Wednesday and the traditional gown was conspicuously missing and was replaced by black and white trousers and shirt.
From students to teachers and guests- all and sundry had put on Gandhi cap during the 8th convocation ceremony.
Though some students missed the tradition of throwing the graduation cap in the air, the idea of Gandhi cap was praised by everyone.
Idea of wearing Gandhi cap during convocation was awesome but I missed tossing up of the graduation hat, said Neha Verma, from energy branch while Ankit Choudhry of Mechanical branch said that the Gandhi cap should have been accompanied with some traditional attire- like dhoti kurta or kurta pyjama.
"It's a praise-worthy step. It is good to see everyone wearing Gandhi cap," newly appointed chairman of MANIT's board of governors (BOG), Prof G K Mehta said. However, he added that such innovations and ideas should be also implemented in improving the standard of education in the institute.
In all, degrees were awarded to 1086 students on the occasion. Among these, 670 under-graduates, 367 postgraduates and 49 PhD degrees in various disciplines were conferred upon the degrees. Besides, I5 students were awarded gold medal and the same number of students bagged silver medals.
Observing that globalization has changed the world, the Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore Padma Bhushan Prof V Subramaniam Ramamurthy called upon the MANIT graduates to constantly upgrade their knowledge and skills. In his address, he also hailed the idea of using Gandhi cap during the convocation ceremony. The eminent nuclear scientist emphasized the need to keep abreast with the fast technological changes.
Dr Appu Kuttan KK, director, MANIT, in his address, highlighted the achievements of the institute and reaffirmed its societal commitment by providing technical expertise to the society.
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HB Khurasia award (for overall meritorious girl student): Parul Shrivastava (Energy department)
HL Kapoor award (for securing highest marks in Chemistry): Somasree Chaudhary (IT department), Nitisha Gupta (Mechanical department)