Call to students to follow ethics

 VELLORE:  The Vellore Institute of Technology, VIT held its 26th convocation on Saturday. About 4,230 students, including 1,267 girls, received their degree certificates, of which 65 received their PhD, 45 gold medals, and 24 dual degrees.   Parliamentarian and ex- MP Era Sezhiyan who took part in the event urged students to emerge as models in ethics and integrity in public life. He said students should follow the footsteps of great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru.  He underlined the need for educated youngsters to evince interest in public life. “When the elite and the  educated do not take  interest in the disastrous situations faced by the country, the people do not get effective guidance on the basic issues of the society,”  Era Sezhiyan said.  Tracing the origin of the Ombudsman or Lokpal, Sezhiyan said the Swedish government had created the ombudsman way back in 1809.  In India, Lokpal bills were introduced 10 times since 1971. Significant support from all Human Rights and Democratic activists all over the world had put increasing pressure on the indecisive and inept governments of India in this regard, he added.Quoting his mentor CN Annadurai’s words, he urged the students to go to the people, live among them, learn from them and start with what they know, and build on what they have.VIT chancellor G Viswanathan in his address stressed the need for the government to enact a national youth policy to streamline their energy to purposeful utilization.