Legacy. Engagement. Innovation.

Three different words behind the success of our institution. To the Board of Adjudicators,
faculty and students, contenders, a pleasant morning to all of us.

I belong to a generation that is considered “different” - ambitious, outspoken, tech savvy and
socially – networked. We grow up with computers and internet and with the comfort of
technology. Information flows instantly and so many things can be self – learned with the help
of various online resources. Researches are done without getting out to the library, reading a
pile of so many books and articles and journals. Our familiarity with technology makes us adept
in understanding the different online platforms and operating systems. We understand the tech
and we readily adjust to it. We are resilient to technological innovation that we are constantly
getting in order to make our lives easier, faster, and smoother. We are living in the era of open
innovation – but what have been our contribution?

As business students, innovation is one of the core values inculcated by our professors. Think
outside the box, they say. But how? There is no formula to perform this feat. The proverbial box
represents our confined thoughts - the pattern of thinking that we have in every situation. To
think outside this box is to think beyond the perimeter of our own beliefs and principles, to see
things in new angle and to go beyond our prescriptive limitations. You see, this approach is
essential in the process of discovering new tantalizing possibilities but so long as the box is
there, we are constrained to think just around the framework of our imagination so my dear
fellow students, wouldn’t it be better if we remove the box? The world out there is changing
and with every change comes something new, something better, something different. Let your
thoughts run at full throttle, without limit. As David Brower once said, “We must begin thinking
like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.”

Curiosity awakens our desire for deep understanding. And when we are curious, we become
engaged and then, we begin to focus. School is a place where we can’t escape without thinking
and learning. It helps us build ideas. It helps us shape and concretize our values as we actively
engage on activities that makes us feel empowered and valued. It is a portal to self – efficacy
and excellence. It is where we build our legacy for future generations. And as we are molded
into better individuals, as we go on our way to discover those alluring possibilities, we are
leaving our legacy behind us and we have become a legacy ourselves marked with the core
values of excellence, teamwork, honesty and integrity and innovation. I am a living legacy of
this institution. And so are you.