Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 20: On a momentous Saturday, Alliance University, the NAAC A+ accredited institution, celebrated its 14th Convocation Ceremony, witnessing nearly 2,000 graduates’ step into their professional futures.
The event crystallised the University's unwavering commitment to academic excellence, ethical leadership, and societal responsibility in ways that transcended ceremonial tradition.
Under the evocative theme "When dreams take wings," the central campus transformed into a beacon of institutional pride as 1,962 degrees and diplomas were conferred across a remarkably diverse academic portfolio. The graduating cohort comprised 960 undergraduate students, 887 postgraduate scholars, 10 doctoral researchers, 20 diploma holders in performing arts, and 85 executive postgraduate diploma recipients in management a striking testament to the University's multidisciplinary ecosystem that mirrors India's complex professional landscape.
Yet what truly distinguished this convocation was not the scale of achievement, but the intellectual calibre brought to bear on the graduating cohort. The ceremony was graced by Justice Ananya Bandyopadhyay, judge of the Calcutta High Court—a judicial luminary whose trajectory epitomises India's commitment to merit, constitutional scholarship, and gender equity.
Justice Bandyopadhyay's presence carried profound symbolic weight: a jurist who secured first position in her LLM from Calcutta University, who clinched the top rank in the written examination for direct recruitment to higher judicial services, and who has methodically climbed the judicial ladder through institutional distinction and rigorous constitutional engagement.
Her elevation as a permanent judge of the Calcutta High Court in February 2024, combined with her pioneering tenure as director of the West Bengal Judicial Academy and registrar general of the High Court, positioned her as an exemplar of the values Alliance University seeks to instil judicial integrity, ethical rigour, and accountability to democratic institutions.
Transcending the employability paradigm
Justice Ananya Bandyopadhyay articulated a vision of education that directly challenges contemporary reductionism. "A convocation is often described as a celebration. It certainly is. However, it is also something quieter and more solemn. It is a moment when an institution hands over its most precious trust its students to the larger society," she observed.
Her core thesis to the graduates proved equally uncompromising: "Today, you do not merely graduate. You are being entrusted. Entrusted with knowledge. Entrusted with skill. Entrusted with responsibility. Responsibility once conferred does not diminish with time it only deepens."
This reframing of graduation as institutional trust rather than credential conferment resonated throughout the ceremony, positioning graduates not as jobseekers but as stewards of constitutional democracy.
Justice Bandyopadhyay directly challenged the contemporary trend of reducing education to placement metrics. "We live in an age where education is frequently reduced to employability. While livelihood is essential and dignified labour must always be respected, education was never meant to end at placement statistics. True education enlarges the moral imagination. It trains the mind to reason and the conscience to respond."
Distinguished guests of honour
The convocation proceedings featured intellectual luminaries of national standing. Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, renowned professor of strategy at IIM Bangalore and professor in-charge of IIM Bangalore's new campus, brought strategic foresight forged through transformative leadership as former director of both IIM Indore and IIM Bangalore. His work on innovation, strategy, and institution-building represents cutting-edge management thought expertise particularly relevant to Alliance's expansion into industry-integrated programmes and research innovation.
Complementing this intellectual architecture was Dr Veerappan V, chairman of SEMI India and ELCITA, and co-founder & president at Tessolve Semiconductor. With over three decades of transformative leadership in electronics and semiconductors, Dr Veerappan's presence underscored India's technological aspirations and Bengaluru's emergence as a global innovation epicentre a tangible reminder that Alliance's graduates are entering an ecosystem where industry and academia converge with strategic intent.
A moment of institutional reckoning
The ceremonial proceedings the formal declaration of the Convocation by the chancellor, the presentation of the annual report, the conferment of degrees and diplomas, the award of doctoral degrees and prestigious medals crystallised a profound institutional truth: that education is not merely about knowledge acquisition, but about nurturing citizens equipped to shape public discourse with integrity and purpose.
The University's commitment to research-driven education was evident throughout the ceremony. Over the academic year, Alliance strengthened its scholarly output, innovation initiatives, and patent filings positioning graduates not as mere degree-holders but as contributors to India's research ecosystem.
The emerging Alliance University Research & Innovation Centre (AURIC) represents this pivot toward knowledge creation, ensuring graduates engage with real-world challenges through evidence-based frameworks rather than theoretical abstractions.
The graduating Cohort's journey ahead
As these 1,962 graduates embark upon their professional journeys spanning corporate sectors, judiciary, public service, and creative industries they carry forward Alliance University's vision: to prepare transformative leaders grounded in constitutional values, ethical judgment, and commitment to the greater good.
The convocation marked not merely an academic milestone but a clarion call for the graduating cohort to become architects of a more just, innovative, and equitable India.
Gathered on the dais were the architects of Alliance University's vision. Prof Premanand Shetty (chancellor), Abhay G Chebbi (pro-chancellor), and Dr B Priestly Shan (vice-chancellor) anchored the proceedings. The intellectual spine came from honourable Justice Ananya Bandyopadhyay (chief guest), Dr Rishikesha T Krishnan (guest of honour), and Dr Veerappan V (guest of honour). Supporting this leadership were Dr Ray Titus, Prakash S Budur, Surekha Shetty, Dr M Vishwanathaich, Dr K A Venkatesh, and Prachi Gowda.
In their collective presence, Alliance University reaffirmed a singular mission: to be a crucible where dreams don't merely take wing they soar with purpose, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to strengthen rather than simply exploit institutions.