Gender equality is essentially linked to the sustainable development of society, and it is vital to realising human rights for all, said Governor S. Abdul Nazeer in his address as the Chancellor of Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV) at its 21st convocation here on Thursday.
The Chancellor presented honoris causa to legendary playback singer and Padma Bhushan awardee P. Suseela, who entered the Guinness Book of Records and Asia Book of Records by recording nearly 17,695 songs in various Indian films and more than 1,000 devotional songs.
Mangala Mani, a retired scientist from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who shot to fame for being the lone woman on ISRO’s historic Antarctic expedition, which lasted over 400 days, attended the convocation as the chief guest. She called upon students to go beyond their comfort zones and face challenges with unwavering determination.
A day before International Women’s Day, Mr. Nazeer observed that women had not only gained entry to the armed forces, sports, education, politics, science, and space research sectors, once considered male bastions, but also made their presence felt by breaking the glass barrier to make their voices heard.
Referring to President of India Droupadi Murmu’s recent visit to SPMVV, Mr. Nazeer recalled her clarion call to women to take their disadvantaged peers along to imbibe a sense of togetherness in facing challenges. “To educate a woman is to educate an entire generation”, he said.
Vice-Chancellor D. Bharathi placed on record the university’s NAAC A+ grade. The ranking also helped us bag ₹100 crore under Prime Minister Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA), said Prof. Bharathi, citing the presence of a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in the form of three incubation facilities as a growth engine.
A total of 1,548 students received their graduation certificates including 259 others in absentia and 430 in advance. old medals were presented to students excelling in academics.
