Follow Constitution, shun grammar of anarchy: Rajnath

Recalling Ambedkar’s life, Singh said despite being denied water from a common tap in childhood, he channelised his indignation into education

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday urged students of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) to follow constitutional methods for social and economic change and abandon the “Grammar of Anarchy”.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak and others attended the 11th Convocation ceremony of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow, on Saturday (Deepak Gupta/HT)

Addressing the 11th Convocation of the University, Singh invoked Dr B R Ambedkar’s mantra — Educate, Agitate, Organise. “Agitate does not mean street violence, but inner awakening against injustice and raising dignified questions. Organise means uniting people through democratic means,” he said.

Also present on the occasion was deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak.

Recalling Ambedkar’s life, Singh said despite being denied water from a common tap in childhood, he channelised his indignation into education, earning MA, MSc, PhD, DSc, DLitt and Bar-at-Law from Columbia and LSE, and returned to India to fight social evils.

He told graduates that circumstances will not always be favourable. Citing para athlete Soman Rana who won gold after losing a leg, Tejaswin Shankar who won a decathlon medal despite injury, and judoka Asmita Dey, he said grit, perseverance and hard work overcome all challenges.

Drawing a parallel with India’s space journey, Singh said rockets were once carried on bicycles and bullock carts, but today India has reached Mars, launched Aditya-L1 and is preparing for human spaceflight and an Indian Space Station. “At one time, newspapers in the West mocked our Mars Mission with racist cartoons, today, the world respects it,” he said. He highlighted private sector feats by Skyroot Aerospace and GalaxEye.

“GDP makes a nation prosperous, but cultural self-confidence makes it great,” Singh said. “Behind Make in India lies Believe in India. Today when India speaks, the world listens. We don’t just follow rules, we frame them,” said Singh.

Explaining true education through three H’s — Head (clarity), Hand (skills) and Heart (welfare) — he quoted Ambedkar: ‘An educated man without character and humility is more dangerous than a beast’. He quoted Ramakrishna Paramhansa: ‘Achievements are zeros, character is ‘1’ that gives them value — 1, 10, 100, 1000’.

Recalling Vivekananda’s call for 100 dedicated youth to transform India, he urged graduates to be job creators and problem solvers. Using a mathematical metaphor, he said alone one grows from A to A², A³, A⁴, but together A and B multiply progress. Students should work as Team India for Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Citing FedEx, Microsoft, Disney born in recessions, M S Swaminathan’s Green Revolution, Tata’s steel foundation and Covid vaccines supplied to 100-plus countries, he said crises can be turned into opportunities.

He concluded his speech with Vajpayee’s line — “No one grows great with a narrow mind, and no one stands tall with a broken heart” — he said broader the mind, greater the joy, and warned that ego, like a decimal before 1, reduces worth from 1 to 0.1.

Four SC students receive RD Sonkar award

Four students were honoured with the R D Sonkar Award for the Best SC Student in Ambedkar Institute of Social Sciences. The award spoke of grit, family support and guidance from teachers at the 11th Convocation Ceremony of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University on Saturday.

Gyanendra Pratap Singh, 26, from Lucknow, who received the award for 2023, completed his MA in Sociology. Son of a retired secretariat employee and a housewife, Singh said the recognition feels special. “Professors helped a lot and everybody was happy with my achievement,” he said. He is now preparing for UPPCS.

For Shivangi, 25, also from Lucknow, recipient for 2024 batch, the honour was beyond dreams. Daughter of a small business owner father and housewife mother, she expressed gratitude to her post-graduation teachers for their constant support. NET qualified, Shivangi is now preparing for JRF and aspires to pursue PhD from JNU or DU. “My parents and I were excited in 2024, but now I am happy to finally receive it,” she said.

Soni Nirmal, 22, from Lucknow, awardee for 2025 batch, and daughter of a small shop owner father and housewife mother, said her family faced financial strain after her father’s accident. “It feels really good. I was always focused on my goal. Now I am preparing for government competitive examinations,” said Nirmal.

Prabha Chandra, 22, from Sitapur, the 2026 batch awardee, comes from a family of farmers and is one of five siblings. She received her basic education in her village. “It feels really great to be at the convocation,” she said, crediting her parents, siblings and faculty members at BBAU for supporting her during post-graduation.

Tales of grit in spotlight moment

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) witnessed emotional celebrations among the medalists during its convocation ceremony, as graduating students received their degrees and gold medals from the Union defence minister on Saturday. Among the top honourees were scholars whose stories of discipline, practical curiosity, and perseverance inspired peers and families alike.

For 22-year-old Shubham Yadav, a BTech computer engineering graduate from 2026 whose father serves as a government official in UP Jal Nigam, the gold medal felt incredible after maintaining steady dedication across all semesters. “I credit my academic accomplishment to an unyielding drive for conceptual clarity. My success mantra was to never leave any doubts unresolved and to work continuously on them until reaching a clear conclusion,” said Yadav.

Jigyasa, 23, an M.Sc. Food Science & Technology graduate from 2026 and the daughter of a business development manager and a homemaker said, “I attribute my results to focusing on quality of study over sheer quantity. Complete dedication during study hours, paired with direct practical exposure in the food industry and a constant curiosity to learn, kept me motivated throughout my academic journey.”

Anand Kumar, 22 a computer science engineering student from 2026 celebrated his degree and medal alongside his family. Hailing from a modest background—with his father working as a Shikshamitra and his mother as a homemaker—he built his success on continuous effort, disciplined study habits, and supplementary resources on YouTube. “I have qualified the GATE examination in my final year. I have already transitioned to the next phase of my career, securing direct admission into a PhD programme at IIIT Allahabad where I am actively pursuing research in machine learning and optimisation,” said Kumar.

BBAU awards 1st D Sc degree

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) conferred its first Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree upon Prof Devesh Kumar from the department of physics on Saturday.

Kumar’s research focuses on the complex reaction mechanisms of iron-containing enzymes. “Because these biochemical reactions occur at extremely high speeds, they cannot be observed or captured experimentally through traditional laboratory methods. To overcome this experimental hurdle, I utilised advanced theoretical pathways to map and visualise how these rapid reactions take place and lead to final products,” said Kumar.

His theoretical model provides crucial computational insights that enable experimental scientists to design and refine substrates and drug molecules more effectively. Expressing his gratitude upon receiving the degree, Kumar said that he felt honoured to be the university’s first recipient of the prestigious degree.