The first face-to-face graduation ceremony of Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth was held on 27 September 2022 at Chinmaya Eswar Gurukula campus, Veliyanad. The day marked 162 students qualifying to receive their degrees and diplomas.
The event started with the procession of students, led by the Registrar, Dr. Rahul Sharma, into the auditorium. The procession of dignitaries included the Chief Guest, Chancellor, Trustees, members of the Advisory Council and Donors, led by the Vice Chancellor.
The auspicious start of the event was marked by the lighting of the lamp by the Chancellor, Swami Swaroopananda; Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ajay Kapoor; Chief Guest, Shri. Nitin Paranjpe, Chief People and Transformation Officer, Unilever; Managing Trustee of CVV Trust, Dr. Apparao Mukkamala and CEO of Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Ms. Manisha Khemlani.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ajay Kapoor, welcomed everyone to the much-awaited event. The Chief Guest, Shri. Nitin Paranjape, delivered the commencement address. He inspired the students by sharing his experiences and lessons learnt from them. He said that liking one’s job is the prerequisite for excellence and urged the students to seek the purpose of their life and make their purpose in life the compass to navigate the world.
The Director of the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems, Dr. Sunitha Grandhee, chanted the Shiksha Valli of the Taittiriya Upanishad, which was then explained by Dr. Apparao Mukkamala. Swami Swaroopananda led the graduation oath, which was repeated by the students. He then declared the conferment of degrees onto all the graduates qualified for the award of degrees in 2022.
The Dean of Academics, Prof. Sreevalsakumar congratulated the students on their graduation, wished them well in their journey ahead, and presented the graduates to the Hon’ble Chancellor to receive the degrees. The graduates included those who qualified to receive degrees in the programmes: BCom, BA (Applied Psychology), BBA, BA (Sanskrit), PG Diploma in Advaita Vedanta, Diploma in Advaita Vedanta, MSc (Applied Psychology), MA (Music), MA (Sanskrit), MA (Public Policy & Governance) and MVoc (Renewable Energy Management).
The Dean announced the recipient of the Gold Medal for Academic Excellence: Ms. Sugandha Agnihotri of PG Diploma in Advaita Vedanta. The Chancellor presented the gold medal and certificate to Sugandha.
In his address, the Chancellor recalled the last day in his school, where the teacher stated that the values taught in school would stand with the students forever in life and advised them to live the values they learnt at school. He referred to a portion in the Vibhishana Gita wherein Sri Rama says that while might and skill are necessary for success, it is that inner spirit of having built in oneself a chariot of Dharma and values that guarantees sure success. 'When intention, conviction, vision and vision are great, the students from this University cannot be ordinary', he added. Swamji invoked the blessings of Bhagwan, the Divine Mother and Swami Chinmayananda, and all the great teachers for a successful and fulfilling life ahead.
Following the address, Ms. Sugandha Agnihotri shared her journey at CVV and thanked the University and fellow graduates for their ardent support throughout the programme. She stated that the acharyas helped her to learn Vedanta effortlessly in the Gurukula style and that the experience at CVV was life-changing and transformed her life from a wanderer to a seeker.
CVV students then performed a dance–drama based on the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita, along with advice from Swami Chinmayananda, that brought out the values one must pursue in life to be successful, fulfilled and happy.
Swami Advayananda, member of CVV Trust, led the Chinmaya Pledge, which was repeated by the graduates. The Registrar, Dr. Rahul Sharma, delivered the vote of thanks.
The event concluded with the permission of the Chancellor to close the convocation followed by the singing of the National Anthem and the return procession of the dignitaries from the auditorium.
