On 25th June, 2016, Ashoka Founders, faculty, staff and supporters came together to celebrate the graduation of the fifth class of the Young India Fellowship. In the last five years, the Young India Fellowship has almost quadrupled in size and come to be known as India’s finest fellowship programme. The programme has graduated more than 600 Fellows who have made a mark for themselves across organisations of national and international repute.

T. N. Ninan, Chairman and Editorial Director of the Business Standard, was the Guest of Honor and the commencement speaker for this momentous occasion. He urged the students to follow their dreams but also to create meaningful change for the downtrodden.

“A graduating student today has crucial choices to make. Which part of the world do you relate to? And which world will you want to be a part of? You are already, as a student of Ashoka University, a part of the new India that has emerged. So you can quite easily become the part of world that India has joined. But you could also choose to devote yourself to the India that still has widespread poverty and economic problems. An India that needs good institutions, good administrators and good policies that deliver positive outcomes.”

Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Vice Chancellor, reminded the Fellows of their own potential and encouraged them to go forth with passion and courage.

“Today’s Fellows are tomorrow’s leaders in whatever they want to do. I sincerely believe that your tenure as a Young India Fellow has given strength to your individuality: the strength to lead when no one leads, the strength to follow when no one follow, the strength to be alone when required, and the strength to be the still centre when all around is noise and tumult.”