Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar called upon students to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Viksit Bharat” vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, urging them to take a pledge to serve the country and begin their contribution now.Addressing first-year students at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Ettimadai, during a welcome ceremony on Saturday, the governor said education should extend beyond classrooms and textbooks and must be oriented towards social responsibility.He cautioned students against treating education solely as a pathway to personal milestones such as securing a job, getting married, buying a house and a car, and living only for oneself. “Real education lies in contributing to society and serving the people,” he said, framing public service and nation-building as the higher purpose of learning.Referring to the 2047 development target under the “Viksit Bharat” initiative, Arlekar said every citizen had a duty to work towards achieving the national goal and asked students to commit themselves through a formal pledge. He said when India becomes a developed country in 2047, they should be able to say they had started contributing to Viksit Bharat 20 years earlier. He led students in a pledge, saying, “I will be an instrument of development of my country in the development of my Vikasit Bharat.”The event was attended by the head of the Amrita educational institution, faculty members, students and parents. More than 3,500 freshers are set to participate in Deeksharambh 2026 across programmes including B Tech, M Tech, MBA, MSW, MSc, Integrated MSc, BArch, BSc (Hons) Agriculture, BA (Hons), MA, BA LLB and BBA LLB. Orientation activities will include yoga and meditation, department familiarisation sessions, motivational talks, universal human values modules and campus tours.
