Baripada: President Droupadi Murmu had to deliver her speech at the Maharaja Shri Ramchandra Bhanjadeo University in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj in complete darkness due to a sudden power outage for several minutes during her address today.
The President was at the University to attend the 12th convocation. Before the President, Governor Ganeshi Lal had addressed the audience. Murmu was addressing the convocation on the third and last day of her visit to Mayurbhanj in Odisha, her home district.
9 minutes of power outage
The entire auditorium went into darkness for around 9 minutes. The snag at the high-security programme lasted from 11.56 am to 12.05 pm. It took place barely a few minutes into's Murmu's speech. However, the President continued her speech as the mike system at the venue was unaffected. The president had to read the speech using the podium's dim light.
The power supply was intact at the university as the Air conditions and fans were functioning. However, the lights went off suddenly during the President’s speech.
“Playing hide and seek”
Murmu was heard saying that power is “playing hide and seek” and the large audience sat patiently to hear her though nothing was visible. Murmu, who hails from Rairangpur in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, is considered the daughter of the soil.
Tata Power, North Odisha Power Distribution Limited’s CEO Bhaskar Sarkar said, “There was no distribution disruption in the hall and the glitch was perhaps due to some defects in the electrical wiring.”
University vice-chancellor Santosh Kumar Tripathy regretted the incident and apologised for the power glitch during President Murmu’s speech. “I am extremely sorry and blame myself for the unfortunate incident. We are ashamed for the power failure. We will certainly probe into the incident and action will be taken against persons responsible for the incident,” the VC told reporters. He said the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation Limited had supplied the generator for the event. "We will ask them the reason for the power snag.
'Education is a continuous process'
Addressing the graduating students, the President said that receiving a degree does not mean that the education process has been completed. Education is a continuous process. She said that after getting higher education some of them would do a job, some would do business and some would also do research but thinking of giving a job is better than thinking of doing a job. She was happy to note that this University has set up an Incubation Centre and provides assistance to the students, alumni and common people in setting up start-ups.
The President said that competition is an inevitable side of life. One has to face competition in every walk of life. She said that students should always keep trying to succeed in the competition and for that they should keep acquiring higher skills and move towards greater efficiency. They can turn the impossible into possible with their will-power.
The President said that competition is a natural side of life, but cooperation is the beautiful side of life. She told students thatwhile moving forward in life, when they would look back, they would find that some people of the society are not very capable of competing with them. She advised students to hold the hands of deprived ones and bring them forward. She said that a healthy society can be built through generosity and cooperation. She urged students to think not only of their own happiness and interest but also about the welfare of the society and country.
Before addressing the students, Murmu met delegations from three particularly vulnerable tribal groups at the varsity campus. The president had visited the national park on Friday. This was the first visit by any president to the national park in its over four decades of being.
The president wound up her three-day visit to her home district Mayurbhanj after the convocation and left for Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal, from where she flew back to Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
