Bhubaneswar, March 17: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research director-general Girish Sahani advised students of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology to ensure that pride in their work did not take them away from the ultimate goal in life.

Addressing the varsity's eighth convocation on its Chhend campus, Sahani today said students should not to be too concerned about their income but pursue knowledge with a sense of compassion.

"Students should have the software of empathy, because the hardware, which is the education degree, is not sufficient. Your responsibility starts now, and from now what you do will have a direct impact on the country's fortune," he said.

Appreciating the large turnout of women in contrast to men, Sahani said on a lighter note: "We don't need women empowerment as the number of the girls here proves how much empowered they are." "Count values, ethics, passion and humility as the main mantras of life," said Sahani, who received honorary doctorate degree along with telecom guru Sam Pitroda.

Speaking at the convocation, BPUT vice-chancellor Shyam Sunder Pattnaik said: "We have achieved industry-academic integration and our association with Tech Mahindra and SAIL is a step in that direction."

He added that the university had demand driven curriculum and introduced choice based credit system with minor and major specialisation.In his speech, governor S.C. Jamir encouraged students to pursue their dreams.

Meritorious students were also honoured at the convocation. Shibali Subhecha Mishra of College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar, won the Arjun Bhuyan special gold medal for being the best BTech graduate, while best MTech graduate Simadri Badtya received the Bhubanananda Das gold medal. In all, 32,051 degrees were awarded that included 24 gold medals to the toppers and three PhDs.