Learning, Leadership, Legacy: Jio Institute's Inaugural Convocation Ceremony
25th March 2025 was a landmark day in the nascent yet remarkable journey of Jio Institute, as graduating students from our three founding batches from across the country and abroad, converged onto the campus to be conferred with their PGP certificates.
The ceremonial evening started with an Academic Procession led by Dr. Palak Sheth, Project Director with the Chief Guest for the evening Ms. Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO & Chairperson of Salesforce India and Ex-Chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest bank & financial services company; Dr. Dipak C. Jain, Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Shailesh Kumar, Dean; Mr. Jalaj Dani, Trustee of the Governing Council and Co-Promoter of Asian Paints and Mr. Ashwin Khasgiwala, Chief of Business Operations at Reliance Retail. The procession was joined by our Institute’s leadership and faculty members.
The event was attended by families of the graduating students, faculty, industry partners, distinguished guests and leaders from the Reliance fraternity and the Institute staff.
Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar, Chancellor, urged the graduates to “Stay curious, stay restless, stay compassionate. Let purpose be your compass and lead with integrity—be fearless, audacious, and unstoppable. The future belongs to you.”
Dr. Dipak Jain thanked the graduating students’ families & friends for their continued support and investment into their children’s education. While reflecting on the students’ achievements, he remarked: “You can either be a candle, or the mirror that reflects the candle’s light. As teachers, we are the candles that are committed give the students the best education, and we look forward to the remarkable contributions of our students as the mirrors of this institute”.
Mr. Jalaj Dani also addressed the gathering. Talking about the rapid pace with which the world is evolving, he egged on the graduates, saying: “your ability to adapt, your hunger to learn, and your commitment to excellence, remains timeless”.
The Dean of Jio Institute, Dr. Shailesh Kumar highlighted the achievements of the institute. Since its inception three years ago, Jio Institute has made steady progress over the past graduating students across its three programmes. These graduates represented 26 states across India and four countries, a testament to the institution’s increasing recognition both domestically and internationally.
Ms. Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chief Guest for the evening, in her convocation address remarked at the grand vision of Jio Institute. Drawing inspiration from the epic ‘Mahabharata’, she urged the students: “Whatever job is given to you, learn to excel at it, learn to think out of the box, and be the person who can be relied upon to meaningfully solution for challenges”, she continues: “if you can do this, you will always find your place in every professional space”.
This was followed by the medals & certificates distribution ceremony, where distinguished graduates were rewarded with the ‘Vice-Chancellor’ and ‘Dean’s List’ awards by the Chief Guest. The ceremony included awards for the “Best Faculty” and the ‘Best Teaching Assistants’ of the year for the respective graduating cohort.
As the Vice-Chancellor declared the convocation concluded, the Academic Procession retreated with the rhythmic beating of the drums. The 800-plus strong crowd stood in respect to pay their respects, as the National Anthem echoed in the vast academic lawn.
With a collective sense of achievement, the graduating students flung their hats into their air, marking the fruition of the vision of Chairperson Mrs. Nita Ambani and Chairman Mr. Mukesh Ambani, who envisioned creating a world-class institution that would combine academic rigor with Indian values.