Officials pose for a photo during the 16th convocation of ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad, on October 31.
Hyderabad, November 4 (MExN): The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), Hyderabad, conferred degrees on more than 4,000 students at its 16th convocation, with HCL Co-Founder Dr Ajai Chowdhry attending as the chief guest.
The convocation was attended by University Chancellor Dr C Rangarajan and Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) A Vinay Kumar.
Addressing the graduating students, Chowdhry urged them to look beyond their existing resources and comfort zones, stressing that aspiration should be greater than available resources.
Referring to the founding of HCL in 1975 by six young engineers with limited resources but an ambitious vision, he said bold aspirations could drive innovation and resourcefulness.
Highlighting the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), Chowdhry encouraged graduates to embrace the technology as a cognitive amplifier rather than a threat and emphasised the importance of continuous learning and adaptability. He said their degrees demonstrated their ability to learn and should not be viewed as limits to their potential.
Chancellor Rangarajan, meanwhile, highlighted the challenges facing the global economy, referring to unilateral tariff impositions by the United States and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran conflict.
He observed that these developments had strained the international trading system and called on India to recalibrate its development strategy in response to growing geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
Rangarajan advocated prioritising domestic production in strategically important sectors, building strategic reserves of critical commodities and reducing dependence on imported energy. He, however, cautioned against indiscriminate import substitution, stressing that domestic production should remain globally competitive.
Emphasising the importance of emerging technologies, particularly AI, he said India could not afford to lag behind technological developments. He also called for structural reforms, greater investment in physical and social infrastructure, and a stronger focus on knowledge and innovation to enhance India's global competitiveness.
Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman of AIG Hospitals, who received an honorary doctorate alongside Chowdhry, also addressed the graduates. Urging them to contribute to India's progress, he emphasised the importance of combining ambition, idealism and innovation.
During the convocation, honorary degrees (honoris causa) were conferred on Chowdhry and Reddy.
Presenting the university's annual report, Vice Chancellor Prof (Dr) A Vinay Kumar highlighted IFHE's progress in academics, research, innovation and industry engagement during 2025-26.
Degrees were awarded to graduates from IBS Hyderabad and its Bengaluru off-campus centre, as well as those completing Executive MBA, online MBA and distance MBA programmes. Graduates from the ICFAI School of Social Sciences were also among the recipients.
The academic achievements of students were recognised through various medals and awards.
Tandra Sai Akesh received the N J Yasaswy Award for Best Student for all-round excellence in the MBA programme.
Yagnamurthy Kalyan Kumar received the Gold Medal for Academic Excellence and the Faiyaz Ahmed Khan Memorial Gold Medal for securing first rank in the Finance stream of the MBA programme. Shrishti was awarded the Silver Medal for securing second rank in Academic Excellence.
Sandesh Bhatele received the Manish Reddy Raavi Award for Best Student in Finance and the Prof J Mahender Reddy Gold Medal for topping in Economics.
The Saurabh Sharma Memorial Gold Medal for the topper in the MBA Marketing stream was presented to Utsav Kumar Roy, while Datla Venkata Gayatri received the Govind Shanbogue Award for topping in Human Resource Management.
