"One of these mornings you're going to rise up singing ...

Then you'll spread your wings, and take to the sky........."

 

For you, dear students, this is that morning when you take your wings and launch off the careers to which your lives have hitherto been dedicated. Your teachers, Parents and friends are also here to celebrate the occasion with you as you 'take to the sky'.

 

Five years ago ... Our President appointed me as Chancellor of this distinguished university for a five -year term. And I, too step down - next month. This is the last occasion when I address such Convocation and will ask you, kindly, to excuse me when I turn over the rest of this convocation to the very able and caring hands of our Vice Chancellor.

 

I have been privileged to serve with two exceptionally fine Vice Chancellors. First with Professor Day ant ha Wijeyesekera and latterly with Professor MalikRanasinghe and thanks, mainly to them, we have experienced tremendous peace and progress these past five year.... shall review some of these milestones for you, as they record unique achievements under most difficult conditions and especially under the circumstances of the free-education endowed to you under our country's constitution.

 

Very, VERY few other countries of this world can afford to endow their youngsters with the privilege of free-education ... And thereby there is clear obligation for you to dedicate yourselves to the service of this nation which nurtured you. I am indeed proud to say that throughout my career of over half a century, I have been privileged to serve the nation in a number of distinguished Positions .... academic .. .professional ... and sporting .... Always honorary .. .and for the honor of being able to serve .... I can commend this sense of satisfaction to you all.

 

Such inspiring programs as ARE YOU READY to help our students cross, - with confidence, - that bridge between the known and sheltered world of academia, to the unknowns of the greater world around. A confidence you will all have gained from what you have learned and acquired here.

 

In retrospect, I greatly regret there were no such programs when I graduated and stepped nervously into post- world-War-II era ... over half a century ago ... knowing that all the jobs were - quite rightly - going to the thousands and thousands of service-men returning from the war ... All of whom now also had tremendous practical experience in the harsh   conditions   of the   'real-world' outside. ..... The need then - as many of

you may yet find - of having to take whatever positions might be available... in my case as factory laborer- cleaner, .. .machine- minder, ... as apprentice again!  But every one of them was a GREAT experience. It was easy then to lose sight of one's goals, aspirations and dreams despite the academic awards and qualifications acquired while at college 

 

 The new world of aviation to which I had aspired had "fizzled' through the disillusionments of war and its destructiveness. You may know that I graduated abroad .... there was no university education in engineering in Ceylon at that time. The Technical College at Maradana was the highest to which we could then aspire .... And that Technical College evolved -much later- into the Katubedda Campus, and then the University of Moratuwa.

 

I learned then, the experience of moving to a completely new vacation in the much needed world of food production .... in agriculture, and specializing in tropical agriculture ..... Then a very new science to which I linked my training in engineering to enter the emerging field of agricultural-engineering .... A great new experience although far from the aeroplanes which were - and always have been - my first love .... I learned, thus the wisdom of devoting all efforts to the priority of earning a living.... Yet never losing sight of one's dream .... The "jam' on top of the priority of one's 'bread and butter' existence.

 

The message I would wish to share with  you,   today   young   ladies   and gentlemen of Moratuwa, is, Never Give Up ..... Never Loss your dreams......

They  are   a  great  possession  in  the changing fortunes of live,.... and changes

there will be .... For as the Buddha taught

us, Nothing is permanent ... The 'istheeriyarasaava' does not exist

 

I now wish to address your parents who are here, proudly to share with you this day when you take your degrees. A great many of you, I know, are teachers. You sent your children to the university, .... "Campus-ekata-yawwa" ... That was perhaps the culmination of your dream for them ... and with which you sent them through school ... perhaps as little children ... in blue shorts or white dresses ..... And having sent them to that very new - and oft distant - world of the Campus .... Perhaps a world of which you, yourselves had no experience to guide them .... Were you there to help and guide them through the tremendous problems, .... doubts and difficulties of getting to grips with that new world into which they were entering ... Were you there ... with love and guidance when they needed it most.... Or did you leave them to search out that guidance in a completely new arena..... Where inevitably they would also meet a dangerous few who would seek  to misguide them.

 

You will know that, - specially nowadays, - die world is full of extremists who distort - for their own ends, - the message of peace and harmony taught by ALL the great leaders .... Were you there with love and understanding?

 

Perhaps you say to yourself "It is now too late for all "kathaava" .... But may be you have other children about to enter university ... or being teachers, you know of other parents from your gama who are about to send their children "Campus ekata" .... Please help and guild them to assure their children always of their love and guidance and support.... However far away they may have to send them .... to be there when they most need the support of home values ... that love, caring and guidance of their parents ....And never be cynical about love ... for in the face of all aridity and dis-enchantment, it is perennial and precious as the grass which returns after drought has passed.

On the few occasions when I have traveled to universities abroad, ... East to Singapore and Japan .... and west to Europe and America, I have never ceased to be extremely proud when their Deans complement die quality of our students taking higher qualifications with them. "Send up more like these," they demand .... "They equate with the best from around the world"....

 

But this imposes grave responsibility upon our students who it to these, the most distinguished centers of learning and skills in the world .... The responsibility to continue that good name for our country, and for the students from the University of Moratuwa, who will be privileged to follow them abroad. This factor of quality is further illustrated by the ready acceptance of our graduating students for employment. Figures show that well over 70% of our student s are now sought after and absorbed by the private sector ... a remarkable change from the period - a few years ago - when the so-called security of the "aanaduwa raksaava' was considered the ultimate goal!... The important difference being that at Moratuwa we provide training in employable skills as well as learning. And I thank our lecturers - on this stage with me - for this additional quality they extend to our students, and to equip them with the fluency, poise and confidence they will surely need in this outside world of the new millennium.

 

This factor of quality is of particular importance, also to the parents of our students will the hope and expectation that they will here acquire the skills to help them fit better into the very changing world around us. No more are they being trainedjust for positions here .... But also for positions abroad where they will compete with the best in the world, ... for the best positions the world has to offer.

 

No more can we afford the contentment of thinking like frogs in a well; ...but need to aspire to the greater skills and opportunities in the world around us... And then, hopefully, to bring that experience back to increase the opportunities for others here in Sri Lanka.

 

In my younger days it took at least three weeks just to reach England. (I traveled on a troop-ship.)... And a further week to reach America. Holidays at home were out of the question until one had completed the course in the three to four years it took. Nowadays our students abroad can even return home for a long week end ...In such respects, the world has shrunk unbelievably.... And job opportunities have expanded correspondingly. Our students from Moratuwa are being geared to meet those opportunities wherever in the world they exist... and that is the challenge we face in an unceasing quest for excellence ..... Excellence by world standards.

 

You are all aware of how the Buddha, Christ, Mohomet went out into the wilderness to acquire the enlightenment with which they returned to spread that message of peace .... of learning and wider experiences .... Just as your teachers on this stage with me have done.

On your behalf.... too,... I thank and respect them most deeply.

 

And do not be too over- awed by the experts around us, for as our distinguished past Chancellor, Sir Arthur C.Clarke has expounded in his "Forth Law' ...'for every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert' .... And that expert may well be you!