Plaksha University Hosts 2nd Convocation; Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Former President Ram Nath Kovind Address Graduates

• Former DRDO Chief and Industry Leader Harish Shah Address the Graduating Class of 2026
• Next-Generation Engineers Equipped with AI, Deep Tech, and Multi-Disciplinary Skills Enter the Workforce and Research Domains

Mohali, July 25th, 2026: Plaksha University, a technology university reimagining higher education and research in India, hosted its 2nd convocation ceremony at its Mohali campus. Celebrating the graduation of its second cohort, the university marked a significant milestone with 90 BTech graduates across Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Economics & Business, Robotics & Autonomous Systems and Biological Systems Engineering. The event underscored Plaksha’s vision of cultivating interdisciplinary engineers equipped to solve complex, real-world problems through innovation, research, and entrepreneurship.

The convocation was graced by an esteemed panel of dignitaries who inspired the graduating batch to leverage their unique education for global impact.

The Hon’ble Governor of Punjab, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, emphasized on shifting from job-seekers to job-creators, he said “A convocation is the ultimate milestone of a student’s life, representing years of relentless hard work by students, profound sacrifices by parents, and the dedicated guidance of the faculty, who are the very soul of this university. As you step out with your degrees, the challenge is to move beyond personal desires. True education is not just about securing a job or wealth; it is about building national capability, fostering entrepreneurship, and creating jobs rather than just seeking them. Our country has proven its immense talent and self-reliance time and again. Seize this passing moment, value your time, and ensure your intelligence and dedication leave a lasting impact on our nation.”

Addressing the congregation, Dr Samir V Kamat, Former Chairman, DRDO, commended the students on their journey, stating, “We are entering a new era where technology operates across complex, interdisciplinary domains. Your time at Plaksha has given you the perfect foundation to thrive in this landscape. As you step out, do not be afraid to set bold, audacious goals or to learn from your failures, they are the greatest teachers. True impact requires collaboration, continuous learning, and total commitment. You are entering your professional journeys at an incredibly exciting time; your generation holds the power to drive technological self-reliance and transition India into a fully developed nation by 2047.”

Addressing the new graduate cohort, Prof. Shankar Sastry, Chancellor of Plaksha University, said, “You are graduating at a time of incredible technological change, where the rise of embodied intelligence, quantum advances, and AI agents present massive opportunities. But as you architect this brave new world, your greatest challenge will be ensuring safety, alignment, and the collective societal good. We have pushed you to master diverse disciplines and tackle the seemingly impossible. As you step out, use your resilience and steady moral compass not only to invent the future, but to build a more compassionate world. Go forth and change the world – may the Plaksha Force be with you!”

The grand convocation ceremony brought together Plaksha’s founding donors, trustees, global faculty members, and proud parents. The event culminated in a vibrant celebration of academic rigor and student achievements, firmly establishing Plaksha University’s role as a transformative force in global higher education. The eve of the convocation saw a high impact panel discussion on “Building India’s AI Engine” with eminent industry leaders like Vivek Raghavan (Sarvam AI), Maneesh Singh (BharatGen) and Sriram Rajamani (Microsoft Research).

About Plaksha University

Founded by a global community of more than 100 technology and business leaders, Plaksha envisions reimagining technology education and research for India and the world. With strong partnerships with UC Berkeley, Purdue, UC San Diego, Cornell University, Penn Engineering, IIT Kanpur and IISc Bengaluru, Plaksha aims to nurture and empower a generation of catalytic leaders and create an ecosystem of research and innovation. The university collapses the traditional boundaries of engineering and promotes interdisciplinary learning by combining technology, design and entrepreneurship.

Plaksha is guided by an eminent academic board including Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, University of Pennsylvania; Prof. S Shankar Sastry, Thomas Siebel Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Venkatesh Narayanamurthi, former Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Sriram Rajamani, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Research India; Julia Ross, Dean of Engineering, Virginia Tech; Krishna Palepu, Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Sanjay Sarma, Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT; and business leaders such as Neeraj Aggarwal, Vice-Chair, Asia-Pacific at Boston Consulting Group; Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises; Hitesh Oberoi, Co-promoter &; CEO, Info Edge (Naukri.com); Alok Mittal, Cofounder and Executive Chairman, Indifi Technologies Pvt Ltd; Manas Human, Co- Founder, Nagarro; Prashanth Prakash, Partner, Accel; Subrata Mitra, Partner, Accel; Ritesh Malik, Founder and CEO, Innov8; Dalip Pathak, Special Limited Partner, Warburg Pincus LLC; Srikanth Velamakanni, Cofounder and Group CEO, Fractal; Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, Clix Capital among others. Corporate donors include companies like Bharti Airtel Foundation, Axis Bank, Indorama Ventures, Havells, Harish and Bina Shah Foundation, Binny Bansal, Co-founder Flipkart and founder Xto10x. HT Parekh Foundation, Mphasis, Info Edge, and Motilal Oswal.