Dr MK Bhan’s speech
The Chairman and members of the IIHMR Board, Esteemed President of IIHMR,
members of the faculty, IIHMR scholars and their respected families, all the
distinguished guests and invitees, the
many friends who manage and support IIHMR, friends and colleagues.
I feel truly happy to be here today, in a city that I have loved for
long, at an institution that has always inspired me and at an occasion when we
celebrate the achievements of our young and worthy. Thank you for this opportunity.
Truly honoured.
Today is an important milestone for our graduating scholars. Hearty
congratulations to you all. It is a gratifying occasion for the families, a
celebration of a role played well; for the faculty, an occasion to witness the
fruits of their labour of love. There is no better way of spending life than
nurturing the young and helping them become passionate, caring, effective
members of the society. We are all blessed that our life and work is part of
such an exciting mission.
Convocation is truly a time of celebration. Convocation is also an
opportunity to invite the young scholars to reflect on the world they live in
and the kind of life they may want to live.
The global community including our own cyclically drifts between optimism
and cynicism. I am a perennial optimist. In more ways than not the world is a
better place today. People live longer, they live better, they are healthier,
more people have access to education and health, and there are fewer poor
people today than before. Access to information is growing and people are more
connected than ever before. Technology is transforming multiple facets of life even
at the bottom of the social pyramid. A
child in Africa and South East Asia gets the same
vaccines as the one born in
America or Europe, fewer children die early in life, as is also true for women
during pregnancy. It is good to look at how full the glass is than how empty it
is.
It is at the same time unwise to be euphoric and ignore the massive unmet
needs and challenges at home, and world at large; lack of trust, social and
economic disparity, poor environment and climate, lack of access to basic
services, lack of security and empowerment of women, utter disregard for
evidence and facts, which are increasingly replaced by prejudice and
unsubstantiated opinion. Many of the young, the disadvantaged and elderly are
still unsafe. People live longer but this extended life is often neither secure
nor graceful?
Is optimism then justified? I believe so because humans have shown
resilience as a species to solve problems on an unprecedented scale. To succeed
then we need a scientific approach to life, an ability to
generate and deploy knowledge and technology for shaping a better, fairer,
interesting, more secure world and the nation. This is what IIHMR has prepared
you for and this is the mission that we charge you with today. This is what wiser of the parents and elders
of our society have always taught us.
To preserve our beautiful country, culture and people, we must learn to
separate noise from clarity, we must act as we would like others to do, and we
must listen as much as we teach. One is only as educated as the way live and
act in life. Knowledge is of value only when translated into good practices.
India is alive and living. What a time to be young, in a country that
feels young. There is hope and positivism today.
We are a young population. The true potential of a young nation can be
realized if we nurture the young through education blended with life
experience. It is experience that helps us to answer the most critical of
questions- who am I, what is my gift, my purpose, what is the life I want to
live, the person I want to be? Education provides the perspective to interpret
and understand our experience but it is the latter that gives the insight. I
urge all the young scholars to live a life that is full, to immerse in the
community and the society around you.
You cannot discover yourself without connecting with those around you.
India needs a workforce but also leadership in every sphere of life. Leadership
can be at any level, on any scale and in any context. Leadership is a
declaration of intent to strive for excellence, to accept responsibility for
people and issues beyond oneself, to accept accountability for ones
contributions and actions by others. Wonderful institutions such as IIHMR provide
scholars like you, the opportunity to acquire skill as well as leadership
ability. This period at IIHMR will guide
you in the future journey.
I have often wondered what separates leaders in different fields and
sectors from other good men and women. I believe a vision, an ability to visualize
tomorrow, the grasp of the big picture of life and this universe is the most
critical. Worthy men and women acquire unique attraction by a mix of values and
adaptability, compassion and ability to forgive, respect for both creativity
and service and the ability to feel responsible for others in addition to self.
Leaders never stop to learn. Extraordinary people have stable values but they
are also highly adaptive to changing circumstances. This is what nature and
evolutionary biology also teaches us. What is true for extraordinary
individuals also characterizes exceptional countries and states. I invite you
all, young scholars to embark on this journey of acquiring leadership. Live
life in a way that graces life itself.
The story of IIHMR is itself a lesson in leadership. Its founders realized
a need for science and evidence driven public health at a time when our country
was preoccupied with sick people than sick populations. Famous doctors advised
political leaders because there were very few public health professionals. As I
observed the IIHMR family over the years, there was much to admire and learn
from. The IIHMR family has a modest way of handling its successes, it is also honest
in recognizing that the journey to excellence is unending, it is willing to
adapt to changing time and needs. You all should feel proud of being part of
this family of institutions as I am.
IIHMR has recognized the need for quality human resource at tertiary,
secondary and primary care levels. It has brilliantly linked education in
facility care and management with public health education. Its programs reflect
awareness of the importance of technology in health systems and hospitals.
IIHMR significantly contributes to generation of evidence and its synthesis for
shaping policy at state and center level. It is a dependable ally and a
trusting collaborator for all those engaged in pursuit of universal health care..
It emphasizes through its educational and other efforts, the inescapable link
between addressing social determinants of health and the care of the sick. The
excellent professionals produced have significantly contributed to improving
management and processes in our institutions and systems. I wish a great future
for the IIHMR network of institutions and express my deep respect for the
leadership. The main barrier to achieving universal health care in India is
shortage of human resource. We need an accelerated effort by all concerned to
achieve in a decade what might otherwise take a quarter of a century.
Finally, my heartfelt congratulations to all the scholars, to their
families and their teachers. I wish you all a bright future, a life rich in
experience, accomplishment and contribution. Do remember, in the end it is
about making our fellow citizens and the
environment they live in healthier, more secure and full of grace. Said the
father of the nation, “practice science with humanism”. Your journey of action
begins today. Safe travel.
