Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the present time is the best time to be young in India and urged the students to make the most of this time and take the country to new heights.

Addressing the 38th Convocation Ceremony of Bharathidasan University in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, PM Modi said, “Youth means energy. It means the ability to work with speed, skill and scale” and asserted that the government is working to match the students with the same speed and scale in the last few years.

“You are entering the world when everyone is looking at you with new hope in every sector”, PM Modi told the graduands, urging them to think deeply about the purpose of education and how society looks at scholars. He said that the entire society has played a role in bringing the students to this day and emphasized the importance of giving back to them, creating a better society and country. “In a way, every graduate here can contribute to creating a developed India by 2047”, he added.

The Prime Minister said that though the students’ journey in the University may end today, there is no end to the journey of learning. “Life will become your teacher now”, he said while underlining the importance of working proactively on unlearning, reskilling and upskilling in the spirit of constant learning.

“In a rapidly changing world, either you drive the change or the change drives you”, Prime Minister Modi concluded.