The Graduation

The graduation ceremony at the DJ Academy of Design 2018, was very simple, dignified and moving event.

The uniqueness was the attire of the graduates, they were all dressed in white Churidhar kurta draped with a green dupata. The attire was same for both the young men and women.

The commencement was with the each of the graduates placing a lotus flower in a brass cistern in a symbolic offering to Saraswati – the goddess of learning.

The graduates then paraded from the main college building to the auditorium lead by the Dean Prof S Balaram , the Chairman Mr Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu and the Chief Guest Mr Neil Schoenfelder and the faculty, who followed the same dress code, except that the Churidhar kurta was cream and the dupatta was saffron in color.

There was no band or loud music, the short walk made an indelible impression by it’s very simplicity and dignity.

After the statutory speeches by the dignitaries on the dias, the ceremony commenced and we had to wait a bit till the successful undergraduate ID candidates were called to receive their certificates.

It was a proud moment for us when Akshay was called on stage to receive his diploma in Industrial Design.

The growth of the institute and the efforts of the Dean and the Chairman have been remarkable. The institute has a very small but selective intake, and a very rigorous process of screening before permitting the student to select his/her specialisation. At present, the college campus is as good as any top notch campus in India.

One of the major takeaways from the graduation speeches, IIT Bombay is accepting the graduate Diplomas as qualification for post grad courses in Design.

We now have two designers in the family who have graduated from DJAD, Akshay and his cousin Aditi who graduated a year earlier.

Akshay’s grandparents who attended the graduation ceremony, were as thrilled as us and it was a very emotional movement for them with Akshay as well as Aditi.