Telangana: Character, Integrity Key To Success, Says TI India MD
Santhosh Kumar was the chief guest, while NIT Warangal Board of Governors chairperson Dr B.V.R. Mohan Reddy was the guest of honour: Reports
WARANGAL: Character, integrity and credibility are as important as technical skills in shaping a career, Texas Instruments India managing director Santhosh Kumar told students at the 24th convocation of NIT Warangal on Friday.
He urged students to remember the principle of “Character is Fate” throughout their lives.
The two-day convocation began at the Ambedkar Learning Centre, with 930 undergraduate and 22 exit-degree students receiving their degrees on the first day. Postgraduate and PhD students will receive their degrees on Saturday.
Santhosh Kumar was the chief guest, while NIT Warangal Board of Governors chairperson Dr B.V.R. Mohan Reddy was the guest of honour. NIT Warangal director Prof. Bidyadhar Subudhi presented the institute’s annual report.
Dr Mohan Reddy, speaking on “The Role of the Engineer in the AI Era”, stressed the need for engineers to develop expertise in their fields while cultivating lifelong learning. He urged them to use technology to address real-world problems and emphasised trust, values and learning from failures.
Prof. Subudhi said the institute had prioritised research and innovation. It had secured around ₹53.63 crore for 162 research projects and published 1,771 research papers, 617 conference papers and 123 book chapters during 2025-26. Thirty-six patents were granted and 98 were filed, he said.
Infrastructure projects worth around ₹900 crore are under way, including new hostels, lecture hall complexes, an academic block, a 2,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 500-seat cafeteria and a north-south underpass.
Subudhi said 93.94 per cent of undergraduate and 80.78 per cent of postgraduate students secured placements. The average salary for undergraduate students was ₹18.54 lakh, while the highest domestic package was ₹1.27 crore.
From the 2026-27 academic year, the institute introduced M.Tech programmes in Quantum Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Electric Vehicles and Materials Science and Technology. B.Tech in Electric Mobility and an MA in English Language and Literature were also launched. AI and Machine Learning have been made compulsory for B.Tech students, he said.
Siddhi Barpute, a Chemical Engineering student, received the Director’s Gold Medal for outstanding undergraduate performance. Roll of Honour Gold Medals were also presented to toppers from various B.Tech programmes.
The Best B.Tech Project Award went to Mechanical Engineering student Budda Jeshwanthi for her project on a compact dual-cell passive DMFC and stack design for power generation.
Two honorary degrees were also conferred. Dr P.K. Menon received an honorary Doctor of Science for his contributions to the use of automatic control technologies in aviation and aerospace engineering. Anand Ramamurthy, managing director of Micron India, received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy for his contribution to India’s semiconductor sector.
Santhosh Kumar urged students to learn from failures and develop technology-based solutions to social challenges, including microgrids, agricultural sensors and safe drinking water.
He said graduation marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning and growth.
The first day concluded with graduates taking the pledge led by the gold medallist. Postgraduate and PhD students will receive their degrees and awards on September 20.