VP Radhakrishnan to address AIIMS Deoghar convocation on Saturday
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan is set to visit Deoghar in Jharkhand on Saturday, 11 October 2025, to address the second convocation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Deoghar, according to an official statement. The visit underscores the growing institutional significance of AIIMS Deoghar as a premier medical education hub in eastern India.
Programme Details
Apart from the convocation address, Vice-President Radhakrishnan will also attend the Sainya Sampark Mela at BBMT Hospital in Deoghar, the official confirmed. The two engagements make Saturday's visit a combined academic and community outreach event for the second-highest constitutional office in the country.
Earlier This Week: Sanskrit University Convocation
The Deoghar visit comes just days after Vice-President Radhakrishnan addressed the second convocation of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University at the Qutub Institutional Area in New Delhi. At that ceremony, he led attendees in taking a 'No to Drugs' pledge and presented gold medals to meritorious graduating students.
Key Remarks at the Sanskrit University Event
Highlighting the university's evolution from a Sanskrit Vidyapeetha to a Central University, Radhakrishnan called on the institution to establish itself as a 'leading international centre of excellence for Sanskrit studies', in keeping with the vision of its founder, former Prime Minister late Lal Bahadur Shastri. He described Sanskrit as the 'golden string' that connects the many languages of India into, in his words, 'one grand garland.'
The Vice-President lauded the university for earning the highest NAAC grade of A++ and commended its 44-year tradition of publishing the Vidyapeeth Panchang, as well as its teaching of classical disciplines such as Prakrit and Vastu Shastra. He also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Shastri, noting that the call of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' was not merely a slogan but reflected India's enduring resolve on border security and food sovereignty.
NEP 2020 and Manuscript Preservation
Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Ashtadashi scheme, Radhakrishnan stressed that rare Sanskrit manuscripts must not be allowed to disappear. He urged faculty and students to actively pursue the discovery, preservation, critical editing, and publication of unpublished Sanskrit texts, calling greater scholarly engagement with India's manuscript heritage a national imperative. He also noted that several initiatives under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi have, according to him, created a favourable ecosystem for the resurgence of Sanskrit and the promotion of the Indian Knowledge System.
What to Watch
Saturday's AIIMS Deoghar convocation will be closely watched as a signal of the Centre's continued investment in medical education infrastructure in Jharkhand. The event is also expected to spotlight the progress of one of the newer AIIMS campuses established under the government's drive to expand premium healthcare and medical training beyond metropolitan India.