I deem it a great pleasure to Welcome you to this centre of learning- Rourkela College, Rourkela. I want to give you an important piece of advice which if practised in real earnest can give you a life changing experience:

STRIVE TO CHANGE FOR BETTER
BEFORE LIFE CHANGES YOU FOR WORSE

We know that life flows and it flows without a pause. It is never static. It never stands still. Every morning, the sun rises with new rays. Every evening, the Moon comes in one of its new lunar phases or Chand ki kalayen, as they are called in Hindi. So is life. It changes every day, every hour, every moment. You must have heard a famous saying: The only constant in life is change. So we change constantly. Change is a fact of life, which no one can escape from.

In fact, you must choose to change for better. You have no alternative. I tell you why. The change for worse only when you are not conscious about the imperative of changing for the better. If you do not try and change for better, you are bound to change for worse since change is, after all, bound to happen. So, I urge you that you must make a conscious effort to move in life towards betterment because if you do not do that, then the natural flow of the life would most probably take you towards changes that might be worse than your present state of life. You have to be prepared for a change before life throws you towards it. As Brazilian lyricist and novelist Mr. Paulo Coelho better known for his best seller ‘The Alchemist’ says “Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny”.

With these sagacious words, I wish all the best to you in life.

Prof. Sujata Pradhan