Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman Aditya Birla Group was the Chief Guest for the occasion. Due to sudden illness, he was unable to arrive on the day. Dr Santrupt Misra, Director HR & Business Head for Carbon Black Business of Aditya Birla Group delivered the Convocation Address on his behalf. In the Convocation address, Mr Birla called the year 2008 as the year of the unthinkable and shared with the gathering of around 1000 people, what it means a at a global, macro level for business and for entrants to the world of business. Mr Birla held that the present global economic slowdown has blurred traditional ideological bases as most capitalist countries are extending massive financial bailouts for their distressed institutions. There has also been reversal in globalization and economic deregulation with countries like US discouraging off-shoring. At the same time, growing interdependence among nations is the need of the hour as the world today is practically boundary-less. aEnvironmental degradation and global warming do not respect artificial national boundariesa, he warned.

Congratulating the passing out graduates, Mr NK Singh said that there is need for major changes in our economic and social planning and services especially in the field of education. Reforms in higher and technical education are urgently needed and we have to devise how to improve our rural income in order to make the masses real customers and consumers of our services. This is essential to eliminate our dependence on exports and foreign markets. aWe have to have our own variety of regulatory and structural reforms in agriculture and in labor policies. This also calls for re-writing old classical theories and practices to help mitigate the impact of the present global slowdown. He revealed that the MDI Board of Governors has initiated an intensive review of the instituteas course curriculum. The committee set up for this purpose will reframe and redraw our education content in a way that it is relevant to the changing market needs and demands.a

Speaking on the occasion, Professor CV Baxi, Director MDI said that MDI in its 35th year of existence has strengthened its research and consulting, long-term education and in-house management development programs for the corporate and public enterprises. The institute has made progress in its international linkages and collaborations, Ph.D level and executive education programs. There are around 1000 students in its various long term programs with 530 graduating this year. The institute has entered into academic and research collaboration at the national level with DOPT, Department of Atomic Energy, and Haryana Government. At the international level, the institute has entered collaboration with institutions like George Mason University (USA), Kent University (UK), Total University (France) and more.