NIFT MUMBAI Convocation 2022 was held on Friday, 24th of February 2023, at NIFT Mumbai Kharghar Campus. This year, 286 students (208 UG and 78 PG) from the class of 2022 received Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degrees from NIFT Mumbai. NIFT Mumbai honoured students in four awards categories conferred during the Convocation. These Awards were: the NIFT Meritorious student Award, the Best Academic Performance Award, the Extraordinary Service Award, and the Student of the Year Award. Awards received Medals, Certificates & Cash Prizes. From each department, three awards were honoured to students for the best Graduation Project/ Design Collection. Awards received Trophies and Certificates. Rolling Trophies of the Meher Castelino Award for innovative garment construction that sets the new trend and the Persis Khambatta Award for excellence in accomplishment, scholarship, & character were given to award-winning students from the Fashion Design department.
Chief Guest Shri. Piyush Goyal, Honourable Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Govt. of India, inaugurated the formal function.
Campus Director Prof. Dr. Pawan Godiawala presented the Annual Report 2021-22. In his welcome speech, he mentioned that NIFT Mumbai continued to render its pioneering and enterprising spirit despite the fleeting certainty posed by the reality of Covid-19; and upheld its position as one of the most sought-after colleges in the world. The campus focused on creating alternative learning models for online curriculum delivery and capacity building of the faculty. It ensured its students tided over the challenges imposed by the pandemic, like lockdowns, social distancing, lack of in-class interactions, and medical risks. It continued to develop industry linkages.
Shri. Rohit Kansal, IAS, Director General, NIFT, congratulated all the graduating students and mentioned that this was a proud moment for the students and the institute. He wished them a bright future and asked them to maintain their links with their alma mater and return to the institute as successful professionals in the industry to guide another generation of young budding designers. He advised them to be excellent human beings and excellent Indians.
Guests of honour Smt. Rachna Shah, IAS Secretary (Textiles), Ministry of Textiles & Chairperson, BOG-NIFT, mentioned to all graduating students that they had the privilege of studying in one of the best and globally acclaimed institutes. In her speech, she asked graduating students to carry forward the rich heritage of Indian textile tradition and make it stronger. She also asked passing out students to be the ambassadors of a deep and long tradition of Indian textiles considering sustainability and digitization.
In his speech, Chief Guest Shri Piyush Goyal, Honourable Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Govt. of India, stressed implementing a new-age culture in the institute. He mentioned that we need to have holistic development of the students. We should add value to our students and prepare them for the world outside. He said, “Now that this institution is 35 years old, it is time to give it a new look and refurbishment so that the students can study in a more exciting atmosphere”. To provide the opportunity to more children, he mentioned that we should freeze the fee structure for some time, expand scholarships, give more options to underprivileged students for twinning programs with FIT, and implement a simple, compressed admission process in two rounds. He inspired students to be trendsetters to implement innovative new ideas in the system, contribute to nation-building, empower our weavers and artisans, and make NIFT feel proud. He motivated them to develop their position following a unique path and stand out in the crowd.
In his concluding remarks, he mentioned, ” You are fortunate to be embarking on this career in the Amrit Kaal; your life will be like Amrit.”
The event witnessed total energy and enthusiasm among graduating students, faculty, and officials.
