Ajit Doval calls IIT Roorkee graduates the ‘luckiest generation’, shares career setback lesson

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval told graduating students at IIT Roorkee that they belonged to the “luckiest generation”, urging them to make the most of the opportunities before them while staying prepared for a rapidly changing professional world.

Addressing the institute’s 25th convocation on September 19, Doval also offered students a glimpse into a difficult phase of his own early career, recalling how an unexpected conversation with a Tibetan Sherpa colleague changed the way he looked at setbacks.

‘I was very down’

Doval recalled a period when his career had progressed well but things were not unfolding as he had expected. He said he was “very sad” and “very down” at the time.

An old Tibetan Sherpa colleague working with him in the Intelligence Bureau noticed his unhappiness and asked what had happened.

Doval recalled responding: “Ye sab map-reading ka chakkar hai.”

The seemingly simple remark stayed with him and eventually became a lesson he carried forward.

‘Life is a question of map-reading’

Explaining the experience to the graduating students, Doval said life could be understood as a question of map-reading.

People can find themselves in very different situations depending on how well they understand the circumstances around them, he suggested.

For Doval, the lesson was not simply about dealing with failure. A difficult phase does not necessarily mean that a person has chosen the wrong path. It can also mean that circumstances have changed and the situation needs to be understood afresh.

He urged the students to reassess their direction when circumstances change and make informed choices about the road ahead.

‘You are the luckiest generation’

Doval described the graduating students as the “luckiest generation”, pointing to the expanding opportunities available to young people today.

He encouraged them to use their education and skills fully while remaining adaptable in a professional environment where change is constant.

Rather than expecting careers to follow a predetermined route, he stressed the importance of recognising changing circumstances and responding to them at the right time.

Degrees to over 1200 undergraduate students

The first day of IIT Roorkee’s two-day convocation saw degrees awarded to 1,277 undergraduate students from programmes including BArch, BTech, Integrated MTech, Integrated MSc, IDD, BS-MS and BS.

Of the 1,277 graduates, 1,001 were male and 276 were female.

Across the two-day ceremony, IIT Roorkee is scheduled to confer 2,701 degrees — the highest number at a single convocation in the institute’s history, according to the institute.

The BS-MS degree is also being awarded for the first time under IIT Roorkee’s five-year Dual Degree Programme.

Doval attended the ceremony as the chief guest, while General N S Raja Subramani, Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, was the guest of honour.

The second day of the convocation will focus on postgraduate and PhD students.

For the graduating batch, Doval’s personal story carried a message that extended beyond the ceremony: professional setbacks may change the route, but understanding the changing landscape can help determine the next step.