XLRI Jamshedpur: India’s Covid fightback a learning lesson, says Dr. Preetha Reddy

XLRI holds 66th Annual Convocation

Jamshedpur: XLRI – Xavier School of Management, celebrated its 66th Annual Convocation. The Convocation ceremony was held at the Tata Auditorium in the XLRI Jamshedpur Campus.

XLRI conferred the prestigious ‘Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial and Social Peace’ to Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited. She also delivered the convocation address to the graduating students at the event.

Fr. Paul Fernandes. S.J., Director, XLRI, congratulated the graduating students and said, “XLRI started with the dream to change the face of the earth in 1948. We thank our Chairman for all his services and constant support for XLRI to rise higher. We thank Dr. Preetha Reddy for accepting our Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for social and industrial peace. My dear students, you will be known for your service to humanity so someday I hope we will be able to honor you for your service to humanity.”

TV Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Steel & Chairman, XLRI addressed the crowd stating, “The last 2 years have given us a lot of time to reflect on what’s happening around us, exposed us to vulnerabilities and how we dealt with things happening around us. We fool ourselves saying that we are strong, developed and advanced. A virus as small as this had such a big impact. The virus demonstrated that we can find solutions to problems, the way the world fought together and the way people came together to find solutions is incredible. The last 2 years has accelerated us to the future. We have become more inclusive. Local issues become global and global issues impact us locally. India is a potential source but also a potential market.

He also thanked the Convocation Speaker by saying, “Thank you Dr. Preetha Reddy for accepting our invitation and the Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal for Industrial & Social Peace.

Accepting the medal from the Chairman, Dr. Reddy said, “It is an honor and I thank you for inviting me to the 66th Annual Convocation of XLRI. In the turbulent 2 years, a beacon of hope was provided by healthcare and I believe that this award is for unsung heroes in this sector. If Covid-19 was a war then these people were truly peace makers and that brings me to today’s heroes.

Dr. Reddy talked about the need of Agility & Resilience in today’s era. She said, “Agility is today a mantra which all institutions and workplaces use. Just as we cannot survive without oxygen, corporates also cannot think to survive today without agility. As an institution that is greatly appreciated and forward thinking, agility is hard wired into each one of us. It is not DNA that doesn’t exist. It’s a quality that helps you transform into dire circumstances.”

She also shared some facts like, India has discovered the Covid-19 Vaccine in 4-5 months. 70% of the medical items were earlier imported. Overnight government factories turned to medical factories and they manufactured masks and PPE. India didn’t have enough ventilators and a company called Metronix gave away their patent rights, companies like Tata and Mahendra started manufacturing ventilators and this is a great lesson of giving back to society. The oxygen crisis is also another example.