Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee on the Occasion of Addressing the Students of Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education
It is a joy for me to be here – the confluence of an extra-ordinary past, a promising present and a significant future.

It is my pleasure to be here today for the twenty third Convocation of the Pondicherry University and see the exuberance and excitement in the students who have come for this venerable occasion.
It is indeed a privilege for me to be present amidst you to inaugurate the Nineteenth Meeting of the Governing Council of the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP).
I am indeed happy to be amidst you to participate in the International Day of Older Persons.
Rector of Istanbul University Professor Dr Yunus Soylet,
Excellency,
It is indeed a privilege for me to be present amidst you this morning and to participate in the inaugural session of the Second India Water Forum.
Commandant National Defence College, Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, AVSM, members of the faculty and staff, officers from the Indian Armed Forces, Civil Services and from friendly foreign countries.