At RGU Deeksharambh, IIT-Guwahati Director Urges Students to Pair the ‘4Cs’ with Human Connection in the AI Era

EduNE Bureau

Guwahati: Addressing a packed hall of incoming PG and PhD scholars at The Assam Royal Global University (RGU), IIT Guwahati Director Prof. (Dr.) Devendra Jalihal told students that education is “purposeful” only when it equips them to face the real world with empathy and confidence. Framing his message around the “4Cs”—Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity—he urged learners to focus on the basics of language, ideas, reading and writing even as digital tools proliferate.

“We live in an era of devices that didn’t exist 15 years ago,” he said, noting that while emails may now read polished, “it isn’t always because writing has improved—it’s because there is ChatGPT.” Invoking historian-philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, he stressed what he called the “3 Cs”—communication, collaboration and critical thinking—and added creativity as the decisive edge.

The goal, he said, is to communicate “as fellow human beings,” collaborate to solve 21st-century problems, and cultivate the habit of questioning through stories and philosophy, from the Mahabharata to modern scholarship.

Prof. Jalihal also reflected on India’s intellectual traditions, calling the education system “a beautiful tree,” and encouraged students to anchor themselves in their mother tongues while remaining open to dialogue across languages and disciplines.

RGU’s Deeksharambh is part of the UGC’s Student Induction Programme, designed to help newcomers transition into university life, build values, and form mentoring bonds before regular classes begin. The programme orients students to campus culture, academics, and well-being—placing equal emphasis on character and community alongside coursework.

This year, RGU launched a 21-day Deeksharambh cycle on July 30, 2025, featuring industry and cultural voices—signalling a broad-based induction that blends employability with arts and values.

Prof. Jalihal has led IIT Guwahati since May 15, 2024, after a distinguished tenure at IIT Madras.

His stewardship at IIT-G has coincided with renewed emphasis on interdisciplinary research and national collaborations.