<p lang="en-US" align="left">The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) awarded degrees to 312 students at the interim session of its 61^stConvocation held today at the Institute’s Convocation Hall.</p><p lang="en-US">At the interim session of 61st convocation, 333 degrees were awarded, which included 184 PhD students (200 degrees including dual degrees). For the first time, IIT Bombay issued B.Sc. (3 years) degrees to 18 students who preferred an early exit as per NEP 2020. In addition, 133 degrees including 39 EMBA degrees were awarded to students of various other programs.</p><p lang="en-US">The degrees were conferred upon those students who have completed all the requirements during the period from August 2022 to January 2023 and have requested for the degree to be awarded earlier than the 61^st Convocation. Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent Systems Limited, was the Chief Guest of the function. The function was presided by the Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Bombay Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf and the Director Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri gave away the degrees.&nbsp;</p><p lang="en-US">Addressing the graduates, Dr. Deshpande said, “...getting a job is the first order of business for many of you, I am sure that your training at IIT will help you get there, but I expect all of you in the room not to be job seekers but become job creators. I would like to share four specific ideas that could help you thrive in a fast-evolving world viz. Dream big, Focus on the power of compounding, Make Friends and Learn to Network, and be persistent.”</p><p lang="en-US">The Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Bombay Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf, in his address said, “The experience of your stay at IIT Bombay forms the foundation of your future career. Here you have not only got a high quality education in technology but also learned to participate in various events and sports which has contributed in your all-round development. I urge you to make use of the support provided by ‘IIT Bombay Research Park’ and ‘Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SINE)’ in building a start up”.&nbsp;</p><p lang="en-US">Congratulating the graduating students and their families, Director of IIT Bombay Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri said, “You will all soon occupy leadership roles in whatever profession you select in your career, but never forget to give back to the people of our country so that together we all can make an impact on lives of common men.”&nbsp;</p><p lang="en-US">Ms. Savitri Gupta, a differently-abled female student of the Department of Humanities and Social Science, received a lot of applause while receiving the PhD degree at the hands of the dignitaries. Apart from the students and faculty members of the Institute, the ceremony was attended by the <span lang="en-IN">families and friends of the students.</span></p>