Why IIT Roorkee's Class Of 2025 Is The Luckiest? Explains Spy Master Ajit Doval

New Delhi: At a time when young Indians are stepping into a world full of flux and competition, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval had a striking message for the next generation of engineers. Addressing the graduating class of IIT Roorkee on September 19, he called them the luckiest generation to have ever passed through the institute's gates, with doors opening faster than ever before.

It was not just a congratulatory note from the chief guest, Ajit Doval, at the 25th convocation of the institute, but he also used the occasion to look back at his own early years in service and how a single line from an unlikely mentor helped him make sense of failure.

In a deeply personal reflection, he reminded the students that while education and opportunity matter, what truly defines a career is the ability to read a changing situation correctly and respond to it in time.

The Low Phase Doval Did Not Hide

Moving beyond protocol, Ajit Doval spoke about a period early in his professional life when progress on paper meant little to him emotionally. He admitted that there was a time when, despite doing well career-wise, he found himself feeling low and disheartened.

He told the audience that he was "very sad" and "very down" even though things appeared to be going as expected. It was then that an old Tibetan Sherpa colleague, who was working alongside him in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), noticed his state of mind. The colleague came up to him and asked what had happened and why he was so upset, as he recalled that his own reply at that moment was quite unexpected.

‘Ye Sab Map-Reading Ka Chakkar Hai’

Ajit Doval told the Sherpa, "Ye sab map-reading ka chakkar hai." He said that what sounded like a casual remark stayed with him for years because it offered a completely different lens to view setbacks.

Unpacking the thought for the students, he explained, "Life is a question of map-reading." His point was that people often land in very different circumstances depending on whether they are able to read the map of their situation correctly.

The anecdote became the central lesson of his address, with him suggesting that a difficult patch does not automatically mean that someone has chosen the wrong road. The real challenge is to understand where one stands, to reassess the direction, and to decide what the next step should be.

You Are The Luckiest Generation, But Stay Adaptable

The philosophy shaped his larger message to the graduating batch, as NSA Ajit Doval reiterated that they were the "luckiest generation", with opportunities today far exceeding what previous generations had.

He urged them to make full use of their education, but also cautioned them to remain ready for uncertainty and constant change. Instead of imagining that a career will move along a straight, predetermined line, he advised them to learn to read shifting circumstances and to act at the appropriate moment.

Record 2701 Degrees At IIT Roorkee's Historic Convocation

The ceremony was a feat attended by the institute, as on the first day of the two-day convocation, IIT Roorkee awarded degrees to 1277 undergraduate students from courses such as BArch, BTech, Integrated MTech, Integrated MSc, IDD, BS-MS and BS.

Among them, 1001 were male and 276 were female students. Over the course of both days, the institute is set to confer 2701 degrees in total, reportedly the highest number ever awarded at a single convocation in history.

This year also saw the BS-MS degree being given for the first time under the 5-year Dual Degree Programme. NSA Doval attended as chief guest, while General NS Raja Subramani, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, was present as guest of honour. The second day will be dedicated to postgraduate and PhD scholars, who for now take with them a simple but enduring thought that when the terrain changes, knowing how to read the map can matter as much as knowing the destination.