Addressing the graduating students, Krishna Balagurunathan, Chief Mentor and AVP – Early Careers, Hexaware Technologies urged them to focus not only on technical skills but also on developing a strong attitude, storytelling and soft skills. ‘Attitude’ was, he said, the most important quality that would shape how they approached work, colleagues, family and life. He also urged the graduates to become ‘creators of smiles’ and ‘creators of positivity’, saying that even small acts of positivity could have a significant impact on their happiness and the lives of those around them.

Chairman, Sona institutions, C. Valliappa told the graduates that they were now moving from the structured environment of college to the ‘highway’ of life, where they would encounter new opportunities as well as challenges. Drawing from his own experience as a businessman, he said failure should not be feared but viewed as part of the journey, providing an opportunity to course-correct and move towards success.

Recalling the first Graduation Day at Sona, when Padma Bhushan Prof. Rajinder Kumar of IISc had encouraged the institution to focus on creating technology and filing patents, Valliappa noted that Sona had since secured 58 patents.

He urged the graduates to honour their parents, remember their sacrifices, and remain connected with their teachers and alma mater as they embarked on the next chapter of their lives.

Vice-Chairman Chocko Valliappa highlighted Sona’s academic and faculty achievements, including its No. 1 ranking in faculty performance among more than 7,000 colleges in India in the NPTEL examinations for the eighth time, in the January–May 2026 session.

He also spoke about Sona’s newly established Moonshot Room, which symbolises the institution’s ambition to encourage students to think beyond conventional limits and aim high. The room showcases SonaSPEED’s early gyroscopes, pioneering motors and electrical drives, including technologies deployed in ISRO missions such as Chandrayaan-3 and the Reusable Launch Vehicle, highlighting Sona’s contribution to India’s space programme for nearly two decades.

Vice-Chairman Thyagu Valliappa highlighted the growing entrepreneurship ecosystem at Sona, noting that nine startups had been launched by Sona students through its incubation initiatives in the past year. He set an ambitious target of at least 50 startups by the next Graduation Day, with a particular focus on manufacturing and engineering design.

Sona’s research and innovation ecosystem also recorded significant progress during the year. The college received ₹42 crore in research funding from ANSR, AICTE and other agencies for work in areas including clean hydrogen, sustainable energy and AI-based healthcare. The Sona ChipIN Centre, supported by MeitY and C-DAC, is focused on semiconductor technology and VLSI design, with the institution aspiring to develop a ‘Made in Sona’ chip in the coming two years.

The graduating year also saw Sona students achieve recognition in major national competitions. A Sona student won the Capgemini BrandQuest competition; a student team won Google’s Fund My Crazy award, carrying a ₹25 lakh cash prize; and Team Nexus AI won the Gold Cup at the Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2026, earning the opportunity to represent India at the international forum in Japan in early September.

Three major national-level hackathon and innovation wins by Sona student teams during 2025–26 highlight the institution’s strong innovation and industry-linked mentoring ecosystem.