Ajit Doval’s Cautionary Tale: Be Audacious, Yet Stay Grounded – Insights for IIT Roorkee Graduates

On September 19, 2026, the graduation ceremony at IIT Roorkee turned into a rare master‑class in risk, ambition and humility. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval stepped onto the stage, not with a scripted PowerPoint, but with a memory that still makes his skin tingle.

He took the audience back to the early 1980s, when he was a fresh‑face intelligence officer stationed in Sikkim. A small team was dispatched on a routine surveillance mission along the disputed border with China. The plan? Simple – gather data, report back, and return before dusk. The reality? The team vanished into the night, only to re‑appear days later in Chinese custody.

Doval confessed, with a hint of rueful humor, that the incident shook him to the core. “I thought my career was over,” he said, his voice dropping just enough to draw a gasp. An inquiry later cleared him of any fault, but the lesson lingered: in the world of espionage, a single misstep can change everything.

He used that episode as a springboard to stress three compass points for the graduates: know where you are, know where you want to go, and chart the route to get there. “Being audacious is fine,” Doval warned, “but audacity without a map leads you into a Chinese prison or, worse, a dead‑end career.”

From there, he turned his gaze to the present. With technology reshaping every sector, from AI to quantum communications, opportunities are sprouting across the country. “India’s global position is shifting,” he noted, “and you, as engineers and innovators, are the ones who will steer that ship.” He urged the students to harness the tools of the digital age, but never to lose sight of their own bearings.

The speech closed on a relatable note – a gentle reminder that boldness must be tempered with self‑awareness. As the applause faded, Doval’s parting thought lingered: “Be audacious, but always remember who you are, and why you started.”