IIT Kharagpur conferred the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) (Honoris Causa) on Swami Atmapriyananda, the Pro Chancellor of RKMVERI (Deemed University) - 23 Feb 2021

Upon the recommendation of the Senate and the approval of the Hon’ble President of India (who is the Visitor to all the IITs), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, the oldest of the IITs in India and one of the finest higher education institutions in the world, conferred the degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) (Honoris Causa) on the Pro-Chancellor of our Deemed University at its 66th Convocation held at Kharagpur on 23 February 2021 in the (virtual) presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Hon’ble Education Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’.

In his brief acceptance speech, Swami Atmapriyananda said that he was accepting this honour in humility as a token of appreciation and recognition of the educational services being rendered by Ramakrishna Mission over nearly 125 years at all levels reaching out to all people irrespective of caste, creed, colour, gender, religion and social strata, in its struggle of actualization of the educational vision of Swami Vivekananda. He emphasized the social responsibility of the educated youth, particularly from the premier Institutes like the IITs, their responsibility to give back to society what they have received and been receiving from the society. He ended by quoting Swami Vivekananda’s powerful exhortation: “So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them”.

Below are some of the photos of the programme