It is indeed a matter of great honour and privilege for me to be in your midst to receive the Honorary Doctorate Degree conferred upon me. The University of Mysore is one of the most reputed centres of learning, not just in the country but also the world. At the outset, I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Chancellor of the University, Hon’ble Shri Hansraj Bhardwaj Ji, the Governor of Karnataka, and the University Syndicate, who have selected me for this recognition. I accept it with utmost humility.

I have known Hon’ble Governor Shri Hansraj Bhardwaj Ji for a long time.  He is a legal luminance, a great scholar and has a formidable experience of public life.  He brings these qualities to the University of Mysore as its Chancellor. The State of Karnataka has a long tradition and unwavering dedication for gaining knowledge which has immensely enriched the common heritage of our country. Mysore, especially, a beautiful city cradled between the Kaveri and the Kabini has produced some of the most gifted artists, writers and poets of the land. And, the University of Mysore has, since its inception in 1916, earned itself such a sterling reputation that the Government of India has duly recognized it as one of the country’s “Institutions of Excellence”. The University’s commitment to knowledge and excellence is best expressed in its motto: “Nothing is Equal to Knowledge”, a call that powerfully resonates right from the period of reformer poet Basaveshwara –

“Gyanada baladinda agyanada kedu, nodayya; Jyotiya baladinda tamantada kedu, nodayya; Satyada baladinda asatyada kedu, nodayya; Parushada baladinda avalohada kedu, nodayya”

(By the power of knowledge, comes the destruction of ignorance. By the power of light, is darkness destroyed. By the power of truth, falsehood goes. And by the power of the alchemist’s stone, is iron destroyed.)

The achievements of this great institution are a matter of pride for all those who are associated with it. Many leading lights of both public life and academia have passed through the portals of this prestigious University. I have had a first-hand experience of the sincerity and rigour of its administration and faculty when I came here in 2003 to inaugurate the Babu Jagjivan Ram Study Chair. And now it is taking its pursuit of excellence further by setting up the Babu Jagjivan Ram Studies, Research and Extension Centre. Today, as the Foundation Stone for the Centre is laid, the University of Mysore begins a new chapter in its journey towards fostering an equitable social agenda.  The Centre is aimed to address a very special need of our times as it strives to be a ‘Centre of Excellence in Bio-diversity, Bio-prospecting and Sustainable Development’. The Centre’s founding principles are consistent with Babuji’s vision of encouraging research in people-centred, socially and economically viable and environmentally sustainable development. 

As the University community recognizes, Babuji was a man deeply committed to the emancipation of the vulnerable and weaker sections of society and the establishment of an equitable and inclusive society. His crusade against social iniquities and his struggle to provide empowerment to labour, especially in the agricultural sector, stemmed from his profound understanding of a development model that is both humane and sustainable.   I am confident that the new Centre will live up to the cherished ideals of Babuji, in whose honour it is being set up.

Here I would like to stress that education is not just an instrument to acquire knowledge, but also a way of producing and nurturing socially sensitive, progressive, responsible and forward-looking citizens. I strongly believe that a healthy relationship between the individual and the society are founded on the virtues of tolerance, discipline, commitment and compassion, and these only a good educational system can provide. Such well-groomed individuals then go on to become the building blocks of a strong and healthy society. For an educational system that provides its recipients with the essentials of good citizenship not only benefit the individual but the nation as a whole.  The overall development of individual citizens and the building of a vibrant society go hand-in-hand, as only in a free and organized society will individuals find opportunity to grow and realize their full potential.

As a nation, we need to make further investment in the education of our children. In order to stimulate economic development and to meet our greater national ideals, we need to invest in the infrastructure of education, improve the quality of our education system and augment the output from our educational institutions, especially in the area of advanced education.

As the world moves towards becoming a ‘knowledge society’, our strengths and achievements will be measured by the capacity of our research infrastructure and the quality and quantum of the fruits of our research institutions. I am sure our universities and institutions of higher learning will rise to the great challenge of developing our important human resource to meet the requirements of our times and our larger national interests.

Gender-parity in education is the cornerstone of a society that is just, equal and free from all forms of exploitation. Women’s empowerment will continue to be a far cry if equal opportunities are not ensured for girls’ education. Our failure to provide effective opportunities for the education of our girl children will prevent half of our population from exercising their fundamental rights.

Democracy cannot thrive unless there is equal participation of men and women in different national activities, and for that to happen, educational empowerment of all sections of society, including women, is a must. And here I would like to quote the famous Kannada poet Kuvempu, “Sarvarige samapaalu, sarvarige samabaalu.” (Equal share for all, Equal life for all).

Our Constitution is committed to providing full and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14, irrespective of gender, caste and creed. This commitment is reflected in the enactment of the 86th Constitution Amendment Act, that makes the Right to Education a fundamental right. Our Parliament has also enacted the ‘Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009’ towards this.

The height that the University of Mysore has scaled is, to a great extent, due to its teachers.  I believe that it is the teachers on whom the foundation of an institution like this rests. They give it strength and character. It is the teachers who play the most significant role in preparing the students for the real world, of unlocking the mysteries of the Universe for them.  In our culture the Guru is placed on the highest pedestal and revered.

To the students of this prestigious University I would like to say devote these golden years of your youth in the single-minded pursuit of knowledge and thereafter spread the light of your wisdom all around you. It is your duty to help build an inclusive, casteless, classless society based on the ideas of celebrated poets and mystics like Basaveshwara, Allama Prabhu, Akkamahadevi, and Siddheswar. It is your responsibility to bring cherished Indian values into the world of business and commerce. To make the world aware of all that is true, and all that is beautiful in our culture.

With these words, I thank the University of Mysore for conferring upon me an Honorary Doctorate Degree. I feel honoured to accept it and receive it in all humility.  I have great pleasure in laying the Foundation Stone for the Babu Jagjivan Ram Studies, Research and Extension Centre. I am also pleased to be a witness for the release of the Kannada Vishaya Vishwakosha: Ithihasa Mattu Puratatva and the Bhoogola Vignana.

My heartiest congratulation to the Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat for a learned scholar and a sensitive human being that he is and it is the most befitting honour.

Thank you all.