Kolkata: Former India women’s cricketer Jhulan Goswami was conferred the honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) degree by Bankura University during its second convocation ceremony held on Tuesday.
The convocation, held at Rabindra Bhavan in Bankura, was presided over by West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, who is also the Chancellor of the university. Addressing the gathering, Bose urged students to develop a clear vision for their lives and take decisive steps to realise it. “The destiny of India is being shaped in the classrooms,” he said, stressing the importance of combining vision with action.
“Bengal has all the potential to become the education hub of India. We have excellent universities, teachers, and very bright students. What is required is a concentrated effort by all stakeholders — teachers, civil society, political executives, and the media. Everyone must come together to restore the high traditions of education that Bengal is known for,” Bose told reporters after the event.
Alongside Goswami, author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, writer Abul Bashar, actor Debshankar Haldar, and T R Kesavan, a noted figure in Indian agriculture and rural development, were also awarded honorary D.Litt degrees.
The university also conferred honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc) degrees on medical scientist Arun Kumarendu Singh, theoretical physicist Ashoke Sen, and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist Ritu Karidhal.