Prez Murmu visits Belur Math & Visva Bharati University

KOLKATA: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday visited the Belur Math, headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Later she attended a convocation at Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan.

Speaking at the programme, Murmu, who is also the Visitor of the central university, said Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had visualised India as a leading source of knowledge in the global arena. "Gurudev had visualised India being the leading source of knowledge....", and Visva Bharati was founded based on this principle, she said.

The President recalled her visit to Tagore's ancestral place Jorasanko thakurbari in Kolkata the day before and said this was nothing short of a "pilgrimage." Governor CV Ananda Bose and Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty also addressed the students having assembled to be awarded degrees at the convocation for the year 2022. At Belur Math, the President was received by Swami Suviranandaji Maharaj, general secretary of the mission, and state minister Birbaha Hansda. She visited the temples of Sri Ramkrishna and Maa Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda's room and his memorial site in the complex, an official said. Murmu, accompanied by the Governor, arrived at the Math around 8.45 am and left at about 9.20 am.