Be an icon in yourself, never imitate: H.E. Prof. Ganeshi Lal 

Total 5695 students of 2017 – 18 graduating batch of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar received their degrees at its 14th Annual Convocation in the presence of Professor Ganeshi Lal, His Excellency the Governor of Odisha, Prof. (Dr.) Ernesto Kahan, Sr. Vice-President, World Academy of Arts & Culture (WAAC), U.S.A. & Fmr. Vice President, IPPNW (Nobel Peace Prize winner – 1985) and other dignitaries on November 10, 2018. Among them, 77 students got Ph.D. degrees in various disciplines.

The University conferred Honoris Causa Degrees of D.Sc. upon Prof. (Dr.) Kahan and Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal, and D.Litt. upon The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Usha Kumari Prashar, CBE, PC, U.K.; Mr. Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, Hon’ble Member of Swiss Parliament, Switzerland; Prabhu Gaur Gopal Das, Life Coach, Monk & Spiritual Motivational Speaker; Shri Kabir Bedi, Renowned Indian Film Writer, Producer, Director and Actor; and Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

“India is not only a country with her land, rivers, mountains and habitations, but for Indians, she is much beyond these things – she is the divine Goddess. Odisha is the state for humanity at large. Son of the soil Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is an example of this. KIIT & KISS are divine creations through him. Prof. Samanta is bringing smiles to 27,500 underprivileged children. He is loving those who have never been loved before. Therefore, I regard him as an alien”, said the Chief Guest Professor Ganeshi Lal in his address.

“You are going to face a world divided by the lines of religion, regions, colour, languages, etc. and the biggest challenge before you is to vanquish these divisions. Be an icon in yourself, never imitate”, the Governor of Odisha told the graduating students. As they advance in their chosen careers, they should not forget to smile, be kind and find peace in the laps of nature, he advised.

In his address, the Chief Speaker Prof. (Dr.) Kahan stated, “I have visited many places in the world, but never saw institutions like KIIT and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). Two institutions are indeed examples for the whole world”. Saluting Prof. Samanta for establishing institutions like KIIT & KISS, he promised to help KIIT in all ways possible, particularly in the field of medical science research. Prof. Kahan, who is a well-known litterateur besides a physician, also read a poem he had written on conflict in Middle East and relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings.

In her acceptance speech, The Baroness Prashar said, “This institution has inspired me the most in whole of my working career. Prof. Samanta’s vision has made it a reality and by emphasizing on women empowerment, he is following Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals”. Thanking KIIT for the honour, Mr. Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, who was born abandoned in a Kerala village and adopted and raised by a Swiss couple, said that his journey of life had taught him many lessons and his experience in KIIT & KISS is among the most important ones. Prof. Samanta’s work for the underprivileged children is the top level service to humanity, he stated.

Calamities can be turned into opportunities and students can learn this lesson from the life story of Prof. Samanta, said Prabhu Gaur Gopal Das. “He has the combination of leadership with compassion and empathy. He is emphasizing on the standard of giving at a time when the world is busy with the standard of living”, the celebrated motivational speaker said. Accepting the Honoris Causa D.Litt. Degree, Shri Kabir Bedi expressed gratitude to KIIT, it founder, all the teachers of the world because “knowledge is the best gift a human being can receive”.

Advising the graduating students to explore entrepreneurship, Dr. Md. Sabur Khan said that they are lucky to have an example like Prof. Samanta, who has become an icon of India. Accepting the Honoris Causa D.Sc. Degree, Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo said, “This honour is very special to me as it comes from a top university of my home state”.

Prof. Ved Prakash, Chancellor, KIIT Deemed to be University, Padma Shri Prof. (Dr.) Subrata Kumar Acharya, Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Hrushikesha Mohanty, Vice-Chancellor and Prof. Sasmita Samanta, Registrar also spoke at the convocation ceremony and expressed their best wishes to the graduate students.

Karan Khandelwal, MBBS, Pritam Samantaray, M.Tech. (CE&M) and Nirmal Pandey, B. Tech. (Civil) won Founder’s Gold Medals for their outstanding all round and academic performance. Similarly, 20 students were awarded Chancellor’s Gold Medal, while 21 students got Vice Chancellor’s Silver Medal. P.K. Bal Memorial Gold Medal, PPL Gold Medal and Nanibala Memorial Gold Medal were also given away on the occasion.

The University conferred Honoris Causa Degrees of D.Sc. upon Prof. (Dr.) Kahan and Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal, and D.Litt. upon The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Usha Kumari Prashar, CBE, PC, U.K.; Mr. Niklaus-Samuel Gugger, Hon’ble Member of Swiss Parliament, Switzerland; Prabhu Gaur Gopal Das, Life Coach, Monk & Spiritual Motivational Speaker; Shri Kabir Bedi, Renowned Indian Film Writer, Producer, Director and Actor; and Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Jay Prabhu Jagannath. Namaskar to all present.

Being the first proud servant of Odisha state, it fills my heart with joy unspeakable to express my gratitude to the Nobel Laureate Dr. Ernesto Kahan plus the excellence of the world in the different fields of life sitting on this platform. Proud I say because in the words of W. W. Hunter – “This Odisha is not a state for Odisha people only; it is a state for the humanity at large”. The picture is very clear before your eyes.

Here the beauty is that the God is not only with me, He lives within me and I dare say that He is me. Here the oneself and the universe self are one. Here the human consciousness and cosmic consciousness converge. Here the observer and the observed they become one, they merge themselves into one. And therefore, I am not only a proud servant of Odisha people, every Odisha body is a servant of humanity at large.

Besides this also, my country is a Goddess. It is not simply rivers, mountains and inhabitants living in this land. She, if She likes, can manifest in any human form. I will not exaggerate if I say my friend Achyuta Samanta, the alien, is the manifestation of that Goddess over here, in this land my country. He may not be present over here, but I can feel his presence in all of you, in each one of you.

I am not the only one to say this thing. Sri Maa, Mirra Alfassa The Mother, said that this land is Adishakti Mahamaya. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee of Bengal says – Tvam hi Durga dashapraharana dharini, kamalam, susmitam, amalam Vande Mataram. Not only this, Rabindranath Tagore also says the same thing. Beyond all malaises and prejudices, we accept our foes as friends. Therefore, the first message that comes to us is that, I think, spiritually in each item there is a divine presence and you are the divine under many disguises.

Purpose of this life on this Earth, besides all that has been said, is to discover the divine. That is for why I am here. Of course, our students, if considered deeply, are pure consciousness of a child. He contains a superman as a potential in him, and a superman is nothing else but one who brings infinity, soars into eternity, escapes time and space; sky is available to him. He is the most powerful resource on this Earth, below the Earth and above the Earth. His entire space is boundless space. He is limitless: Newton he has been, in Jesus he appeared, in Mohammad he revealed, he is the real Ram and Krishna. Therefore, his power cannot be imagined by the common human beings as far as this country is concerned and people of this country are concerned.

Example before you is this institution KIIT and KISS. But once I enter into the world, I hear so many speeches. I listen to Carl Sagan, the great cosmologist, along with a number of Nobel Laureates and scientists from all over the world requesting and appealing to the spiritual leaders to save the planet from the threats of environmental and ecological imbalances. I listen to the dictum of T. S. Eliot that we are just living shadows inhabiting this great wasteland. We listen to the great scientists Einstein also that there is a prospective of nuclear war waiting in the wings.

My country is a Goddess. She can manifest in any human form. I will not exaggerate if I say that my friend Achyuta Samanta is the manifestation of that Goddess over here, in this land.

Every country is clamouring for the economic supremacy. Every country is trying to spread its wings over all the world. The world is torn between Jews and non-Jews, Christians and non-Christians, Hindus and non-Hindus, Muslims and Kafirs. That is the world you are going to face. That is the world you are entering into. The problem is, of course, how this can be vanquished, how this can be overpowered and how can this be made a worth living planet.

Once you meet the material Goddesses of ignorance, fear, falsehood, confusion, delusion, distrust, desperation, frustration and depression, political clumsiness, strategies and diplomacies, caste, creed, colour, cunningness, cleverness, conspiracies and corruption, the first thing that the seers advise is close your eyes, don’t fill your mind with all these nonsense. Let them pass away. Ignore them completely. Be an icon in yourself, never imitate. Examples are sitting on the platform. They are the icons in themselves in the different fields of the world – science, philosophy and spiritual.

The world is torn between Jews and non-Jews, Christians and non-Christians, Hindus and non-Hindus, Muslims and Kafirs. That is the world you are going to face. The problem is, of course, how this can be vanquished and how can this be made a worth living planet.

The second thing which the sages, seers and saints suggest is go to the lap of nature. This is the visible garment of God. You will feel as fresh as the breeze. You will feel as fresh as the first ray of the Sun on Earth. You will feel as fresh as the dew drops on the petals of the flower. You will feel as you are in the supreme happiness, you are the joy of the flowers, you are the joy of the birds, you are the joy of the rivers. There is love, laughter and splendour everywhere. Celebration of the heart, celebration of the mind, celebration of the brain, celebration of the everything.

Go to the lap of the nature. Einstein says once you come to the lap of the nature, anger, anxiety, hesitation and irritation disappear. Your intelligence goes up by 100%. So, lap of the nature is the best solution. The barrier between the vision and reality disappear.

Be an icon in yourself, never imitate. Examples are sitting on the platform. They are the icons in themselves in the different fields of the world – science, philosophy and spiritual.

And the third thing is make a habit to smile. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India says – Go to the world with a flower pot. The pot can be your pocket, and the flower can be imprinted upon your pocket. So, go to the world with a flower pot. That is with love, courtesy, humility, patience, concentration and discipline. It is, in fact, the realisation of the entity itself with the supreme self. It is, in fact, work and worship. So make a habit to smile. And smile is the consequence of your excellent action. And excellent action is gladdening the heart of human being.

It goes to the credit of Achyuta Samanta that he is gladdening the hearts of 27,000 people of this place. None could have ever thought of like this. I adore him and admire him. I regard him as an ‘alien’. Any award any prize of the world is insignificant for such a man who has nothing to do except for thinking of you.

It goes to the credit of Achyuta Samanta that he is gladdening the hearts of 27,000 people of this place. None could have ever thought of like this. I adore him and admire him. I regard him as an ‘alien’. Any award any prize of the world is insignificant for such a man.

So as far as smile is concerned, that is very important. It removes the scars, sufferings of the humanity at large. It lessens the sorrow of the sorrowful beings. It is going to those persons who have never been reached, it is loving those persons who have never been loved, it is respecting those who have never been respected. The future of the world depends upon India. India is incarnating a new spiritual world. Let all of us try and endeavour, put our heads together with the utmost sincerity, sensibility, to bring down the truth upon this land of ours, this planet of ours. There will be manifestations of truth. Nothing more to say, I just pray to the almighty that may your signatures be turned into autographs in the times to come.

Thank you. Bande Utkal Janani!

Hello again! I was a little surprised when I was expected to speak again. But when they said, I said – yes. Why I wanted to speak again with you? Because I wanted to say don’t forget this day. This is very special to all those graduates and all those who will be graduates, next days, next months, next years. Don’t forget this day. Because, this day will make a mark in your life. I recommend you to work very hard, but be a good person, a moral person. This is one of the most important things in the world. People will recognise this if you do that.

And another thing. If you work hard, please don’t forget this work. Publish what you do. If you do and you are not publishing, you did nothing. If you publish and you and you did not work, this is another history. There are many people. Don’t do that.

I became so inspired in these days I was invited in this university that I will tell you a story that I never publish or tell. But meaning of this story is very common to many people. I will tell you a personal story. Another thing – time is running very very fast. You close your eyes, you open again your eyes and you are already retired. So utilise this time. It is very very important.

I recommend you to work very hard, but be a good person, a moral person. This is one of the most important things in the world. People will recognise this if you do that

So the story is very simple. I was working in a hospital as a doctor. One day I received a letter from Harvard University from a professor. The letter said – Dr. Kahan, I am inviting you to create a new movement of doctors. Because we doctors must protect health and life and possibility of a nuclear war is the last existence of life in the universe. So I said yes to the opportunity. When I started to think about, I say – What can I do? This is too big for me. This is, you know, Prime Minister’s, Heads of State’s – all the big people in the world – work. Anyway, I did it. And opportunity is coming to everybody.

So say yes to the opportunity because it may never came again. Very few time after that, one or two years, I couldn’t believe I started to meet Mr. Papandreou, the Prime Minister of Greece, the Prime Minister of Germany. So, I didn’t understand that the Minister of Defence of United States is a simple doctor. So I want to thank you for all the inspired time you gave me. Thank you, you all.

Publish, work and be good person.  

Good morning. Your Excellency the Governor of the State, distinguished colleagues and honoured members of the new doctorates, distinguished authorities of the university, dear friends,

With great honour, I accept this honorary doctorate. I promise, and you all are witnesses, to help this university, to do my best in my major which is research in medicine. I will do whatever you ask me to do. I have visited many, many places in the world, but never got the opportunity as today to see what happen in this KIIT and KISS University. This is a great example for the entire world. You are the future and we must collaborate with this project. My special salutation to Dr. Samanta, the leader of this project. I would like to end with this poem, called ‘The Message’:

100 years of war, of crime, of hate, of pain

And then a dove that came from Oslo to Jerusalem

The dove brought the message

And then was fire and death

Now the message is here, is there, is everywhere

Waiting in our hands

Try to build two homes

One for Israel, the other for Palestine

Can you and I take the message and start again

Can light and smile live and make love in this land

My answer is yes

And I say yes because I follow the light in my way

The light in my way is forever Mahatma Gandhi.

I have visited many, many places in the world, but never got the opportunity as today to see KIIT and KISS University. This is a great example for the entire world.

Your Excellency the Governor of Odisha, Hon’ble Chancellor, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, distinguished guests on the dais, members of the faculty, ladies and gentlemen, and graduands,

I feel truly honoured and privileged to receive this honorary doctorate from this very very unique university. In whole of my working career, I have never come across an institution which has inspired me as much this institution has done. And, of course, I want to pay a very fulsome tribute to Dr. Samanta. It is his vision which has made this a reality and what I am particularly proud of as a women, he has made empowerment of women as an integral part of the mission of this university. He has lived truly to the words of Swami Vivekanand and Gandhiji that women need to be empowered if we have to progress. And Gandhiji said that if you educate a man, you educate an individual; when you educate a woman, you educate a family. In this instance I will say you educate a society and we work for a better world. So I wish him very well. I also want to pay tribute to the faculty and teachers of this institution. Because imparting knowledge is one of the most divine things anybody can do. I have witnessed the dedication, the commitment of faculty and teachers in the way they have brought up this university and have made the vision of Dr. Samanta a reality. I also want to pay tribute to the graduands today because I feel that you are extremely lucky to be graduands of this particular institution, which has given you holistic education, equipped you for your life ahead, because the skill of learning to learn is a lifelong thing, which never becomes obsolete. As you venture on your different careers, I want to wish you all the best not just to make your own life, but actually making a contribution to the society. You work to make a living, but you give to make a life. I think the Art of Giving is something that this institution believes in. I am therefore very fortunate that I will be associated with this university because that will make me alumni of this university and I will very proudly do whatever I can to assist this university in the future to make sure that it goes from strength to strength.

In whole of my working career, I have never come across an institution which has inspired me as much this institution has done. I want to pay a very fulsome tribute to Dr. Samanta. It is his vision which has made this a reality. He has lived truly to the words of Swami Vivekanand and Gandhiji that women need to be empowered if we have to progress.

Thank you very much.

His Excellency the Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Dear Dr. Samanta, Dear members of the Board, Dear Guests,

It’s hard for me to find appropriate words. I really feel privileged to receive this great award and title from this university. My heart is full of gratitude towards the Board of KIIT that my name was chosen for this great honour. The journey of my life which started in a small town of Kerala and took me, at the end, to the Parliament of Switzerland has taught me many valuable lessons and was full of surprises. One of the biggest surprises is this happening here. When I talked about what message I could bring you, a sentence always turned up in my mind. You are salt of tears. How can anyone be salt? It means to me that I will make life for needy more agreeably, to help those who need it the most with good advice and steps to goal. The best example you have in your midst is Dr. Samanta. I have high regards. His life is most inspiring for everyone in this world. His ideas to serve the poor and the underprivileged have reached top level in humanity. So much higher than those who practise hate, violence and death. Many of you, I guess, try to follow his footsteps, not only looking for oneself. I am trying the same in my life in my own humble way.

The best example you have in your midst is Dr. Samanta. I have high regards. His life is most inspiring for everyone in this world. His ideas to serve the poor and the underprivileged have reached top level in humanity.

The strength, the joy and the courage to go on day by day gives me the words of Jesus who said: “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you”. I have the strong feeling that our life is the biggest gift God gave us. In return we can contribute something of our own to make this world a better place for many. I was born abandoned. Then two angels came from nowhere to embrace me, to make me realise that love does not care for boundaries of caste, race or religion. My upbringing transformed my life. I shall always be grateful to my parents for that. Now when a person approaches me with a problem or some difficulties he’s going through, I consider this is as an opportunity to help him out if it is possible. I do not think that my act is something special or out of the way. It is something in return. My roots connect me to this land of India, a land rich of different people, landscapes, cultures, languages – absolutely unique. You are all unique for me.

I was born abandoned. Then two angels came from nowhere to embrace me, to make me realise that love does not care for boundaries of caste, race or religion.

This year we are celebrating 70th year of friendship between Switzerland and India. Switzerland was one of the first countries acknowledging India as a democratic nation. I do feel blessed to be a bridge between these two wonderful nations so different in size. I do not know if you know Swiss culture stands not only for chocolates, but also, which is quite unique, for protecting minorities. All of us here we are united in trying to do the necessary, the just and the good. That is great. I wish you all God’s blessings.

Thanks a lot.

His Excellency Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, the Chancellor, Pro Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and Registrar of KIIT and the entire Board, dignitaries present on the stage, graduates to be and ladies and gentlemen,

It is my extreme honour to be able to receive this Honorary Degree from such a reputed university – KIIT. I feel humbled and simultaneously honoured to be able to receive this degree, especially from a university like KIIT founded by legendary, towering and inspiring personality Dr. Achyuta Samanta. Last year I had opportunity to be here at KIIT and speak to the students here in his presence. When I see these two universities – KIIT and KISS – I see the expert leadership of Dr. Samanta in KIIT and I see the empathy and heart of compassion to give to the needy, to the poor, to the downtrodden at KISS. So, it is such an incredible combination of expert leadership along with compassion and empathy and when leadership, empathy and compassion are combined with each other, all we can have in the world, in the society is a powerful, tremendous impact. Where the entire world is busy in enhancing and increasing the standard of living, you have Dr. Samanta at KISS enhancing and increasing the standard of giving. I think all of us here on this particular day as we move out of this university taking our degrees, we don’t simply want to increase our standard of living, we also want to increase our standard of giving, because that’s how we truly create an impact on the world.

When I see these two universities – KIIT and KISS – I see the expert leadership of Dr. Samanta in KIIT and I see the empathy and heart of compassion to give to the needy, to the poor, to the downtrodden at KISS.

In Dr. Samanta I found an incredible example of someone who turned a calamity into an opportunity. Coming from a family where there was barely anything, one could, crib, one could cry, one could make excuses, but one who turned this into an opportunity to give, to change, to transform, to evolve people in the world is Dr. Samanta. So for me I feel extremely honoured and humbled to receive this degree from KIIT. To all the students and all the graduates to be I want to say – Talent determines what we can do, our motivation determines what we will do, but out attitude determines how well we will do what we do.

Where the entire world is busy in enhancing and increasing the standard of living, you have Dr. Samanta at KISS enhancing and increasing the standard of giving. Coming from a family where there was barely anything, he turned this into an opportunity to give, to change, to transform, to evolve people in the world.

Therefore from KIIT as you receive these degrees, you want to go with these three things – from standard of living to standard of giving, second learn how to transform a calamity into an opportunity and third, along with talent, have right motivation and attitude.

Thank you very much.

His Excellency the Governor of Odisha Prof. Ganeshi Lal ji, Chancellor Prof. Ved Prakash ji, Pro Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Dr. Kahan, Chief Speaker, all the awardees, and all the distinguished presenters, faculty members, staff and students of KIIT University, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

My gratitude to KIIT and Dr. Samanta for having conferred this doctorate upon me. My gratitude to Dwiti Vikramaditya for introducing me to KISS and KIIT. My gratitude to all the teachers in my life who gave me knowledge – all the teachers who saw a spark in me, who gave me words of encouragement, a look of appreciation that validated what I felt I did. In life there are many, many teachers. I wish to thank those who taught me the basics of my craft of acting. Those who furthered that understanding in the directors of the films I worked with. I thank also the great Indian philosophers who added to my knowledge and understanding of Indian culture, Indian philosophy. And even the modern philosophers of the 20th and 21st century, who are spreading the message across the world giving us all new insights into philosophy, religion, tradition and more importantly how we should live, how we should apply those values. And I wish to thank my parents who by the example of their lives showed me that we can live for a higher cause and even faced great difficulties, yet prevail. They were part of the Indian Freedom Movement – Baba Bedi and Freda Bedi. They could have had a very rich and wonderful life but they chose a life of deprivation for a larger cause. They showed by the example of their lives and the values they gave me how life should and can be lived.

Each one of you have benefited from the dedication, knowledge and passion of your teachers. Knowledge is the greatest gift that human being can receive, beyond the gift of life itself. I think that KIIT and KISS are shining examples what can be done in the field of education.

I also thank every teacher in every school of India who is imparting education. My sister has been a teacher for all her life and I know what it takes to be a teacher. I have seen the enthusiasm and passion with which she teaches and passes knowledge. Each one of you have benefited from the dedication, knowledge and passion of your teachers. I thank them all on behalf of you, on behalf of myself because knowledge is the greatest gift that human being can receive, beyond the gift of life itself. Therefore, all the heroes in the field of education, all those that fuel this cause, I salute them, I express my deepest gratitude. I think that KIIT and KISS are shining examples what can be done in the field of education. I salute them with the deepest gratitude accept this doctorate from them.

Thank you!

His Excellency Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, Hon’ble Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and Hon’ble awardees, all graduates, their parents and faculty,

Very good morning. It is indeed a great pleasure. I am really proud and express my gratitude to KIIT for conferring this honour. At the same time I must say that it is a great opportunity for all KIIT students and, of course, Odisha and Bhubaneswar, because you have got such a wonderful person Dr. Achyuta Samanta. Those who are going to graduate today, it is a great pleasure for you to get such a wonderful leader. You have a lot of opportunity to learn from Dr. Achyuta Samanta, because a person who started his journey as a great entrepreneur to establish KIIT and KISS and at the same time we know that he started with only 100 US Dollar. He is a great entrepreneur. I must say that he is an icon of the Indian history also.

It is a great pleasure for you to get a leader like Dr. Achyuta Samanta. He started his journey as an entrepreneur to establish KIIT and KISS and at the same time we know that he started with only 100 US Dollar. He is a great entrepreneur. I must say that he is an icon of the Indian history also.

Students here are quite lucky to learn a lot of things because people from around the world come to India to learn about KISS and Dr. Achyuta Samanta. You are the students of KIIT. You are proud ambassadors of KIIT. As entrepreneurs Dr. Achyuta Samanta and myself have a lot of similarity in wavelength. I am also an entrepreneur. After my university graduation I started my business in 1990. By this time I have already developed 45 companies. My first company – an IT company – is the first public listed IT company of Bangladesh. I would tell all of you those who have the innovative ideas, those who have the entrepreneurial mind to please come forward and try to become entrepreneurs, try to follow Dr. Samanta. This will bring happiness to Dr. Samanta also.

So, again thank you very much for this wonderful award from KIIT University. At the same time I say that morality, ethics, Art of Giving, and a lot of other things you learn while studying at KIIT. KIIT is like my second home. I love to come to KIIT to see the activities. Every year I saw KIIT is growing. KIIT is moving very fast. As the Vice Chancellor has already mentioned, KIIT is now in QS and Times World University Rankings. I think in near future it will be among the top 100 universities in the world rankings.

Wish all of you good luck. Thank you very much.

His Excellency Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Hon’ble Governor of Odisha, Chancellor, Pro Chancellor, Registrar, dignitaries on the dais, distinguished guests,

First, I convey my greetings and gratitude to the people of Odisha. Thirty-seven years back I left Odisha after finishing my graduation. It is a long journey for me in Delhi and the North-east. Although I have been outside the state physically, but I have been coming to the state almost every six months because my heart, my soul and my mind is in my hometown and home state. Although I have received several awards during the last 37 years, but this particular award is very, very special to me and I am overwhelmed. I am extremely grateful to the KIIT as well as Prof. Achyuta Samanta for conferring me this particular Honoris Causa, because I have never got any recognition from my home state. This is the first recognition which I am getting from my home state. Today I feel that I am at the top of the world because I come back to my home state and my home state has recognised my contributions.

Although I have received several awards during the last 37 years, but this particular award is very, very special to me I have never got any recognition from my home state. This is the first recognition which I am getting from my home state.

Dear friends, I dedicate this degree to my fellow Odia, to the state of Odisha. Also I promise that this award is not for me but for all of you. This has encouraged me to do more for my home state. Wherever I have gone in my life I have made my state as well as the country proud and I will continue to do that. I humbly accept this honorary D.Sc. and I promise that any time during my life I will of any help if I get a chance to come back to Odisha in any capacity, I will do my best to put Odisha in the global map.

Thank you very much once again.

Professor Ganeshi Lal
Professor Ganeshi LalHis Excellency the Governor of Odisha
Odisha is the state for humanity at large. Son of the soil Prof. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is an example of this. KIIT & KISS are divine creations through him. Prof. Samanta is bringing smiles to 27,500 underprivileged children. He is loving those who have never been loved before
Prof. (Dr.) Ernesto Kahan
Prof. (Dr.) Ernesto KahanSr. VP, World Academy of Arts & Culture (WAAC), U.S.A. & Fmr. Vice President, IPPNW (Nobel Peace Prize winner - 1985)
I have visited many places in the world, but never saw institutions like KIIT and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). Two institutions are indeed examples for the whole world