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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JANUARY 05, 2024 | The Indian Eye 24

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

MAHAMAHOPADHYAYA BHADRESHDAS SWAMI ABHIJIT BANERJEE

IIT Kharagpur honors of BAPS Economist awarded the Tagore

Swaminarayan Sanstha Prize for social achievement

n a significant event celebrating academic and professional excellence, the
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) has conferred
Ihonorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degrees upon four distinguished in- ndian American economist Abhijit Banerjee has been awarded the Tagore
dividuals - Mahamahopadhyaya Bhadreshdas Swami of the BAPS Swam- Prize for Social Achievement 2023 at the 6th Rabindranath Tagore Liter-
inarayan Sanstha, Mr Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc., Mr Ajit Jain, Iary Prize. The event was held at India International Centre in New Delhi.
Vice Chairman, Insurance Operations at Berkshire Hathaway, USA, and Dr Currently the Ford Foundation International professor of economics at
Ravinder Nath Khanna, Chairman & Managing Director of Controls and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Banerjee shared the No-
Switchgear Contactors Limited, Delhi. bel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Esther Duflo and Michael
Prof. Tewari highlighted the meticulous selection process, stating that Kremer in 2019.
Bhadreshdas Swami was chosen from a pool of nominees and the decision The 62-year-old Mumbai-born economist earned a honors degree in
had been ratified by more than 800 faculty members and 300 senate mem- economics from the Presidency College in 1981, a masters’ from Jawaharlal
bers, and approved by the Union Education Ministry and the President’s Nehru University, New Delhi and a PhD from Harvard University. In 2011,
office. The honor recognizes Bhadreshdas Swami’s exceptional insights into he featured among Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 global thinkers.
Hindu philosophy, beliefs, and culture, as well as his role as a global Sanskrit
scholar contributing to India’s progress. Peter Bundalo said, “It’s a privilege to witness yet another re-
In a separate but equally prestigious event, Mahamahopadhyaya
Bhadreshdas Swami was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters markable talent being acknowledged through the Rabindranath
(D.Litt.) degree by Sardar Patel University, Gujarat during the 66th Annual Tagore Literary Prize. Abhijit Banerjee and Sukrita Paul Kumar
Convocation Ceremony by the Union Home Minister of India, Shri Amit-
bhai Shah and the Governor of Gujarat, Shri Devvrat Acharya. embody mastery in their respective fields, enriching our world
Dr. Niranjanbhai Patel, Vice Chancellor of Sardar Patel University ac- with their distinct visions and contributions.”
knowledged Bhadreshdas Swami’s role in reviving the centuries-old com-
mentary tradition, describing it as a special contribution to Sanskrit and Abhijit Banerjee said, “Being awarded the Tagore Prize for Social
Indian culture. Expressing his gratitude, Pujya Bhadreshdas Swami attribut- Achievement is a profound honor. This recognition underlines the impor-
ed the honors to the grace and blessings of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, who tance of addressing societal issues and underscores the impact of collective
founded the Sanatan Vedic Akshar-Purushottam Darshan, as elucidated in efforts in shaping a better world.”
the sacred text Vachanamrut. Continued on next page... >>

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