Prez to be chief guest at 2nd Nalanda University convocation on March 31

Set up in 2014 through an Act of Parliament passed in 2010 after years of hard work piloted by the Nitish Kumar government and involving the likes of former President APJ Abdul Kalam in preparing the ground work, NU had held its first convocation in 2016 for the first batch of its post-graduate students.

President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest at the second convocation of Nalanda University in Rajgir on March 31. The President is also the Visitor of the (NU) and it will be her first visit to the institution.

President Droupadi Murmu. (HT File)

Set up in 2014 through an Act of Parliament passed in 2010 after years of hard work piloted by the Nitish Kumar government and involving the likes of former President APJ Abdul Kalam in preparing the ground work, NU had held its first convocation in 2016 for the first batch of its post-graduate students. The then President Pranab Mukherjee was the chief guest on the occasion.

However, the 2026 convocation will be the first on its own sprawling campus, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 19, 2024. The design and architectural elements of the nearly 500-acre campus are inspired by the original monasteries and buildings at the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara, the ruins of which are close by.

The President will deliver the convocation address, confer degrees, and personally award Gold Medals to meritorious students. She will also inaugurate the university’s newly built 2,000-seater auditorium, “Vishwamitralaya.”

Graduates from postgraduate and doctoral programmes have been invited to receive their degrees in person, representing countries like Vietnam, Bhutan, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Myanmar, Serbia, Ghana, Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe. The convocation will witness the award of 10 PhD degrees and 36 Gold Medals. The first convocation in 2016 had just 12 recipients of degrees.

Besides, the event will also see the launch of “Manjiri,” a special alumni magazine curated, designed, and developed by current Nalanda University students. The publication captures the journeys, experiences, and achievements of alumni since the university’s pioneer batch.

Later in the day, the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies will be formally launched. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had during the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit announced the centre, which aims to strengthen research, academic collaboration, and cultural exchange between India and ASEAN member states.

Professor Sachin Chaturvedi was appointed the vice chancellor of NU in May last year, while former vice chairman of the Niti Ayog Arvind Panagariya was appointed the Chancellor in 2023.