Honorary degrees given by esteemed institutions honour distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to a field of study or society in general. IIT Kharagpur recently bestowed that honour on Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Pichai’s alma mater presented him with an honorary doctorate in a ceremony.
“Last week I was grateful to receive an honorary doctorate from my alma mater IIT Kharagpur. My parents always hoped I would get my doctorate, I think an honorary one still counts,” Pichai wrote.
“The access to education and technology at IIT put me on a path to Google and helping more people access technology. IIT’s role in technology will only grow in importance with the AI revolution, and I will always be thankful for my time there,” he added.
He also shared two pictures of himself receiving the honorary degree. Sundar Pichai was awarded the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Award. His wife, Anjali Pichai, was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award. They received their awards at an event in San Francisco.
Take a look at Sundar Pichai’s post here:
What did Instagram users say about this post?
An individual praised and added, “Once an IITian, always an IITian.” Another posted, “Sundar Pichai is not a name. It’s a miracle.”
While a third commented, “A great man, Dr Pichai,” a fourth wrote, “That’s fantastic. Congratulations.”
Why was Sundar Pichai given the honorary degree?
“In recognition of his remarkable contribution towards digital transformation, affordable technology and pathbreaking innovations; President Droupadi Murmu, Visitor of the institute, bestowed the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) to Pichai in absentia at the 69th Convocation of IIT-Kharagpur in December last year. However, as Pichai was not present at the annual convocation, the institute therefore had decided to reach out to him at a later date for the same. On July 23, the institute officials held the felicitation programme in San Francisco,” the institute said in a statement, reported Indian Express.
After accepting the award, Pichai, in the recent event, said, “This is indeed a great honour that IIT-Kharagpur has bestowed on me. I am truly blessed and humbled to receive this award… Standing with this award in my hands reminds me of the young boy that I was who dreamed to be in the world that I am trying to create with my inventions. IIT-Kharagpur holds a special place in my heart as this was the place where I first met my beloved wife, Anjali, and had beautiful memories of my second home that I grew up in.”