The Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow yesterday. The following is the text of the speech of the Prime Minister on the occasion:

~I am deeply touched by the honour bestowed upon me today by the Lomonosov Moscow State University. I deem it to be an honour to my country by a globally reputed centre of learning, which is also the oldest university of Russia.

For more than a century, this University has occupied a place of prominence and prestige in the entire academic world by virtue of its consistently high academic standards and its original research contributions to various disciplines of knowledge.

A nation rises to greatness, among other things, on the strength of its universities. It is well recognised that universities like yours have contributed seminally to the remarkable progress made by Russia, in spite of all the odds created by history.

Mr. Rector, you are yourself a world-renowned scientist in informatics and applied mathematics. You and your distinguished colleagues symbolise the spirit of excellence in Russia’s scientific and technological establishment.

It is, therefore, a privilege for me to join other scholars and public figures who have been granted honorary degrees in the past, including the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

India has had a long and cherished association with the Moscow State University. Several thousands Indian students have graduated from its premises over the years.

As you know, India has built a large and sophisticated base of science and technology. Although we continue to be guided by the principle of self-reliance, we have been the beneficiary of co-operation with several countries. We are especially grateful to Russia for assistance in building our scientific and technological infrastructure in many vital disciplines.

Over the years, Indo-Russian co-operation in science, technology and other areas of academics has steadily gained in breadth and depth. It ranges from space research to metallurgy, and from aeronautics to oral polio vaccine. We are constantly adding new dimensions to this co-operation, as exemplified by the collaborative research in Ayurveda and the joint Indo-Russian Centre for Biotechnology, which will be established in India this year.

I am glad that an Indian Media Centre was opened here in July last year, which caters to the needs of the students studying in Hindi, and serves as a link with India through audio-visual aids, books and articles on India as well as lectures by visiting professors and journalists. I am especially happy to know that the Institute of Asia and Africa at your University also has facilities for teaching Sanskrit, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Gujarati.

Friends, each specific area of Indo-Russian co-operation addresses a vital need of development, welfare or national security in our two countries. But a university, by its very name and definition, has a universal vision – a vision that, while not ignoring the needs and concerns of the country and the community which sustain it, embraces the entire humanity.

The world of learning knows no boundaries; it only knows how to break them and, thereby, constantly extend the frontiers of knowledge. Yet, learning cannot merely be for learning’s sake. It has to help in mitigating mankind’s sufferings and in creating peace, prosperity and happiness for all on earth. This has been well recognised by all true seekers of knowledge in India, Russia and elsewhere.

One of them was the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was highly influenced by Russia’s creations in literature and arts and impressed by her achievements in science and technology. When he set up a university near Calcutta, he called it Viswa Bharati. As beautifully described in its mission statement in Sanskrit – ~Yatra viswam bhavati eka nidam~ – a university is a centre of international learning that helps the whole world become a single nest, one in which all sections of humanity would be unite din sympathy and understanding, in truth and love.

According to Tagore, a university should mould the students to ~realise the true character of our inter-linked humanity and the deeper unities of our civilisations in the West and the East~.

I believe that this central function of a university must never be lost sight of, even as by its various departments busy themselves in teaching and researching their respective subjects. In today’s age of globalisation, humanity is far more inter-linked than it was at the time of Tagore or Lomonsov. Yet, in spite of all the breathtaking advances in science and technology since then, mankind is still beset with many of the problems of poverty and underdevelopment that have continued from those times.

The present divide between developed and developing countries cannot be acceptable to any civilised mind. Our concern on this score is rendered sharper by the plight of those living in the least developed parts of the world.

Add to this, there are also problems associated with distorted development, in which phenomenal expansion of material wealth is often accompanied by the shrinkage of man’s moral and cultural personality. Such debilitating development cannot be the destiny of mankind.

One aspect of this developmental divide, which specifically concerns the academic community, is the controls placed by some developed nations on the free flow of scientific and technological knowledge. Such barriers militate against both the spirit of science and the goals of global development.

Lately, a new concern has arisen among all the right-thinking people of the world over the emergence of terrorism and religious extremism as the main threat to peace and civilised living. Both India and Russia are familiar with this problem. Both have been arguing that terrorism can be effectively tackled only through global cooperation. The recent terrorist attacks on the United States have proved the validity of our position.

Distinguished academicians, the world fought many odds in the last century – odds in the form of colonialism, fascism, and authoritarianism. The Cold War has ended. Democracy and pluralism have scored many victories around the world. Needless to say, universities and academic communities contributed significantly to bringing about these momentous changes.

Yet, as I have mentioned, many challenges – several old, but some new – confront the academic world in the new century. Universities are called upon to study and present new paradigms of balanced, humane and environment-friendly development all over the world. They are also called upon to counter the ideologies and mindsets that promote terrorism and extremism. I have mentioned only two of the major global concerns, but there are others too.

The exchange of international thought, in an atmosphere of freedom and mutual co-operation, is critical for satisfactorily addressing these concerns. And who, other than universities, can better foster such a free and fruitful flow of learning for global good?

The Moscow State University has been performing this noble calling for over a century now. We in India have had a deep and venerable bond with this Temple of Learning. I am confident that this bond will grow stronger, just as the bond of natural friendship between India and Russia will grow stronger, in the years and decades to come.

I thank you once again for honouring me.

Long live India-Russia co-operation in education!~