Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (May 26) received an honorary Doctor of Literature (D. Litt) from Kazi Nazrul University of West Bengal, India for her outstanding role in improving the living standard of the people through democracy, women empowerment, poverty alleviation and socioeconomic development.
The university conferred the degree on her at a special convocation and the 3rd annual convocation of the university on its campus in West Burdwan district of West Bengal, media reports said.
Vice-Chancellor of the university Sadhan Chakraborty presided over the convocation while Minister in Charge of Department of Higher Education of West Bengal government Dr Partha Chaterjee was the guest-of-honor.
Prime minister's sister Sheikh Rehana, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and dignitaries of the two counties, including academics, poets, artistes and senior officials attended the function.
Paying her tributes to national poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sheikh Hasina urged everybody to rise above small interests and communalism and learn how to value people as human being as taught by Nazrul."As a member of human race, she said, everybody should uphold the values of humanity above all not only in his/her working place but also in every steps of life."
Sheikh Hasina expressed her immense pleasure for having the opportunity to come to the birthplace of Kazi Nazrul on his birthday and receive the degree from a university named after him.
"I think this honor is not only for me, but also the people of Bangladesh," she said, extending thanks to the university authorities for the degree.
Sheikh Hasina said advent of rebel poet Nazrul in the sky of Bengali literature was just like a comet. Nazrul, who was a poet, litterateur, music composer, musician, singer, music director, dramatist, actor, journalist, editor and soldier, has filled the Bengali literature with precious treasures.
