BVB Commemorates 150th Birth Anniversary of Sir Asutosh Mookerjee

Kolkata, June 6, 2014 - Commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of the prolific educator Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan held "Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Lecture" in association with Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Institute. The lecture was delivered by Sri Pranab Mukherjee, Honorable President of India at the Town Hall.

The theme of the lecture was - "Towards Excellence in Educational Institutions". The President in his speech delved upon effective approach towards achieving excellence in educational institutions and making meaningful contribution to the society through the generations.

The event was graced by Sri M. K. Narayanan, Honorable Governor of West Bengal as the Guest of Honour, Justice Chittatosh Mookerjee, President, Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Institute & Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kolkata Kendra, Sri S. G. Mehta, President, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Worldwide and Sri Prasun Mukherjee, Executive Vice Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

The programme started with the National Anthem and was followed by Saraswati Vandana performed by the students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

In his lecture, the President said, "Modern day Indians must learn from Sir Ashutosh the importance of ensuring cross fertilization of ideas through interaction of scholars from across India and abroad. Our educational institutions should break down the silos in which different disciplines function and strive for a harmonious interchange of thoughts between the humanities, science, languages and other disciplines. Transformative ideas are required to steer our educational institutions from the muddy waters of mediocrity. Governance structures have to be supportive of innovative ideas and also facilitative of faster decision-making. The expertise and experience of alumni, who are well-established, can be utilized for effective university management. Studies have shown how alumni participation in university governance improves academic performance. Our universities, especially the older ones, should make a definitive move towards engaging alumni in their activities."

"Countries built on the strength of education and knowledge has achieved development over longer periods of time. Such countries have exhibited greater adaptive powers to changes in resource endowments. Education has afforded them the ability to overcome resource constraints and build an economy on a high technological base. If India has to be one of the front ranking nations in the world, the way ahead is only through a robust education system," he said.

While proposing a vote of thanks, Sri Prasun Mukherjee commented on the occasion, "In course of his Memorial Lecture, the President has made a memorable speech, in which, while referring back again and again to the personality and actions taken by Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, he has constantly charted out the course of action which needs to be pursued, if we aim towards excellence in our educational institutions."

"I am sure all of us will endeavour to follow his advice and make his vision a reality", he added.

About Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan:
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was founded by Kulapati Dr. K. M. Munshi in the year 1938.The founding members of the Bhavan included Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Shri C Rajagopalachari, Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallab Bhai Patel, several distinguished scholars, statesmen and leaders of modern Indian Renaissance.

From a small beginning, Bhavan has grown into an internationally reputed intellectual, cultural and educational movement. It has 119 centres of which 7 are overseas and there are 367 constituent institutions. Bhavan tries to promote education, literature, culture, science, human values and inter- faith harmony for all around human development.

The Kolkata Kendra of the Bhaban has created a niche for itself through various institutions under the umbrella of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. These are -