West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Okayama University of Japan on Wednesday at a ceremony held in Kolkata. The recognition came in acknowledgment of her contributions to women's empowerment. The event took place at a government auditorium in the Alipore area, attended by Japanese dignitaries and state officials. Banerjee dedicated the honour to the people of Bengal and praised Japan as a global example of peace and culture. She highlighted the historical and cultural ties between Japan and West Bengal, recalling associations of Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, Rashbehari Bose, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose with Japan. The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Japanese delegation for travelling to Bengal for the ceremony and hoped to visit Japan next year. She also emphasized West Bengal's growing international engagement and industrial progress.
Cultural Ties and Future Collaboration
Banerjee emphasized the long-standing cooperation between universities in Japan and West Bengal, benefiting both teachers and students. She noted that Japanese delegates have participated in the Bengal Global Business Summit for the past seven years and extended an invitation to Okayama University for the next summit. Referring to historical connections, she mentioned that Okayama University has a unit at Tagore's Shantiniketan. The Chief Minister was moved by the Japanese delegation's gesture of travelling to Kolkata when she could not visit Japan. She highlighted West Bengal's industrial progress, mentioning investments from international companies like Mitsubishi, Tata, and JICA, and praised Japan's resilience after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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