It is indeed a pleasure for me to present amidst you today on the happy occasion of the presentation of the 49thJnanpith award to the eminent Hindi poet, Dr. Kedarnath Singh, for his outstanding contribution towards Indian literature. I congratulate him for winning this coveted award. I am sure he will continue to enrich Hindi literature in the years to come.

1.I am happy to be here this evening to deliver the 20th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture. Late Justice Bhandare was a champion of women’s rights. She distinguished herself equally by her professionalism and her concern for the under-privileged. Her untimely death at the age of 52 brought a sad end to a great and prosperous career.

1.I am happy to be here this evening to deliver the 20th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture. Late Justice Bhandare was a champion of women’s rights. She distinguished herself equally by her professionalism and her concern for the under-privileged. Her untimely death at the age of 52 brought a sad end to a great and prosperous career.

I am delighted to be amongst you in Vrindavan today. I congratulate ISKCON for conceiving a unique project of this kind. I understand that the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir, the foundation stone for which was laid on 16thof March this year, shall be an architectural marvel seeking to recreate the glory and the times of Lord Shri Krishna.

I am delighted to be amongst you in Vrindavan today. I congratulate ISKCON for conceiving a unique project of this kind. I understand that the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir, the foundation stone for which was laid on 16thof March this year, shall be an architectural marvel seeking to recreate the glory and the times of Lord Shri Krishna.

1.It is a happy occasion for me to be here today for the Annual Convocation of Jamia Millia Islamia, one of the premier centres of higher learning in the country. To start with, let me thank the University for inviting me to be a part of this venerable occasion.

I am indeed very happy to be present amidst you at the Annual General Meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance (India). At the very outset, I would like to extend my warm felicitations to the Indian Red Cross Society and the St. John Ambulance (India). I congratulate them for their selfless service and their humanitarian work in all parts of Indian society.

1.It is my privilege to attend the First Convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Arunachal Pradesh, one of the ten NITs established after 2006-07.

1.It is my privilege to attend the First Convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Arunachal Pradesh, one of the ten NITs established after 2006-07.

I am happy to participate in the inaugural ceremony of the Commonwealth Science Conference being organized by the Royal Society for the first time in India.