St. Xavier University, Kolkata on Saturday (February 21, 2026) awarded Honoris Causa (D.Litt) to Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram in the seventh convocation of the University.
Mr. Tharoor said he accepts the Honoris Causa degree (D. Litt) with deep gratitude and absolute humility.
“An honorary doctorate is a gesture of generosity on the part of the University, one that humiliates the recipient as well as honors him,” the Congress MP said, adding that he has his first D. Litt from an institute in India, and it was an honor that resonates deeply with him that it comes from his alma mater.
Reflecting on the contribution of Jesuit priests in the field of education, Mr. Tharoor said that St Xavier’s University, Kolkata, from the very beginning, held the conviction that the true purpose of learning was not professional advancement but the cultivation of ethical judgment and social conscience.
During his speech, the parliamentarian said that behind every technological advance hides a human aspiration and behind every institutional debate there is a discussion about values, “which teaches us to see complexity where others can see simplification, and empathy where others can settle for abstraction.”
“In societies as diverse and argumentative as ours, these mental habits are indispensable. They strengthen the qualities on which any democracy depends: the ability to listen, question, disagree and, above all, understand complexity,” he stated.
The chief guest at the convocation ceremony was Rev. Dr. Arturo Sosa, SJ, Superior General based in Rome. While addressing the gathering, Father Sosa said: “We live in a world of extraordinary progress. Jesuit education challenges us to respond differently. To balance intellect and empathy, ambition with integrity and success with service, we must be people of integrity, socially aware and compassionate.”
At the convocation ceremony, degrees were awarded to 1,052 postgraduate and undergraduate students and 25 doctoral scholars. 17 students received gold medals in different subjects for their exemplary performance.
During the ceremony, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Vice-Chancellor of St. Xavier University, Kolkata (SXUK), announced the commencement of the B.Tech program of the 2026 academic session at the 7th convocation ceremony of the university held at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town today.
“M.Tech courses will be added in due time. The university is also embarking on a variety of courses like integrated MBA, integrated B.Ed., School of Design, School of Nursing and a medical college,” the vice-chancellor said.
The University authorities added that the institution embarks on a variety of courses, including Integrated MBA, Bachelor of Integrated Education, School of Design, School of Nursing and a medical college.
The Executive MBA program of the University is attracting a good number of students from the corporate sector, and the authorities are considering introducing Executive MBA in hybrid mode as well as a new MBA program in Hospital Management to meet the ever-changing demand for good executives to manage the hospital effectively and efficiently.
The St. Xavier University, Kolkata Act, 2016 was unanimously passed by the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in December 2016, establishing it as a private university in New Town, Rajarhat. The university campus was inaugurated in New Town, Rajarhat in July 2017.
Published – February 22, 2026 05:20 am IST
