Sri Sri University of India has conferred Ph.D. Degree Honoris Causa to Binod Chaudhary, President of Chaudhary Group, for his outstanding contribution in philanthropy.

Chaudhary was awarded the honorary doctorate degree at the Second Convocation Ceremony of the University held in Orissa, India, on Tuesday.

The University has appreciated Chaudhary’s contribution in supporting philanthropic activities across Nepal on many levels of social welfare, education, sports, health, and youth empowerment.

The ceremony was held with special presence of Sri Sri Ravi Shanker, founder of Art of Living International and world-renowned spiritual guru. Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr. Naveen Patnaik was the chief guest. Top intellectuals from across India, professors, parents and guardians, and students were present on the occasion.

The University honor comes at a time when Mr. Chaudhary is supporting philanthropic projects of building 10,000 homes and 100 school buildings destroyed in the April 25 earthquake in Nepal. Giving high recognition to his contributions, Forbes magazine has put Chaudhary on the cover of the September issue of Forbes Asia.

In his acceptance speech,  Chaudhary stated that education could not be considered complete with acquisition of knowledge. “Education will be complete only when you put knowledge into action,” he said.

Connecting education to spirituality, Chaudhary said that an admixture of spiritual practice, right companionship, and service to the humanity is needed to make the human life meaningful.

“We live in a shared world. It is so connected that you cannot be happy if people around you are unhappy. Serve the people around you, make them happy, and only then can your own life be happy.”

Stating that while one needed to be inquisitive to get education, he said enthusiasm was needed to serve the humanity. “Inquisitiveness generates questions, whereas enthusiasm is to find out how you can make everyone else happy and make a difference. And that will transform you.”

Congratulating the graduates, Chaudhary said, “May you become the lights that show the right way to the people lost in this world.”

Chaudhary suggested the new graduates not to keep the knowledge to themselves but enter into their own fields of work in a way to give a new direction to the world and free the humanity of stress and violence.

The University, envisioned by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and established in 2009, offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral-level programs in different areas. It claims to be the first Indian university free of smoke, alcohol, and drugs.