Respectable Dr. Mahmoud, His Excellency Mr. Narayan, Ladies and Gentlemen,

****Thank you for being here today to share with me this special occasion. As a new Canadian, I feel both humbled and privileged in accepting this great honor that is being bestowed upon me by Carleton University.

Today’s ceremony is being dedicated to the memory of my parents who passionately believed in the power and value of education. Sometimes, they sacrificed even their most simple pleasures so that their children could obtain good education and become something in their lives. And, today wherever they are, they must be very proud, as their dreams have been fulfilled. Among several things, my father used to say that you can lose everything in life but no one can ever take away your education

Today, we are also celebrating 138th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, sponsored by the Mahatama Gandhi Society of Ottawa.

As we all know that Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest of the greatest crusader for the advancement of education in India, especially for the untouchables and others – so called backward classes, women and millions of villagers.

Education or some may call it learning, is an ongoing process in life. Education does not end by obtaining degrees or diplomas from schools or colleges. We keep on educating ourselves at every stage. Education gives power to think, to understand and to explore new horizons AND has no limits. The core essentials learned in schools and universities help us to acquire further knowledge and skills by our own efforts.

My father was only four years old when my grandfather died. Being a family of limited means, my father had to rely on donations from the rich to obtain his education, including the law school. He valued every opportunity made available to him and worked smart to become a successful lawyer. Throughout his life, he never once forgot the value of education, hard work, and above all help of his donors and giving back to the community. In India, people say that donation in any shape or form is good. I have been inspired by my father’s belief in the power of giving to the educational causes; I sincerely believe that this is noblest form of donation.

I have been donating to different well-known charities for years. I realized that these institutions gave an extremely small portion of the total donation to the end recipients, due to their upfront heavy promotion and administration expenses. Then, Dr. Vinod Kumar, former Head of Sprott School of Business introduced me to the concept of matching donations. He showed me how my donations could be multiplied, yet preserving the original amounts donated in tact and maximizing the potential value of my gifts. This concept was so pleasing that I started to donate more to Carleton University.

Whatever I have done for Carleton so far has really been an opportunity to pay back for all it has provided in terms of education to thousands of students over the years.

Carleton University is a not only a great Canadian educational institution but also an international icon. It has produced hundreds of top-notch politicians, scientists, statesmen, business wizards and successful leaders in all walks of life. The administration has excellent and dedicated staff.

Finally, I have no words to thank my family and friends for their unconditional love and support. Once again, I am greatly humbled to see Carleton University renaming this auditorium after me. I hope that this inspires current and the next generations to achieve greatness by giving generously, in whatever causes they may choose or believe in.

Lastly, among others, I sincerely express my gratitude to Dr. Humar, Shri Gopal, Anil Agrawal of the Mahatama Gandhi Society of Ottawa, Mr. Serge Arpin, Carleton University, and my very special thanks go to Rebecca Murray who worked tirelessly with me and all others since inception till date to make this glorious event a great success.

Thank you all for sharing this precious moment with me.