Sundar Pichai gets honorary doctorate from IIT-Kharagpur: 'My parents always hoped...'

IIT-Kharagpur honoured Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai with a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Award in San Francisco. The institute also recognised his wife, Anjali Pichai, with the Distinguished Alumnus Award, marking a significant occasion for the couple.

The event was attended by VK Tewari, Director of IIT-Kharagpur, along with Pichai’s parents and daughter Kavya.

IIT-Kharagpur bestowed the honour on Pichai for his work towards “digital transformation, affordable technology, and pathbreaking innovations”.

President Droupadi Murmu, a Visitor of IIT-KGP, bestowed the degree at the 69th Convocation of IIT-Kharagpur in December last year. However, as Pichai was not present at the convocation, the institute held the programme this month in the US.

Expressing his gratitude, Pichai wrote in an Instagram post, sharing pictures, “Last week I was grateful to receive an honorary doctorate from my alma mater IIT Kharagpur. My parents always hoped I would get my doctorate, I think an honorary one still counts. The access to education and technology at IIT put me on a path to Google and helping more people access technology. IIT’s role in technology will only grow in importance with the AI revolution, and I will always be thankful for my time there.”