IIT Kharagpur celebrated a moment of immense pride by honouring Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. and Google, with the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Award, and Anjali Pichai with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The prestigious awards were presented by Prof V K Tewari, director of IIT Kharagpur, in a ceremony held in San Francisco, in the presence of Sundar Pichai’s parents and their daughter Kavya Pichai.

The event was graced by alumni of IIT Kharagpur, including Vinod Gupta and Ranbir Gupta, along with Prof Rintu Banerjee, deputy director, and Prof Debashish Chakravarty, dean of Alumni Affairs of the institute.

Sundar Pichai, a BTech (Hons) graduate in metallurgical and materials engineering from IIT Kharagpur, has been recognized globally for his contributions to technology and innovation. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in recognition of his achievements.

Pichai, who has led Alphabet Inc. and Google through a technological revolution, expressed his gratitude and pride upon receiving the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Award from his alma mater.

“This is indeed a great honour that IIT Kharagpur has bestowed on me. I am truly blessed and humbled to receive this award from Prof Tewari in the presence of my family and friends,” remarked Sundar Pichai.

“Standing with this award in my hands reminds me of the young boy that I was who dreamed to be in the world that I am trying to create with my inventions. IIT Kharagpur holds a special place in my heart as this was the place where I first met my beloved wife, Anjali, and had beautiful memories of my second home that I grew up in. The ambience, the people, the environment, the culture imparts a diaspora of knowledge learnings that one can implement in shaping up their practical wisdom. I am grateful to my institute for rewarding me with this award, and there is nothing in the world that can compare to this emotional euphoria that I feel right now. I look forward to connecting with IIT KGP, manifesting greater technological solutions in partnership with Google. KGP ka tempo high hai!”