PATNA, May 20 -- Nalanda University on Tuesday held its third Convocation (Snatakotsava) at the newly built 2000-seater Visvamitaralay Auditorium in the University campus. PK Mishra, principal secretary to the PM graced the occasion as chief guest. Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), Rudrendra Tandon, secretary (East), ministry of external affairs, GoI, also graced the occasion. Later, Mishra also inaugurated the Kautilya Centre for Capacity Building. Total 219 graduating students from the batch of 2024-26 representing 14 nationalities were conferred degrees during the ceremony. The graduating cohort included students from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and several other countries, reflecting the truly international character of Nalanda University. Eight students were awarded gold medals for academic excellence, among whom seven were female students, highlighting the remarkable achievements of women scholars at the varsity. Addressing the gathering, Mishra described Nalanda as "not merely a university, but a civilisational symbol," and emphasised the importance of "responsible knowledge in the 21st century." He said while humanity possessed unprecedented technological capabilities, the larger challenge before the world was to ensure that "knowledge remains connected to wisdom, ethics, compassion and human responsibility." "The story of Nalanda is not merely a story about the past. It is also a story about the future. The revival of Nalanda reflects India's belief in openness, pluralism, dialogue and inquiry as essential values for humanity's future," he added. The Governor described Nalanda as "a civilisational ecosystem" that historically connected India with Asia through ideas, learning and spiritual inquiry rather than conquest. "The revival of Nalanda represents 'the recovery of a civilizational idea' and highlights the emergence of a 'Nalanda Corridor' connecting Nalanda, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Vaishali and Vikramshila as a living geography of knowledge, ethics and spiritual heritage," he added....