I must now say a few words about the backdrop on the stage. These are the remains of the Nalanda University, the famous seat of learning in ancient India. I would like to thank Ms. Keeran Baweja of Weddings by Keeran for recreating a glimpse of Nalanda for us here. A round of applause for her. Thank you.

Nalanda was destroyed over 800 years ago in the churning crucible of India’s history. Before that, it had existed continuously for over seven hundred years centuries before the oldest and famous universities that we know today. Had it continued, it would have been the oldest university on earth. At its peak, there were over 10,000 scholars studying in Nalanda from across the Asia, not only from Japan, China and Korea but some from as far as Turkey. Now, after 800 years, we are pursuing an initiative of the East Asia Summit process and bringing Nalanda back to life as an international university of multidisciplinary learning. Necessary framework for its creation was put in place last year. Nalanda stood for the passion for propagating knowledge and understanding. We hope it would regain its position as an icon of Asian renaissance. For those who want to know more about Nalanda, there is an informative brochure available in the reception area. Please pick up one when you leave.

H.E. Mr. Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty,
Ambassador of India to Thailand