President Droupadi Murmu was conferred an Honorary Doctorate by the Bucharest University of Economic Studies on 25 July 2025 at a formal ceremony in Bucharest, Romania, recognising her contributions to public service and her advocacy for inclusive education. The honour came during her ongoing state visit to Romania, which has seen a series of high-level engagements aimed at deepening India-Romania ties.

What President Murmu Said at the Ceremony

Accepting the honour, President Murmu called on universities to anchor knowledge in ethics and compassion at a time of rapid technological change. 'Today, as the world is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, digital technologies and other rapid scientific advances, universities like this have even greater responsibility to ensure that knowledge is guided by wisdom, ethics and compassion,' she said.

She also drew on her own background as a former teacher, stating that she witnessed firsthand 'how a single classroom, however modest, can change the course of a family's future and, in time, a whole community.' She framed education not as a tool of individual advancement but as 'the surest foundation of a just and inclusive society.'

Murmu encouraged the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and other Romanian academic institutions to expand cooperation with Indian counterparts through joint research programmes and faculty and student exchanges.

A Century-Old Cultural Thread Between India and Romania

President Murmu invoked a striking historical parallel to illustrate the depth of civilisational ties between the two countries. She recalled that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore visited Bucharest in November 1926 — nearly a century ago — and addressed a packed hall at the National Theatre of Bucharest on the unity of the human spirit.

'He was moved by how deeply the people of this land understood the Indian way of thinking,' she said. She also noted that Romania's national poet Mihai Eminescu studied the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita during his student years, and that these texts profoundly shaped his literary voice. 'India and Romania may be geographically distant, but our civilisations have long spoken of one another, often through our poets before our diplomas,' she emphasised.

Bilateral Meeting with Romanian Prime Minister

Earlier on the same day, President Murmu held a bilateral meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan at Victoria Palace in Bucharest. According to a statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two leaders discussed strengthening cooperation across trade, investment, clean energy, connectivity, and emerging technologies.

The meeting signals a broader intent to institutionalise the relationship beyond diplomatic courtesies, with both sides reportedly keen to leverage Romania's position as a European Union member to expand India's economic footprint in the region.

India's Education Policy in Focus

President Murmu also highlighted India's National Education Policy as a framework that promotes innovation, research, creativity, and international academic collaboration — positioning it as a natural bridge for deeper India-Romania university partnerships. The remarks align with New Delhi's broader push to internationalise Indian higher education and attract foreign academic partnerships under the NEP framework.

With the honorary doctorate conferred and bilateral talks concluded, the visit is expected to yield formal academic and economic agreements in the coming weeks.