For education institutes’ annual functions, convocations and cultural functions, politician with little credentials should not be invited. The reason being they have lots of protocols and security arrangements and they arrive invariably late. The students cannot mix freely with the chief guest. Except for TV and media coverage, nothing more is achieved by inviting such dignitaries.
Noble laureates or good scholars should be invited for these above functions. Why not Amartya Sen or some other scholars could not be informed in advance? President and Vice-President occupying political posts have nothing to do with their credentials to be chief guest in education institutes. No film stars or sportsperson should be chief guests in cultural or education institutes.
Earlier days, recipients used to feel proud to take a prize or a certificate from the chief guest but not anymore. A stadium must be inaugurated by a sportsperson who has received gold medal in Olympic, not a politician. Now that lots of controversies have cropped up, the President should cancel his trip to Rourkela. If at all he goes there then he must cross the Brahmani bridge before going to the NIT campus.
The above views were collected from brilliant scholars and professors of Odisha.