Bagchi (left) receives the DLitt certificate from Gandhi. A Telegraph picture

Siliguri, March 11: Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi today urged students of North Bengal University to learn from carrom and not cricket during the chancellor’s speech at the 40th convocation of the varsity.

“I had heard of cricketers’ bats being auctioned. I did not think I would live to see the day when bidding takes places for cricketers themselves. It was a culture shock,” said the governor, referring to the recent auctioning of players for the Indian Premier League.

Gandhi contrasted it with a story about I. Illavazhagi, the 24-year-old Chennai girl who won the fifth World Carrom Championship in France this year.

“Ila played all her games with a cream-coloured striker, which someone wanted to buy for 600 Euros. Around the time when the bids were being made for cricketers, she refused to part with her striker.”

The governor told students to find an equivalent of “Ila’s non-negotiable cream striker … something in the core to hold onto”.

Gandhi had specific suggestions for the varsity. “Government College, Darjeeling, needs the attention of NBU,” he said and added that the varsity should set up a floriculture research centre in Kalimpong.

The governor also asked the university to coordinate with the Heritage Commission and the DGHC to preserve Sarat Chandra Bose’s house in Kurseong and other heritage buildings of the region.

Political economist Amiya Kumar Bagchi was awarded an honourary DLitt at the convocation.