Kailash Satyarthi at IIT-ISM: Nobel Laureate Pushes ‘Compassion Quotient’ in Centenary Lecture

Dhanbad: In a landmark moment for IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi delivered the inaugural Centenary Lecture under the Abanish Chandra & Binapani Sinha Memorial Lecture Series, marking the first-ever visit of a Nobel laureate to the campus.

Instituted by alumnus Mihir Sinha (1966 batch) in memory of his parents, the lecture series aims to foster dialogue between science, technology and the humanities as part of the institute’s centenary celebrations.

In his keynote, Satyarthi introduced the idea of a “Compassion Quotient (CQ)”, describing compassion as an action-driven force essential for social transformation. He warned against rising indifference in modern society and urged that compassion guide fields such as technology, governance, business and the judiciary. Advocating “compassionate AI,” he stressed embedding ethics in technological advancement.

Presiding over the event, Director Prof. Sukumar Mishra termed the occasion historic and highlighted the need for technology to serve humanity. A message from Mihir Sinha, read out during the event, described the lecture series as a tribute to humanitarian values and underlined the role of humanities in building a just society.

Held at the Penman Auditorium, the lecture drew an enthusiastic response from students, faculty and staff, adding a significant highlight to IIT (ISM)’s centenary year celebrations.