Little wonder then that women outnumbered men at the November 17 felicitation of Prof Yunus who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in October 2006, jointly with the Grameen Bank, for his efforts to eradicate rural poverty. His Grameen Bank provides microcredit to impoverished villagers.
"Bangladesh can have many successes but what the country needs now is peace and discipline," Yunus said in an oblique reference to the political turmoil in the country ahead of the election early next year.
He said that his winning the rare honour has proved that Bangladesh and Bangladeshis too can achieve a pride of place among the comity of nations.
Yunus, wearing a Nehru jacket over a green checked shirt, narrated his and the Grameen Bank's story with its humble beginnings in the mid-1970s. The 90-minute speech, laced with humour, was frequently punctuated by thundering applause.
Audience at the Colden Auditorium in New York to felicitate Prof. Yunus.
Also read: Learning from Grameen Bank
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