HT Correspondent
Varanasi, March 3
PRESIDENT OF India and Visitor to Banaras Hindu University Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam conferred degrees on 29 scholars, including two Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) degrees in the 88th convocation of BHU at Ruiya Ground here on Friday.
The President garlanded the bust of founder of BHU Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya and BHU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Panjab Singh delivered the welcome address. The massive pandal erected for the convocation reverberated with the traditional slogan of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ as soon as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam appeared on the dais.
The President conferred Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) degree on the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) Rajendra Prasad Singh and Prof K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan of Chennai today.
RP Singh, who obtained his Master’s degree in Machine Design (1971) from the Institute of Technology in BHU rose to the coveted position of CMD of PGCIL.
Prof. K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan is an eminent surgeon of India who was awarded with Padmshri in 2002.
Registrar N. Sundaram read the citations of RP Singh and Prof. K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan while Dr. Padmini Ravindranath of the Mahila Mahavidyalaya conducted the programme. Students of Performing Arts Faculty rendered the ‘Kulgeet’ of BHU.
Neither Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh who was guest of honour nor UP Governor TV Rajeswar turned up for the convocation.
Vice-Chancellor of VBS Purvanchal University Prof. KP Singh, BHU Executive Council members, Prof. Anjan Kumar Banerjee, Prof. Anand Mohan, Dr. SD Singh and others were present on the occasion.Other students who were given the BHU Medal by Dr. Kalam included Deepak Kumar Garg and Ganesh Babu Kamma of Institute of Technology, Aditya Krishna Mootha and Rashmi Saraf (Medicine), Prachi and Anamika Bose (Institute of Agricultural Sciences), Saurabh Kumar Srivastava and Anjali Prasad (Science), Arpita Rai and Awanindra Kumar Pandey (Arts), Debati Ghosh and Abhiroop Ghatak (Social Science), Divya Sharda and Samrendra Kumar Jha (Commerce), Vineet Mahajan (Management), Mamta Roy and Renu Rai (Education), Akshay Kumar Singh and Pawan Kumar Srivastava (Law), Suneel Kumar Singh Kushwaha and Pragati Keshwani (Visual Arts), Shyam Rastogi and Dibyadarshan Biswal (Performing Arts), G. Jayamanikya Shashtri and Nirbhay Kumar Pandey (SVDV) and Minakshi Tiwari and Bipin Kumar Mishra (Ayurveda). Saurabh Kumar Srivastava of the Science Faculty was awarded with the Chancellor’s Medal.
Earlier, the President landed at the Varanasi airport by a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force coming from New Delhi at 11. 40 am. Soon, he boarded an IAF helicopter and landed at the helipad on the BHU campus at 12. 10 pm. From there, his cavalcade, reached the venue of the convocation at Ruiya ground at 12. 18 pm amid tight security. Members of the royal family of the erstwhile Benaras state Ashok Singh and Supriya and senior administrative and defense officials welcomed the President at Babatpur airport.