It was a momentous day for D. Shyamsunder and A. Nagaraju when the duo got their doctorates at the 15th convocation ceremony of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) here on Tuesday.
Of the 140 students who were awarded PhD degrees, the duo stood out: Shyamsunder is physically challenged while Nagaraju is visually impaired. Yet, nothing stopped them from pursuing their dream. The duo received their doctorate for their work on Telugu literature.
“My parents are illiterate and I studied in different institutions at small towns in Mahbubnagar and managed to get a seat at UoH. My family members always supported me,” said Mr. Shyamsunder, whose right leg is polio-affected. He hopes to teach in a university. It was no easy journey for Nagaraju, who is visually-impaired from childhood. Born to a police constable father, he managed to complete his doctorate from the university. “As the university did not offer a seat due to my visual impairment, I went to Rajahmundry and completed my M. Phil. Later, I did my doctoral course from UoH,” he says.
A total of 1400 students, including a few foreign students, received their degrees at the convocation ceremony. Andhra Pradesh Governor and Chief Rector of the university E.S.L. Narasimhan awarded medals to meritorious students. Five students were presented the Chancellor’s Award.
Five Honoris Causa degrees were also presented on the occasion. The recipients include renowned physicist Michael Victor Berry; artist and critic K. G. Subramanyan, academic Satish Chandra Maheshwari, sociologist Andre Beteille and activist Aruna Roy.
Addressing students on the occasion, T.V. Ramakrishnan, chief guest and Professor Emeritus at Banaras Hindu University said the university should be a place of learning and not burdened with the job of managing examinations and affiliated colleges.
UoH V-C Ramakrishna Ramaswamy also spoke on the occasion.
