Close to 45,000 students will receive their degrees from Bangalore University at the 51st annual convocation of the varsity on Tuesday.
Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), will deliver the convocation address while Governor Vajubhai Vala will distribute the convocation certificates. As many as 163 students will receive their Ph.D.
The convocation, which was initially scheduled on April 16, was deferred after Union Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani was unable to participate on that day.
Several of the varsity’s gold medallists have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to reach the top. This is just one more step towards attaining their career goals, which range from becoming a scientist at ISRO to teaching lesser-privileged children to finding a cure for cancer.
They may have come from different backgrounds and with different dreams, but they all share a belief in the power of education.
‘No money to buy books’
Krishna Murthy S., a graduate in M.Sc. Chemistry, has bagged seven gold medals. He is a son of a tailor from Kolar Gold Fields.
“I didn’t have enough money to purchase my textbooks,” he said, adding that his friends helped him in getting the books. Mr. Murthy would like to work as an atomic scientist at ISRO.
‘Want to find a cure
for cancer’
Vanitha Kumar, a M.Sc. Chemistry student, has bagged five gold medals and hopes to get a doctorate in organic chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
Ms. Vanitha Kumar wants to work on developing an anti-cancer drug after completing her Ph.D. She was a recipient of the CV Raman Scholarship during her undergraduate days.
In footsteps of her father
Among the undergraduates, Shreelatha C.S, (21), did her B.Sc. from Government College for Women, Kolar, and is going to be awarded four gold medals and four cash awards, one of them for acing the chemistry paper. Her father is a high school teacher and her mother a homemaker.
She said, “I maintained consistency and expected to get into the top 10. But I never thought I would be the topper.”
A mother on a mission
The gold medallist in B.Ed., Koppisethi Padmaja (38) from New Horizon College of Education, Bengaluru, will be awarded three gold medals and four cash prizes on Tuesday.
She hails from Andhra Pradesh and is a postgraduate in microbiology.
She pursued her dream of getting a B.Ed. degree only when her youngest daughter began schooling.
Ms. Padmaja was able to succeed with the support of her family. She is currently teaching in Presidency School.
No honorary doctorate
Following pressure from various quarters, Bangalore University has decided not to award honorary doctorates this year.
Vice-Chancellor B. Thimme Gowda said that they had received several recommendations.
“But an honorary doctorate is a very prestigious degree and we cannot give to those who are not deserving of it. So we decided it was best not to confer it on anyone this year,” he said.
Convocation today
Distinctions:
572 students
First class:
22,141 students
Second class:
15,174 students
Pass class:
6,722 students