Central University of Kerala (CUK) awarded the first honorary Doctorate of Letter (D.Litt) to Indian sports icon P.T. Usha at a function organised on the varsity campus on Monday.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. H. Venkateshwarlu awarded the degree to Ms. Usha.
After receiving the doctorate, in an emotional speech, Ms. Usha recalled the agony of missing out on a medal by a hundredth of a second at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Ms. Usha said she was fighting and working hard to win the elusive Olympic medal and striving towards achieving that goal through her Usha school of Athletics.
“The first thing is to trust the youngsters. Once we work towards the goal, it becomes a reality,” she said, explaining the activities and achievements of Usha School.
Mr. Venkateshwarlu said Ms. Usha was the pride of the nation. “It is the duty of the university to honour those who are role models for the nation. She inspires students through her life and achievements,” he added.
Dean (Academic) Amrit G. Kumar and officer on special duty Rajendra Pilankatta spoke.
