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Panjab University’s alumni network underperforming, says Vice-President
I urge alumni to come forward and give liberally both their time and money, said the Vice-President, adding that currently donations by them were not even a fraction of their potential and on a bad trajectory
Panjab University’s alumni network is not functioning to its full potential, said Vice-President of India and PU chancellor Jagdeep Dhankhar while speaking at the 71st annual convocation of the varsity on Thursday.
At the global alumni meet organised last year, Dhankhar had made a similar appeal but he said the response was yet to come.
“I had emphasised that the strength of the university lies in its faculty and alumni. I urge alumni to come forward and give liberally both their time and money,” he said, adding that currently donations by them were not even a fraction of their potential and on a bad trajectory. Around ₹6 crore was collected after the Fourth Global Alumni Meet held in December 2023.
Applauding the first woman vice-chancellor of the university, Renu Vig, Dhankhar said under her leadership, the university was on the path of progress.
He also urged corporates to handhold education institutions, adding that this will lead to an upsurge in innovation.
He spoke about some distinguished alumni of the varsity, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, former Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, athletes Milkha Singh and Neeraj Chopra, and astronaut Kalpana Chawla, among others.
“Learning is lifelong and doesn’t end with a degree,” was his parting message to the students.
A total of 1,093 degrees were awarded at the convocation. These included 409 PhD degrees, 357 postgraduate degrees and 88 undergraduate degrees.
The executive chairman of Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Dr Krishna M Ella, and managing director Suchitra Ella were awarded the Doctor of Science (DSc) degree. Their names were cleared in the PU senate meeting organised before the 69th convocation in 2022, but they could not attend the ceremony then.
Other awardees who were honoured by the varsity included professor Unnat P Pandit, former programme director of Atal Innovation Mission. He was presented a Doctor of Laws degree. The chief of the cardiothoracic centre at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi, Dr Balram Bhargava, was also presented a DSc degree.
Dr JK Bajaj was honour with with Gyan Ratna, Bahadur Singh Chauhan with Khel Ratna and Ninder Ghugianvi with Sahitya Ratna.
Governors of Punjab and Haryana, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains, and Union minister of state for commerce and industry Som Parkash were also present on the occasion.
UIPS holds interactive session with Covaxin couple
University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) organised an interaction with Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella. Both contributed in manufacturing India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin.
Krishna guided the students by sharing anecdotes of the journey of making Covaxin. Suchitra, on the other hand, enlightened the students regarding the marketing strategy of the vaccine.
Unnat P Pandit, who was awarded the Doctor of Law degree, also spoke at an interactive session on “Role of IP in Viksit Bharat”. He described a three-legged model of approach to successful product commercialisation which includes technology readiness level, commercial readiness level and suitability and relevance readiness level.
INSPIRING STORIES UNFOLD AT CONVOCATION
Infant daughter joins PhD scholar on convocation stage
Five-month-old Hukum Kaur Sandhu shared the stage with her mother, Rupinder Kaur, 34, as the latter received her doctorate in Punjabi. Kaur, who began her research in 2016, overcame several challenges during her first pregnancy in 2019, which included navigating a department that was only accessible by stairs. Reflecting on her journey of balancing motherhood and her academic pursuits, she thanked professor Yograj Angrish for his support.
Doctorate at 74, Darshana Kumari shows age is just a number
Radiating excitement, Darshana Kumari, a 74-year-old scholar, stood out among the youthful faces at the PU convocation. Married at 18, her passion for education led her to pursue multiple degrees, including a BA in English, and MA in Hindi and Sanskrit over the years. Kumari, who was interested in the writings of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, particularly his book, “Gita Rahasya”, started her doctorate research in 2017, three years after she cleared the UGC NET examination. Her proud children, three daughters and a son, cheered her on as she went up on stage to receive her doctorate. Hindi department professor Gurmeet Singh of the Hindi department said her scholarly pursuits had inspired students and faculty alike.
Couple celebrates joint PhD achievement
Married couple – Vikram Singh of Haryana and Preeti of Chandigarh, who are both 35 – embarked on their academic journey together and fittingly also received their PhDs on the same day. From burning the midnight oil while pursuing their bachelor of physical education degree and subsequently clearing the junior research fellowship exam together to overcoming hurdles in data collection during their PhD research, while juggling the challenges of parenthood, this couple remained the wind beneath each other’s wings and achieved it all together. The couple, who enrolled for PhD in 2014, got married in 2018 and have two children.
Love blossoms during PhD, culminates in joint degrees
Payal Kalra of Punjab and Chaman Lal of Himachal Pradesh, both 30, found love during their PhD research, which culminated in marriage right before their viva. Their shared passion for theatre and complementary research topics strengthened their bond. Kalra, whose area of research was the performance of Sadat Hasan Manto’s stories, enrolled for the course in 2016, while Lal, who studied physical theatre, started his PhD in 2018. The couple, now actors in Mumbai with a theatre group, aspire to join the film industry. Kalra said she was stoked that they were receiving their degrees together, all the more, as couples receiving their degree together is a rarity. They are working as actors in Mumbai and also have a theatre group.
Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd) adds PhD to illustrious career
Retired Lieutenant General KJ Singh, 67, the former general officer commanding-in-chief of the Western Command of the Indian Army, received a PhD in strategic analysis of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Interestingly, it was not Singh’s first meeting with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar as they have studied together at Sainik School, Chittorgarh. While Dhankhar was four years his senior, both were in the same house and same dormitory. Before he started working on his PhD in 2016, Singh had obtained two MPhils, an MSc, an MBA and a BA degree. He also holds a number of diplomas. He has held the Ranjit Singh Chair of Excellence at Panjab University and is currently a professor of practice at Chandigarh University. On what motivates him, the retired Lt Gen said, “Education has always been important to me,” humorously adding that he does not quite know how to stop.
