On November 6, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) held the Investiture Ceremony to confer the honorary doctorate degree on renowned poet and lyricist Gulzar. The honorary degree was conferred upon him by Prof. C.H Hanumantha Rao, Chancellor of UoH in the presence of Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy, Vice Chancellor of UoH and other officials, faculty, students and staff at the DST Auditorium.
While presenting the degree to Gulzar, the Vice Chancellor read out the citation speaking about the achievements of the famous poet and his works.
Prof. K. Muzaffer Ali, Head of Department of Urdu welcomed Gulzar by reciting Gulzar’s famous lines. He urged the university to name the grove near the Urdu Department after “Gulzar”.
Speaking on the occasion, Gulzar, whose official name happens to be Sampooran Singh Kalra, said that one cannot ignore the importance that books hold in one’s life. He said that though people only remember his movies and tend to ignore his books, one must make sure to read as it is an important part of learning. He further said that he was upset because people still clung onto his movies, the field that he had left 20 years ago. In order to urge the audience to read books, he read out the famous lines:
“Kitaabain jhankti hain
band almari ke sheeshoon se
badi hasrat se takti hain
maheenon ab mulaqaatain nahi hoti
jo shamaain un ki suhbaat main katta karti thein
ab aksar guzar jati hain
computer k pardoon par….”
The interactive session brought forth audience’s love for the poet. The jam-packed auditorium was awed by the poet’s recitations. The poet enthralled the audience with his poetry and with his light hearted jokes.
-Saumya Painuli, MA-Communication