Hon Doctorates to Arjun Singh, Kidwai

Hyderabad, June 16: Union Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh, Haryana Governor A R Kidwai and renowned Urdu writer Shamsur Rahman Faruqi were today conferred the Honoris Causa by the prestigious Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU).

MANUU Chancellor Obaid Siddiqi presented the degrees to them on the occasion of the University's second convocation held here.

A senior statesman Mr Singh, who had also held the same portfolio during 1991-96 when the country witnessed sweeping changes in economic, social and political fields, had initiated the idea of establishment of the Urdu university.

Prof Kidwai, who has over 40 original articles to his credit in internationally referred journals in the field of organic and bio-chemistry, is the Vice-Chairman of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu language. He has a rich and long academic career culminating as Head and Dean of Faculty of the Aligarh Muslim University in 1967.

Faruqi, an internationally-known prolific Urdu writer, critic, theorist, poet and translator hailing from Allahabad, has made significant contribution to the study of 18th and 19th century Urdu poetry and literary theory.

Recipient of Sahitya Academy National award for Urdu in 1986, he has brought hoary canons of Urdu and Persian poetry to English speakers by his translations, which were widely read not only in South Asia but also in Western Europe and North America.

UNI