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This piece is curbed from the Daily Star newspaper in Bangladesh. One of the pointers that SRK is indeed the biggest right now in India and the entire film world!

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Bollywood Mogul Shah Rukh Khan has been conferred with an honorary doctorate in Arts from the University of Bedfordshire, UK, says a press release. At the time of his acceptance of the honour from Professor Les Ebdon, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University, on July 10, Shah Rukh said, “I am delighted that the NGO Routes 2 Roots nominated me for the Honorary Doctorate in Arts…Today I feel that I am part of the illustrious alumni of this prestigious University. I look forward to doing my bit in providing necessary assistance to the deserving students for higher education in my University.”

The doctorate was conferred on Shah Rukh in recognition of his exceptional achievement as a film actor and producer. There is an interesting story behind the award. According to Rakesh Gupta, one of the founders of Routes 2 Roots, “Shah Rukh’s mother (Fatima Begum) worked as a social worker and a magistrate while his father (Taj Khan) was an engineer. The couple met propitiously under unusual circumstances when his mother was injured in a car accident. Shah Rukh’s mother needed blood which his father who happened to be at the hospital donated without knowing her. So if the story is true then doing social work runs in Shah Rukh’s blood, literally. He too looks after the sick and shares his wealth with the poor. But he never talks about it as he feels that if you do charity for a reason, it’s not charity.”

Shah Rukh does indeed keep a low profile on this aspect of his charismatic personality. According to Gupta, he has funded several charitable causes and has also adopted a few villages for electrification in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Apart from regular donations to organisations and individuals (especially in the case of AIDS and cancer patients), he is behind the creation of a children’s ward at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai, in memory of his late mother. He is also active with relief funds when the Indian nation faces a natural calamity. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that he was conferred with the prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ Award for his valuable contribution to Indian art and culture.

The NGO Routes 2 Roots, which nominated Shah Rukh for the award, endeavours to bring people and cultures together across SAARC countries in general, and India and Pakistan in particular. Some of Routes 2 Roots’ initiatives in cultural diplomacy include bringing Sabri Brothers and Asif Mehdi Hasan from Pakistan to India and taking Shubha Mudgal’s first classical performance to Karachi. Quoting Routes’ founders, such cultural diplomacy “enhances people to people contact in our SAARC neighbourhood, promoting peace. Music concerts and food festivals under the exchange programme reiterate our common history and culture.”

There Are 6 Responses So Far. »

  1. RAJ 13 July 2009
    03:13:27 am

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    “”"This piece is curbed from the Daily Star newspaper in Bangladesh. One of the pointers that SRK is indeed the biggest right now in India and the entire film world!”"

    Dead right…Whatever the cynics say…

  2. Som 13 July 2009
    10:37:36 pm

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    There’s no India, nor Pak, says SRK

    Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan pitched for greater harmony among South Asian people as he accepted an honorary doctorate from a British university, saying governments were best left to their own “agendas”.

    “We belong to – I know it’s a bit of a cliche but – one world. Specifically I think, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka — all of us, we’re the same. I really believe we are the same,” Khan told journalists after being made honorary Doctor of Arts by Bedfordshire University Friday.

    The doctorate in recognition of his “exceptional achievement as a film actor and producer”, was proposed by an Indian NGO called Routes 2 Roots, which works to bring South Asians together.

    “My mother is from Hyderabad in India and father is from Peshawar (in Pakistan). So I do believe in this (cultural unity).

    “Especially when you come away from India or Pakistan you realise there is no Indian or Pakistani — we’re all together. We are – culturally, as human beings, as friends. These are the aspects that keep us together.

    “As far as the (government) agendas are concerned, let them go on.”

    Invited by a Pakistani journalist to visit Pakistan, said: “I also do wish to go there – my family’s there.”

    Earlier, in his acceptance speech, Khan said he was inspired by the doctorate to work for the education of poor children in India.

    “While this honour is bestowed on me, I wonder if the deserving but poor and underprivileged children from India can also pursue their higher education in such universities and maybe earn a doctorate as well.

    “This thought has been weighing heavily on my mind and I am hopeful that I would be able to contribute to this cause in the future,” he added.

  3. RAJ 13 July 2009
    11:04:56 pm

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    “While this honour is bestowed on me, I wonder if the deserving but poor and underprivileged children from India can also pursue their higher education in such universities and maybe earn a doctorate as well.

    “This thought has been weighing heavily on my mind and I am hopeful that I would be able to contribute to this cause in the future,”

    IF SRK can do what he is talking about,then it would be great..

  4. Som 14 July 2009
    12:50:18 am

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    I feel old: Dr Shah Rukh Khan

    He has been awarded a doctorate from the Bedfordshire University in UK for his contribution to arts and culture. “The honour brought me a lot of joy,’’ says SRK, who is currently on vacation with Gauri and his children Aryan and Suhana. He laughs when he is addressed as ‘Dr’ and says, “Somehow it makes me feel slightly older when someone calls me Dr Shah Rukh Khan.’’

    Describing his time on the podium where he received the honour, he says, “Wearing that square cap with tassels tilted to the left, brought images of the heroes of the 70s; it was an oft-repeated thing in films those days. I didn’t know whether etiquette required me to take Aryan and Suhana along for the convocation ceremony. So I left the children behind.’’ Happily, Gauri was by his side when he received the honour. “I sincerely hope my parents could have watched this… and I hope that it was a proud moment for them wherever they are,’’ the Bollywood Badshah says emotionally.

    It is five months since he underwent shoulder surgery, but SRK is still in pain. “I completed a long spell for Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan in San Francisco,’’ he says. “We got lucky because we had long days and could pack in ample work. However, my shoulder still hurts.’’ He recounts how he shot for a song sequence for Dulha Mil Gaya in which he has a guest appearance and strained his operated shoulder. The actor has been in touch with his surgeon in Mumbai and has been reassured that the recurring pain is part of the rehab, so he continues to go about his daily chores with enthusiasm.

    “My shoulder makes strange clicking sounds,’’ he says. “However, I’ve been asked to open doors, lift small objects and keep giving it small doses of regular exercise,’’ he adds. The actor who lost a lot of muscle mass because he has been unable to do any active bodybuilding, says his main regret is that Anubhav Sinha’s Ra 1, Farah Khan’s Happy New Year and Farhan Akhtar’s Don-2 will be postponed by three-four months.

    “However, there is heavy duty action involved in these films and I can’t attempt that till such time as my shoulder is completely healed,” says SRK enthused by the very thought of being able to participate in the ‘filmi action’ that he so revels in.

    And, since he is just not the type to sit around doing nothing, right now Bollywood’s biggest icon is indulging in a game of cricket with his children at Hyde Park in central London. “I also promised the children that I will wear the black cape and square hat and do a repeat of the convocation ceremony for them because they missed the occasion,’’ he says.

  5. Gorilla 14 July 2009
    06:23:11 am

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    ‘IF SRK can do what he is talking about,then it would be great.’

    LOL…this is a wishful thought. Has SRK ever done what he talks except when he says I am getting old.

  6. neelu 14 July 2009
    07:35:23 am

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    LOL Gorilla! But at least he talks about getting old, the rest are little boys fighting time ;-)

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