Actor Shahrukh Khan will receive honorary doctorate at the sixth convocation of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) in Hyderabad on Monday.
President Pranab Mukherjee will confer him with the degree.
The university stated that Shahrukh Khan and founder of Rekhta Foundation Rajiv Saraf would be given honorary doctorates for their extraordinary contribution in the promotion of Urdu language and culture.
About 2,885 graduates and post graduates and 276 M. Phil and Ph.D from various disciplines in regular courses will also be awarded degrees.
According to university officials 44,235 graduates and post graduates doing their distance education would also be given degrees in absentia.
Telangana Governor E S L Narasimhan, Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Mahmood Ali, and Vice Chancellor Zafar Younus Sareshwala will be present on the occasion.
However, the incident is not without controversy, as some students of the university have decided to boycott the convocation alleging that a section of students residing on campus were not invited to the convocation.
“The idea behind this boycott is to protest the varsity authorities’ attitude to sideline its students from being the stakeholders of MANUU... The authorities have even asked many of us uninvited ones to stay outside the campus while the programme is being held. We also oppose the fact that a programme meant for students has become about promoting VIP culture and elitism,” MANUU Students’ Union members told The New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, university authorities claimed that a space crunch was the reason for such a decision.
"The parents are not allowed only for the ceremony where the President will be present due to lack of space. It will last for about an hour. They will be allowed for the ceremony in which students will be given medals and certificates by the Chancellor, Mr Zafar Sareshwala," an official told Deccan Chronicle.
(IANS Inputs)