Shabana Azmi, Shankar Mahadevan Receive Honorary Doctorates from Techno India University

Shabana Azmi and Shankar Mahadevan expressed their gratitude upon receiving honorary doctorates from Techno India University in Kolkata. Both emphasized the responsibility such honors bring, with Azmi focusing on art as a tool for social change, and Mahadevan highlighting music's power for human betterment.

Shabana Azmi expressed her gratitude for being awarded an honorary doctorate from Techno India University (TIU) in Kolkata. 'I am very honored to get the honorary D.Litt from Techno India University because the stature of the other recipients was so high, my attempts of being so modest that I don't think I deserved this honour. But I do believe, now that I have got it, it also places a responsibility on me. I think art can be used as an instrument for social change and that is what I have tried to do in my own little way,' Azmi told the media.

Earlier, Azmi took to Instagram, expressing her abundant happiness over receiving the honorary doctorate, with the Former President of India Ram Nath Kovind in attendance. Other notable personalities such as musician Shankar Mahadevan and former Indian tennis player Leander Paes also received honorary doctorates from TIU.

Shankar Mahadevan, in his media interaction, described the day as very special and expressed deep gratitude and honor for receiving the doctorate. 'I feel even more blessed because of the people along with whom I received it...I thank them for giving me this honour. It is also a responsibility to work harder in the field of music, not just for entertainment but to use music as a tool for the betterment of humanity and address various causes that are associated with human beings,' Mahadevan added.

(With inputs from agencies.)