Javed Akhtar to receive honorary doctorate from London's SOAS University
Mumbai, Mar 30: Veteran lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar will be felicitated with an honorary doctorate by SOAS University of London.
According to a press release, Akhtar will receive a Doctor of Literature (DLit) (honoris causa) in recognition of his significant contribution as a poet, lyricist, screenwriter and activist to Indian cinema.
"I am deeply honoured because the University of London is one of the most highly respected universities in the world and the citation makes me stand humbled," the 78-year-old veteran said in the statement.
SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London bestows honorary doctorates on individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to scholarship, public life, or in areas which are relevant to the school's mission.
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BJP rule in Maharashtra worse than Aurangzeb’s time: Sanjay Raut
Mumbai, Mar 14 (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday called the BJP rule in Maharashtra worse than that of Aurangzeb and claimed that farmers were dying because of the saffron party.
He claimed that farmers, unemployed people and women are committing suicides in the state.
“It’s been 400 years since Aurangzeb was buried. Forget him. Are farmers in Maharashtra committing suicide due to Aurangzeb? They are doing it because of you," Raut said.
If the Mughal ruler committed atrocities, then what is the government doing, he asked. BJP leads the ruling Mahayuti coalition, also comprising the Shiv Sena and NCP, in the state.
“Farmers are committing suicide. BJP's tenure is worse than that of Aurangzeb,” Raut said.
He was responding to a question on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s remarks that “everyone” feels Mughal ruler Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar should be removed. But it has to be done under legal purview as the previous Congress regime put the site under the Archaeological Survey of India's protection, Fadnavis had said.
BJP's Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale, a descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had sought the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
Aurangzeb is remembered in Maharashtra for his battles with the Marathas, who resisted his expansionist ambitions. Shivaji Maharaj's son, Sambhaji, was captured, tortured, and executed on his orders.
