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MUMBAI:
The Edinburgh Napier University has presented veteran yesteryear
actress Sharmila Tagore with an Honorary Doctorate of Arts for her
outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.
"Sharmila
has had an astonishing career and her films are enjoyed all over
the world. She is an excellent ambassador for Indian culture and
at the same time, through her various charity endeavours, is a strong
advocate for the educational rights of children in India,"
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University professor
Dame Joan Stringer has been quoted to have said.
The
actress, who is the great grand-niece of Noble laureate Rabindranath
Tagore, joined leading figures from the world of foreign affairs,
education and almost 1000 students at the ceremony to collect the
award.
With
a glittering career spanning six decades, Sharmila has won National
Film Awards and Filmfare awards for her performances in films
like Apur Sansar, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening in Paris, Aradhana
and Amar Prem.
"It
is indeed a privilege to be conferred an Honorary Degree by Edinburgh
Napier University. It recognises the significant influence of
Indian Cinema on the global cultural arena and the small role
that I have played in its history. As we celebrate a hundred years
of Indian Cinema, this is both a happy and humbling moment,"
said Sharmila Tagore while accepting her Doctorate.
The
honour comes just months after the University's Institute for
Creative Industries opened The Scottish Centre for Tagore Studies
(ScoTs), the first centre of its kind in the UK.
ScoTs
promotes Indian culture, education, philosophy, art and literature
by highlighting the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian
to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913.
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