BENGALURU: Former India captain and U-19 Indian team coach Rahul Dravid has rejected the honorary doctorate by Bangalore University which was to be presented at the 52nd convocation on January 27.
In 2014, Dravid had rejected an honorary doctorate from Gulbarga University.
In an official communication to BU vice-chancellor B Thimme Gowda, Dravid said that he has high regards for the university but wants to earn his doctorate by actually doing some research work.
University officials confirmed this and said, “Dravid is a B.Com graduate from our university and he expressed high regards for the university in his letter. But he stated that he wanted to get the honour with his own efforts by conducting research work.”
Dravid’s letter said, “I would try to earn a doctorate degree by accomplishing some form of academic research in the field of the sport rather than receiving an honorary degree.”
On Tuesday, Bangalore University had announced that it will confer an honorary doctorate on Rahul Dravid during the annual convocation scheduled to be held on Friday. Dravid’s mother Pushpa has worked as a professor at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering.
University sources said that a three-member panel consisting for former vice-chancellors had proposed the names of three personalities for the award of honorary doctorates, but governor Vajubhai Vala approved only Rahul Dravid’s name.
Dravid has earlier been conferred with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan awards.