Blind girl, her friend get gold medals at GU convocation

Ahmedabad: It was a proud moment for Himanshi Rathi when she received a gold medal at the 69th convocation of Gujarat University. Himanshi is blind and received the medal for scoring the highest in her MA, English Literature.

Equally proud and elated was her friend, Vindra Joshi, who was guiding Himanshi to the dais to receive her gold medal. Vrinda also topped, along with her friend, and she too received a medal.

Himanshi said there are four other members in her family who have vision issues. It would have been difficult for her alone to scale these heights, had it not been for her friend. “We have been studying together since we were in Class 11, and she reads out things to me,” she said, and added that she also relies on advanced electronic devices to study when Vrinda is not around.

Both the friends are from Palanpur and shifted to Ahmedabad after they completed their schooling. The families of both friends moved to fulfil the girls’ dreams. On what plans they have after receiving their master’s degrees, Himanshi was quick to reply, “We will clear the civic services exams.” Vrinda added, “In fact, it was for the preparation for the competitive exams that we had shifted to Ahmedabad.” While they were talking to newsmen, a faculty member broke news to them that Himanshi got two medals and handed it over to her.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest for the convocation, Justice M R Shah of the Supreme Court exhorted the students for hard work and said that there is no alternative to it. Recalling his university days, he said, “I am proud to be a student of Gujarat University and proud to be a Gujarati.”

Meanwhile, 50,083 students in different disciplines were conferred degrees on the 69th convocation held at university senate hall amid Covid-19 protocols. As many as 275 medals and scholarships were awarded to the students who shone in their academic pursuits. There were 82 girls and 69 boys to have received medals for their outstanding performances.

70-year-old wins medal for MA in Prakrit

Jayshree Shah was the only senior citizen to have received a gold medal at the Gujarat University convocation, on obtaining an MA in Prakrit. She said she is a Jain and her inclination to her religion led her to study the language so she could read and understand the scriptures.

A resident of Vastrapur, Shah retired as the principal of a school in Kalol a decade ago and then decided to learn the language. This was not the first time that she chose to study with the younger member of her family. “While I was reading for my exams, my granddaughter was taking her Class 9 exams,” she said and remembered how she prepared for her MEd exams when she was 35, “My daughter was studying for her board exams then. We used to study together.” She now wants to enrol for a PhD, but expressed concerns about clearing the National Eligibility Test (NET).