Jun 12, 2008

Dr. Without hardwork - Excuse me!

While writing my previous blog on Dasavatharam, I thought if I should write Dr. Kamalhassan or just his name. A student who has finished medicine or a student who has finished PhD, are usually addressed as Dr. so so, which is not wierd at all.
However, the concept of honorary doctorates is what puzzles me. Started at a US university, many decades ago, it is now being conferred at almost every university, be it in India or elsewhere. A person who has done enough service to mankind, or accomplished something that not many have achieved deserves it. The great Mother teresa would took care of the needy deserves it. A person like the Mozart of Madras would deserve it for bringing in such a change in the field of Indian film music.
But things have slowly changed, and a movie star would acts only in remake of other language movies, or acts only in hit comedy movies, or someone who gave 5 hits in a rows DOES NOT deserve it at all. One of the exceptions is that the remake Raja does a lot of social service, and he probably deserved some recognition in that front. But in most cases film stars getting a honorary doctorate is not an achievement at all. It might be done by some nameless university to get popular.

(This is not in disrespect to Dr. Kamalhassan at all! I respect him and he rightly deserves such a honor, at least for making a wonder called Anbe Sivam)

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