The Mohan Babu University (MBU) conferred the honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) upon veteran journalist, author, parliamentarian and Chairman of Editorial Board of Lokmat Media Group, Dr Vijay Darda, during its convocation ceremony here on Saturday. The honorary degree was awarded in recognition of Dr Darda’s exceptional contributions to journalism, the cause of press freedom, education, and democratic reform.

 

The university lauded his unwavering commitment to fearless journalism, sincere efforts for the growth of the media industry and his enduring dedication to social responsibility. Dr Darda received the honour in presence of the former Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Rajya Sabha member and chief guest of the convocation, Praful Patel, Chancellor of Mohan Babu University and Chairman of Sree Vidyanikethan Educational Trust (SVET), Dr Mohan Babu, world renowned percussionist Padma Shri Shivamani, Pro-Chancellor of MBU Vishnu Manchu, National President of Vishwa Hindi Parishad Padma Bhushan Prof. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, executive director of SVET Vinay Maheshwari, member of SVET Viranika Manchu and a galaxy of dignitaries from different fields and students. In his acceptance speech, Dr Vijay Darda expressed deep gratitude to Mohan Babu University for conferring upon him this honour which acknowledges his over five decades of service to journalism and the media industry. He dedicated the honour to the legacy of fearless journalism upheld by Lokmat Media Group and its founder Jawaharlal Darda. It’s pertinent to mention here that Dr Darda is a recipient of honorary D. Litt degrees from DY Patil University, Pune, and Royal American University, USA, for his contribution to the field of journalism and media industry.