At 65 years of age when most women have given up on career aspirations,Davinder Mohini Ahuja proudly stood on stage receiving her Ph.D in English discipline at 93rd Annual Convocation ceremony of Delhi University.
Accompanied by her husband, Mohini said, “I feel the older you get the better you learn. Age should not be seen as a barrier. Anything can be achieved with patience. I am grateful for my husband’s support all this while, he has been a true companion.” Mohini started pursuing her Ph.D in 2011 and it took her six years to finish it. Earlier, Mohini had completed her M.Phil at 40 years of age, but discontinued her studies. She is also a professor in English Department at Ramjas College.
Including Mohini, about 666 doctoral degrees, 37 DM/M.Ch. and 181 medals were awarded to the students of Delhi University in this convocation. The degree certificates of the students who had passed other various examinations in 2015 were also conferred degrees in absentia.A live webcast of the convocation was also available on the university’s website. The convocation work was largely undertaken on e-platform as a green initiative by the university.
The chief guest at the convocation Prof. Ved P. Nanda, an internationally renowned jurist, John Evans University professor, Thompson G. Marsh Professor of law and director of the Nanda Centre for International and Comparative Law, University of Denver, USA, in his convocation address emphasised on the importance of interdisciplinary education and said, “For too long in academia, we have built silos as each discipline jealously guards its own turf. Instead, what is needed in today’s knowledge-based world are insights from multiple perspectives. For example, at the University of Denver, the Sturm College of Law, the Daniels college of business and the Korbel school of International studies jointly offer several programmes for graduate students combining law and business, law and international relations etc. Internationalisation has also become a vibrant force within higher education all around the world in the last two decades. Policy makers have realised its benefits such as enhanced quality and prestige.”
Prof Nanda is also an alumni of Faculty of Law, Delhi University and had served as a president of the Faculty of law student union and subsequently as the first president of Delhi University Student Union and later also taught at Delhi University.
Prof Nanda added, “Asia is being looked as the next higher education superpower of the world. Countries like Singapore, China and Hong Kong are already making their mark among best universities of the world.”