Anand refuses to accept doctorate
Special Correspondents
HYDERABAD, August 24, 2010
World Chess champion Viswanathan Anand has declined to accept the honorary doctorate which was to have been conferred by the University of Hyderabad (UoH) at a special convocation during the ongoing International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) 2010.
“There is no way he is going to take the award now and during this Congress as far as I know”, Abraham Kuruvilla, Mr. Anand’s agent told reporters here on Tuesday soon after the executive committee of ICM and University of Hyderabad issued a strongly-worded statement criticising the “insensitive bureaucratic obstructions”.
In a statement, the executive committee and the UoH expressed sadness over the fact that the special convocation to confer an honorary degree on one of our greatest sports personalities Viswanathan Anand could not be held because of ‘insensitive bureaucratic obstructions’. The ICM Executive Committee conveyed its deep apology to the Grandmaster over this development.
Rajat Tandon, Secretary, Executive Organisating Committee of the ICM, told reporters that Mr. Anand had agreed to accept the honorary doctorate but changed his mind as he did not want to enter into a controversy.
Mr. Anand said “I have always played under the Indian flag, held an Indian passport, right from the time I took my first overseas trip. I do not understand the issue. I am in Hyderabad to play against the mathematicians and to enjoy the Congress. So let us leave it at that.”
The idea of conferring the doctorate was mooted as early as October, 2009 and the University of Hyderabad did all the necessary background work. It was submitted for clearance to the appropriate department at the Ministry of Human Resources Development. Despite repeated follow up by the University, the Ministry did not forward the proposal for the President’s signature.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com
Good for him. Idiot politicians like the USCF politicians.