Mark Twain, wearing the full-dress gown of an Oxford DLitt. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in letters in 1907.

Doctor of Letters (Latin: Litterarum doctor; D.Litt.; or Litt. D.) is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.

Commonwealth[link]

In the United Kingdom, Australia, India and certain other countries, the degree is a higher doctorate, above the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and is issued on the basis of a long record of research and publication. The degree D.Litt. is awarded to candidates whose record of published work and research shows conspicuous ability and originality and constitutes a distinguished and sustained achievement. University committee and board approval is required, and candidates must provide documented mastery of a particular area or field. The degree may also be awarded honoris causa to such people the university in question deems worthy.

United States[link]

In the United States, the degree is often an honorary degree conferred on those who have contributed to the humanities and/or society. There are, however, a number of earned "D.Litt." programs, the best known being Drew University on the basis of 36 graduate credit hours post-Master's and a successfully prepared and defended nine-credit (for a total degree requirement of 45 hours) doctoral dissertation.^[1]

France[link]

In France the Doctor of Letters degree (doctorat ès lettres also called doctorat d'État) was a higher doctorate in the humanities superseded in 1984 by the habilitation.

Recipients[link]

Notable recipients of a Doctor of Letters as an honorary degree include British comedian Ken Dodd, the former leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Michael Ignatieff,^[2] former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown,^[3] musicians K. J. Yesudas,^[4] Enya,^[5] Sami Yusuf,^[6] former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,^[7] writers Mark Twain, Ezra Pound,^[8] Malcolm Gladwell, O. N. V. Kurup,^[9] Rik Mayall,^[10] J. K. Rowling,^[11] J.R.R. Tolkien,^[12] Clive Cussler, Elmo Scott Watson from Illinois Wesleyan University, James May,^[13] Sundeep Waslekar,^[14] Robert Frost,^[15] John Updike, actor Mohanlal,^[16] J. Jayalalithaa, chief-minister of Tamil Nadu, India, sound recordist Resul Pookutty^[17] V.T.Chellam, Tamil History Researcher, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India, Canadian comedian and TV personality Rick Mercer

References[link]

Meira Kumar
Meira Kumar at Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
Speaker of Lok Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 June 2009
Preceded by	Somnath Chatterjee
Member of the Lok Sabha for Sasaram, Bihar
Incumbent
Assumed office 2004
Personal details
Born	(1945-03-31) 31 March 1945 (age 67) Bihar, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Manjul Kumar
Children	1 son and 2 daughters
Residence	New Delhi, India
Alma mater	University of Delhi
Religion	Hindu
As of June 3, 2009 Source: [1]

Meira Kumar is an Indian politician and a five time Member of Parliament. She was elected unopposed as the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha on 3 June 2009.^[1][2]She was born on March 31, 1945 in Bihar, India.

She is a lawyer and a former diplomat. Prior to being a member of the 15th Lok Sabha, she has been elected earlier to the 8th, 11th, 12th and 14th Lok Sabha, wherein she remained Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (2004–2009).

Early life[link]

Meira Kumar was born in the state of Bihar District Patna to the former Deputy Prime Minister and a prominent leader, Babu Jagjivan Ram and freedom fighter, Indrani Devi.

She did her M.A., LL.B, Educated at Indraprastha College and Miranda House, Delhi University.^[3]

Career[link]

Foreign Service[link]

In 1973, she joined the Indian Foreign Service and served at embassies in Spain, United Kingdom and Mauritius. She also served as a member of the India-Mauritius Joint Commission. While serving for IFS, she also worked in Embassy of India, Madrid from 1976 to 1977. She was at the High Commission of India in London from 1977 to 1979 and at Ministry of External Affairs from 1980 to 1985.

Political career[link]

Meira Kumar entered electoral politics in 1985 and was elected from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh defeating political heavyweights like Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati, two powerful dalit leaders. She was a member of the eighth, eleventh and twelfth Lok Sabha's from Karol Bagh in Delhi. She lost her seat in the BJP wave of 1999, but was able to get re-elected with a record majority from her father's former constituency of Sasaram in Bihar in 2004 and 2009.

She served in the Congress-led Government as the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009. In 2009 she was briefly inducted as member of the cabinet as Union Minister for Water Resources. On being nominated for the position of speaker, she submitted her resignation three days after assuming ministerial office. She was elected the Speaker of Lok Sabha, thereby becoming the first woman speaker of the country.

It has wrongly been misreported in Media that she had spent around 10 crore Indian Rupees to make foreign visits. The Parliament Secretariat has clarified that some news papers had misreported and created the impression that this was spent on holidays abroad. It has clarified that the money was spent not her alone but the Parliamenatary delegation which comprised of several MPs from all political parties and each and every visit was for official business."In her official capacity, the Speaker has to lead Indian Parliamentary Delegations to the Conferences of the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), of which India is a member," the statement said. ^[4]

Personal life[link]

Meira Kumar is married to Manjul Kumar, a Supreme Court lawyer and they have three children, one boy and two girls, Anshul, Swati and Devangna.

She is a keen sportswoman and holds medals for rifle shooting. She is also a published author.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Meira Kumar Biography Govt. of India Portal
• [2] click link to the left 2 -Kamal Nath gives clean chit to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in bungalow controversy clarifies no waiver as nothing due as no occupation as wrongly reported by some vested interests and news channels without verification

Vijaya Mulay (known as Akka - elder sister in Marathi) (born 16 May 1921) is a documentary filmmaker, film historian, writer, educationist and researcher.

Her close friendships with Satyajit Ray, Louis Malle, Mrinal Sen and other film personalities have given her a unique perspective into Indian cinema and influenced her work. Her body of work has shaped how India is viewed by Indian and non-Indian filmmakers.

Life and Career[link]

Vijaya Mulay was born in in Bombay, India.

The beginning...Bombay to Patna, Bihar[link]

In 1940, Vijaya accompanied her husband when he was transferred to Patna, Bihar. Compared to the cosmopolitan Bombay the pre-independence Patna seemed to her like a place from another universe. But Patna University allowed women to study privately and Vijaya enrolled for a Bachelors degree.

English films were shown half price on Sunday mornings at the city theatres known as Bioscopes. Vijaya began her love affair with the medium and started grasping the idiom of cinema.

Patna to Leeds, UK[link]

In 1946 she won a state scholarship to study in University of Leeds, UK for Master’s degree in Education.

While there, Vijaya realised that the ordinary Britisher was hardly like the English “Burra Saabs” (Great Masters) back in India.

From an interview with Vijaya Mulay on her days in the UK - I had gone to Britain, with an anti-colonial distaste for the British people and with the sole purpose of studying for my degree. I was on my guard, ready to take offence at the slightest insult or remark derogatory to me or to India, whether imagined or real. But I soon found out that the ordinary English people were hardly like the ‘Burra Sahibs’ that one saw back home.

On post-war cinema in UK - The Workers’ Unity Theatre played to full houses. Films from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe ran often. I saw film classics, experimental films, and socialist cinema. I also gained a better perspective and understanding of the cinematic art by joining the university film society. Film viewing, once a casual pastime, became my serious passion.

1959, Satyajit Ray and India's first Film Society[link]

Vijaya returned to Patna in 1949 and actively worked in the local film society. In 1954, she moved to New Delhi when Government of India appointed her as an Education Officer. Vijaya also found time to open Delhi Film Society and in 1959, eight film societies came together to form Federation of Film Societies of India ^[1] with Satyajit Ray as the founding president and Vijaya Mulay and the critic Chidanand Das Gupta as joint secretaries.

After the passing away of Satyajit Ray, Vijaya was appointed as the President of FFSI.

Film Censor Board of India, Louis Malle and The Tidal Bore[link]

In 1962 Vijaya was deputed to Bombay to work at the Central Board of Film Certification.

From an interview with Vijaya Mulay - For five years I sat as the presiding officer with other four members from an approved panel that judged Indian and foreign films. It gave me an insight into the biases of panellists that coloured their judgement of a film’s suitability for public viewing. My work with the Film Censor Board proved a mixed blessing. I had to see films that ordinarily I would have walked out of in sheer boredom.

In 1966 Vijaya was transferred to Calcutta and the following year Louis Malle came to the city with a French film delegation. When they met Malle had an instant dislike towards the woman censor officer. The dislike blossomed into a close friendship that lasted till Louis Malle's passing away in 1995.

Both Satyajit Ray and Louis Malle helped Vijaya in making her first film - 'The Tidal Bore' (about the 15 feet tidal bore coming from Bay of Bengal like a wall of water on the Hooghly River). Malle sent negative stock from France and Ray voiced the commentary.

Government of India selected 'The Tidal Bore' as the official entry to the Mannheim Film Festival. Later Film Federation of India screened the film in theaters across the country.

Multimedia, UNICEF and CET/NCERT[link]

When US loaned India its ATS-6 satellite (ATS-6 had one video and two audio channels) UNICEF hired Vijaya to produce test modules for children in the 6 to 9 age group. In 1975, Vijaya was asked to head the CET - Center for Educational Technology to prepare educational films for broadcast to over 2400 villages in rural districts and programming in 4 languages.

Ek Anek Aur Ekta, the 1974 animation film Scripted and Directed by Vijaya Mulay and Produced by Center for Educational Technology is very popular amongst the many generations of Indians.

The CET, NCERT projects equipped her to later continue research on the field of education and on using media for development.

After her retirement from NCERT, Vijay took up a benchmark survey of distance education in Indian Universiites and collected data from 23 (out of the 25) universities that were then providing such education. This work was finished in 1983.

The next 3 years, Vijaya worked as the Project Coordinator at the University Grants Commission and was responsible for the program Countrywide Classroom for undergraduates.

As Others See Us[link]

While going through some of Louis Malle's letters Vijaya realised how India had changed him. Similar experiences of Jean Renoir while making The River (1951 film), and Roberto Rossellini prompted her to find out what about India excites and motivates the non-Indians, especially the filmmakers.

“From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond: India in International Cinema” will be published by Seagull, Kolkata and is stated to be released by Seagull books in August 2008.

Excerpt from the first chapter of 'As Others See Us'....

The little Gangotri, from where the river Ganga (the Ganges) emerges is a small rill; it becomes the majestic river Ganga as more rivers join it to expand its basin and flow. My project too has followed a similar path and has become bigger and bigger though unlike Ganga, it is neither majestic nor holy. I look upon this study as a personal journey of a film buff to understand what India meant to different people at different points of time as expressed in films.

Awards and Milestones[link]

• The Government of India honored Vijaya Mulay with the V. Shantaram Award for Lifetime Achievement for documentaries at the Mumbai International Film Festival - MIFF, 2002.
• Vikram Sarabhai Life Time Achievement award for educational communication in 1999.
• President of the Federation of Film Societies of India.
• Led the Indian Educational Technology Mission to the USA in 1975.
• Member Secretary of the Education commission for Goa and other former Portuguese territories in 1962.
• Developed a multimedia package through SITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment)for training of more than 48000 primary school teachers. Widely considered to be a path-breaking program in the area of educational technology.
• Several of her films received National awards and awards at International Film Festivals including Delhi, New York, Teheran.

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2012)

Gurdas Maan ਗੁਰਦਾਸ ਮਾਨ
Gurdas Mann at Divya Dutta's mom Nalini's book launch
Background information
Born	(1957-01-04) 4 January 1957 (age 55) Giddarbaha, Sri Muktsar Sahib, East Punjab (India)
Genres	Folk Bhangra
Occupations	Singer-songwriter Actor Musician
Years active	1980 – present
Website	http://www.gurdasmaan.com

Gurdas Maan (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦਾਸ ਮਾਨ) is an Punjabi singer, songwriter, choreographer, and actor. He is considered one of the most notable figures in the world of Punjabi music. He was born in Giddarbaha village of Indian Punjab and gained national attention in 1980 with the song "Dil Da Mamla Hai." Since then, he has gone on to record over 34 albums and has written over 300 songs.

Early life[link]

Maan was formally educated in D.A.V College Malout Punjab.^{[citation needed]} After completing his education there, his parents enrolled him in a further education institute in Patiala.^{[citation needed]} As a keen sports enthusiast Maan was fascinated by the National Institute of Sports in the city; this prompted him to join the N.I.S. and gain a Masters degree in physical education.^{[citation needed]}

He took part in youth festivals organized by universities and won several awards for his singing and acting, always supported by his friends. He competed in many athletic events and won medals including a bronze at the National Championship as well as achieving a black belt in judo.^[1]

Career[link]

1980s[link]

In one of his stage plays, he performed a song he had written called "Dil Da Mamla Hai." The play was seen by a producer for Doordarshan Kendra Jalandhar, the producer who thought the song to have potential approached Maan with a proposition for a TV performance of the song to which Maan agreed. When the song was aired on 31 December 1980 it gained national attention and Gurdas Maan became a national figure. The success of the song attracted the attention of HMV who wanted to record and release it. With HMV Maan eventually released his debut album a year later in 1981. When Maan began his career as a solo performer in India, the music industry was dominated by duet artists and he reportedly declined many offers to become part of a duet as he wished to perform and become a successful solo artist. The film that Gurdas Mann starred in "Mamla Garbar Hai" was directed by Hari Dutt.

During his early career he also wrote and directed TV programs such as POP Time for the Doordarshan Network in Delhi.

1990s and 2000s[link]

Gurdas Maan is often credited with raising Punjabi folk music from a regional level mostly in the Punjab to gain international recognition. His album Apna Punjab won Best Album at the 1998 Asian Pop and Media Awards held in Birmingham. Maan won Best Song for the title track and Best International Artist the same year. In addition to these awards, Maan more recently won three music awards of Best Lyrics ("Kudiye")Best Song ("Heer"), as well as Best Singer of the Year at the ETC Channel Punjabi Music Awards on 6 March 2005.(Ravinder)

Awards and honours[link]

Gurdas Maan received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Wolverhampton on 7 Sept 2010.^[2] Maan performed at the Royal Albert Hall for two nights in April 2011 as part of his UK tour. This was the first time Maan performed at the Royal Albert Hall, an opportunity that very few artists come across.

On other fronts, Maan has starred in blockbuster Bollywood films and has received numerous awards, including the Jury’s Award, presented to him by the president of India in 2005.

In 2009 he won "Best International Album" at the UK Asian Music Awards for Boot Polishan.^[3]

In 2007 he won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for his song titled "Couplets of Heer" for the movie Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris.

In 2011 PTC Punjabi Film Awards, He won Critics Award for Best Actor in a Movie - Sukhmani.^[4] In 2012 he was honored by a special prize Kohinoor of Punjab by PTC network.

Film[link]

Gurdas Maan is best known as an actor for his performances in two films: Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris (2006), which was nominated as India's selection for the Academy Awards, and Shaheed-E-Mohabbat (1999), the film which tells the real-life story of Boota Singh.

Gurdas appeared in the hit film Shaheed Udham Singh (2000), in which he played the role of Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary, with no prejudices based on religion, caste or creed. As a singer Maan has worked with music directors such as Laxmikant Pyarelal, Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik, Nadeem Sharvan, Amar Haidipur, Charanjeet Ahuja, and Jaswant Bhanyra.

He starred alongside Juhi Chawla in the epic Des Hoyaa Pardes (2004), an emotional film illustrating the tragedies faced by the people of Punjab in the 1980s. He adopted the role of a son of a well-respected Jatt (bilingual separatist) Gurdev Singh Somal. He falls in love with a high-ranking police officer’s daughter. Before the wedding, the father is murdered by separatists. This tale soon twists in to the inevitable demise of Gurshaan (Gurdas Maan). This movie was based on actual events.

Aside from singing in Punjabi, he is fluent in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Haryanvi and Rajasthani. As an actor he has performed in Punjabi, Hindi and Tamil movies, but he is best known for his starring role in Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris, a depiction of the Punjabi poet Waris Shah during the creation of his epic poem Heer Ranjha, again co-starring Juhi Chawla and Divya Dutta.Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris was also the first Punjabi movie which was nominated for OSCAR Awards 2006. He made a special appearance in Veer-Zaara with Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta.

He has appeared in Ucha Dar Babe Nanak Da (1982), Mamla Garbar Hai (1984), Long Da Lishkara (1986), Qurbani Jatt Di (1990), Pratigya (1990), Roohani Taaqat (1991), Saali Adhi Ghar Waali (1992), Wanted: Gurdas Maan Dead or Alive (1994), Kachehri (1994), and Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai (2002).

Personal life[link]

Maan is married to Manjit and has one son Gurikk who has done his schooling at Yadavindra Public School and Mayo College. He also studied at Eton College. His brothers name is Paramjit Bahia^[1]

In Kundli, Sonepat, Haryana, India on 20 January 2007 Maan was involved in a car accident in which his Range Rover was hit and severely damaged by a truck. Maan escaped with minor injuries on his face, hands and chest. His driver Ganesh was injured seriously but recovered soon after.

This was the second car accident of two that Gurdas Maan was involved in. The first accident was a head-on collision between Maan's vehicle and a truck on 9 January 2001 at a village near Rupnagar, Punjab. In this accident Maan's driver Tejpal was killed. Maan later admitted that his driver asked him to wear his seat belt minutes before the accident. Maan believes that if it had not been for his driver's advice, he would have been dead as well. Later he wrote and performed a song "Baithi sade naal savari utter gayi" dedicated to his driver, who was also his good friend.

During a radio interview Maan revealed to the host, Gagan Grewal, that he is an avid supporter of Liverpool football club.^[5]

Gurdas Maan Started his career as a Employee of Punjab State Electricity Board.

Discography[link]

• 2011: Jogiya (Sai Productions/T-Series/UK BOX OFFICE)
• 2008: Boot Polishan (Sai Creations/UK BOX OFFICE)
• 2005: Vilayatan (T-Series/MovieBox)
• 2004: Heer (T-Series)
• 2003: Punjeeri (T-Series/MovieBox/Music Waves)
• 2001: Pyar Kar Lai (Tips)
• 1999: Jaadugarian (Venus)
• 1998: Dil Hona Chahida Jawaan (Venus)
• 1997: Yaar Mera Pyar (T-Series)
• 1996: Chaklo Chaklo (T-Series)
• 1995: Ishq Na Dekhe Zaat
• 1994: Aaja Sajna
• 1994: Ishq Da Giddha (Tips)
• 1993: Ghar Bhulgi Morh Te Ake
• 1993: Than Than Gopal (RMI)
• 1993: Aakarh Aa Hi Jaandi-E'(Music Bank)
• 1992: Larh Geya Pecha
• 1991: Dil Da Badshah
• 1990: Mohabbat Zindabad
• 1989: Akhiyaan Udeek Dian
• 1988* Raat Suhani'
• 1988: Chugliyaan
• 1988: Wah Ni Jawaniye
• 1987: Geetan Bhari Patari
• 1986: Nacho Babeyo
• 1985: Kurian Ne Judo Sikh Lai
• 1984: Chakkar'
• 1984: Peer Tere Jaan Di
• 1983: Masti
• 1982: Dil Saaf Hona Chahida
• 1982: Disco Vichari
• 1981: Dil Da Mamla Hai

Filmography[link]

• 2013: Punjabiye Zubaney
• 2012: Mitro - Mitro
• 2010: Jaat Haryana ka, Chak Jawana
• 2010: Sukhmani Hope for life (Best Actor - Critic Award PTC Punjabi film Awards 2011.^[4])
• 2009: Mini Punjab (Speed OXL Films)
• 2008: Yaariyan (Universal)
• 2007: Mummy-Ji (special appearance) (Universal)
• 2006: Waris Shah-Ishq Da Waaris (MovieBox)
• 2004: Des Hoyaa Pardes (Universal)
• 2004: Veer Zaara (special appearance)(Yash Raj Films)
• 2002: Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai
• 2000: Shaheed Udham Singh (MovieBox) ...Shaheed Bhagat Singh
• 1999: Shaheed-E-Mohabbat ...Boota Singh
• 1999 Sirf Tum (special appearance)
• 1995: Subedaar
• 1995: Bagawat ...Gurjeet
• 1994: Kachehri..Gurdas/Ajit
• 1994: Wanted: Gurdas Maan Dead or Alive
• 1992: Saali Adhi Ghar Waali
• 1991: Roohani Taaqat
• 1990: Pratigya ...Billa
• 1990: Qurbani Jatt Di ...Karma
• 1990: Dushmani Di Aag
• 1988: Baghavaat
• 1987: Chhora Haryana Da
• 1986: Ki Banu Duniyan Da
• 1986: Gabhroo Punjab Da ...Shera
• 1986: Laung Da Lashkara
• 1985: Patthar Dil
• 1985: Ucha Dar Babe Nanak Da
• 1984: Mamla Garbar Hai

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010)

Hans Per Rotmo (born 10 March 1948) is a Norwegian singer and songwriter, known by most Norwegians as the leading figure of 1970s folk-rock band Vømmøl Spellmannslag,^[1] and also known as the writer of hit songs like "Fire fine lænestola" and the Christmas tune "Vårres jul". Rotmo sings in his own dialect, from the municipality of Verdal.

He was a supporter of the revolutionary communist movement AKP(m-l) in his younger years, and many of the lyrics of his songs, especially those from the Vømmøl period, are influenced by the thoughts of Mao Zedong and Karl Marx, although the surface content of most of these songs concern the population of rural Norway, the industrial progress that followed World War II, and the effects of the latter on the former.

References[link]

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