President lauds 'tehzeeb' of Lucknow, asks others to emulate it

Lucknow: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday urged the people of India to emulate the 'tehzeeb' (culture) of Lucknow and said that if this happens, half the problems faced by the country will end.

Speaking as the chief guest at the 7th Convocation Ceremony of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University in the state capital, Kovind recalled his long-standing association with the land of the Nawabs.

He recounted that between 2002-2003, he was a member of the management of this university and said it was a matter of great personal joy for him that two auditoriums in the university campus had been named after Ambedkar and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

President Kovind also praised the 13-year-old Sushma Verma, who is pursuing her Ph.D from the university and Neetu Sharma, who won the Swami Vivekananda Child Fellowship and said the two girls had left an indelible imprint on his mind.

Wishing the medal winners and degree holders a fruitful career and further, the President said they should be thankful to their parents, teachers and family, without whom these achievements were not possible.

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A total of 192 medals were given away to meritorious students, of which 70 were given to boys while girls won 122 medals.

Earlier the President was welcomed at the Amausi Airport by Governor Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior officials. He drove straight to the Risaldar Park to pay his homage to Bhikshu Pragyanand, one of the seven Buddhist monks who initiated Ambedkar into Buddhism. He died late last month.

With IANS inputs