SRK will use doctorate to further cause of poor children

Describing the honorary doctorate conferred on him by a leading British university as a "very, very special honour", Hindi film star Shah Rukh Khan has pledged to use the recognition to further the cause of underprivileged children in India.

"I promise to dedicate a large proportion of my time to do whatever is within my capacity to further the cause of education among kids as a way of my thankfulness and gratitude for this honour," Khan said after receiving the doctorate here last evening. "Of course, starting with my kids who are highly uneducated right now," he joked.

Khan was conferred the doctorate by professor Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedfordshire University, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, media, and culture, at a special ceremony held at Washington Mayfair, a hotel owned by NRI entrepreneur Joginder Singh Sangar.

The film star, who has won several international recognitions, including the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) from the French government and the Malaysian title of datuk, which is equivalent to a British knighthood, said: "I could not believe that I may be addressed as doctor henceforth.

"My kids have lifelong been asking me if I will be getting a stethoscope as an award. In my job as an actor, getting an honorary doctorate is right up there as an achievement."

Thanking Bedfordshire University, one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, and 'Routes 2 Roots', an Indian non-governmental organisation which nominated him for the honour, Khan said, "It is a very, very special honour. And it makes me take seriously what I do and what I have done in the past 20 years of my career.

"The feeling I get is that I should utilise this recognition to further the cause of those underprivileged children who do not get the opportunity to educate themselves.

"Once again I want to thank everyone present here for making me realise there is a lot more important things I can do to improve my life and the lives of others."

Asked to describe his feelings on receiving the doctorate, Khan said, "This is one of the finest things that has happened in my career."

Asked why he did not go to the university to receive the honour, he said, "I wish I should have gone earlier. But I have been suffering a couple of injuries, one after the other. As a matter of fact, these people (the vice-chancellor and others) relented and agreed to confer the doctorate in London as I cannot travel much."

Khan, who still has his left hand in a sling, said: "I would love to visit the university. I have seen some very nice things about the university in the [promotional] video. Inshallah, I would like to visit it soon."

Professor Ebdon said, "We will be delighted to have you. You can also meet the students."

Asked whether he would be instituting any scholarship at the university, Khan said: "I don't think I am such a big person to institute a scholarship. But I would like to help people without lending my name."

When a Pakistani journalist pointed out that 'Routes 2 Roots' was rendering yeoman service by bringing the people of India and Pakistan together, Khan said, "We people from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have a lot of cultural similarities. My family firmly believes in it. My father was from Peshawar in Pakistan and my mother from Hyderabad in India."

Asked whether he would visit Pakistan, the actor said, "Inshallah. Maybe sometime."

Khan said his son is interested in football and is a fan of the Manchester United Football Club. "I might consider sending him for some training in football," he said.

Answering a question on how he felt about the death of pop star Michael Jackson, Khan said, "I felt I lost my youth when I heard that Michael Jackson passed away."

Describing himself as an ardent fan of Jackson, Khan said, "The only music I knew or heard during the last three-four years is that of Michael Jackson. I don't have any understanding of other Western music.

"I felt very sad. I cried — it was since long that I cried. My wife and kids also cried. I had met him. He was a wonderful creation of God."