Amitabh Bachchan presents a Scholarship at La Trobe University Melbourne

Melbourne

The Indian Film Festival Melbourne (IFFM) was recently inaugurated by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, along with the governor and his wife. Mr. Bachchan felt ecstatic to hear that the La Trobe University has named a scholarship after him.

“The La Trobe University names a scholarship after me, to be accorded to deserving students from all walks of life that will come and study media and entertainment courses here,” the 71-year-old posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.

On this platform, he also thanked the governance of Victoria, Australia, for inviting him to inaugurate the 11-day festival.

“Thank you, the Governance of Victoria for this gesture, fructifying the bonds that exist between our two nations and lending unstinted support to our film industry in conducting such events to acquaint the locals with our cinema,” wrote Amitabh who wore a combination of pink and purple on the event.

“The warmth and graciousness shall be carried by us all to India, and in particular to our countrymen,” he added. “And finally an award ceremony in the evening that shall decorate winners of selected films in categories ranging from short films to feature, with an Achievement Award for yours truly…” he added.

He on this occasion presented a scholarship of AUD 200,000 (approximately $185,000) at La Trobe University to an Indian student.

The recipient of the Amitabh Bachchan Scholarship is La Trobe graduate, Roshan Kumar is from Ranchi in Jharkhand state of India. He will work towards a doctorate in the potential of using social media to better communicate health messages to India’s estimated 80 million social media users.

“I have grown up watching AmitabhBachchan in movies. To imagine that I would meet him in person still seems like a dream,” Roshan Kumar said in a meeting with the ‘Angry Young Man’ here.

“I am honoured to receive this scholarship which will help fund my research into improving the health of thousands of people living in India,” added Roshan Kumar, who graduated from La Trobe with a Masters in International Business in 2010.

Amitabh will present the scholarship every four years to an Indian citizen to develop a thesis related to media, digital technology and communication.

Earlier, the 71-year-old actor had taken to his blog to thank the state of Victoria for naming a scholarship after him.
He views it as a way of “fructifying the bonds that exist between our two nations and lending unstinted support to our film industry in conducting such events to acquaint the locals with our cinema”.

University’s vice chancellor John Dewar said it was an exciting and important day for the institution.

“La Trobe University is very proud that Mr. Bachchan has agreed to work with us and help support the education of the next generation of Indian leaders who will help make a difference to the complex problems facing our world today.

“This is the beginning of a very exciting educational partnership between La Trobe University and a legend of the Indian film industry,” he added.

In May 2013, the University officially renamed its Agora Cinema the Yash Chopra Cinema for one year, launching a series of Indian film screenings that made the campus a focus for Melbourne’s Indian community.