VP, wife attend convocation ceremony of granddaughter

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his wife Usha on Saturday attended the convocation ceremony of their granddaughter, sitting amongst the audience.

Their granddaughter, Immani Sushma Choudhary, received a degree and an award at the Amity University in Noida, an official of the Vice President secretariat said.

The vice president and his wife joined their granddaughter on the stage as she received the award.

Naidu said he and his wife attended the ceremony as grandparents and not as the vice president and his spouse.

During his brief address to the gathering, the vice president expressed happiness over his granddaughter winning an award and said he was there to enjoy the convocation ceremony.

Recalling India's position as ''Vishwaguru'' and a knowledge giver in the past, Naidu said, ''With the passage of time, we lost our moorings and heritage and some of us developed a colonial mindset. We have to get back to our roots, take inspiration from our heritage and legacy and work for creating a strong, prosperous, harmonious and happy India.'' Immani was conferred with the ''Shri Baljit Shastri Award for Best in Human and Traditional Values''.

The award is given to students who display values such as honesty, integrity, respect for others, caring attitude and respect for heritage and culture, the official said.