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Bollywood superstar Preity Zinta to receive honorary doctorate from UEL

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Preity Zinta

Bollywood superstar Preity Zinta will swap the sweltering subcontinent for icy East London when she crosses the globe to accept an honorary doctorate from the University of East London this week.

The screen icon and tireless campaigner will attend a special ceremony at UEL’s Docklands campus on Friday, where she will receive an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts for her contribution to world cinema and humanitarian work.

Priety has starred in countless Bollywood hits and has been an outspoken supporter of many causes in her native India, particularly women’s rights, AIDS awareness and campaigns to clean up Mumbai.

Preity says of her visit: “I am extremely humbled and excited at the nomination as it really makes me feel that my work has been recognised. I may not have managed to become a doctor in my younger years but that dream is now being fulfilled”.

UEL Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee said: “I am delighted that we are able to honour Preity Zinta. We notice her involvement in the Delhi blood donor camps and her tireless work in raising awareness of the challenges over AIDS, human trafficking and the plight of street children in India.

Her involvement as Ambassador for the Godfrey Phillips Bravery Awards and the Loomba Trust proves that she is not afraid to stand up for justice and those in need”.

At the same event Lord Dholakia OBE and Professor Lord Parekh will also be bestowed with honorary doctorates, both in Law.

As a tireless campaigner for social and racial equality, Lord Dholakia is considered to be the most significant Indian politician working in the west. He served as a member of the Commission for Racial Equality for 25 years and in 2005 he received the Pride of India Award in recognition for achievements in public life in the UK.

Lord Parekh is considered to be one of the great political philosophers of the twentieth century; having devoted his life to the academic study of political systems and multiculturalism in India and England.

The ceremony will take place at midday and be followed by a press conference with Preity, Lord Dholakia, Lord Parekh and Vice-Chancellor Professor Patrick McGhee at 2pm.

If you would like to attend this event please contact the UEL press office as soon as possible as places are limited.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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