[tps_footer]May 02, 2014, Amitabh Bachchan awarded a prestigious PhD scholarship to an Indian student incepted by the Melbourne based La Trobe University under his name as Shri Amitabh Bachchan Sholarship.

Amitabh Bachchan will present the scholarship every four years to an Indian citizen to develop a thesis related to media, digital technology and communication. At a function organised by the university in Melbourne, Amitabh Bachchan, presented La Trobe University graduate Roshan Kumar with the Shri Amitabh Bachchan Sholarship.

Roshan Kumar, who originally is from Ranchi, will undertake a PhD into the potential of using social media to better communicate health messages to India’s estimated eighty million social media users.

Roshan Kumar graduated from La Trobe University with a Master of International Business in 2010. He studied a Bachelor of Engineering at the Birla Institute of Technology in Ranchi in 2006.

“I am honoured to receive this scholarship which will help fund my research into improving the health of thousands of people living in India. Social media has immense potential to act as a powerful communication tool to share health information with millions of people.” Roshan Kumar said.

WATCH AMITABH BACHCHAN AND HIS FANS: 
Roshan Kumar who grew up watching Amitabh Bachchan movies stated that it was his dream come true to meet Amitabh Bachchan in person. He feels that La Trobe University has certainly provided him with some fantastic opportunities in the past and he is confident that his future association with the university will be very rewarding as well.

Post the event Amitabh Bachchan took on to twitter and wrote, “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.”

La Trobe University Vice Chancellor, John Dewar said it was an exciting and important day for the university. “It is both an honour and delight to host the legendary film actor Amitabh Bachchan at the Melbourne campus of the University. La Trobe University is very proud that Amitabh 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,” stated John Dewar.

Infact La Trobe University has had a strong link with India since the late 1960s, when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited the campus.[/tps_footer]