Striving to create new opportunities for its students in their pursuit of achieving excellence, Banaras Hindu University is instituting 12 new scholarships for the students of various programs. The university has received a sum of Rs. 60 Lakh from the family of its alumni for starting these scholarships. The donation under the Pratidana initiative of the university has been made by Smt. Kishori Jhunjhunwala, wife of renowned industrialist Sh. Dhinanath Jhunjhunwala, and eminent businessman Sh. Jagdish Jhunjhunwala. They handed over the cheques of donations to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sudhir Kumar Jain on Saturday.

Smt. Kishori Jhunjhunwala has donated a sum of Rs. Fifty lakh for instituting ten scholarships of Rs. 25,000 each. Of these, eight scholarships will be awarded to the eligible students of Mahila Mahavidyalaya on merit cum means basis. Two scholarships will be given to the students of Acharya in Veda in Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vijnana Sankaya (Faculty of Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan). Mrs. Jhunjhunwala’s husband Sh. Dhinanath Jhunjhunwala, Jhunjhunwala Oil Mills Ltd., is an alumnus of the university and passed out in 1954 as an Industrial Engineering graduate.  Recalling his student days in Banaras Hindu University, Mr. Jhunjhunwala said BHU has shaped and transformed the lives of thousands of students, who, spread across the globe, are now adding to the glory of the university.

Sh. Jagdish Jhunjhunwala, MD, JJ Plastalloy Pvt. Ltd., and an alumnus of the university donated a sum of Rs. Ten Lakh to institute two scholarships for the female students of B.Sc. (Hons.) Physics. He completed his M.Sc. in Nuclear Physics in the year 1973. He said that he had the privilege of having Prof. O. N. Srivastava and Prof. P. C. Sood as his teachers. Mr. Jagdish Jhunjhunwala, is the son of Sh. Ramavtaar Jhunjhunwala who was also known as Gita Purush, given his vast and unparalleled knowledge on the Bhagvad Gita. A pass out of B.Sc. (Soap Technology) in the year 1944, he used to deliver talks on Gita in BHU. Sh. Ramavtaar Jhunjhunwala was the one who introduced and inspired his brother Sh. Dhinanath Jhunjhunwala to study in Banaras Hindu University.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Sudhir Kumar Jain expressed gratitude towards the Jhunjhunwala family for making a generous contribution to their alma mater. He said that BHU is a great institution which has contributed immensely in nation building. Adding that the spirit, affection and love of BHU’s alumni play a very important role in the growth and development of the institution, Prof. Jain reiterated his commitment for making available more opportunities and resources for the betterment of students. Joint Registrar, University Advancement, Sh. Manoj Pandey was also present on the occasion.