BHU Honors 332 Toppers at First Academic Excellence Awards
Banaras Hindu University celebrates its first Academic Excellence Awards, honoring 332 students with high CGPAs to inspire future scholars.
In a historic move to place scholarly achievement at the heart of its campus culture, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) hosted its first-ever BHU academic excellence awards ceremony on Friday. The event, held at the energetic Swatantra Bhawan, celebrated 332 students who demonstrated exceptional brilliance in their even semester examinations, securing a CGPA of 8.5 or higher.
Celebrating the Scholars
The ceremony recognized a diverse group of high achievers from both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Out of the 332 awardees, 173 were undergraduate students and 159 were postgraduate students representing various faculties and institutes across the university.
The distribution of awards highlighted the strengths of different departments:
- Faculty of Arts: Led the way with the highest number of awards at 92.
- Faculty of Science: Followed closely with 78 awards.
- Faculty of Agriculture: Received 29 awards.
- Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan: Also received 29 awards.
A New Tradition of Merit
Instituted from the 2025–26 academic session, these awards are designed to be a permanent fixture on the university's calendar. The university plans to honor approximately 500 students annually, distributed in two phases. To ensure fairness, the number of awards per course is scaled based on student enrollment:
- Courses with over 100 students receive three awards.
- Courses with 50 to 100 students receive two awards.
- Courses with fewer than 50 students receive one award.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Presiding over the event, Vice Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi emphasized that the university needed a dedicated day to celebrate its core purpose: academic pursuit. He noted that honoring students while they are still on campus serves as a powerful catalyst for others.
"These students have achieved excellence that is unparalleled, and this brings pride to the university. We are honoring these students while they are still on our campus, not after they have left, because talent should be honored when it can most inspire others."
Prof. Chaturvedi also issued a "call to action" to the students watching from the galleries, urging them to compete and challenge the current toppers, suggesting that the list of awardees could change entirely by next year.
Gratitude to the Mentors
While the spotlight was on the students, the Vice Chancellor took a moment to pay a heartfelt tribute to the faculty. He described teachers as the true foundation of the university, stating that such academic milestones would be impossible without their guidance and dedication.
The event saw a massive turnout, with the Swatantra Bhawan filled to capacity. The enthusiasm was so high that students who weren't receiving awards crowded the first-floor balconies to witness the proceedings. Dean of Students, Professor Ranjan Kumar Singh, expressed confidence that this initiative would push students to reach even greater heights in their academic journeys.
The awards were presented by the Vice-Chancellor, accompanied by Registrar Mr. Rajan Srivastava, Dean of Students Professor Ranjan Kumar Singh, and Additional Controller of Examinations Professor G.P. Singh, in the presence of the awardees' respective directors and faculty members.