1944 academics topper finally gets gold medal

New Delhi: In what's worth its weight in gold, a gold medal in academics has been awarded to Dinanath Malhotra — an Indian publisher — after a delay of six decades.

According to news reports Malhotra received the award after more than 60 years for his Master of Arts (MA) degree from Punjab University in Lahore in 1944. However, the partition of the sub-continent into India and Pakistan in 1947 — following which he moved to India — deterred him from receiving the medal.

The medal was finally awarded to him at the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi on Friday. "This is great. I had never dreamed that I could get this medal back. This is a great honour, not only for me but for the academic circle both in India and Pakistan," he said.