Actor Akshay Kumar was awarded a doctorate at the 46th convocation of the Assumption University in Ontario, Canada.
The actor was conferred the honorary doctor of law degree for his film and charity work

The 40-year-old actor is not only the Indian ambassador for the Special Olympics, he has also helped raise money for Trillium Health Care Center in Mississauga and the Vancouver Children’s Hospital, his spokeswoman said here today.

Now Akshay Kumar has joined the list of Bollywood personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Yash Chopra, Shabana Azmi and Shilpa Shetty who were conferred honorary doctorates from foreign universities in the past.

On receiving the doctorate Akshay Kumar said, “This honour that I have received today is bigger than the Oscars , I am truly humbled.”

Besides Akshay, Carl S Cohen and Aubrey Dan were conferred PhD degrees.
Amongst other things, Dan produces plays on Broadway and Toronto. Cohen, is a lawyer.

“We have here tonight one member of the Hindu community [Akshay], and two members of the Jewish community, who are all receiving honours from a Catholic Christian University (Assumption),” University President Paul J Rennick summed up, explaining that the three recipients have an ‘inter-religious’ overtone.

Akshay Kumar said: “I don’t think even an Oscar would mean as much as this means to me. Indians believe that our success lies at the feet of our parents. It’s not I who should be receiving this award, but my parents.”

President Rennick said: “We take particular pride and pleasure in honouring men and women of achievement and altruism, whose lives manifest the values of integrity, discipline and learning that are at the heart of the University.”