Dr Bhushan Joshi along with his wife Dr Jyoti Joshi and their children near the Damodar Temple at Vasco.
Photo Credits: Vikram Nayak
VASCO
In a rare display of scholarly achievement, Vasco Damodar Temple Priest Bhushan Joshi and his wife, Jyoti Joshi, were both conferred honorary doctorates by the same university but in separate fields.
The couple were conferred doctorates by the Southwestern American University.
While Bhushan was conferred a doctorate for Yadnikee Purohit, recognising his extensive knowledge and practice in ancient rituals, Jyoti was awarded a doctorate in Marathi Literature, applauding her prolific work in promoting and preserving regional literary traditions.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dr Bhushan Joshi attributed the success to the blessings of Lord Damodar and the support of his family.
“I am a priest at the Damodar temple in Vasco and it all began during the award ceremony of my wife for literature at Pune. We were told that our family’s contribution in different fields had been put up before them and that they had recommended our names and profiles of our family members for the PhD in separate fields,” said Dr Bhushan.
“Four generations of my family have served as priests at the Damodar Temple in Vasco, beginning with my great-grandfather Shreedhar Joshi, my grandfather Vinayak Joshi, my father Govind Joshi and me.”
“Our entire background profile was scrutinised, and I was finally conferred a doctorate in Yadnikee Purohit category. My wife, Dr Jyoti, was also conferred a doctorate in Marathi literature field as well,” he added.
Dr Jyoti told reporters that she had received a number of awards in the recent past from various national and international organisations.
“It was all possible because of my hard work and interest in Marathi literature. My parents always inspired me to never give up besides my husband who has always supported me and the blessing of Lord Damodar. A function was held in Pondicherry and we are glad that our contribution in different fields has been recognised,” she said.
