Proud univs, separated only by a highway

Bhubaneswar: Divided by National Highway 16, stand two varsities who are now famous for their alumni, the most prominent ones being President-elect Droupadi Murmu (Rama Devi Women’s University) and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan (Utkal University).
While one is the oldest university of the state, another one is the first womens university of Odisha.
Pradhan belongs to the 1988-1990 batch of PG department of anthropology, Utkal University. Besides, the university has produced many notable alumni, including former chief minister Janaki Ballabh Patnaik.
“Murmu completed her intermediate and undergraduate (UG) degree between 1975 and 1979. The university is proud of her. The alumni are the role models and brand ambassadors of the institution. Anybody from academia knows that strong alumni connections can help the institution and its students very much,” said Aparajita Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of Rama Devi Women’s University.