Mom-Daughter Duo Gets PhD Degrees On the Same Day

For the first time in Delhi University, a mother and daughter become PhD doctors, on the same day! 

(Photo: HT)

28-year-old Shreya Mishra, and her mother, Mala Dutta, 56, are the first mother -daughter duo to receive their PhD degrees on the same day from Delhi University!

Fareeha Iftikhar of Hindustan Times reports that while Mala, an Indian Economic Service officer working with the defence ministry, had begun working on her PhD in finance in 2012, her daughter, Shreya, who works as a consultant at the World Bank, registered for her PhD in psychology two years later.

Because of this, the daughter, Shreya, had to slog extra hard to complete her doctorate within three years, so she could get the degree at the same time as her mother.

After I registered for the PhD we realised that we can complete it together and make it the most remarkable moment for us. Though our subjects were totally different, I started seeking guidance from my mother and worked harder to complete it within three years

Shreya Mishra, to HT

Wrong Timing

The mother-daughter duo still managed to complete their thesis together, and had a gap of just a few months in their oral exams. But they were disappointed after finding out they wouldn’t be able to attend the convocation ceremony last year on November 19, as it took place just a day after the daughter’s wedding.

But All’s Well That Ends Well!

But what could not happen on November 19, happened on Friday, March 15, as Shreya Mishra and Mala Datta finally collected their doctorate degrees together from University of Delhi.

Although Shreya did admit she had been told by DU officials that the story of a mother-daughter duo earning their PhD on the same day would have gotten headlines had they been at the convocation, she was just happy she got to share that moment with her grandparents and husband, and of course her mother!