Quite an achievement for someone who dropped out of college before graduation to pursue a career as an actor. From Edinburgh, Sharmila shall proceed to London and Prague to visit her late husband the Nawab of Pataudi’s friends.

Said Ms Tagore, “This honour means a lot to me since I chose not to educate myself through the conventional route of institution-based learning. It proves one can be self-taught. I dropped out of college before graduation. I opted to begin work as an actress.”

The actress, known to have a discernibly intellectual image feels education need not come from a college. “The fact that I am getting a doctorate in spite of being a college drop-out proves that the world can be your university. If you seek learning, it meets you somewhere down the road. I am not saying education is not important. It is essential for emotional and intellectual growth. But it needn’t come from academic textbooks.”

Sharmila, exhausted after the family wedding, left for the UK on Monday with a heavy heart. The death of Yash Chopra left her saddened. “Yashji had written a letter to me saying he was shooting abroad and couldn’t come for the wedding reception. Then comes this devastating news. I’ve lost another friend. That’s another link with the past broken. My heart goes out to the family.”