‘Harvard, do you hear us’: Shruthi Kumar who won contest to speak at graduation ceremony 'revolts', dramatically goes off-script; watch viral video

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, May 27

An Indian-American student, chosen to deliver an address at Harvard University graduation, last week went off-script to flay the university for allegedly punishing her university mates for their activism.

Graduating Shruthi Kumar was one of the three students who won the honour to speak at the graduation through an annual contest hosted by the university.

Kumar, during her speech titled “The Power of Not Knowing", drew out a piece of paper containing off-script remarks hidden up the sleeve of her crimson gown.

“As I stand here today, I must take a moment to recognise my peers—the 13 undergraduates in the class of 2024 who will not graduate today,” Kumar said, sharply reprimanding the university leaders. She was referring to the 13 students who participated in campus pro-Palestinian protests and were punished.

“I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and their right to civil disobedience on the campus,” she was quoted as saying. “The students have spoken. The faculty have spoken. Harvard, do you hear us?” she said, repeating “Harvard, do you hear us?”

“At the end of the day, I think we owe it to ourselves to listen to that voice inside that tells us, ‘Oh, this is what I’m passionate about,’” Kumar said then.

Ahead of her speech, she had told the Harvard Gazette that her remarks would be about the “conscious shift you must make” to adapt in times of uncertainty, the Daily Beast reported.

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