LUCKNOW, Sept. 11 -- Even after being questioned for their choice of choosing performing arts as a career, some students chose to lend a deaf ear to all criticism and kept going ahead with the goal. Their perseverance, patience and consistency helped them excel and also bag medals during the convocation ceremony of Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya on Wednesday. Anshika Kataria, a student of MPA kathak, who clinched eight medals, said while most members of her family are engineers, her father, a businessman, supported her in choosing the field that gives her happiness. "Instead of thinking of becoming an engineer like others in the family, my father supported me in pursuing kathak. I did not have any musical background, but my teachers helped me achieve success," said Kataria. Five medals were conferred on Shivam Kumar, a student of BPA tabla, who said that coming from a village near Deoria, his father, a retired postmaster, did not want him to learn tabla but his perseverance helped him gain his support. "Many relatives opposed me for pursuing a non-conventional field, but my father helped me dodge them all. Today, all those who opposed me turned up to congratulate me which is also my success," said Shivam Kumar, a native of a village near Deoria and student of BPA tabla, who bagged five medals. Life had been throwing challenges throughout the graduation journey for Swarnima Verma, a student of BPA vocal music who bagged five medals, but she chose to keep going. "I lost my father and grandmother one after another last year. I took care of my mother and also studied, but it must be my father's blessings who is now my guiding angel which helped me clinch medals," said Verma. For the first time, Bhartendu Natya Akademi's Dramatics students were awarded degrees at the convocation. Devansh Prasad got the first Padma Shri Raj Bisaria Gold Medal, describing it as a matter of pride. Yashika Gaur, who won the Pandit Bhatkhande Silver Medal in MPA singing, said her father is a farmer in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. "It was initially my father's dream to become a singer, but I tried fulfilling his dream by joining the course," she said. Minister of culture and tourism Jaiveer Singh and minister of state (higher education) Rajni Tiwari were present on the occasion while chief guest and former president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations Vinay Sahasrabuddhe shared a video message for the students. He said it is important for people to learn to appreciate good music. "You might not be a good singer, but one must know how to analyze and appreciate good music so that they can promote classical music across the globe," he added....