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India’s premier comedian to give Knox’s 2018 Commencement Address

It has been announced that India’s premier comedian and Knox Alumnus Vir Das will be giving the 2018 Commencement Address for his alma mater in June.

The announcement came earlier today during Knox’s Annual International Week. In a press release from the college, Knox President Teresa L. Amott called it an “honor” to welcome Das back for the Commencement exercises.

Das is known in India as one of the biggest English-speaking comedians, as well as one of the country’s top actors, writers, musicians, and festival producers.

Recently he had his own Netflix comedy special, “Vir Das: Abroad Understanding,” and it came out last October that he would be getting his own Hulu comedy series.

The Bollywood actor was featured in the New York Times in 2011 as one of a new set of emerging comedians in India, and more recently Variety named him one to their “10 Comedians to Watch in 2017” list.

Amott says, “While I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Vir while he was a student at Knox, I have enjoyed watching the trajectory of his career both in his home country of India and in the United States.

Das earned a degree in theatre and economics and also attended the Stanislavsky School at Harvard University before returning to his native land to pursue a career in comedy.

Das will be the first alumnus to serve as Commencement speaker since John Podesta (’71) in 1998, and first international alumnus since Ismat Kittani (’51) in 1982.

Knox College’s Commencement will be held on Sunday, June 3rd at 10:00 a.m. on the South Lawn of Old Main.

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