The author of the book which was eventually became Slumdog Millionaire will receive an honorary degree from the University of Guelph next week.
The school says it will honour Vikas Swarup, author of Q&A, as part of its College of Arts convocation ceremony on June 16.
The former diplomat wrote the book while posted in London as an Indian diplomat from 2003-2005.
The novel would go on to win multiple international awards and has since been published in over 40 languages.
Q&A was then transformed into the screenplay for Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight Oscars.
Swarup also held diplomatic positions in Turkey, the United States, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Japan before serving as India’s High Commissioner to Canada from 2017 to 2020.
The school says he retired from diplomacy in 2021 after serving his country for 40 years.
The school says that Swarup is “ a strong supporter” of its Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) as well as the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute in Calgary.