Chandigarh: The Panjab University (PU) got its own anthem on Saturday that will depict the vision and spirit of the varsity, a university official said here.

The university syndicate meeting Saturday selected the entry submitted by award-winning Bollywood lyricist Irshad Kamil, who is also an alumnus of this university.

"A committee screened over 50 entries, which were judged on various parameters like the national character and academic ethos of the university reflected in it," said the PU's spokesperson.

"The two entries short-listed were of Irshad Kamil and of Pankaj Mala Sharma, professor and chairperson of the university's music department. Both the entries focused on the slogan of the university, 'Tamso Ma Jyotirgmaya' - from darkness to light," added the spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that Kamil's entry scored on the grounds of its ease of language and the use of soul-stirring words.

Kamil is an alumnus of the university's Hindi department where he did his post-graduation and doctorate.

On the thought that drove the entire writing process of the anthem, Kamil said: "There is a key sentence, 'pankh bina parwaz sikhata, jeevan pustak roz parhata' that drove the entire writing of the anthem."

Panjab University, one of the oldest varsities in the country, is the alma mater of many senior bureaucrats and senior politicians, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. IANS