This 98-year-old is now a MA degree holder

patna — In what could be a first of its kind, 98-year-old Raj Kumar Vaishya has passed the MA (economics) examination from Patna’s Nalanda Open University (NOU) with a second division.

Vaishya, who graduated in 1938, expressed his delight on Tuesday at this achievement. “Finally, I have fulfilled my long cherished dream. Now I am a postgraduate. I decided to prove two years ago that even at this age, one can fulfil their dreams and achieve anything. I am an example,” he said here.

Vaishya reiterated that he has been trying to send a message to the youth that defeat should never be accepted. “I want to tell them not to get upset and depressed. ‘Mauka aur avsar har wakt rehta hai, kewal khud pe vishwas hona chahiye’ (There will be always be opportunities for those who believe in themselves),” he said.

Admitting that it was not easy to follow the routine of a student at his age, he said: “It was really difficult for me to wake up early to prepare for the exams.”

According to NOU officials, Vaishya was so determined to get a postgraduate degree that he sat for a three-hour MA first year examination in 2016 and the final year exam in 2017 along with students younger than his grandchildren. He wrote in English and used nearly two dozen sheets in each exam. Vaishya has set an example for millions of people, who use age as an excuse to give up on their dreams.

Vaishya was recognised earlier this year by the Limca Book of Records as the oldest man to apply for a postgraduate degree.

Vaishya, who enrolled for the course in 2015, said that he has no plans to pursue a PhD. —