The adage goes: there is no right age to get knowledge. Sasikala Rawal of Ujjain didn’t know a few years back she would become one of the finest examples of this age-old saying.
At 80, she became one of the oldest people to receive a doctorate. She received her PhD in Sanskrit in Varahamihira’s astrological treatise ‘Brihat Samhita’.
Varahamihira was an Indian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician who lived from 505 to 587 AD in Madhya Pradesh. His work Pancha-Siddhantika is considered a masterpiece in astronomy.
In the year 2009, she decided to fulfill her long-standing wish of getting a masters’ degree in astrology. She ended up at Vikram University.
She had a burning desire to continue her studies once she completed her masters’ in 2011. That’s the time when the idea of a doctorate was conceived.
Rawal had retired as a lecturer in the Education department of the Madhya Pradesh government.
The guidance of former Vice-Chancellor of Maharishi Panini University Mithila Prasad Tripathi did wonders for her. She completed her thesis on ‘Social life as seen through the mirror of Brihat Samhita’ under Tripathi’s guidance.
It was never easy.
She told the press sometimes it did seem like she would fail. But her grit and determination never wavered.
The result was even Governor Anandiben Patel was surprised while awarding her the degree of doctorate.
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