In a heartwarming incident, a 64-year-old man from Odisha fulfilled his dream of studying MBBS by cracking NEET and enrolling as a freshman MBBS student.
Jay Kishore Pradhan, who was previously a banker, was admitted to Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology on Wednesday in the disability bookings category. The retired banker says he wants to serve people as long as he’s alive.
Pradhan, who is a former State Bank of India official, has become an inspiration to many on social media, with his timeless feat described as a ‘rare event’ in the history of medical education in India. .
But it wasn’t just her age that made the news special. The reason for Pradhan’s determination to earn an MBBS degree came after the recent death of one of his twin daughters. The tragedy motivated him to sit down for NEET and enroll in the MBBS course to become a doctor, the Bargarh resident said.
“It is one of the few events in the history of medical education in the country. Pradhan set an example in gaining admission as a medical student at such an age, ”said Lalit Meher, Director of VIMSAR.
The former SBI official, however, said he had no interest in making money and just wanted to serve the public. “I have no commercial intentions for the future. I want to serve people until I am alive, ”Pradhan told PTI.
Many on social networks have praised the man for daring to take the big step, even at his age. “Never let your dream die,” wrote a social media user on Twitter.
#Attabira: Never let your dream die. This emotional line has come true with Jay Kishore Pradhan, 64, of Arabira de Bargarh, NEET qualified, paving the way for MBBS admission at VIMSAR, Burla. A retired banker had taken 4 years of preparation to make this entry. pic.twitter.com/vC7IuGQkoP
– Odisha occidentale (@western_odisha) December 25, 2020
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A retired banker from Odisha, 64, cracks NEET, now a freshman at MBBS. Some people will start to wonder about the upper age limit, but I take that as a very positive note. He proved age was just a number. Very inspired. ???? ???? ????#MBBS pic.twitter.com/VHExixoDSu
– Son of Sharma ji. # Oath4SSR (@ItsSDSharma) December 26, 2020
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Jay Krishna Pradhan, a 64-year-old banker from Odisha, was admitted to VSS Medical University, Burla, after qualifying NEET this year. Her daughter is in 2nd year MBBS at the same college. Her story will be a motivation for others and proves that age is not a barrier to studies.
– SP Mahapatra (@mahapatra_sp) December 26, 2020
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Some on social media have questioned whether there is an upper age limit for taking the National Eligibility Test (NEET).
A post claiming that a 64 year old retired banker from Odisha has cracked NEET and is now a freshman MBBS student I’m not sure this is a good claim to my knowledge there is an upper age limit for giving NEET exam.#MedTwitter # neet2021 https://t.co/57nqkzJCJz
– Adnan Abbasi (@RealAdnanAbbasi) December 26, 2020
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But in accordance with the regulations, there is no upper age limit for attending NEET. Pradhan took the test in September in which he got a good rank and qualified for VIMSAR. The former banker will likely be 70 when his MBBS course is completed. The Banker, however, has proven that age is really just a number.
(With PTI entries)
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