Classmate Thatha: Decade after retirement, 72-year-old joins ITI diploma

TIRUCHY: He retired over a decade ago, already married off his two daughters, and was at home tending his ailing wife. That is when Selvamani, a 72-year-old from Cuddalore, decided to rekindle his love for learning. Now, he is a student of electrical engineering at a government polytechnic college in Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai.

Selvamani who retired from NLC, Vadalur, has already completed his MCom and MBA, but always had a yearning for technical education.

On a lark, he applied for DEE at Srinivasa Subbaraya Government Polytechnic College in Puthur near Sirkazhi. In a twist that he himself may not have expected, he obtained direct admission to the second year and became a student.

Now, he takes care of his ailing wife and does the chores at home, and once that is done, he rushes to the college carrying his bag full of books and lunchbox. “It takes about an hour for me to travel around 50 km to the college, either by bus or by train. But I am never late for the classes. Soon after the session for the day is over, I rush to catch the bus, as I need to take care of my wife,” says Selvamani.

Inside the classroom, he is not merely an object of curiosity. He has earned a good name among the teachers as a studious ward who takes notes carefully and clarifies doubts with the teachers. He is also popular among his classmates, who calls him ‘Thatha’, as he shares his knowledge with them. Age, as they say, is just a number.