At 85, Haryana veteran earns MA with 965 marks; eyes PhD or law degree

He joined the Indian Army and served during the wars of 1962, 1965 and 1971.

Years in uniform, however, did not extinguish his desire to return to education, and he decided to pick up where he had left off in Class 11.

Godara went on to earn all his degrees from IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University). He continued studying and, at 81, earned his graduation degree.

Instead of stopping there, he enrolled in a master’s programme at IGNOU. His latest score of 965 has now given him another reason to aim higher.

For the ex-former soldier, education is not simply about collecting degrees. For him, education broadens one’s outlook. He also believes that a person’s determination to learn should not depend on their age.

His academic journey is only one part of an unusually active post-retirement life.

After leaving the Army, Godara served as a yardmaster in the Transport Department from 1972 to 2002.

After retiring from the job, he turned his attention to sport. He began competing in masters athletics, winning medals at the Haryana Masters Athletics competitions before going on to participate at the national and international levels.

His family members claim that his medal tally now stands at nearly 200, including around 150 gold, 30 silver, and 20 bronze medals

Godara says, “Advancing age need not mean giving up an active life. My own journey bears this out: while pursuing medals on the athletics track, I continued pursuing degrees in the classroom. And the MA is unlikely to be my last academic milestone.”

“For someone who returned to his books at 76, graduated at 81 and earned a postgraduate degree at 85, these are milestones rather than a finish line,” says his younger son, Dalbir Singh.