80 YEARS OLD WANTS TO DO LLB : NAGPUR :
11 Jan 2009, 0316 hrs IST, Vaibhav Ganjapure, TNN (NEWS OF TOI)
For every student who bunks college and thinks studies are a drag, Shakuntala Gote is a call for action. Pursuing her bachelor of arts from Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU), the octogenarian wishes to study her bachelor of law (LLB) course from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Law College.
“Education is the heart and soul of civil society. Education helps one become a good citizen. There is no limit, and therefore, no bar, to education,” she says.
Shakuntala’s journey so far is a tale of fighting against odds. “I had cleared my inter-science examination which was equivalent to standard XII examination in 1950 with flying colours to become eligible for pursuing LLB. However, financial constraints and stiff opposition from society held me back,” Gote remembers.
During those times, girls were under compulsion to get married at an early age. “I got married in my earlier twenties, and my aspirations of pursuing education further were dashed. Since I was among a handful of ‘qualified’ girls during those times, I was offered a Central Government job. Later, household chores, job and family matters kept me busy till all these years,” she says.
But so fierce was Gote’s desire to learn that she didn’t let the humdrum of routine dull it. It was only after three and half decades of dedicated service that she got a welcome break in the form of retirement.
Shakuntala now gets a meager Rs 7,000 pension from the government, but wishes to spend rest of her life in learning and doing social work.
Presently, she is working with Panna Metta Sangh, an Indo-Japanese social organisation working for uplift of poor.
