54-year-old Engineer Father Beats All Odds to Pursue his Dream of Becoming a Doctor, Cracks NEET

A 54-year-old father once again proved the adage that age cannot prove to be a barrier to gaining knowledge. He thus decided to listen to his heart and went ahead to clear the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exams along with his daughter.

Lieutenant Colonel R. Murugaiyan is a native of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, and has been a resident of Kerala for the past 31 years. He worked with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) as the Chief Manager at their Kochi refinery for decades. He pursued engineering studies at the insistence of his family but had always wished to become a doctor. Simultaneously, he earned law and business degrees.

After the Supreme Court’s recent decision to relax the age criteria for NEET aspirants, Murugaiyan decided to pursue his true dream and started working towards it. He appeared for the NEET 2021 entrance exams alongside his 18-year-old daughter, Sheetal. The NEET exam is the qualifying test for individuals aspiring to pursue MBBS and BDS degrees in India.

Murugaiyan said that he had a full-time job and faced time constraints, but his determination never wavered. Every evening after coming back from work, he would sit down for his studies alongside his teenage daughter. He also added that his wife was a big supporter and kept encouraging him. With her relentless support, he was able to manage his studies and job effortlessly.

Murugaiyan and his daughter passed the entrance test impressively and secured admission to the MBBS course. Lieutenant Colonel Murugaiyan secured a seat at Srilalithambika Medical College, Chennai, and his daughter Sheetal got admission to Vinayaka Mission Medical College, Pondicherry. Eventually, Murugaiyan quit his job at BPCL to pursue his dreams.

Murugiyan thus beat all odds and cracked the NEET exams to become a doctor. He feels elated to have found a way to finally fulfill his dream. His story is truly inspiring and goes along with the saying, Where there’s a will, there is a way indeed.

(Inputs by various agencies)

(Rehash/Dr. Sushmita Ganguli)