MADURAI: When K Rajyakkodi, a 55-year-old farmer, stood in the queue for writing the National Entrance Eligibility Test (NEET) at Velammal Vidyalaya Centre on Sunday, his dream to become a doctor and the struggle to achieve it, flashed before his eyes.
However, the security guards prevented him from entering the centre, citing he was over-aged. When he showed them the hall ticket, disbelief and veneration appeared on the faces of the other aspirants and their parents.
Though Rajyakkodi from Ambattaiyanpatti cleared the exams and got admission to a private medical college in 1984, he was unable to join the course as he could not afford the fees. The financial constraints of the family would later lead him to drop out of B.Sc Physics course at Pasumpon Thevar Arts and Science College in Usilampatti.
Despite the setbacks, the fire in him was reignited after decades when he heard that a 64-year-old man from Odisha secured a seat in a medical college last year.
"It gave me the courage to dedicate a minimum of three hours daily to achieve my goal. Another inspiration is my younger son R Vasudevan. He secured 521 marks in his NEET second attempt and secured an MBBS seat at the Government Medical College in Cuddalore. Using my son's study materials, I prepared for the test throughout the last year and took a series of mock tests," he said.
The 55-year-old found Physics and Chemistry NEET questions easy on Sunday, and expects to score over 460 marks. He plans to pursue his dream if he gets a seat in any government medical college.