KARAIKAL: The classmates of Sujatha Jada Yadav were in for a surprise when the 63-year-old first-year MBBS student walked into the classroom for the first time at the Vinayaga Missions Medical College (VMMC) in Karaikal. Her classmates stood up, initially mistaking her to be a faculty member.
However, Sujatha Yadav, who hails from Amla in Madhya Pradesh, introduced herself as a student, much to the amusement of her classmates. For 63-year-old Sujatha, age is just a number, and dreams are meant to be pursued, and not to be discarded to the back-burner.
The resident of Madhya Pradesh secured the MBBS seat through the NEET. "Circumstances were not on my side; that is why it took me this long to pursue my dreams," Sujatha told TNIE. She is married to Vinod Yadav, a businessman.
They have a son and a daughter. Her son works as a doctor in a private hospital. Sujatha Yadav worked as a nursing officer in the Indian Army, after which she switched jobs to work as a bank with the State Bank of India. However, Sujatha didn't let retirement eat up her ambitions, as she went on to pursue medicine.
Age is not a barrier to appear for the NEET; neither was it for Sujatha. She passed the exam in her first attempt in 2022, following which she joined the VMMC Hospital in Karaikal. Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan took to Twitter to congratulate the 63-year-old pursuer of dreams, while Puducherry Transport Minister S Chandira Priyanga honoured her at the medical college. Dr C Gunasekaran, the dean of the Vinayaga Missions Medical College, wishing Sujatha the best, said she attends classes just like any other student albeit her age.