100 Year Old Pursues PhD

Indian freedom fighter Bholaram Das marked his 100th birthday in October 2010 by announcing that he is going back to school. Das has enrolled in a PhD program at Gauhati University in Assam - making him perhaps the oldest university student in the country. “In my 100 years, I have done many things in the sphere of society, politics, governance and religion and I thought I must work towards a PhD that could satisfy my hunger for learning,” said Das.

For his doctorate, Das plans to study a subject close to his heart - how his native Bohori village helped in the spread of neo-Vaishnavism, a liberal and monotheistic stream of the Hindu religion credited with breaking down social divisions in Assam.

“It is indeed rare to find a student who is 100 years old,” said Gauhati University’s Vice Chancellor, O. K. Medhi. Das, who now has 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild, is being advised in his studies by one of his granddaughters, a university professor, and other family members.