67-year-old Gujarat woman fulfills dream of earning PhD

In an astonishing display of determination, a woman from Gujarat's Vadodara has earned her PhD degree at the age of 67 years.

Married at the age of 20, Usha Lodaya, said she was helped by her daughter-in-law in achieving this feat. "I was in the first year of my graduation when I got married. I always wanted to be a doctor. My parents wanted me to continue my studies after marriage but I could not continue and focused on my family instead. But now I am satisfied," Usha said. "When I came across a graduation course on Jainism in Maharashtra-based Shatrunjay Academy, I did not let this opportunity go and took admission in the first year of this course. It was an online course. After doing my Bachelor's, I did Masters and then got admission in the PhD on the basis of my marks," she added.

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Being a grandmother, she encourages her children never to lose hope. Her philosophy is to first set a goal in life and if one keeps working hard without losing courage, then one day he or she will definitely achieve the goal. Calling herself a proud daughter-in-law, Usha's daughter-in-law Nisha Lodaya said: "Usha Ji used to study for six to seven hours a day. It is obvious that if the support of the family was not available to her, then it would have been difficult to achieve this goal. Her husband is not in this world today but her son and I boosted her morale. I am a proud daughter-in-law."