Madhya Pradesh: 80-Year-Old Ujjain Woman Awarded PhD In Sanskrit

Sasikala Rawal, an 80-year-old Ujjain woman, was awarded PhD in Sanskrit on Saturday, February 20, during the 24th convocation ceremony of Vikram University. Rawal is a living example of "age is no barrier for learning".

The octagenarian retired from the state government's education department as a lecturer. In 2009, she took admission to the MA Astrology course at Vikram University. After completing her masters in 2011, she wanted to study further. While reading Varahamihira's astrological treatise, 'Brihat Samhita', which talks about architecture, temples, planetary motions, eclipses, timekeeping, astrology, etc., she was intrigued to know further. So she decided to do a doctorate in it. In 2019, she successfully completed her PhD.

According to Times Now, Sasikala was awarded Doctorate of Philosophy for her work on 'Social life as seen through the mirror of Brihat Samhita,' under the advice of Mithila Prasad Tripathi, former Vice-Chancellor of Maharishi Panini University. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, who awarded her PhD, was pleasantly surprised and praised her determination and hardwork.

Rawal said her thinking reformed after studying astrology. According to her, astrology is similar to reading maps. If we want to reach a place, we need a map to navigate the road ahead. Similarly, we need astrology to navigate challenges in the journey of life. Rawal said she would like to use her knowledge in the public interest.