103-yr-old grandmother sets the track on fire, wins Gold Medal at World Masters
For some people, making India proud even at the age of 103 is a great sense of accomplishment. Let’s take a moment to appreciate Biji Mann Kaur for her will to do things at an age where people would spend time on the bed. Hailing from Patiala in Punjab, the female athlete had won gold for India in the shot put event at the World Masters Athletics Championship held in Torun, Poland.
In case you don’t know about the World Masters Athletics Championships, it is an Olympic version of events organised for the senior citizens. The championship has some events like track and field, across the country as well as road running events for athletes above the age of 35 years.
The 103-year-old won the medal with a best effort of 2.13 metres. “I want to win more. I feel very happy after winning. The government has not given me anything, but it doesn’t matter as I just want to win, because winning gives me happiness,” Kaur told TOI over the phone from Torun.
Man Kaur’s has plans in place to break the world record, which is 2.77m, a record which was set by America’s Julia Hockings in 2017. “I want to set the new world record in future,” said Kaur.
Previously, Maan Kaur did India proud by winning the 200m race in the 100-104 age group category not once but for the second time. She won the gold by winning the race in just 3 minutes and 14.65 seconds.
Not just that, she had finished first in the 100 m race at the 2017 Masters in Auckland at an impressive track record of one minute and fourteen seconds. She has also become the oldest women athlete in India to clinch this title. Before to her international debut, she won her first medal at the Chandigarh Masters Athletics Meet in 2007. She has proved that age is just a number!
Who is her motivation?
Her 79-year-old son Guru Dev Singh backed his mother at the age of 93 to take up the sport whole-heartedly. Guru Dev Singh is also an active participant in the World Masters. Initially, Gurudev ensured that his mother was physically fit to participate for the international event, according to The Better India.
Popularly known as the ‘Miracle from Chandigarh’, it isn’t her first gold at the world championships. Mann Kaur hogged the limelight when she won gold at the World Master Championships in the USA in 2011 in the 100m and 200m event respectively, as reported by The Indian Express.
Apart from running race events, Mann also engaged in the javelin throw and shot put at the 2017 World Masters Games. Mann’s ambition is quite clear. She has set her eyes on the World Masters 2020, which will be held in Japan.
“It’s all about what you eat. Your body and mind become what you feed it. Eating well not only affects your physical form, it affects your thoughts and actions too. In the old days, people used to be calmer, more patient. Why? Because the diet we ate was much simpler and healthier.
People nowadays eat a lot of processed food which is, more often than not, unhealthy. That reflects in their physical health as well as their temperaments – they are angry, agitated, tense and stressed all the time,” says Gurdev Singh, her son
“People my age ask me ‘Why are you doing this? Is this your age to run? You’ll get hurt.’ They don’t like it that I run, but I do it because it makes me happy,” added.
Punjab man earns his Master’s degree at the age of 83
Life gives an opportunity every day and Sohan Singh Gill wants to effectively maximise the use of time. The 83-year-old Gill proved when he finally earned his Master’s degree on September 18, 2019. Yes, age is just a number!
Gill received his degree along with a massive round of applause at the convocation held in Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Gill on Wednesday received his degree along with a huge round of applause at the convocation held in Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab.
The old man who lives in Datta village of Hoshiarpur, Punjab had left studies in 1957 after he did his graduation from Khalsa College in Mahipalpur.
Later on, he took up a teaching course. 2 years ago, when he was 81 years old, Gill decided to join a long-distance education course and it was when he completed his Master’s in English.
He said, “With my will power and God’s Grace, I have finally achieved what I always desired. English has been my favourite language right from childhood. During my stay in Kenya, I got a chance to master it.”
“I knew all along that I will achieve it, so there was no doubt. I have been training IELTS students as well and all have earned good marks,” Gill completed.
Sohan Singh Gill was born on August 15, 1937. He studied in rural schools. Besides this English language, he had an interest in sports, especially Hockey.
Education is a vital factor and Sohan Singh Gill has taught us great a lesson that there are no age restrictions to learning. Also, he has taught not to give up in life. He might have failed in the first attempt but that didn’t stop him from appearing for the exam in the second attempt which he believes that he is confident of pulling off a spectacular result.
Learning is a life-long process and in other words, there is no definite age for learning. Let’s promote this man for his relentless thirst in studies even at an elderly age. Kindly share this article to inspire others.
Kerala’s oldest School Student clears Class 4 Equivalency Exam
There is a famous saying that age is nothing to do with success and Bhageerathi Amma’s story is one that needs to be told to inspire all those people who had to leave their education unfinished due to unforeseen circumstances. Bhageerathi Amma is setting a classic example that others should take note of. The 105-year-old woman is showing the world that learning never stops.
Bhageerathi Amma scripted history as she recently became the oldest ‘school student’ in the state of Kerala after cracking the fourth-standard equivalency examination that she attended last year. Even at this elderly age, she secured 74.5 per cent in the exam and thus proving that age is just a number.
The Kerala State Literacy Mission (KSLM) district coordinator identified as Pradeep Kumar revealed the result to literacy worker KB Vasanthakumar. “She was very excited to know her result. A few days ago when she was sick due to some age-related issues, she was concerned about her results,” TNIE quoted Vasanthakumar as saying.
After the literacy exam, Bhageerathi has been made KSLM brand ambassador so she can now truly inspire and motivate women to get back to the academics they once gave up. As per the report, she got married at a very young age and lost her husband in her 30s when she was pregnant with their youngest daughter.
At that time considering her circumstances, she could not make it to the exam centre and then wrote the examination under the supervision of the panchayat member at her house at Prakkulam in Thrikkaruva panchayat.
Education is a vital factor and Bhageerathi Amma has taught us great a lesson that there are no age restrictions to learning. She is over a hundred years old and has taught us to not give up in life.
96-yr-old woman tops Kerala Literacy Exam, secures 98%
Karthiyani Amma is setting a classic example that others should take note of. The 96-year-old woman is showing the world that learning never stops.
Hailing from Kerala’s Alappuzha, the 96-year-old woman became the oldest ‘student’ to appear for the ‘Aksharalaksham’ literacy program of Kerala State Literacy Mission and she has cracked the exam in a possible way, scoring 98 marks out of 100.
Karthiyani Amma plied her trade as domestic help and sweeper so as to bring up her 6 children after the death of her husband. She was inspired to engage in learning by her daughter, who at 60 years of age, passed her Class X equivalent some years ago.
After marking her presence in the literacy exam in August, the 96-year-old set high standards for herself by saying that her next intention was to clear the Class X equivalent.
It is learnt that 42,933 candidates who attended the exam have cleared the literacy examination in Kerala, which adds up to the pass percentage of 99.084 per cent.
The students were tested for their skills in the areas of reading, writing, and maths.
‘Aksharalaksham,’ which means a million letters is a significant project by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority (KSLMA) aimed at eliminating illiteracy rate among aged and a poverty-stricken population of Kerala.
89-year-old Freedom Fighter dreams to complete PhD
Bisarahalli is setting a classic example that others should take note of. He is setting an example that learning never stops. Life gives an opportunity every day and Bisarahalli wants to effectively maximise the use of time. He aspires to complete his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree even at the age of 89.
Bisarahalli wants to make his active presence count from Hampi University in Kannada Sahitya. He has recently appeared for the entrance exam. Speaking to ANI, Bisarahalli, said that he appeared for the exam last year and failed. Having appeared for an exam this year, he said that he is pretty sure of cracking the same this time.
“I had attempted the exam last year as well, but failed. This time, it went well and I am confident of clearing the exam. I also wish to write a book on literature and Kannada poems,” he said. Bisarahalli has a degree in law and a master’s degree from Karnataka University in Dharwad and Hampi Kannada University (Kannada University).
Education is a vital factor and people like Bisarahalli has taught us great a lesson that there are no age restrictions to learning. Also, he has taught not to give up in life. He might have failed in the first attempt but that didn’t stop him from appearing for the exam in the second attempt which he believes that he is confident of pulling off a spectacular result.