CHANDIGARH: At an age when most people measure life in memories, Lal Chand Godara measures it in milestones.At 76, the Sirsa veteran returned to books after decades away from formal education. At 81, he earned his graduation degree. Now, at 85, he has completed his Master of Arts from Indira Gandhi National Open University, scoring 965 out of 1,200.And even that, he says, is not the end.Godara is already contemplating his next challenge — a PhD or a law degree.His story is less about degrees than about refusing to accept that age should decide when a person stops learning, competing or dreaming.For Godara, education had been an unfinished chapter for most of his life. Born into a family where earlier generations had limited access to formal education, he carried a desire to study, but circumstances took him in another direction.He joined the Indian Army and served during the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars, spending years in uniform while his peers were building careers and families. After leaving the Army, he joined the Haryana Transport Department and served as a Yard Master from 1972 to 2002.Retirement, however, did not bring an end to his ambitions. It simply gave him the freedom to pursue new ones.He turned to competitive athletics, entering the world of masters sports and beginning a second innings that would take him to Haryana, national and international competitions.The medals began to accumulate. Today, his tally is close to 200 — around 150 gold, 30 silver and 20 bronze medals.But somewhere along the way, another old ambition began calling.At 76, Godara picked up his books again.For someone who had spent much of his life away from formal education, returning to studies at that age could easily have seemed daunting. For Godara, it was unfinished business.Five years later, at 81, he secured his graduation degree.Instead of treating it as the culmination of his academic journey, he used it as a stepping stone. He enrolled in an MA programme through IGNOU and continued studying.The result has now arrived: 965 marks out of 1,200 at the age of 85.The number is impressive, but Godara’s real achievement lies in the decision that preceded it — the decision to begin again.His journey across three very different worlds — the battlefield, the athletics track and the classroom — has been guided by the same principle: there is always another goal worth pursuing.For Godara, education is not merely about adding qualifications to one’s name. He believes learning broadens a person’s outlook and keeps the mind active. Age, in his view, should be a measure of experience, not a deadline for ambition.His life after retirement offers a striking illustration.While many people associate retirement with slowing down, Godara increased the pace. He competed for medals, travelled for athletics and returned to formal education decades after leaving it behind.Now, at 85, he is once again looking ahead.A PhD could be next. Or perhaps a law degree.There is, perhaps, a simple explanation for why the possibilities remain open for him.Godara has never treated a milestone as a finish line.At 76, he began studying. At 81, he graduated. At 85, he earned his MA. And now, he is already thinking about what comes next.For Lal Chand Godara, the lesson is as simple as it is powerful: age may add years to life, but it does not have to subtract goals from it.
