We are merely specks of stardust in this vast Universe and there is so much that we do not know. However, learning stops after a Bachelor or Master degree for most people , for they equate learning with studying in college. This misconception causes a lot of people to not pursue the subjects closer to their heart after they get into a conventional job. Life just happens, as the adage goes. Dr Sarada Ramani has shattered the glass ceiling with multiple degrees that she obtained to quench the proverbial thirst for knowledge. With over 6 degrees to her credit, she has taken NPTEL courses to update herself in the stream of interest at the age of 90.
She worked as a teacher from 1965 to 1994 and was the Headmistress of Shrine Vailankanni School. Her first stint after college was at the the Women’s Welfare Department as the Welfare Officer. After marriage, she took up a teaching job after getting the necessary degrees including B.Ed. Her introduction to NPTEL happened when a friend from her Vedanta class suggested the platform to her. She browsed through it and registered for the German-I course as she had always wanted to learn German thoroughly. In the earlier days, she had learnt the language until the Max Mueller Bhavan was shifted to its present location – she mentions that she was three levels short of completing the final level. She saw this as a second chance to learn and assess her knowledge level by writing the exam. The NPTEL courses ignited the spark in her to master the language.
Her flair for languages is evident from the number of languages she has gained expertise over. She has an M.A in English, Hindi and Sanskrit and is a linguist in the truest sense of the word. She went about attending German-I wherein the exam got postponed due to the pandemic and also took up the German-II course in the subsequent semester. The exams for both courses were held around the same time, but she tactfully managed to perform well in them. Her belief is that she has gained a lot of knowledge in the area of interest through the NPTEL courses.
According to her, the excellent teaching coupled with in-depth coaching aided her in gaining a certain degree of expertise in the subject. The instructor taught each and every word and repeated them till the learners got a hang over it. The assignments aided her in testing whatever she had learnt in the course. She credits her instructors and teaching assistants for assisting her through every step of the course. Another point that she adds is that it was difficult to prepare and write two exams side by side, but the sheer motivation to test herself and refine her knowledge led her to prepare and give her best in the same.
She appreciates IIT and NPTEL for conducting courses with involvement and added that the teachers were always ready to help when requested. She tells that in every degree or course she has done so far, she has put her heart and soul irrespective of the exam results.
She completed her PhD in English at 76 and recounts that when she had visited her daughter in the USA, she had asked the latter for the books of an author, Edith Warton, to research on his writing. Her daughter directed her to an entire library of his works. Dr Sarada’s final thesis was on lady characters. She remembers another incident when she had gone to visit her daughter and ended up taking a Diploma in Social Psychology from Western University, Connecticut.
Her approach towards learning the courses included listening to lectures, taking notes and checking up each new word in the dictionary before proceeding further. She also practised forming sentences with the words and solved all the necessary exercises every week. She adds that she has had the need to write exams at every stage, right from Women Welfare Department to her stint at school and hence writing exams was a process she was familiar with. She also mentions that writing is the only way of learning for her and helps in refreshing her memory.
When it came to the exam, she stuck to revising the notes she had made and working on some expected questions. She spent 3 to 4 hours every day learning the language. She feels that her knowledge has also improved after taking up NPTEL courses as the courses have facilitated in remembering the alphabets and articles learnt. She took great care so as not to omit anything and hung to every word of what was being taught. Her determination and perseverance are truly awe-inspiring.
Her biggest takeaway from the courses has been gaining knowledge of using computers. The enthusiasm that she possesses has also been infectious for she has always been early in submitting her entries – be it a feedback form or a weekly assignment.
On quizzing her as to what keeps her raring to go and enroll in various courses at the age of 90, she is quick to say that they help keep depression at bay as an idle mind is a devil’s workshop, apart from learning new things and speeding up memory. They aid in uniting the thoughts, mind and brain, which ensures complete involvement and dedication from her side. All the degrees that she has done so far have been out of interest and she has ensured that she has given her best in all courses. She aspires to do a course on music from NPTEL, in the future. We wish her great success in all her endeavours and hope that you all find her journey to be as heart-warming as we did.