71-year-old retired man from Jaipur clears CA final, proves age is no barrier for learning: Report
Jaipur: In a remarkable feat, 71-year-old Tarachand Agarwal from Jaipur has successfully cleared the Chartered Accountancy (CA) final examination, proving that age is no obstacle to academic achievement.
Agarwal cracked one of India’s most challenging professional exams after retiring from the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (now SBI), where he served for 38 years before retiring as an Assistant General Manager in 2014, as reported by The New Indian Express on Sunday.
His name stood out on July 6, when the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) declared the results of the CA final exam. Among thousands of young aspirants, Agarwal’s accomplishment as a septuagenarian quickly gained attention and admiration.
Hailing from Sangaria in Hanumangarh district, Agarwal faced a personal setback in 2020 when he lost his wife, Darshana, during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We used to spend almost 21 hours a day together. When she left, I was completely shattered,” he expressed.
Struggling with grief and depression, he turned to spiritual reading to cope with the loss. It was during this period of introspection that a new idea emerged. Encouraged by his sons — Lalit, a chartered accountant, and Amit, a tax consultant — along with his granddaughter Ankika, Agarwal set his sights on the CA course.
He enrolled in the CA program in July 2021 and followed a strict daily routine that included early mornings, yoga, and 10 to 12 hours of study — four of which were dedicated to writing practice. Notably, he did not enrol in any paid coaching course. “The study material from ICAI is enough,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
He cleared the foundation exam in May 2022, the intermediate in January 2023, and sat for the final in May 2024. However, the last leg of his journey came with physical challenges: both of his shoulders developed a frozen condition, making it difficult to write. “My body was failing, but my spirit stayed strong,” he recalled.
In May 2025, he achieved what many thought impossible — passing the CA final at the age of 71. Photos of him holding his result sheet, beaming with pride, soon went viral on social media with the caption: “71-year-old uncle becomes a CA.”
Agarwal credits his success to the support of his family. His granddaughter Ankika, also preparing for the CA exams, shared study sessions with him. “We prepared together for the intermediate. Studying with him felt like learning with a friend,” TNIE quoted her as saying.
For Agarwal, this milestone is more than personal triumph — it’s a message of hope. “Most people believe life ends at retirement, especially after losing a partner. But I want to tell them that it’s never too late. You can still dream, learn and grow,” he shared.
As for what’s next, he’s leaving the door open. “If the younger ones in my family say, ‘Dada, try this,’ I will,” he said.
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Ex-PM Devegowda warns opposition of electoral losses if they continue to allege 'vote chori'
New Delhi (PTI): Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda on Monday said the Opposition parties would "suffer" if they continue to raise allegations of "vote chori" and create suspicion in the minds of voters by blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
Participating in a discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, he criticised the Opposition for making a mockery about the Prime Minister "in the streets and on the public platform".
"This (India) is a very big country. A large country. Congress may be in three states. Remember my friends please, by using the words 'vote chori' you are going to suffer in the coming days. You are not going to win the battle," Devegowda said, referring to the Opposition members.
He asked what the Opposition is going to earn by "blaming Narendra Modi's leadership and creating a suspicion in the mind of the voters" through the claims of "vote chori".
"What has happened to their minds? Let them rectify," Devegowda said.
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The former prime minister said that during his over seven decades of public life, he has never raised such issues of vote theft despite facing defeat in elections.
He also cited a letter written by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru regarding inclusion of "18,000 votes" (voters) in Kerala.
"Why I am telling this (because) during the Nehru period also, there were certain lapses in the electoral system," said Devegowda, who was the prime minister between June 1, 1996 and April 21, 1997.
He said that the Congress party faced defeat in the recent Bihar elections despite raising the issues of mistakes in the electoral rolls.
"What happened after that even after so much review (of voters list). Think (for) yourself! You got six MLAs," the senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader said.
Devegowda questioned the Opposition as to why they want to make allegations against the prime minister on the issue of the voters list?
"Election Commission is there. Supreme Court is there. The Election Commission has given direction to all the state units to rectify all these things," he said.
Devegowda said people of the country have full confidence in Narendra Modi's government and it will come back to power after the next Lok Sabha elections as well.
K R Suresh Reddy, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party's Rajya Sabha member from Telangana, said that electoral reforms are the backbone for a healthy democracy.
He said a large and diverse nation like Indi needs clean electoral rolls.
Asserting that strict re-verification should not become a mechanism for exclusion, Reddy said no eligible voter should lose their right to vote simply because accessing paperwork is difficult.
He said while the concern definitely is on the voters' exclusion, "we should also be equally concerned about the percentage of voting."
"What is happening in voting today? Once the election ends, the drama begins. The biggest challenge that the Indian democracy has been facing in spite of two major Constitutional amendments has been the anti-defection. Anti-defection is the name of the game today, especially in smaller states, especially where the legislatures are small in number," Reddy said.
The senior BRS leader suggested creation of a parliamentary committee "which would constantly look into the defection" and "ways and means to cutting that".
AIADMK's M Thambidurai raised the issues related to election campaigning.
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"Election campaigns are one of the important election processes. In that, political parties must be given the proper chance to campaign," he said and cited problems faced by his party in Tamil Nadu in this regard.
Thambidurai said political parties were facing hardships in Tamil Nadu to conduct public meetings and to express their views to the public.
YSRCP's Yerram Venkata Subba Reddy stressed on bringing electoral reforms at both the state and national levels.
He also suggested replacing Electronic Voting Machines with paper ballots in all future elections.
"EVM may be efficient but can't be trusted. Paper ballot may not be efficient but can be trusted. You need trust in democracy," Reddy added.
