Rajkaran Barua earned his first Masters degree in 1996
Rajkaran Barua works as a security guard and house help in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur for a meager Rs 5,000 a month. However, this unassuming security guard is now an example of determination, resilience, and academic triumph as he earned a post-graduate degree in mathematics from Jabalpur's Rani Durgavati University this year. With this, he now has two Masters degrees.
The 56-year-old's arduous journey spans a quarter of a century. In 1996, he earned his first Masters degree in archaeology. But he had his heart set on mastering another field - mathematics. Undeterred, he pursued an MSc in math. It took him 23 unsuccessful attempts over 25 years to fulfil his dream.
In all these 25 years, he worked as a security guard by the night and as a house help by the day to support himself and his education.
Mr Barua spoke to NDTV about how he prepared for his exam, revealing how he initially relied on books in English. But the language barrier proved to be a significant hurdle.
"Earlier, I studied a lot from books in English. I studied with the help of a dictionary. Except for one subject, I kept failing in the rest. But in 2021, I finally passed. For the finals, I studied from a book written by an Indian author and passed in one go," he said.
"I did not tell anyone (about the attempts) because many times the employers would taunt their children, saying that if I can study without facilities, why couldn't they. While working in bungalows and living in huts, I was insulted several times. My employers would talk to me harshly. Whenever I found some free time, I would sit on the stairs at night and study. When they would call me for some work, I would attend to them," he recalled.
Asked why he did not marry and have a family, Mr Barua said, "I am not married. But I am married to my dreams."