73-yr old to get Ph.D degree

At 73, C. Aravindhavalli’s zest for life is infectious. She has just finished her PhD, and is all set to celebrate it with her grandchildren who are in their twenties. She laughed and said that, her grandchildren are studying in the US. They are coming to Chennai to be with me, to celebrate the fact that their paati has a doctorate now.

On Saturday (Aug 17, 2013), at the convocation function of the University of Madras, Ms. Aravindhavalli will be one of the few candidates who will receive their PhDs from the State Chief Minister Ms. Jayalalithaa.

Ms. Aravindhavalli, a resident of Triplicane area in Chennai said that, she got married when she was in class IX, and was part of a large, joint family. For many years, she was completely immersed in daily chores. Six years ago, when

she began to think about re-entering the world of academia, it was not easy. She had completed B.A. in music then. She said, she had grandchildren to look after and she did not know how it would seem if she attended classes at that age. But then her granddaughter sent notebooks from Mumbai to encourage her, and then decided to go ahead.

The septuagenarian attended classes regularly at Queen Mary’s College and finished her M.A. in Vaishnavism. Her guide, K. R. Seethalakshmi, principal, Quaid-E- Millath College for Women recalls, “Her husband came and requested me to convince her to start studying again. But it was easy to get her started as she knew she wanted to focus on the music aspect of the Alvars.”

But then in 2008, Ms. Aravindhavalli’s husband, an LIC agent, passed away, just as she was thinking about beginning her PhD. “It was very difficult convincing her to focus on clearing her registration exam — important because she didn’t have an M.Phil. But she is very hardworking and sincere,” said Prof. Seethalakshmi.

Ms. Aravindhavalli’s research is on the music of Thirumangai Alvar, the last of the 12 Alvar saints of south India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. She said, this has not only helped me overcome my husband’s death but has also made me feel closer to god.

Aravindhavalli had to give veena recitals as practical performances to finish her PhD. She said that, when she was very young, her mother told her once, never to stop playing the Veena. She is glad that she listened to her.