At 64, when many people might be thinking about slowing down, one Uttar Pradesh government official is preparing for his next academic chapter. His son, Shashank Srivastava, shared the story on X on August 19, describing how his father completed an MTech while continuing to work, travelling extensively and studying alongside classmates around half his age. Retirement did not mean the end of learning The achievement becomes more striking when seen against the backdrop of his professional life. According to Shashank, his father retired from government service in 2022.But retirement did not keep him away from work for long. He later joined as Deputy CEO of the regulatory body overseeing municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh, a role that requires him to travel to different districts and assess work on the ground. That meant long hours on the road. Shashank said his father travels nearly 1,000 km every week for work. Yet somewhere between those journeys, he made room for his studies.
He studied in the gaps between journeys
His son described a routine built around those demanding trips. He made his own notes, studied them and prepared for his examinations in whatever time he could find. It would have been easy to see work, travel or age as reasons to postpone the degree. Instead, they became circumstances he worked around.And the result was remarkable. He completed his MTech last month, at 64, and earned a place among the top 10 students in his class, where most students were around half his age, according to his son’s account.
A father’s determination became a lesson for his son
For Shashank, however, the degree appears to mean more than an academic qualification. He wrote about watching people gradually allow learning and staying relevant to slip down the priority list as life becomes busier. His father, he said, never allowed that to happen, not in his 40s, not in his 60s and not now.
That is perhaps the most moving part of the story: the son is not simply celebrating his father’s result. He is describing a way of living that he himself has grown up watching. Shashank said having his father as an example means he will never have to look far for motivation to upskill.
And the next classroom is already calling
For many people, completing an MTech at 64 might be the perfect place to pause. For him, apparently, it is not. According to Shashank, his father is now filling out application forms for an Executive Education programme at IIM Lucknow. He has not yet been confirmed as an admitted student; for now, it is the next goal he is pursuing.That small detail says perhaps more than the degree itself. At an age when society often expects people to settle into a quieter routine, he is still setting himself new targets. He is still travelling for work, still studying and still considering what he can learn next. His story is not really about competing with younger classmates. It is about refusing to let age, retirement or a busy professional life decide when learning should end.And perhaps that is why it has resonated so widely. For his son, his father’s example has become a lifelong source of motivation. For everyone else, it offers a quieter reminder: there is no age at which curiosity has to retire. At 64, he finished one degree. He is already preparing for what comes next.
