Around 11:30 in the morning, the main road of Dhangadhi was crowded with students returning from their class 12 exams. The presence of an old man in the crowd of 16/17 year old teenagers caught everyone's attention.
He was 65-year-old Ganesh Bahadur Singh of Dhangadhi sub-metropolitan city-3, Vishalnagar, who was wearing a school uniform and holding an admit card in his hand. His enthusiasm was less than that of a teenage student who was stuck in a tie-belt and black shoes.
He was also returning from the class 12 exam with the same teenagers. He is the oldest student to take the 12th exam in Nepal.
As it is said that ``lice do not bite the mouth of an eater'', former teacher Singh's desire to study did not stop with age. Singh, who was born in Bajhang's Bungal municipality (formerly Kafalseri gavis-4) in the year 2017, had a great desire to read since his childhood. Although he passed his SLC from the local Saraswati High School, Vizagada in the year 2036, family responsibilities did not allow him to move forward.
Being the eldest child among four sisters and five brothers, the household fell on his shoulders. Started business for two years. But the mind was not calm. "I couldn't read, but I left the business because I wanted to teach others," recalls Singh. In the year 039, he started his teaching profession from Mahadev Nimawi of the village. In his 36 years of teaching service, he worked as a principal at Mazhiwan School, Balkot for 12 years and Durga Basic School, Chiltha for 12 years. In the year 2077, Durga retired from basic.
Singh is now using his retired life as an opportunity to re-study, not as a break. "Being a teacher, I taught others, now it's my turn to learn", he said with a smile. In the year 2046, the legal problems brought great stress to Singh's family. The dispute went to court. The case lasted for almost eight years. This cost the Singh family both time and money. At that time, he thought, 'All this happened because we did not understand the law.
Then he made a decision, "Now I will not only understand the law, I will study the law." Time management was a big challenge for him. It was not possible to study law while staying in Bajhang. After retiring in 2077, he moved to Kailali with his family. In the year 2081, he was admitted to Sudurpaschimchal Academy (SPA) in Dhangadhi in class 11 with law subject. He attended school regularly carrying a bag and books.
"I passed class 11 with good marks," he says. At first, the other students and teachers were surprised when they saw him in the school uniform. Some laughed and joked. But that did not dampen Singh's morale. Even in the family, the son and daughter-in-law encouraged him to study. He says that his wife was not happy at first.
Even though it is late in life, Singh is happy that his dream of studying law has been fulfilled. He says that everyone should understand the law and ignorance of the law is not forgivable to anyone. He says, 'I will teach everyone who understands the law, not to become a lawyer after studying at this age.'
