Ex-ISRO engineer, 78, ranks third in Telangana's TG ECET for working professionals
Tuvarakavi Chengal Prasad, who spent about 35 years at ISRO, took the exam to earn an engineering degree and finished behind only two candidates in the state.
At 78, when most people opt for a restful life, Tuvarakavi Chengal Prasad has surprised everyone by picking up books again. Prasad, who worked for about three and a half decades with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is a student once more.
He sat the Telangana Engineering Common Entrance Test (TG ECET) for working professionals and secured the third rank. Only two candidates in the entire state placed ahead of him.
Prasad joined ISRO at just 21. After a diploma in civil engineering, he began work in ISRO's civil construction wing. He is among the organisation's early employees and stayed about 35 years. He made a major contribution to building rocket launch facilities, an observatory and technical buildings at Sriharikota.
The highlight of his career was the chance to work with eminent scientists such as Vikram Sarabhai, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Satish Dhawan. He played an important role in laying the early foundations of India's space programme.
Prasad did not stop after taking voluntary retirement from ISRO. He worked with construction companies in Delhi, Nepal and Hyderabad and remained fully active until the Covid-19 lockdown. He later also began studying the Vedas.
He now wants to earn a formal engineering degree on the basis of his earlier diploma. For this he took TG ECET, which gives eligible diploma holders direct admission to the second year of engineering.
To prepare, he studied more than 12 hours a day for two straight months. That effort brought him third place across Telangana. By returning to study at 78, Prasad has shown that there is no age for learning.
