05-05-2025
Grandmother takes NEET at 72 in Kakinada, sets example of lifelong learning
A seventy-two-year-old, Pothula Venkatalakshmi from Andhra Pradesh, stunned everyone as she walked into the NEET 2025 exam hall—not as a guardian, but as a scene unfolded at the Government Women's Polytechnic College in Kakinada on Sunday, where thousands of students gathered to take one of the most competitive medical entrance exams in the country. Amongst the young aspirants, Venkatalakshmi's quiet confidence and composed demeanour stood in a modest salwar kameez and carrying only her admit card, she left many in awe when she calmly took her seat with the other examinees. While most assumed she was accompanying a younger family member, her presence was a bold statement—age is no barrier to chasing knowledge or ambition.
Venkatalakshmi's participation was made possible after the National Medical Commission lifted the upper age limit for NEET in 2022, enabling candidates of all ages to apply. Her decision to sit for the exam has since earned admiration from across the state and beyond, symbolising that determination knows no age story serves as a powerful reminder: the pursuit of dreams doesn't come with an expiration date.
