Setting a strong tone that age is not a barrier in pursuit of chasing the dreams, 64-year-old politician Shanker Charan Tripathi is all set to appear for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) this year to begin his new of what has already been a versatile career when the people at his age either seek or already been into a break from their active life. Tripathi claims that he has a purpose in life and that he desires to become a doctor by clearing the national entrance test. 

Tripathi is a former national spokesperson of Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and will appear in the upcoming NEET to secure an MBBS admission. It isn't the first time that Tripathi appears for the national test as in 2016, he had appeared for NEET and secured medical admission to a private college. However, he didn't attend the college owing to financial distress and he wanted to pursue medical studies in a government college where the tuition fee will be affordable. 

Through appearing for NEET, Tripathi will become the oldest person in India to appear for the national medical examination and he aims to give tough competition to the young aspirants. NEET will be taking place on September 12 and news about Tripathi had come days ahead of the examination and it had attracted national attention as the sexagenerian prepares to accomplish his pursuit of becoming a doctor at the age of 64. 

According to a news agency, Tripathi said that the young people today are pursuing MBBS to make money and they have no desire to serve society. He claims that he has a different purpose in life. He said that one of the four Vedas, the Atharva Veda, gives information about medical science but it is getting neglected in India. As it advocates on how to remain healthy and live for over a hundred years, Tripathi stated that he wants Atharva Veda to get included in the MBBS syllabus. 

He said that his sole purpose in life is to become a doctor and bring the teachings of Atharva Veda to modern medical education. When the Medical Council of India had denied him to appear for NEET in 2016, he had approached the Allahabad High Court with the petition of removing the age bar to appear for medical education. After hearing his plea, the court has passed an order and removed any age bar for appearing NEET. Five years later, he is now ready to appear for this year's NEET and added, "I believe I will secure good marks this time and qualify for a government college. As the exam is on September 12, I am preparing."

Tripathi was born in 1957 and he was selected in the Indian Air Force at the age of 18 and he was also a part of the Indian battalion that went to Sri Lanka in a peacekeeping operation in 1985. He had quitted from the Air Force in 1989 and begun to drive his career towards public administration. According to reports, he had appeared for Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission and Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission in 1989. He had cleared both the examinations and served in various disciplines. 

Tripathi said that the result of the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission had come first and he was appointed as a jailor. A year later, the result from Uttar Pradesh Commission had come and following this result, he resigned from the post of Jailor and joined the sales tax department in Uttar Pradesh. Tripathi had retired as an Additional Commissioner of Sales Tax in 2017 and in 2018, he had become a national spokesperson of the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Later, he was expelled from the post after he criticized Rahul Gandhi as the Congress party and Rashtriya Janata Dal were in alliance. Besides a politician, Tripathi is also known to be an astrologer where he claims he can predict the future on the basis of an individual's voice and signature.