'Best Student' award at age of 76!

Jaipur, Feb 28: It was a very long wait for Triloki Das Khandelwal to get his due. But as the addage goes it is better late than never. After a long wait of 56 years, perseverance and persuasion paid of as Khandelwal was conferred the gold medal for the best academic student of the year 1951 at the age of 76.

Khandelwal was a student of Maharaja's College, Jaipur and passed the Intermediate Examination in the year 1951 securing first division and third position in the university. He was also the honorary secretary of the Maharaja College Union during the academic year 1951-52. He was declared the 'Best Academic Student of the Year 1951' by the College and it was announced that he would be awarded the Glancy Medal.

Sir B J Glancy was the president of the council of state of Jaipur during the Minority Administration of Maharaja Man Singh II. He was also instrumental in the present Maharaja College building construction.

In order to commemorate his distinguished services to the then Jaipur state, the Maharaja ordered to constitute a Gold Medal in his honour, to be awarded to the student who secured the highest marks among all the three faculties of science, arts and Commerce. But he could not be conferred the award due to financial crunch.

When the matter came to notice of present Governor and Chancellor of the universities S K Singh, he decided to confer the award to Khandelwal.

Khandelwal was honoured with the award at a special function held at the Raj Bhawan on January 5.

Mr Khandelwal is the founder and secretary general of the Social Security Foundation, an NGO for the cause of the elderly.

His efforts were instrumental in the revision of the old age and indigent pension from Rs 75 to 200 in the Union budget 2006.

UNI