82-yr-old who vowed to marry after clearing Class 10 fails for 47th time

Shiv Charan, 82, who appeared in the Rajasthan board’s Class 10 exam for the 47th time a few months ago, has failed to clear it yet again.  The results of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Examination announced on Sunday evening have again shattered his hopes of getting married.

Also known as Sheojiram and Pappu, a resident of Kohari village of Behror town, over 140 km from here, has been taking the test for the last 47 years. In the early years of life, he vowed to marry only after getting through the examinations. “Till the time I am alive I will go on giving the exam,” Shiv Charan said.

Shiv Charan, who now lives in a temple, is fully dependant on old age pension given by the state government. “It is not just passing the exam. It will also give me an opportunity to get married,” he said.

Because of his age, he has problems with his eye sight, hearing and walking but his passion to pass the exam remains intact. “In 1995 I passed in almost all subjects except mathematics,” he said.

However, this time he was not able to pass in any subject. In some subjects he secured zero marks.

The octogenarian Shiv Charan took his first board exams in 1969. Since then, passing them has become the main aim of his life.