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Honoured after 56 years

JAIPUR: Strange as it may sound, a gold medal initiated by an erstwhile ruler of Jaipur to commemorate the British agent during his minority administration was awarded to a former college student, who passed the intermediate examination in 1951, after a gap of 56 years this past week.

The medal was instituted by Sawai Man Singh II to commemorate the services of Sir B.J. Glancy, who was President of the Council of State of Jaipur during the king’s minority. Sir Glancy was instrumental in getting the building of Maharaja College constructed near Ramniwas Garden here.

The recipient of the Glancy Medal, 75-year-old Triloki Das Khandelwal, was a student of Maharaja College and passed the intermediate exam in 1951, securing first division and third position in the Rajasthan University.

The gold medal was awarded every year to the university’s student who secured the highest marks in all three faculties of science, arts and commerce. The college authorities somehow could not present the medal to young Triloki Das at that time.

Mr. Khandelwal – elated after getting the medal from the Chancellor of universities and State Governor S.K. Singh at Raj Bhavan – said here on Thursday that the recognition due for the past five decades finally coming in his twilight years had made him nostalgic about his college days.

The Governor presented the award to Mr. Khandelwal in the presence of Vice-Chancellors of all universities of the State at a V-Cs’ meeting.

The septuagenarian social activist, running the Social Security Foundation for old people, recalled that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, accompanied by his daughter Indira Gandhi, had addressed Maharaja College’s students on the campus when he was general secretary of the students’ union in 1951-52.

Mr. Khandelwal’s efforts were instrumental in revision of the national old age pension from Rs.75 per month to Rs.200 per month in the 2006-07 Union Budget, benefiting lakhs of old people living below poverty line.

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