Gwalior: Life has its own ways of treating you. It could be great at one moment and worst at the other. It spares no one as unexpected storms at one point or the other put it upside down and everything goes out of control.
Same happened in the life of a 90-year-old man who was doing really fine with life for a long time after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in the year 1969.
Identified as Surender Vasishtha, the man has been surviving by begging on roads of the city for years now.
He worked as a policeman and was a sharpshooter of the police force. Since he was a mechanical engineer, he also worked with various private companies at good posts for several years.
Vasishtha, who also has a degree of Master of Laws (LLM) from DAV college, amazed everyone when he introduced himself to onlookers by speaking fluent English.
The old man, who once had everything the life could offer, was found suffering in the chilling cold on a footpath of the city.
How challenges of life wrecked an IIT graduate
Surender Vasishtha, now 90-years old, who graduated from IIT, Kanpur amazed everyone when he introduced himself to onlookers in fluent English.
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He was immediately shifted to an old-age home - Ashram Swarg - by Vikas Goswami, a caretaker, who saw him lying on the footpath. The old man, on being asked who he was, replied in fluent English, which amazed everyone present at the site.
Vasishtha, interacting with ETV Bharat here, said he was born in Gwalior's Mahadig Sahab's 'bara' and that his father worked in Jiyajeerao Cotton Mills.
He said his father raised him with good care, love and affection as he was the youngest amongst the eight siblings.
Vasishtha claimed that three sisters and as many brothers of his have died and one of his sisters live in Indore.
He also said that he worked with Khadi Bhandar in the national capital but he could not clarify how he ended up being on roads and begging for survival.
However, it's learnt that he did not attach much importance to money. Vasishtha also claimed that he was married but his wife left him after he met with an accident.
One of his relatives claimed that he was never married, information which is to be verified.
He now wants to go to Bareilly to spend the last days of his life with his relatives.