Chennai , July 14 : In a rare and inspiring moment at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras convocation, a mother and son walked onto the stage together to receive degrees from the institute’s online Data Science programme, marking the culmination of a shared academic journey.
Forty-five-year-old Jigisha Tailor and her 21-year-old son, Aditya Kapadia, received their degrees together despite enrolling in the programme at different times and never expecting to graduate side by side.
Jigisha, a former electronics lecturer from Bharuch, Gujarat, spent 16 years teaching at an engineering college before leaving her job in 2019 to attend to family responsibilities. Encouraged by her son, she enrolled in IIT Madras’ online Data Science programme in late 2022, returning to academics after a gap of several years.
Aditya had joined the programme in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when higher education institutions across the country had shifted to online learning. Drawn by his interest in data science and artificial intelligence, he initially pursued the course alongside a diploma programme before continuing exclusively with IIT Madras after the institute’s Senate recognised the online BS degree as equivalent to a regular four-year undergraduate programme.
Initially observing her son’s coursework from the sidelines, Jigisha gradually developed an interest in the subject. She admitted that returning to studies, particularly mathematics and statistics, after a long break was challenging. However, with the help of live doubt-clearing sessions, peer support groups and a flexible academic structure that allowed her to take one or two subjects per semester, she steadily progressed through the programme.
Balancing studies with household responsibilities, Jigisha followed a disciplined routine, waking up at 4.30 a.m. each day to complete her coursework before beginning household chores. She said family support, particularly from her husband, who is also a college professor, helped her overcome moments of self-doubt during the programme.
The mother-son duo soon became study partners and friendly rivals, motivating each other to secure top grades. Aditya guided his mother through examinations, viva sessions and project work based on his own experience in the programme, while both encouraged each other to strive for the institute’s highest academic distinctions.
After completing the programme, Aditya joined Syngenta as a data science professional following an internship with the company. Jigisha has chosen to postpone her job search to focus on her younger son’s education but said she hopes to return to teaching, combining her background in electronics with her newly acquired expertise in data science.
The convocation ceremony became particularly memorable when organisers arranged for the mother and son to receive their degrees together after learning about their story. Although they had been seated separately because they belonged to different graduating categories, they were invited to walk onto the stage together, creating an emotional highlight of the ceremony.
Their journey reflects the growing accessibility of flexible online higher education and underscores the idea that learning can continue at any stage of life, with family support and determination playing a vital role in achieving academic success.
