Vijay Kumar Sharma, a 59‑year‑old Sanskrit and Hindi teacher from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, has been appointed to a government teaching post after 27 years of repeated applications.

Sharma first sat for the Teacher Grade T (TGT) written exam in 1999 and subsequently cleared the TGT written test six times and the Post‑Graduate Teacher (PGT) written test four times.

Despite passing the written exams, he was called to eight separate interviews, each time returning home without his name appearing on the final selection list.

A recent amendment to the recruitment process removed the interview stage, making selection solely dependent on written‑exam performance, which finally allowed Sharma’s accumulated scores to secure him a position.

He was selected as a TGT Sanskrit teacher and received his official appointment letter on 22 September, with his posting set for an aided secondary school in Shamli district.

Sharma, the sole breadwinner for a family of seven, has been teaching privately for more than two decades, commuting 10 kilometres each way, while repeatedly filling out application forms each year despite family pressure to quit.

He is now just over two years away from retirement, but says the appointment validates his perseverance rather than the length of service.