Jaipur: The postman’s knock on her door is seldom a surprise for Pushpa Kanwar, she is almost never curious about the package. It’s not a money order or a letter. Often, what is delivered to her is a thick brown envelope with postal stamps full of books. It’s a reminder that her husband, Dashrath Singh Shekhawat, known as the degree man, has enrolled in one more course.
“With the postman knocking, I know my husband is once again chasing a classroom and a degree. The postman brings updates on a man who refused to stop studying,” said Kanwar, dressed in a traditional Rajasthani dress, sitting next to Shekhawat at her Jaipur residence.
At 55— 22 years after he retired from the Indian Army—Dashrath Singh’s pursuit of education has turned into an extraordinary accumulation of credentials: 138 degrees, diplomas and certificates. The latest is Master’s degree in Vedic Studies from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). It was the limited support for higher education he received in his younger days that to this day drives him to gobble up degree after degree—philosophy, religion, journalism, law, politics, economics, disaster management, Peace Studies, Vastu Shastra, Vedic Studies to labour laws. He is unstoppable. In the last three decades, he has appeared in more than 2,500 exams and earned three PhDs, seven undergraduate degrees, 46 postgraduate degrees, 23 diplomas, seven degrees related to military studies and 53 certificate courses. For Singh, his degrees aren’t merely an addition to his resume. They represent his hunger for knowledge, a life-long mission.
His journey reflects an unusual blend of relentless academic pursuit and public service, even as he continues to study, practise law, and offer free legal aid to soldiers.
Shekhawat hails from Nawalgarh, a heritage city in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan and lives in Jaipur.
“I’m studying not for the degrees but for the gyan (knowledge), which helps me to serve society. It is precisely when a person lacks sufficient knowledge that they make mistakes. So, I want to learn about every subject and this can only be achieved through study,” said Shekhwat, sitting in his drawing room, his background adorned with the medals he was awarded during his Army days.
The walls in his house are covered with his achievements of the last three decades. These achievements are in his name but the family cherishes them too.
“We are witness to his achievements and journey. We never thought that he would be known for his education one day. But now his decades of hard work is paying off as thousands of people of this country know him,” said Kanwar, adding that whenever she sees his name in the newspaper she feels proud.
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Being a local celebrity
For years now, Shekhawat has enjoyed the popularity from amassing degrees. But a recent visit to his village Khirod in Jhunjhunu on his father’s death anniversary was different.
On 15 April, when he was crossing the Palsana toll plaza on his way to his village, Shekhawat had a celebrity moment. The workers at the toll plaza could recognise him: aap ko to hum jante hain. ap ke paas hi sabse jyada degree hai na (We know you. You have the most degrees). This was something new even for Shekhawat. The workers offered him to go without paying but he refused. They collected the fee but not before getting a selfie with him.
“It was as if I was some celebrity,” he said with a little smile on his face.
Local papers often describe Shekhawat as the most qualified soldier. And the degree man has preserved these papers cuttings in his phone.
Bharat ka sabse padha-likha insan, digriyaan itni ki gin nahi payenge (India’s most educated person—he holds so many degrees that you won’t be able to count them). Another reads: Khirod ka Dashrath bana desh ka sarvadhik digridhari sainik, ped tale padh kar shuru ki kamyabi ki kahani (Khirod’s Daharath becomes the country’s most highly qualified soldier, the success story that began with studying under a tree).
He now has 11 world records to his name. The India Book of Records, Golden Book of World Records, Asia Book of Records and International Book of Records, Most Educationally Qualified Person in the World, Most Universities Degrees Earned by an Individual. All these certificates have an image of Shekhawat—either in his Army uniform or dressed as an advocate.
He claims he has been felicitated on countless occasions. But his most precious memory is from 2018 when he was felicitated at his Jaipur residence and taken on a tour of the entire city in a rally. That is when he had become the Most Educationally Qualified Person in the World. He stood in an open Jeep and made a tour of the city, with people garlanding him as hundreds of bikes followed his caravan.
“I will never forget that day. It was the best day of my life when thousands of people came on the streets to celebrate my achievements,” said Shekhawat, showing a video of that city tour on his phone.
There is one more special day in the degreeman’s life. He received a call from a superhero.
Ten years ago, in May 2016, Shekhawat received a call from an unknown number. On the other side was Bollywood actor Mukesh Khanna. “Mai Mukesh Khanna Bol raha hu, Shaktiman vala.” Shekhawat cut the call thinking it to be fake. But Khanna called again and visited his house in Jaipur.
“I have come here to see how an Army person can earn so many degrees,” said Khanna to Shekhawat during his visit.
In 2016, Sachin Tendulkar congratulated him when Shekhawat made it to the India Book of Records. And Akshay Kumar called him in 2018 and invited him to come to Jaisalmer’s Suryagarh Palace for a meeting.
Shekhawat claims that then BJP state chief CP Joshi gave him an offer to contest assembly election. However, things did not materialise.
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A distant dream
Behind Singh’s passion for learning is a long story of struggle and a life spent in scarcity. At his Khirod village, there was little focus on education back in the day. He completed his matriculation and joined the Indian Army in 1988. Singh hails from Shekhawati, a region that sends many young men to join the Army.
“Getting a college education was a distant dream for me due to financial constraints. I have no money but have a will for education,” he said Shekhawat who completed his Class XII from Assam while he was still serving. His first degree was a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com).
While in service, Singh would spend his two-month annual leave buried in books, prioritising his education over family matters, said wife Kanwar.
“I have only that time for studies and exams. I know the break time I should have given to the family but my focus was on my passion to gain knowledge,” said Shekhawat, who retired in 2004 after serving 16 years in the armed forces.
After coming back home, he taught as a physical education teacher in a school in Jaipur for four years. In 2009, he did his LLB and LLM and practiced as a lawyer in Rajasthan High Court. He even cleared government job exams such as police SI, school teacher and Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS) in 2013 but never joined. He wants to help people staying outside the system.
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138 degrees
From religion, politics, economics, disaster to Vedic studies, Shekhawat’s area of interest is wide ranging. He has three degrees in Jain religion from Jain Vishva Bharati Institute. He also did his masters in Hindu Studies from IGNOU where he studied about the vedas.
“What I have learnt is that no religion talks about violence and bad practices. All talk about peace and harmony,” said Shekhawat, who is now pursuing M.A. in Islamic Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Sitting next to a small sculpture of Buddha, which he calls a symbol of peace, he now wants to dedicate himself to learning Christianity and Buddhism.
Shekhawat said he did all the traditional courses offered by the Indian universities and also did courses in offbeat subjects such as HIV, Vastu Shastra, Astrology, Bhagvadgita, Human Values. His next goal is to get updated on AI related courses.
“After acquiring knowledge across various subjects, I realised that desire, position, and prestige hold no true meaning. What matters most is to understand the human being,” said Shekhawat, referring to Aurobindo’s philosophy that emphasis on knowing the soul.
While talking about Ambedkar, the degree man said, in recent times, the society has confined Baba Saheb with only reservation.
“But his vision was too far from his time. He talked about economy, women issues and their role in politics, fixed working hours,” said Shekhawat.
However, after completing his law from Rajasthan University, he has been practicing law in Jaipur for more than a decade.
Despite a busy day schedule, he still makes 3-4 hours for studies. His day starts at 4am.
“I utilised that time for my study and making notes for the examination,” he said. Shekhawat lives by Ambedkar’s wisdom — “shiksha sherni ka doodh hai, jo piyega vo dahadega (Education is the milk of a lioness, whoever drinks it will roar).”
He identifies himself as a Sanatani and Hindu but at the same time is tolerant towards all religions. “I’m concerned that across religions people are becoming intolerant and not giving space to other thoughts,” he said, adding that despite all, Hindu religion is more tolerant than Islam.
Throughout his journey in pursuit of education, Shekhawat has also had his share of being ridiculed.
“What good will come of acquiring so many degrees? It would have been better to simply join a government job,” he recalled someone saying.
Shekhawat has only one answer for his detractors. “What I have, no one else has.”
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A film, an inspiration
In 2026, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi awarded six ex-servicemen with the Veteran Achievers Award for their exemplary service after retirement on the 78th Army Day in Jaipur. Shekhawat was one of them.
“Naik Dashrath Singh Shekhawat (Retd) is a qualified lawyer who provides free legal assistance to retired soldiers in court cases. To date, he has successfully resolved approximately 2,500 such cases,” reads the Indian Army post.
Shekhawat is the third generation from his family to have served in the Army. His grandfather fought the 1948 war and his father fought the 1962 war against China and 1965 and 1971 against Pakistan. He joined the 9th Battalion of The Rajput Regiment in 1988 and after training he was sent to Punjab in 1990, the time when the state was fighting against the militancy.
But the guns never diverted his attention from the pen.
A film that has had a lasting impact on Shekhawat is Rajkumar Sntoshi’s legal drama Damini. He admits to have been inspired by Sunny Deol’s character to become an advocate and fight the powerful.
In his more than a decade long career of being an advocate, Shekhawat helped hundreds of people without any charge. He is currently the senior legal advisor to the Western Command of the Indian Army.
“He is helping Army families in legal matters and making them aware about their rights,” said Ashok Khetri, Shekhawat’s colleague at Rajasthan’s High Court. He said that Shekhawat has dedicated his life for the public service and that they have more than 1000 cases out of which around 600 have been disposed of and 400 are ongoing in the High Court and Supreme Court.
“The government should use his knowledge in a proper manner so that a large number of people get benefit,” said Khetri.
Shekhawat fights for people’s rights both inside and outside of courtrooms. Chunni Lal, his neighbour in Khirod village recalled an incident when the degreeman came to the rescue of villagers fighting against a cement factory because of the land acquisition. Around 2010, a cement factory in Navalgarh acquired land from farmers.
“In drafting the memorandum to district collectors, MP, MLAs, Dashrath helped us and even joined our dharna,” said Lal.
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Cost and the change
Shekhawat’s 138 degrees came at a cost. Over the decades, the certificates piled up and so did the loans. Debt followed him from one classroom to another, each new course financed by the last EMI.
“I took 13 different loans on my vehicle, home, agricultural land and crops. I even took a loan on my LIC and mortgage loan to continue my studies,” said Shekhawat.
Shekhawat still has Rs 15 lakh to pay off.
“My children are now helping me financially as they are advocates and government teachers. But till now I have spent nearly about Rs one crore on my studies,” he claimed.
The learning environment Shekhawat inculcated in his home went a long way in ensuring his children understood the importance of studies. They saw stacks of books from their childhood and read Nehru, Ambedkar to Gandhi.
“The academic atmosphere helped shape us into better human beings. Since childhood, we have a culture at home of discussing various subjects,” said Sandeep Shekhawat, the elder son of degree man. He explained that, owing to his father’s keen interest in history, his attention was drawn specifically toward Rajput history.
Sandeep has seen his father evolve as a person, one degree at a time.
“As time passed and the more he read, the strictness within him – a trait stemming from his background in the Army gradually began to fade away,” said Sandeep.
Shekhawat’s daughter Abhilasha Shekhawat recalled an incident from 2023 when the father-daughter duo had a Vajpayee moment. They sat next to each other writing the exam. Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his father were classmates at Kanpur’s DAV College in the early 1950s
“I was writing my MA political science exam and he was writing the MA Philosophy exam. That day was unforgettable for me,” said Abhilasha, adding that these days people are watching and finding motivational speakers.
“We don’t need this. My father is the biggest motivation.”
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)
Then start a school, and teach people. What is the use of rote memorizing all that knowledge. It will die with you and go waste if you don’t share it.
138 degree ka naam bhi yaad nahi hoga merse to