Chennai, Jul 14: In a heartwarming moment at the IIT Madras convocation, a mother and son walked onto the stage together to receive degrees from the same academic programme — a story that has captured national attention.

Both, 45-year-old Jigisha Tailor and her 21-year-old son Aditya Kapadia, successfully completed IIT Madras’ online Data Science programme, though they never planned to graduate side by side.

Fate intervened at the convocation, where they were invited to receive their degrees together, turning the ceremony into a memorable family milestone.

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Jigisha, who had worked as an electronics teacher at a Gujarat engineering college for 16 years, left her job in 2019 due to family responsibilities. In 2022, encouraged by her son, she enrolled in the online programme.

Aditya had joined a year earlier, in 2021, after finishing school. Explaining his choice, he told ‘The Indian Express’: “It was Covid time when I was entering college. So if I did a regular course from any IIT, or even MIT or Stanford, it would have been online only.” His passion for data science and artificial intelligence drove the decision.

Balancing household duties with academics, Jigisha would wake up at 4:30 am daily to study. Speaking about her determination, she said: “Many of our relatives would say, ‘Why are you studying now? Why do you want a job?’ I would tell them that I want to do something different.”

The duo also became friendly competitors during the course. Aditya recalled: “There was a sense of competition, like who would score an A or an S.”

At the convocation, they were seated separately and did not expect to share the stage. A classmate helped arrange the special moment, ensuring mother and son could walk together to receive their degrees — a symbolic celebration of perseverance, family support, and lifelong learning.