◎ 魏國金
Indian freedom fighter Bholaram Das marked his 100th birthday this weekend by announcing he was going back to school.
印度自由鬥士博拉蘭．達斯本週末以宣布他將重回校園來慶祝他的百歲生日。
Das has enrolled in a PhD program at Gauhati University – making him perhaps the oldest university student in this country of 1 billion.
達斯已註冊高哈帝大學的一個博士班學程，這使他可能成為這10億人口國家的最老大學生。
"In my 100 years, I have done many things in the sphere of society, politics, governance and religion," said Das. "I thought I must work towards a PhD that could satisfy my hunger for learning."
「在我100年的歲月裡，我在社會、政治、治理與宗教領域已做了許多事，」達斯說。「我想我必須努力獲取博士學位，來滿足我的學習欲。」
Das was 19 when he was jailed for participating in a 1930 protest against British rule. He spent two months doing hard labor and went on to study commerce and law. In 1945, he joined the Congress Party that led India’s drive for independence, achieved in 1947. Das worked as a teacher, a lawyer, a magistrate and a district court judge before retiring in 1971.
達斯19歲時因參加1930年一場反英統治的示威而入獄。他做了2個月的苦役，並繼續研讀商業與法律。1945年他加入領導印度走向獨立的國大黨，1947年印度獨立。1971年退休前，他做過老師、律師、地方行政官與地方法院法官。
For his doctorate, Das plans to study a subject close to his heart– how his native Bohori village helped in the spread of neo-Vaishnavism, a liberal and monotheistic stream of the Hindu religion credited with breaking down social divisions in Assam.
對於他的博士學位，達斯計畫研讀貼近其心的主題—他的故鄉博合里村如何助長新毗濕奴教的傳佈；新毗濕奴教是一支開明的印度一神教流派，該派宗教以打破阿薩姆邦的社會分立而受讚揚。
新聞辭典
work towards︰努力達到、設法獲得。例句︰They are working towards having all countries sign a peace agreement.（他們正努力促成所有國家簽署一項和平協議。）
hard labor︰苦役、苦工。例句︰North Korea sentenced a foreign teacher to five years of hard labor.（北韓判處一名外籍教師5年勞改。）
drive︰名詞，有衝動、內驅力之意。例如︰He is a man of great drive.（他是衝勁十足的人。）
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