The
eminent policy makers, economists, politicians and now even the new governor of
RBI is busy finding a solution to the never ending problem of our country –
Poverty. There are many who believe that it has become a national joke, while
there are few who have brought some changes in the country with their efforts.
One such person is Dr. A. Samanta.
Most
of the Corporate Houses in the country believes that Eastern India is a key
potential area for Growth. One such state in this part of the country is Odisha
– a state which has remained poor, even though the development has started in
the recent years. Dr. Samanta has faced
poverty first hand. This was when he lost his father at the age of 4. It was
during his childhood when he made it a mission to do something for the poor. He
developed a vision that poverty can only be eradicated only through Education.
A
man who started a small ITI Institute in the city of temples – Bhubaneswar with
a small sum of Rs. 5000/-, has today made it become an educational conglomerate
par excellence. It is called Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). KISS started 20 years back as a modest residential school with 125 tribal children.
Today KISS has become World’s Largest Tribal School, which takes the credit of providing free education and livelihood to
more than 20,000 tribal children who come from 62 tribes of Odisha and
nearby states. The uniqueness of this institute is that it has a zero drop our
rate and a far better pass percentage. It doesn’t stop here. The students of
this school have Won India Under – 14 Rugby World Cup in 2007. The students
have represented not only India but also Asia in various international
championships. Recently a 17 year old student of this school named Laxman
Hembram was selected (the only youth from India) to participate in the Malala
Day United Nations Youth Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York. The school
not only imparts education but also teaches new skills to the students such as
tribal arts, craft, horticulture, poultry farming, etc. While grasping this
vocational training course, the students can earn some money by selling the
products which they make and proudly send back this money to their family
living in remote and poverty stricken areas.
The
awards and achievements of Dr. Samanta and his KISS are enormous. The
President, The Vice – President, The US Ambassador and many Nobel laureates,
policy makers and international luminaries have visited this heaven on earth.
The Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh and Delhi have invited Dr. Samanta to open
a KISS in their state as well. This world class model is a testimony of the
dedication, hard work and efforts of a man (Dr. Samanta), who himself is a
bachelor and still lives in a rented house.
