Selfless Service, even at 80! -Bidyadhar Sahoo

 “I’m an 80-year-old retired teacher, having served for the past 33 years. In 1995, I was awarded by the Government for years of social service and education impartment, post which I embraced my retirement in 1997.

Since a 9th grader, I was religiously involved in social service from local to national levels and participated in organizing awareness seminars and discussion camps on health, education, agriculture, blood donation, etc. Through the Indian Government Labor and Welfare Ministry encampment set-ups, we have collectively imparted knowledge to wage workers and laborers, in more than 100 villages through Govt and Non-Govt professional experts. Govt officials and NGOs that came forward to relief the cause is beyond my gratefulness. 

In August ‘10, Late Kiranbala Pattnaik and her daughter Sruti Pattnaik’s inspiration, aid and support encouraged me to open our ‘Little Twinkle Academy’, an English-medium school, in Kalana village of Jajpur. It is a Government recognized school- today- accommodating 155 students, from Nursery to Standard 8th, and 16 teaching staff.

 I run the school in my own home, amidst natural environment. Sruti Pattnaik [our Trust’s President] advises, enlightens and assists us in smooth functioning of our institute, while staying abroad.

Due to ignorance of villagers, some gem students from poor parents are lost in the crowd. We, at LTA, educate and empower them free of cost. Apart from education, we lay stress on their extra curriculum including music, yoga, taekwondo, computer facilities, etc. Our children perform Street Drama on important topics of social evil. We celebrate festivals, conduct exhibitions for kids to show their talent. To inspire our little learners, we felicitate respectable identities at our annual functions. 

Education is at halt today because of the pandemic and I majorly miss my children. I believe, servants and their service is limitless; helping is a godly act. My service has been exclusively experiential and jotting it down here would be difficult. Time’s calling and impending opportunities are such a welcome.” -Bidyadhar Sahoo

Duty Comes First! - PK Pattnaik

 

“I work as the Chief Nodal Officer in the Covid hospital that KIMS has volunteered to run on the request of the Honourable CM. Physically, my team and I usually work for 12 hours, but mentally, it feels like a 24*7 job. We have to be on our toes any time an emergency arises and be alert and remain dedicated to the job all the time, as there is no alternative to this. 

The one memory that I will always cherish, even after the battle ends, would be when I gave my first motivational speech to the doctors and nurses. It felt as if I was preparing a regiment of soldiers, going into war. They were a bunch of youngsters with a long life ahead of them. They didn’t know the magnitude of risk that was going to befall them. But, they were eager and passionate to fulfil their duties. Their courage and sacrifice was also acknowledged by the IAF when they sent helicopters to shower flowers on them. 

My wife and I, we both work at KIMS. She looks after the Post-Graduation Education of the college. Though we both are elderly and hence, are exposed to the age risk attached to Covid-19, our family has never discouraged us from performing our responsibility. They rather applaud us by referring to us as their inspiration. 

\

Besides all the precautions that we should take, if we are able to empathize with our fellow citizens, then that is patriotism in its purest form. We don’t have to stand on the border with a gun to be called a ‘’patriot’’. We all may make donations to the various Relief Funds, but we fail to help someone who is in need, right in front of our eyes. When we look 50 metres around ourselves, we are sure to find some underprivileged people. We can all come together to help them and when we see them smile, that would be more than enough!” –  Major General Pradeep Kumar Pattnaik.

There Is Always Light At The End Of The Tunnel - Shivanee Tripathy

TRIGGER WARNING : Sexual Abuse

"After my parents' divorce, when I was less than 4, my grandparents raised me. My father was not to be blamed because he still does not know what a divorce means as he had impaired hearing since birth and couldn't complete school education after 7th Grade because education system for differently abled wasn't that advanced during his time and he had been a victim of bullying numerous times.

So, while he still continued to remain a child at heart and had to undergo divorce because my mother wanted a new life, my grandparents took charge of raising me. They nurtured me relentlessly with  love, compassion and support that I probably will never be able to repay no matter what. Mama ( my grandmother) was very fond of my voice so she put me into classical singing just after I started school . I used to ace all the music competitions and her happiness knew no bounds. 

 I was sexually abused by my music teacher for more than a year when I was 9 till I was running 11. And meanwhile, my father was also undergoing another divorce from my stepmother who never really was involved in a significant way for me to talk about things that were affecting me mentally. So till I was 11, I had been a victim of sexual abuse by multiple people including relatives and a domestic help.

I was utterly confused with what was going on. At first, I did not understand why these things were happening to me when nobody was around and next when I figured that these things were wrong, I did not know how to address and whom to address about these matters with the fear that maybe I will be held responsible. These incidents resulted in deep seated scars within me for years. I had developed difficulty speaking up about things even the kinds children around me could talk about like for instance,  I hated how our Maths teacher would just hop on to next chapters by taking feedback from people who were already good in Maths. So everytime I failed in maths, my grandparents were ashamed of me and I would just promise them to do better next time while neither them nor I could see what was demanding serious attention.

With challenges like, losing Mama at 13, being an average student and carrying a heavy bag of trauma with you around for years which made you look just stupid, I managed to pass my 10th grade with a 52 in Maths and I got a national scholarship in classical music. I burnt the scholarship renewal and that was the end of classical music for me, for good.

One day, my aunt suggested that I should opt for Humanities and take Psychology. My life took a strange turn. I was suddenly so much into it that the journey from my 11th grade till MPhil in Clinical Psychology was a result of pure interest and passion. This field made me revisit all my unresolved conflicts that I was carrying with me before and I was inclined to analyze them and give closure to them over the period of 10 years I spent with Psychology and more to come hopefully.

It's not like challenges ended when I chose this subject out of curiosity. Challenges, losses and rejections felt more natural. Spending time with myself didn't appear like loneliness that needed mending. And lastly, mindfully observing growth and being patient was a warm embrace.Because understanding a human mind introduces you to introspection and compassion for yourself and others.Which eventually let's you understand the value of a choice :) " - Shivanee Tripathy. 

From a Migrant Worker to a National Sensation - Duleshwar Tandi

 

“I belong to a small village of Kalahandi. In our village, we always had dramas and plays being performed on stage. Through all this, I developed passion for acting and singing. I refined this passion by participating in numerous competitions at school.

While pursuing Chemistry Honours, I began writing stories for magazines and eventually, tried my hand at rapping. I loved it and wanted to continue with it lifelong. But, I didn’t have enough money to continue higher education, hence, I went to Raipur in search of work. I started working at a hotel. I had to pay no rent and got free food. Rapping had become secondary amidst all the work, but it was always on my mind.

Just before the lockdown started, I returned back home and posted a rap video on my Facebook page. The next day, since the morning, I was picking up appreciation calls from people all across the country. I was overwhelmed and so was my family. Celebrities like Vishal Dadlani, Swara Bhaskar, Rekha Bharadwaj, Priyanka Chopra, Raftaar and Divine acknowledged me either via posts on social media or calls. Moreover, Rana Daggubati called up and said, “Come to Hyderabad! I am sending a car for you”. I am so thankful to these people for their kindness.

Currently, I am being offered quite a number of projects. But, I don’t want to do a rap which objectifies women in any way. In our country, such raps are viral, though undignifying. I am not going to let down my mannerisms for any amount of money. Moreover, I am denying projects from Bollywood because I want to represent the poor and underprivileged. I am just waiting for the right one to come my way! ” – Duleshwar Tandi aka Dule Rocker

Fulfilling My Father's Dreams- Lalita Patnaik

“My father, an educationist, never let the gender bias creep into our family. He believed that education is the key to a better future. Being the youngest one, I had the best guidance and my father and elder brother played a crucial role in planning my curriculum so that I could focus solely on science subjects to become a Doctor. 

I made it into the M.K.C.G medical college and few days post my admission, my father passed away. I was shattered and started having second thoughts about continuing my MBBS, but, my siblings counselled me by saying that our father was waiting for me to clear my entrance and get admission and then left for his heavenly abode with satisfaction. I became a gynecologist and got married in the last year of my PG. My husband(who has been my classmate since MBBS) and I applied for the armed forces. We got into it,he joined as a surgeon and I  as a gynecologist. I felt overwhelmed to have fulfilled my father’s dream. 

In the Army, abilities like leadership, patriotism, selfless-service, fitness were inculcated in us through rigorous training. We got the opportunity to move to different parts of the country to discharge our duties. I joined as a Captain and was posted in the eastern side for four years. I was also posted in Firozpur as the Commanding Officer. After retiring as a Colonel, I joined the ECHS for five years.

After my husband retired in 2012, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT, offered my husband to join as medical superintendent in KIMS. As my son lives in Mumbai and I had to live alone in Gurugram, I decided to shift with my husband and joined KIMS as the Chief Casualty Medical Officer. During this pandemic, my team and I are working tirelessly to meet all ends and it’s becoming quite difficult to contain this virus, but we have to abide by the norms and act sensibly to fight it.

 I take immense pride in being the daughter of Mr.S.N. Patnaik and would like to thank elder brother who took all the pain from funding my education to getting me married. I also feel blessed to have got such a co-operative husband and till date, I have always liked attending calls, addressing myself as "Mrs. Patnaik"."-Dr. Lalita Patnaik.

Once an Advocate, Always an Advocate! - Bhagirathi Mishra

 “I was born on 14 August 1939, to Late Raghunath Mishra and Late Savitri Devi in Patanda, a small village in Odisha. I did my schooling from A.N. High School, Narsinghpur, intermediate from Ravenshaw College and later pursued my graduation at Puri; I completed my law studies from M S Law College, Cuttack followed by Masters in Applied Economics from Utkal University.

I excelled in sports throughout my career; I had even represented my college in the Inter-University Sports Meet during my law studies in M S College . After completion of my Masters in 1964 from Utkal University,I took up law as my career unaware of the wonders it’d do to me, and joined the Baramba-Narsinghpur Bar Association under Cuttack District in 1966. I was elected as the Secretary of the Baramba-Narsinghpur Bar Association for fifteen consecutive years and President of 

the same for thirty years. I was fortunate enough to be elected as the Director of Land Development Bank in Athagarh for upliftment of farmers, the State Defence Counsel for fighting for the poor and underprivileged litigants, and as President of erstwhile Janata Dal in Baramba-Narsinghpur for fifteen years . 

I have argued more than sixty thousand cases in courts of Narsinghpur, Baramba , Athagarh and Cuttack in my entire career. This career has given me more than what I could have asked for. I had bought my first bike, ”Rajdoot” in 1969 and my first car, “Fiat” in 1975. In the year 2012, I had a major brain stroke which paralysed my right side partially. I could not speak. Neither could I draft a petition, couldn't even write nor was able to go to Court for a couple of months, which was bizzare for me. With each day passing by I could feel my self-confidence, high spirits, determination- all shattering from within. I had started to fumble and even couldn’t move my right hand at all. Seeing me all shattered and hopeless my family allowed me to go to the court, just so that I get some peace of mind, but unfortunately, in 2016 I felt unconscious in the court room while witnessing an ongoing argument , and ever since I was never allowed to go to court again . This is the most terrible feeling which always kills me from within, but I spend time with grandchildren, have long chit-chat sessions over video-call with my sons, daughter and daughter-in-laws. I have morning and evening 'chaa' with my wife.

 

Life has to go on, so I keep reading the law books every now and then,discuss cases with my two sons who are also lawyers . Now I have to depend on my wife’s pension and my sons for money, which I do not like at all. If ever given a chance again I will not step back from going to court and arguing cases, drafting appeals and petitions. I still go to sleep thinking of my paralysis to vanish the next morning, I wake up so that I could go back to my passion. I have been felicitated many a times for contributing 50 years of my life to the field of law. Law was never a profession for me it was “food for my soul” to be precise, and it is still the same.

I'd just say to everyone who stumbles upon reading this- that, make the most of your life while you still can. Life is precious and so are you!" - Bhagirathi Mishra.

A Biker At Heart! - Ankit Mohanty

"Motorcycles are the loveliest things made by humans, but better than humans. When I'm sad, I ride and I feel happy instantly. My love for motorcycles began in my childhood, when I used to fell instinctive about bikes. I always dreamt of owning every good motorcycle that I saw. Later on, when my father noticed my immense passion for riding bikes, he helped me learn riding when I was only 13. My eagerness to ride a bike increased eventually.

The happiest day of my life was when my Dad gifted me a TVS Apache RTR 160 on my 16th birthday. But, my father would take the keys with him and I was only allowed to ride on the weekends.  When I got my driving license, I started exploring nearby places within 100 kilometres like Ansupa lake, Puri, Damdamani, etc. I used to get jealous whenever I saw a new bike with advanced features. 

After a year, my bike was replaced with the Honda CBR 250r. But, I had to sell it because of personal reasons. Then,I bought the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 after falling in love with it at it's launch event. I used to spend such lot on my bikes that my relatives complained to my parents saying, "He is changing bikes much like changing clothes".But, neither my parents nor I, paid any heed to it.

My father gave his bike to me for selling it, but I didn't as I learnt riding on that bike and have a lot of memories with it. So, I rebuilt it from my saved money. My Dad had a huge smile on his face. The bike is 25 years old and there's something good in vintage bikes.

I'm following my riding passion and also posting some of my riding videos on Instagram. I'm planning to start a Youtube channel about motovlogging and modifications soon.I have a lot of dreams to fulfill. A dream ride to Leh-Ladakh, Spiti, Nepal, Bhutan and many more. Turning my passion into profession will be a great achievement. My Instagram Bio says "KEEP GOING", which I follow. Life is full of ups & downs and what is coming is better than what is gone. I just feel more ready than ever for the next chapter." - Ankit Mohanty.

Friends, Our Chosen Family - Ayushi Adyasha

"Friends are our chosen family. From the beginning, Sansita has been my constant support . We have been friends since class two. After scoring well in class 10, I decided to take Science and join the medical line.

 After joining, I realised it is not a cake walk. I tried, but it didn't work out. After that failure, everything started falling apart. Every relationship around me started to fail, even my father started to behave differently. Many friends started behaving otherwise.

After many arguments, my father was convinced to enroll me into the agricultural stream, but  after joining the college, my mental condition was unstable. I couldn't share anything with anyone and I had to fake my happiness. 

But, on Christmas, I went to Sansita's house for celebration and started my "happiness act". When I came home, she called and directly asked me, "What's wrong?". She could sense that something was wrong and she asked me to confide in her because it was her right as my best friend. 

Her words triggered me so much that I shared every damn thing I was feeling about my career, family drama, love life problems and how I feel screwed up by every relationship around me. She "listened" to me and I felt so relaxed. The way she handled me during that time without me asking her to do so strengthened our bond. She taught me how to take things positively and she was the one who introduced me to the actual meaning of self love.

 I call her "SHINE" because I think she adds light to everything around her. We usually have debates on who will marry first and what we are gonna do as bridesmaids ( she thinks I will be marrying first and I think the opposite ). We have a great abroad trip plan with our girl gang, but I don't know when it's happening . I hope it happens soon!" - Ayushi Adyasha

Through Thick And Thin! - Amrita Sahu

"My past relationship was a nightmare.I always imagined love as pure and unconditional.But, that guy made me feel the opposite. When my Papa told me he is not the one, I fought with him. But, he kicked me into depression.

It was 14th September, 2017.I got a pop-up on Instagram, "Rajesh Sahoo tagged you in a post".He was one of my classmates. Till that date, I had talked to him only once. I cannot live without cooking and maybe that made him talk to me. He appreciated me for my cooking skills and I felt acknowledged. However, I didn't have a good impression of him because of his hairstyle, specifically. But, I realized that his hairstyle didn't matter and that I  had found someone with whom I could talk my heart out. In a matter of days, he had a special place in my heart. 

One day, while returning from college, I told him how I felt. I closed my eyes and quickly said "I love you".After, dropping me home, I asked for a reply and he said that he loved me too, but it seemed fake.I called him soon after and got to know that it wasn't real. 

I got to know that he liked someone else. I never forced him to love me back. But, it was also tough for me to behave like friends. Everyone started talking ill of me because they thought I was faking my love for him and that it was just a simple infatuation. But, when he doubted on the same thing, I was beyond hurt. 

After that phase, we tried becoming friends and we did. He helped me through my depression. Then, he developed feelings for me. He didn't tell it, but I felt it and on his birthday, when I asked him openly, he agreed to it. I was ecstatic. He never made me feel unwanted even when I'm annoying and moody.  My parents love him more than I do. He completes me!" - Amrita Sahu.