Odisha: Berhampur Man Helps Underprivileged Students Crack IIT-JEE

Berhampur: One man’s unfulfilled quest for pursuing education from IIT led him to give wings to the dreams of hundreds of underprivileged children of Odisha.

He is Sudhir Rout, Odisha’s Anand Kumar (the man credited with Super 30). For the last 15 years, Rout has been successfully training needy and poor IIT and medical aspirants free of cost at Aryabhatta Coaching Centre at Courtpeta here.

In 1980, financial crisis robbed Rout the chance to take the pre-university exam and qualify for the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance test. But, he did not give up hope and decided to open the gates of opportunity for hundreds of others.

Around 300 students take admissions to Aryabhatta for JEE, Medical, NISER and other tutorials for a fee of Rs 50,000. Of the 300, Aryabhatta admits 15 to 20 poor students and trains them free of cost, Rout told Odisha Bytes. “We provide them textbooks and notebooks and also help them financially when they get admission in other institutions,” said Rout.

Among his bright students is P Manoj Kumar (18), who resides in a slum area near Shakti Talkies. Kumar has secured 99.42 per cent in JEE Mains examination, the result of which was announced last week. Manoj’s father Nagaraju is an electrician and earns barely enough to meet the basic requirements of the family.

Manoj was studying Plus Two Science in Khallikote College when his father approached Rout and sought help to teach the boy. Ever since, the boy has been under tutelage of Rout.

Another student, Bikas Mahanty of Hinjilicut scored 99.80 per cent in JEE Mains this year. Last year, Sibani Nahak of Nimigaon near Aska was successful in NEET and is now pursuing his medical course at MKCG Medical College here, said the 59-year-old teacher.

“I had a dream to study in IIT during my college days. But, as I was unable to arrange the money I could not join,” said Rout. I have adopted the system of free coaching for poor students since 2006. It gives me immense pleasure when they emerge successful, he said.

A native of Madhabandha village under Chikiti block in Ganjam district, 25 km from Berhampur, Rout did his MSc in Physics from Khallikote College in 1985 and was a faculty of FIIT-JEE, New Delhi from 1999 to 2002. He also worked as a principal at Nalanda Residential College, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh from 2002 to 2006 before launching Aryabhatta Coaching Centre.

“My wife Shakuntala Devi and my two children give me moral support,” he said.

Out of 42 successful students of Aryabhatta Coaching Centre in JEE Mains Entrance Examination, Priyanshu Behera has scored 99.40 per cent this year and 14 students scored 95 to 99 per cent while 12 scored between 90 to 95 per cent.