Berhampur: In a rare real life story of achievement from poverty and backwardness to excellence, two tribal girls from a remote village of Gajapati district are now employees of an MNC in Chennai.
This is about Rajamani Karjee and Radhika Behara of Kalo village under R Udayagiri block who faced apathy, taunts and humiliations in their battle against poverty and ignorance. Thanks to their persistent efforts, they managed to study further and decided to take matters in their own hands.
In a village where even earning a daily meal was a challenge and girls’ education a distant priority, the two girls stood out. Rajamani’s father, a mason by profession, could not afford higher education of his seven children. But Rajamani, the youngest daughter, wanted to be self-sufficient and took admission in Government ITI, Berhampur under Sudakhya scheme of the government. Pursuing her course in Electrician trade, she passed out from the ITI successfully.
Radhika, also from same village, took all the pain to build her career. She is the second daughter of a farmer who could not think of sending her outside the village for studies. But Radhika was determined to pursue her ambition of being economically independent. She joined a school at Jarada and completed Class VIII. Then she moved to SC-ST hostel at Berhampur and passed the Matriculation. Supported by Sudakhya scheme, she too got enrolled in ITI Berhampur and then started her upward climb in life.
Following campus selection, the two poor girls of the tribal village found their way to corporate office in Chennai. They are now working at German-based multi-national company Fludenberg there.
