Bhubaneswar: In a country where families frequently invest heavily in coaching for NEET preparation, a different narrative is emerging from the hills of Daringbadi in the Kandhamal district.
Five children from two tribal families have successfully passed the NEET and gained admission to medical colleges. Their parents, who are uneducated, rely primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, and the children did not have access to traditional NEET coaching.
Their successful preparation was based on textbooks, freely available online resources, and a strong determination to succeed.
Bursi Pradhan and his wife Anasuya, from Shikabadi village in the Tajungia Gram Panchayat, never received formal education. However, their children have chosen a different path.
Two years prior, their children Bibhishan and Monalisha secured places at Shaheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital in Koraput after passing the NEET.
This year, their younger siblings, Sunemi and Erasia, also achieved success in the examination, along with Minakshi Pradhan, the daughter of Bursi’s younger brother, Jisaya.
For a family traditionally reliant on farming, having three children in medical school simultaneously marks a significant shift.
However, their journey to success was not privileged.
“We have no non-agricultural income sources. We work in our own farmlands to make ends meet. We relied on textbooks and free online materials to prepare for NEET,” Bibhishan shares.
The family’s agricultural work sustains them, while their educational pursuits open new horizons.
This achievement is not unique to them.
This year, Rajashree Pradhan from Dongamala village in the Dasingbadi Gram Panchayat also cleared the NEET, gaining admission to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla for her MBBS studies. She, too, comes from a financially struggling tribal background and prepared without formal coaching.
In 2024, three other tribal students from Daringbadi—Sanatan Pradhan from Tadimaha, Linsa Pradhan from Garjadi, and Kalakar Pradhan from Saberanga—also gained admission to government medical colleges in Odisha.
The area has produced notable doctors, including Dr. Sukriya Nayak, the late Dr. Jayapal Senapati, Dr. Subarna Mallik, Dr. Sunil Habda, Dr. Samir Nayak, Dr. Bishnu Prasad Sahu, and Dr. Jatindra Pradhan.
Kailash Chandra Dandapat, a development worker who has known these families for nearly forty years, emphasizes the broader impact of their achievements.
“I know all those families for the last forty years. Their financial condition is very miserable, and none of their parents are literate. Their success will definitely inspire others,” he states.
Most of these students were educated in government schools, and their experiences highlight an important truth: talent exists beyond urban areas, private educational institutions, and wealthy families.
In Daringbadi, aspirations are evolving.
For one generation, completing school was a significant milestone. Now, for the next generation, pursuing medical education is becoming a tangible goal.
Bursi and Anasuya may never have experienced a classroom, but their children are now stepping into hospitals and medical colleges. They have transitioned from farmland to the field of medicine, and perhaps one day, one of them will return as a doctor, serving the community from which their dreams originated.
