For someone so young and talented, she has her head firmly on her shoulders. Anuja Mishra, 23, an MSc zoology student of Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, has 11 State-level awards for debating and one national-level award in the same category to her credit.
In December last year, she won the prestigious national-level Kamalnayan Bajaj Memorial Elocution competition, organised by Shiksha Mandal at Wardha. The talented young woman has also been chosen for the prestigious Young Indian Fellowship this year, the only one from the State.
“For me, curiosity and interest are key. There is no alternative to hard work,” she says. Last year, she won the first prize in a State-level debate competition organised by Tourism Department, Government of Odisha. She has also won the State-level Shyam Sundar Mishra debate competition organised by the Utkal University and second prize at an inter-university debate organised by Ravenshaw University at Cuttack.
Prior to that, Anuja was declared the winner at the State-level English debate organised by the PG Department of Zoology, Utkal University.
In 2009, during her graduation days at the College of Basic Science and Humanities, she was declared a ‘literary champion’, an ‘all rounder’ and bagged the first prize in a State Debate Competition organised by Odisha State Disaster Management Authority.
In addition to these, she has received the National Junior and Senior Scholarships under the Young Artists Scheme of the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Ministry of Culture, for Odissi Vocals. “Time management is optimisation and not maximisation. I’m also lucky to have the support of my parents and lecturers in all my endeavours,” she adds.
— diana@newindianexpress.com