NABARANGPUR: Call her a go-getter or a girl with a never-say-die attitude, Pushpanjali of Kendraguda village under Tentulikhunti block of the district is an inspiration for students from underprivileged backgrounds. Once a school dropout due to poverty, she managed to clear her Plus-2 examination this year despite toiling in the farm field to support her family.
Pushpanjali’s father eked out a living for the family by cultivating crops on 1.5 acres. That wasn’t enough to fulfil the family’s needs. Like several children in her village, Pushpanjali had to quit her studies midway to help her father in farm work. Her hard work in the field helped the family in meeting the cost of treatment of her brother, who has been suffering from sickle cell anaemia.
But, her thirst for knowledge was still alive. She started stitching clothes to earn some extra money for continuing her education. She cleared her matric examination in 2013. The same year, the youngster opted for tailoring training sponsored by the local administration at the Skill Development School run by IL&FS Corporation here.
This was the turning point in her life. After completing the training, she got employment in a garment manufacturing factory at Tirupur in Tamil Nadu and earned `6,000 per month. While she was working at Tirupur, her father died in 2016.
She had to return to her village to take charge of farm work. As the adage goes, ‘luck favours the brave’, the girl got an opportunity to work as a tailoring trainer at the same school where she was once trained. She was now earning `10,000 per month. While working in the school, she got admitted to Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and cleared her Plus-2 examination.
Setting examples for others, she has already trained as many as 1,000 girls in tailoring in 36 batches. Her students have been placed in garment manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other States. According to her mother Hemalata, Pushpanjali has been no less than a son to the family. She said her daughter had contributed immensely to improve the family’s economic condition.