BERHAMPUR: As the morning warms up, Apparao Pattrika boards a bus from Hadiguda, a small tribal village tucked away in Ramanaguda block of Rayagada district, and travels nearly 25 km to attend classes in college. By the time he returns home in the evening, he has completed multiple tasks for the day. He has taken care of his own studies, gone to the block office to enquire or settle developmental works for his village, spoken to parents of schoolgoing children and checked in on students who not long ago had dropped out from school or college.
Pattrika dons many hats. At 33 years of age, he is an undergraduate student and panchayat samiti member from his village under Buting gram panchayat at the same time. And, most importantly, a man who brings dropouts back into the education system.
For many, it may appear weird, but Pattrika is driven by a mission to uplift himself and his people through education. Along with it, as a people’s representative, though at the bottom rung, he strives to do as much as he can to make lives of his community better.
Pattrika’s journey back to the classroom has been long and interrupted. Financial hardship forced him to discontinue his studies more than once. Yet, he has persisted and is now a second-year BA political science student at Ramanaguda Degree College. Not stopping at his own doors, he opened the return path for dozens of children and youth to schools and colleges in his region.
Pattrika lost his father when he was in Class III. The family survived on daily labour and their survival mattered more than his education. After passing matriculation in 2007, he joined Gunupur College but had to leave after a year. He re-enrolled in 2009, completed Plus II in 2011, and once again put aside his dream of higher education due to lack of money.
For over a decade, he worked as a labourer and later as a petty contractor. The desire to study, however, remained. In 2024, he again got admission for BA at Ramanaguda Degree College. “However, as I returned to college, I kept thinking of others who have dropped out under various circumstances. Study is an ocean. It not only enhances knowledge but also paves way for a better future. My aim is to study and motivate others to study,” he says.
With this mission, Pattrika started visiting homes across Hadiguda and neighbouring villages persuading families to send their children back to school. He helped the tribal students enrol in school and college, arranging admission fees where required. So far, more than 30 youths, including eight young women, have rejoined college after dropping out. Another 25 children, most of them girls, are now back in classrooms at the Hadiguda Ashram School. The students come from villages such as Raiguda, Ulunda and Ukuma.
“To take admission in the college, only `1,000 is needed and I arranged the same for my dropout brothers and sisters. But for school, everything is free, from admission to books, uniform, food and accommodation. The only thing lacking was motivation, which is what, I’m doing,” Pattrika says.
His work gained momentum after he was elected as a panchayat samiti member in 2022. The post gave him greater access to government officials and also institutions. At the same time, a huge support came in the shape of his wife Tapaswini Khumburka. Like him, she too had discontinued studies after Plus II. Inspired by her husband’s efforts, she resumed her education in 2022. Today, the couple attends the same college, balancing studies with family life and taking care of their young daughter.
Ramanaguda panchayat samiti chairman Ravi Shankar Gamang lauds Pattrika as someone who leads by example. “He understands the problem because he has lived it,” he says.
Even the block development officer (BDO) of Ramanaguda Pradyumna Kumar Mandal has high praise for Pattrika. “He is always at the forefront not only for promotion of education but also in the field of social service,” Mandal says.
For students like Sailendri, who dropped out after matriculation and has now returned to college, Pattrika’s role has been life-changing. “I could earn during those years, but my dream was always to study and achieve big in life. Pattrika has fuelled my dreams,” she says.
Similarly, Chitra who rejoined school in Class IV at the Hadiguda Ashram School expressed her happiness. “The school is my second home. I am very happy here,” she says.