ROURKELA: In the bustling chaos of Rourkela railway station, 52-year-old porter Sanjay Saw is a regular for more than a decade. Lugging around heavy bags or loads on the platforms, few knew the dream Sanjay nurtured in his mind, unyielding. Sanjay stopped studying after completing Plus II in Commerce. He had to earn for his family. His hands were forced, but his mind did not accept the outcome affecting his children. Sanjay vowed his children, a daughter and identical twins Sachin and Sourav, would write a different destiny.
His dream came true in August when Sachin and Sourav, 20, cracked the JEE (Main) and secured spots at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT-R). Sachin, 10 minutes older than Sourav, got admission in BTech programme for Electronics & Instrumentation. Sourav entered the BTech course for Industrial Design. Incidentally, the twins share the same hostel room.
Hailing from the densely-populated and crime-prone Gopabandhupali slum, struggle and financial hardship has been a constant in the family’s journey. Sanjay says, “Circumstances prevented me from going for degree education. During 1993, I started doing odd jobs for vegetable wholesalers and also gave tuition to a small group of primary students. I used to feel elated when they called me Masterji.”
When Sanjay’s family expanded, he joined as a registered railway porter in 2013. Determined to educate his children, he shielded them from the vices of the slum surroundings.
“Education is the only equaliser,” Sanjay often reminded his children. His daughter had to discontinue her ITI education to get married, but his sons kept working hard. Sanjay says, “My income was not enough. Relatives and well-wishers chipped in with valuable contributions to support my children’s education.”
When Sachin secured 96.7 per cent in ICSE Class X and Sourav got around 94 per cent, the school’s management ensured they completed Class XII without money worries. Later, a private coaching also charged the family barely one-tenth of its standard annual fees, acknowledging their potential and Sanjay’s struggle.
Sachin and Sourav are aware of the blisters on their father’s hands and his sacrifices for them. Their remarkable journey has gone from the narrow, filthy lanes of the Tingtang Gali in Gopabandhupali to the swanky NIT-R campus. Now, they are taking the mid-term exams of Semester 1.
Sourav says, “Sachin is sharper than me. While preparing for the entrance we would study the same subject together. It helped us clear doubts without external help. With online guidance in the first attempt in 2024, we could not succeed. We decided to take a drop and with dedicated private coaching, cracked the entrance in 2026.”
Sachin says, “We stay in a joint family, sharing small rooms. Our father took a room on rent to help us study. We used to attend private coaching classes daily from 2 pm to 10 pm. We would also study for four to five hours before the coaching sessions.”
On distractions, the brothers “consciously did not open any social media account and occasionally used to watch YouTube”. The twins are aware of their parents’ sacrifices and support and say they can “pay off their debts only after giving them a better life, free from the present hardship”. Their journey is far from over. The family faces worries over funding four years of rigorous engineering education. To ease the burden, Sachin and Sourav are exploring various scholarship schemes.
Sanjay says in recent years his earning has seen significant drop, with the passengers using trolley luggage, escalator and lifts at the platforms, adding at times he returns homes empty-handed. Moving consignments at the parcel office is a great support, he adds.
The NIT-R administration is standing by them. NIT-R registrar Prof Rohan Dhiman affirms, “The institute is committed to extending all possible support for deserving meritorious students, including Sourav and Sachin. Students like them are an inspiration to others, and good education is the absolute best way to a secure and dignified life.”
Sanjay says, “Watching my sons walk through the gates of NIT Rourkela is the ultimate satisfaction.”
