The sons of a landless farmer, a milk vendor, a rickshaw puller and a poor weaver’s daughter are among those who have made it to the NEET list with the help of a charitable organization.
The students were trained by Zindagi Foundation, an NGO of educationist Ajay Bahadur Singh, who missed out on medical education due to his poor economic background. Under the program, talented underprivileged students from across Odisha are selected through state-wide screening tests, provided free food, accommodation and coaching to help them crack NEET and become doctors.
“This time the challenge was bigger as it was difficult to conduct physical classes most of the time due to the COVID pandemic. But we did not let the spirit of the students down. We arranged smart phones for those who could not borrow them from friends Or online classes provided by relatives and our expert teachers,” Singh told PTI.
A statement issued by the foundation, which started functioning in 2017, said that all 18 of its students have passed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Graduation) this year as in 2018. Its 14 students cleared it in 2019 and all 19 in 2020.
Shivani Meher, daughter of a poor weaver who cleared NEET with 577 marks, said, “I could not dream of becoming a doctor because of my parents’ poor financial condition. It was because of Ajay sir that I got an opportunity to do something. It is for the society.”
Murshid Khan, son of a rickshaw puller who scored 610 marks and Subhash Chandra Behera, son of a milk vendor who scored 595, echoed him.
Singh, who hails from Deogarh in Jharkhand, said, “I help students without taking any donation from any individual or organisation, though many have offered.”
“I couldn’t become a doctor but when I see these kids achieving their dreams, I feel like I have achieved mine. I can never accept that a gifted child will not be able to fulfill his or her dreams only because of financial constraints. Cannot achieve the dream. I will continue with this project to ensure that no child misses their dreams due to paucity of resources,” he said.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hosted the successful students of the Foundation in 2019 at his residence.
Anand Kumar, the founder of ‘Super 30’, on whose life Bollywood film ‘Super 30’ was based, has visited the Zindagi Foundation several times to inspire aspiring students.
Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, who played the role of Anand Kumar in the biopic, has also praised Singh’s project.
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