Sampurna Kumar Bhoi : The new age Dronacharya

The irony is that in our society we recognize and felicitate only those students who reach the heights in their course curriculum or in the extracurricular activities. Whereas we grossly ignore the key man i.e. Guru or the Teacher of the student who made his or her disciple to achieve the success. Sampurna Kumar Bhoi of Kadlipali village is such a victim of our society. He is the Physical Education Teacher(PET) of Veer Surendra Sai High School, S.Dumberpali in Bargarh District, Odisha. With the unparalleled valour, dedication and determination Sampurna able to roll out so many girls of Bargarh District to participate in national sports.

[Nikita Bishi]

During December 2017 one of his students by the name Nikita Bishi went to Dhaka, Bangladesh to play Under 15 years girls South Asian Football Federation(SAFF) Championship 2017 at Birsreshtha Shaheed Sepahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur, Dhaka. In the final match India was narrowly beaten 0-1 by the host team Bangladesh. Yet Barpali is proud as its daughter Nikita Bishi represented and played for India in this international football tournament. Whereas earlier she had been to Tajakisthan to play Asian Football Championship(2016) on behalf India.

Sampurna is not a regular teacher despite serving for the past 16 years on contractual basis. With his own initiative he is imparting training to only girls, the gender discriminated children of Bargarh district. His students are not the kids of any landlords, businessmen or the government employees. He motivates the neglected offspring of the peasants of this locality who are otherwise forced to work in the farmlands. He induces the parents to send their kids to the playground.

Apart from above mentioned Nikita, two other girl students of him by the name Tarasa Mirdha and Ulasa Mirdha went to play football at National Athletic Meet(NAM), Bhopal. This Nov’17 another OBC student by the name Muskan Podh went to play  Football Championship at Imphal, Manipur. Sampurna Sir teaches the subjugated kids of Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe and Below Poverty Line(BPL) families. These kids can’t afford to buy either a football, sport boots or the jerseys. There is an abysmal supply of sports accessories or the equipments by the state government of Odisha. Many a times with his money Sampurna Sir bought either a pair of jersey or boots for these poor children so as they can play football.

  

[Muskan Podh]

As per the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Dronacharya was the greatest teacher of warfare in this subcontinent. He was the guru of Pandabs. He taught Arjuna the skills of archery. But to keep alive his gurunistha or being loyal to his students Dronacharya asked  Ekalabya to cut his thumb finger of the right hand and to give it as gurudakshina. Drona did not want a kid of a sabara or the forest dweller to be an expert in warfare and to excel beyond the skills that Pandabs possessed. But in juxtapose to the above mythology, this  new age guru is imparting training to the tribal children of Odisha.

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E.Kiran Mohan(The Writer)

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D)
Near SBI,
Barpali-768029
Dist.Bargarh, Odisha
India