Seshadev Kisan: A giant leap from Balasingha(Odisha) to Germany

Whensoever there rains it is the same droplets of water which falls from the sky either in the clean water of a pond and on the other hand it falls in the dirty sewerage. Likewise everyone is not fortunate enough to be born as Akash the son of India’s richest businessman Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani who globally ranks as the 19th richest man by Forbes magazine. But of what use the wealth that Mukesh Ambani has accumulated over the life time when he failed to do the right upbringing of his offspring. His son Akash Ambani under the influence of alcohol rampantly drove their Aston Martin and allegedly killed two poor persons while they were  sleeping on the pavement of a street in Mumbai.

On the other hand unfortunate was Seshadev Kisan to be born to a poor peasant family of Balasingha village of Sambalpur district, Odisha. When Sesha was barely a baby of one year old his mother passed away due to chronic illness. The neighbours and family members suggested his father to get remarry so as the step mother could be able to take care of Sesha. But his father denied to such proposal as he did not wanted his son to be a victim of ill-treatment which mostly any stepchild gets. He played the duel role of father and a mother.

When Sesha was a baby since there were no other elders at home his father use to take Sesha along with him to farming or grazing cows in the meadows. As Sesha grow up he learnt how to cook rice, and to do all other chores of home be it the dusting or sweeping the floor at home or washing the dirty clothes or utensils.

Sesha did not had the privilege to attend the play school called Anganwadi. But when he turned six years old Sesha went to attend the government run primary school not to acquire knowledge, but the only motive was to get the free mid day meal of rice and daal which is provided free of cost to the school children. In the school the only bone of contention for  Sesha was his ignorance of Oriya language as he is a Schedule Tribe and their spoken language is Kisan. The boy unable to catch-up with the course curriculum that was taught in the school. Because of it he has been beaten up many times in the classes. But Sesha was a boy of strong determination, he started learning the Oriya language. While his father used to go for firming, Sesha used to cook food and takes that food in a bowl called Khuri to the farmland. Despite  facing several constraints Sesha keep on attending primery school and came up with flying colors. He had been five time school topper in Balasingha Sevasrama School. Sesha was awarded with Best Student Award in 2005 by “Kisinda Womens Regional Union”. That year itself he got selected in Navodaya entrance exam. He was the only student from entire Naktideul block to take admission at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Sambalpur. He attended the school for 7 yrs from Class Six to Class 12th free of cost.

 

In 2006, his father had a vein blockage, as a consequence he was physically weak and unable to work. From then onward Sesha didn’t ask any money to his father for attending school or to buy study books or pens. During school vacations whenever Sesha was returning home he use to go along with his friends to   do labour work as there was no other option  to earn money.  Sesha was giving that little of his hard earned money to his father so as he can manage his expanses. He continued his study and passed CBSE 10th board exam in 2010 by securing a phenomenal 92% and choose Science stream. 

In 2010-11 while he was pursuing 11^th Standard at Navodaya School he was suppose to refer the guide books for preparing for entrance exams. But Sesha did not had the money to buy such expensive books some of whom were priced at Rs.1,500/-. So this boy use to borrow the guide books from his friends and to read them in the night hours. But there is strict discipline to be observed by the students of Novodaya hostellers. By 10.00PM in the night tube light of every hostel room suppose to be switched off. Twice the watchman came and shouted at Sesha to switch off the light and catch the sleep. So the only alternative that Sesha was left with was to buy candles and to read the guide books in the low luminosity till late night in his hostel room and return the guide books at morning.  

In 2012, while he was pursuing 12^th Standard one of his teacher of Navoday deposited his National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) exam fee of Rs.500/- as Sesha had no money to appear the exam. And Sesha able to  crack the exam. But on the other hand he had a doom days to face. His father who was struggling with illness  for months altogether succumbed to death. Sesha became an orphan. Because of the given circumstances of his life he could not attend the counselling for admission at NISER.

It was the darkest part of his life. Under given circumstances most of the youngsters opt to suicide.  But this Adivasi(Schedule Tribe) boy was made of a different genre. Instead of worrying about the future and looking at the long distance that he had to travel all alone in life, this boy just looked at each single day to survive.

(Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik while felicitating  Seshadev Kisan)

[Fellicitation by Dharmendra Pradhan Cabinet Minister of  Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship]

Sesha enrolled for a year at Regional Institute of  Education, Bhubanswar and altogether bounce back in life. And as a miracle cracked the NEST exam for the second time. Finally he got admission in National Institute of Science, Education and Research (NISER). It’s an autonomous Institute runs under Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. During 2013, while he was studying at NISER, people started asking to return back the money that he had borrowed for his father’s treatment. To generate money he gave private tuitions to school children at evening hours. That apart he cut off his expenses by cooking food in his hostel room, instead of partaking in the canteen. He able to return back the borrowed money. But teachers did not know that he is such a brilliant boy. After joining the Organo Metallic Catalysis Lab, within a short span of time he submitted few of his research papers to  an American journal by the name ACS Catalysis which they did publish. Then he thought of doing research in his chosen subject. On applying to a couple Universities of Europe online he qualified to take admission at The George August University Of Gottingen, Germany. Sesha will join as a Research Associate by getting a monthly stipend of 2,158 Euros which would be nearly Two Lack of Rupees per month.

[The George August University Of Gottingen, Germany]

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E KIRAN MOHAN(Writer)

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