Dibas Kumar Sahu : A revolt against corruption

As on this date India is not only facing threat from the neighbouring countries, but has got a lot many internal issues as well. Though we got independence from the British Raj, but even after seven decades one of the greatest hindrances to the progress of the country is  rampant corruption that is prevalent in the society. Corruption has deeply rooted in every Government department as an eczema. It is all because there is a sharp downfall in the ethics of we the Indians. It is not only the fault of the bureaucrats, but we the citizens are equally responsible because we pay the unsolicited money to the government officials to get our work done. Corruption has become a way of life that we are compelled to the command of the venal officials. The general public of India instead of revolting to the practice of the corrupt government servants we are further encouraging them by giving bribes to get our work done at the earliest. 

But there is a silent crusader in Western Odisha who has taken this issue which has been deeply rooted in the DNA of every Indian. The man we are talking about is Dibas Kumar Sahu who was born and brought up at village Jokhipali of Dist Bargarh, Odisha. 

History has witnessed most of the revolutionaries were born to the marginal families. One ought to revolt when there is hunger in the stomach. And Dibas was brought up in financial constraints because his father was not a well to do person. By vocation he was carrying the job of tailoring at his home itself. He had a Usha sewing machine with which he was stitching the new and the torn fabrics of his village folk. His job was very minimal. During the festive seasons of Nuakhai and Dushera he was earning good while stitching the new cloaths otherwise on an average he was earning around 150 everyday. 

It was in the year 2001 Dibas appeared for the 10th Odisha Board Exams(BSE). That year their exam centre was Bijepur Girls High School. It was their Head Master who took all the students of his school in a vehicle to Bijepur. On the second day the exam paper was English. During the examination while Dibas was writing in the answer sheet a fellow batchmate who was sitting on the side bench shouted help from Dibas. Because of it Dibas got disturbed and bluntly refused to help him. After exams while returning in the vehicle their Head Master shouted at Dibas for the reason why he did not help his batchmate. But Dibas instead of replying was shocked to find how a person with the stature of a Head Master could promote cheating. On returning home he lodged a complaint with his  father. His father told him if a teacher he himself promotes cheating then how the students will progress in life. He advised his son let whatever the hurdles may come in life always abide the path of truth and virtue. 

On passing out graduation he along with his friends have formed an organisation by the name Royal Challengers Youth Association at his village Jokhipali. They were undertaking different developmental activities of their village. Those boys collectively participated in the construction of the Jagannath Temple in their village. At the time of inauguration the temple  committee organised a function to which people of many neighbouring villages were invited. In the meeting the mandir inauguration committee of the village acknowledge the names of all the youth who belongs to the higher caste, but deliberately they ignored the names of the boys who hail from Schedule Caste. Dibas was greatly hurt and raised the voice. For a while the meeting was halted. The village committee realised their fault and begged pardon.

On passing out +2 Science Dibas took admission in B.Sc at Sohila College.  Since Sohila is far off from his village Jokhipali he stayed at Bargarh by renting a room. To manage his expenses he imparted tutions to school students, instead of asking his father. Every evening after taking dinner at night he was doing the homework of his college studies.  Just by doing self study that young and energetic man passed B.Sc altogether with a First Division. 

It was the year 2010 he became restless looking at the unemployment situation of his village youths. He approached the Sarpanch of his village and the Block Development Officer(BDO). He along with other 49 youths digged a pond in their village. They got employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Emplyment Guarantee Programme(MGNREGP) for long six months. Along with the rest of youth, Dibas was also getting a daily wage of 90 INR everyday. People of his village laughed at him saying what was the need of graduating from college, but now working as a daily labourer. But that youngman was farm on his conscience. He believed there is no harm so long he is working for the people of his village, let how menial the job is. Dibas was then and  now as well doing all this without having any political ambitions.  It is just as a individual social responsibility(ISR), a concept which is gaining the ground in the media but he himself is not aware all about it.

It was in the year 2017 one day while returning from Paikmal he spotted a road accident at Deblabahal chowk. Lot many people were gathered there, but no one was going forward to help the victim. Dibas asked a person on the spot to assist him. Two of them together lifted that insured person in his scooty all the way to Diptipur Community Health Centre. After imparting the first aid Dibas shifted that injured to Sohila hospital and finally to Burla. The injured person has undergone the CT scan and was discharged after five days when his family members reached on getting the information. 

When Dibas got to know about Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana he undertook the initiative to electrify a section of his village. It is a rural electrification programme initiated by the Union Government to provide free electricity to the families of Below Poverty Line. It was only in the year 2017 almost four transformers were set up in his village. Several electric pools along with street lights were eracted in his village.  Around 198 homes of farmers, coolies and labourers who were under BPL category got lit and their children able to study books at dusk hours and on the other hand the women folk were  able to cook dinner for the family members even after sunset.

There was no approaching road to reach their village. He is not a politician and can never reach the Chief Minister of Odisha to get the work done.  Just as a responsible citizen he wrote a letter to the Chief Minister’s Office(CMO) addressing all the difficulties which his villagers are facing. He told how one pregnant lady could not be taken to hospital for child delivery due to no road and persistent rain. Afterward the CMO sanctioned a wholesome 10 lacs INR to lay the road of two and half kilometers from Pungipattar Chak to their village Jokhipali. 

During November 2019 a teacher by the name Samuel Suna who was working with an English medium private school at Lormi town of Mungeli district of Chhattisgarh met with an accident while he was riding his bike without wearing a helmet. That person hails from Jharbandh of our very own Bargarh district, Odisha. His head was severely injured as a result he passed into coma. His mother is an old and retired Anganwadi teacher. Unfortunately he got no sibling to attend him. When Dibas got to know about that victim he took the responsibility to take care of him as if he was his own brother. Dibas approached the District Collector Office. He arranged around 30,000 INR from Red Cross and Sh. Suresh Pujari the MP of Bargarh. Afterwards he arranged 7,80,000 INR from Biju Swastya Kalyan Yojana. The victim was taken to Aarogya Hospital, Raipur. But when the arranged money exhausted he shifted the patient to Ramakrishna Mission Hospital, Raipur. From there brought to Krupasindhu Bhoi Ayurvedic Hospital, Narsingnath. On 31st July 2020 that person was taken back to Raipur and admitted at Gautam Multispeciality Hospital. It's ten months since the accident. Though Samul Suna is alive but in coma. He is breathing only because of the timely help provided by his unofficial brother by the name Dibas Kumar Sahu.

Since 2014 Dibas Sir is working as a teacher at Tumuripali Project Upper Primary School. Even though he is a government teacher, but unlike all his colleauges he is working out of his comfort zone. The government teachers of Odisha gets a hefty salary ranging from 40,000 to 80,000 every month. Apart from teaching the recommended courses to the students Dibas Sir is taking all the innovative measures for the holistic  development of his students. These etiquettes are mostly unseen in any government teacher, because on getting the secured job they become lousy. 

In the year 2017 in their school he set up one Eco Club. The motive of it was to make the children of his school to love and to take care of the environment surrounding the place wherever they live. He observed on the birthdays of each student they bring chocolates from home and distribute to all the batchmates of their class. He asked his class students not to bring the toffees. Instead he asked each student to bring one sapling and to plant in the school. Gradually students of entire school are now observing this concept of each one, plant one tree every year. So far the children of his school have roughly planted more than 400 saplings. 

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E.Kiran Mohan (The Writer)
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (M.D)
Main Road, Near SBI,
At/PO : Barpali-768209
Dist.Bargarh,Odisha, India