Life Begins At Zindagi

Bhatta Hembram would have been sweating it out at a construction site like his parents and elder brother had it not been for the Zindagi Foundation바카라�an organisation that prepares poor, meritorious students in Odisha for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The tribal teenager from Mayurbhanj district cleared this year바카라�s test conducted for enrollment in medical colleges. He can바카라�t thank Ajay Bahadur Singh enough, the founder of Zindagi on the lines of 바카라�Super 30바카라� of Anand Kumar in Patna. 바카라�I had to quit studies after Class XII due to poverty. Then I heard about Zindagi Foundation. I was selected after a screening test and was provided free food and lodging, study materials and, above all, personal attention at Zindagi that helped me pass the tough all-India test. Ajay Sir is god for me,바카라� Bhatta says.

Bhatta is among 19 poor students that Zindagi coached바카라�all cleared the NEET this year, a repeat of last year바카라�s performance when all 14 made the grades. For all of these students, Ajay Sir is 바카라�god바카라�.

But how did this man from Jharkhand land in Odisha and make it his workplace? Singh is convinced it was god Jagannath who brought him to Odisha. 바카라�I was on my way to Hyderabad in 2004, made a break-journey and visited Puri. When I had my first look at the Lord, I remembered I had seen Him in my dream a few months before. It was love at first sight with Odisha. Coming as I did from lawless Bihar, it seemed to be an island of peace with a much better atmosphere for studies than my native state. It did not take me long to decide to make it my karmabhoomi,바카라� Singh says.    

Singh wanted to become a doctor, but his dream shattered when his father had to undergo a kidney transplant, which crippled the family economically. He quit studies after Class XII, shifted to Deoghar and did odd jobs바카라�selling tea and soft drinks, putting up posters. 바카라�At this stage, my father advised me to complete my graduation. So, I shifted to Patna and started giving tuitions to fund my stay and education there. Later, I set up a coaching institute that prepared candidates for railway jobs,바카라� he recalls.

In Bhubaneswar, Singh established Adyanta higher secondary school. Later, he obtained a franchise from Akash Institute for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The students of Zindagi receive coaching at the institute바카라�s Bhubaneswar centre for the medical test, while the foundation takes care of their lodging. What sets them apart is the personal attention they receive from Singh바카라�giving the underprivileged students the confidence to take the demanding test.

Singh had received an offer from the Chhattisgarh government to set up a similar facility there with government help. He politely declined. 바카라�I was clear from the beginning that I won바카라�t accept any donations or external funds,바카라� he says. Zindagi is run entirely from the income generated by the school he has set up and the franchise arrangement he has with Akash.

By Sandeep Sahu in Bhubaneswar