This man from Odisha teaches underprivileged children by the day, works as a porter at night

Every morning and evening, dozens of children gather in Konisi, a village in Odisha, to take classes from Ch Nageshu Patro, a 31-year-old man hailing from Odisha's Ganjam district. In the two-hour sessions, conducted morning and evening, children ranging from class 6 to 12 are taught various subjects such as English, Maths, History, Odia, and more for free.

Patro, who conducts these coaching classes in the day, turns into a porter at Berhampur railway station at night. After facing many hardships to get educated, he now runs a free coaching centre for underprivileged students. So far, the centre has 70 students.

“I started with three students in 2020, and in the past three years I have enrolled 70 students in my centre,” he says, adding, “I recognise the importance of education and the challenges that underprivileged children face in accessing it. Through this centre, I am trying to bridge the gap between these children and the opportunities for education,” he tells SocialStory.

Early struggles

Patro’s parents are cattle grazers and he has seen financial difficulties since his childhood. When he wanted to complete class 10, his family could not afford it.

“I wanted to take coaching classes so that I could do well in my Class 10 exams. However, my parents could not afford to pay my school fees, let alone coaching fees,” he says.

He adds that he is grateful to his parents for providing him with education. “I am the youngest in the family, yet the most educated. I am thankful to my parents for whatever they have done for me,” he says.

With a dream to restart his education with his own money, he moved to Surat to work in a textile mill in 2016. During that one year, he fell sick quite often and decided to shift to Hyderabad, where he started working as a sales boy in a mall.

“Even when I was in Surat and Hyderabad, I did not leave education. I learnt to read and write Gujarati and Telugu,” he says.

In 2011, his brother told him about an opening for a porter in the Indian Railways. He cleared all the medical and physical tests and got the job. As soon as he got the job, Patro restarted his education journey by enrolling himself in class 10. During the day he studied for his exams and at night he worked as a porter.

Patro proudly shares, “I have a master's degree, specialising in the Odia language from Odisha’s Berhampur University. Not only did I finance my own education, but I also contributed to supporting my family."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Patro found himself without work and witnessed numerous children from his village discontinuing their education. Looking at them, Patro remembered his own struggles in receiving education.

Patro did not want these children to go through the hardships like him, and decided to start a centre where children could study for free.

“Initially, it started with three children, but within two months the word spread around and many students joined the classes,” says Patro.

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Building blocks for the future

Patro is currently coaching a batch of 70 students. While Patro teaches Odiya, he has hired four teachers to teach other subjects like Maths, English, Geography, and more. The classes are conducted from 6.30 am to 8.30 am, and from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm every day.

Patro is running the centre with his salary and the money he gets from giving guest lectures at a private college. However, he says that with no monetary support, it is getting difficult for him to run the centre. He remembers a time when he couldn't pay the coaching room rent, because of which he had to sell the chairs from the centre just to cover the cost.

“I am trying my best to keep the centre alive. I never ask for any monetary support, however, people who want to help come forward and contribute,” he says.

Rasmita joined the coaching centre in class 12. Coming from a underprivileged background, her parents cannot afford her school fees. “I am grateful that this class is free, otherwise I would not be able to take it,” she says.

Patro also mentions that her performance has improved since she joined. Additionally, she has developed an interest in the Odiya language and is pursuing a graduation degree in the same.

In the same vein, he says, “When I see these children improving in their studies and performing better, I feel really proud.”

Patro has dedicated himself to a mission of educating as many children as possible. His goal is to ensure that kids from marginalised backgrounds do not have to abandon their studies due to financial constraints within their families. However, he emphasises that the centre can only offer education up to the 12th grade. Beyond that, it's up to the children and their families to ensure the continuation of their education.

“I hope my efforts will motivate others as well to help the needy,” he says.