Berhampur: Sons of a fisherman and a farmer in Odisha's Ganjam district have cracked the state civil services examination, the results of which were declared recently.
T Narasingha Patro (27) of Gosaninuagaon in Berhampur city, son of farmer T Krushna Chandra Patro, secured the 24th rank in the exam.After failing in three attempts, Patro has cleared the state-level top exam.
"Despite my repeated failure three times in a row, I had not given up hope," said Patro, who is now working as a teacher in a government high school at Panchama, near here.
Kanhu Charan Behera (27), son of a fisherman in the Sorada area of Ganjam district, cleared the exam with the 56th rank in the general category.
After failing thrice, his father Kali Charan, who earned a living by fishing, wanted him to settle for any job and start earning for the family due to his irregular income, said Behera.
To assist his family, he started imparting coaching to high school students in his small room in Sorada. Besides his own expenditure for preparing for the civil service, Behera said he also assisted in managing his family from his meagre earnings.
The coaching for the students also helped him maintain his studies and preparation for the competitive exams, he said.
He focused only on self-studies through the internet and social media. Strong determination and hard work, along with his parents' blessings, helped him crack the exam, Behera said.
Itishree Jena, a resident of Aska town, was overwhelmed after learning her rank was tenth in the Odisha Civil Services examination. "It's a dream that came true," said the 25-year-old unmarried woman, who cracked the exam on her second attempt.
Without enrolling in any coaching institute, Itishree prepared for the exam independently using the internet.
"Before the main exam held in January-February, her father, Prakash Chandra Jena, a small businessman, was hospitalised due to illness in a private hospital," she said.
As no other family member attended to her father, she and her mother looked after him. Her brother was staying out of state as he was working in the Indian Navy. PTI COR BBM BBM RG