Bhubaneswar: Until eight years ago, the world for Sagram Marndi was confined to Chadheipahadi, a tiny tribal hamlet tucked away in the forests of Mayurbhanj district. The village had no all-weather road, mobile phones barely caught a signal, and access to quality education remained a distant dream for most children.Cut to the present day, the village’s reality remains much the same. But 19-year-old Sagram has rewritten its narrative by becoming the first student from Chadheipahadi to secure admission to an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). He has clinched a seat at IIT-Dhanbad to pursue mechanical engineering after securing All India Rank (ST) 818 in the JEE-Advanced examination.His journey began in 2018 when, as an 11-year-old, he left his village to join Class VI at a private residential school in Baripada. For the first time, he experienced an environment where regular schooling, electricity, internet access and competitive learning were taken for granted, facilities that his village lacked.“Science always fascinated me, and the only reason I shifted to Baripada was to get better education. My parents wanted to admit me to a school in Baripada because they knew I wouldn’t get the opportunities I needed if I stayed back. Today, I feel that decision was worth it,” said Sagram, whose father, Hajam Marndi, is a teacher.The road to IIT was anything but easy. Though his father is a teacher, the family had modest means. Sagram spent years away from home, returning only during vacations. With few distractions, he immersed himself in his studies.His hard work began paying off early. He won first place at a national-level science exhibition in Class IX, scored 93.5% in the Class X board examination, and went on to secure 96% in the Plus II Science examination, emerging as the district topper and finishing among the state’s top performers. He then cracked one of the country’s toughest engineering entrance examinations to realise his IIT dream.Standing firmly behind him throughout the journey was Kartik Chandra Swain, an educator and founder of the residential school where Sagram studied.“He was an exceptionally bright student from the beginning. Considering both his academic performance and his family’s financial condition, we decided to provide him free education and mentorship from Class X to XII, followed by free coaching for JEE-Main, JEE-Advanced and NEET. His discipline and unwavering dedication helped him secure the IIT seat,” Swain said.Sagram attributed his success to disciplined preparation. He studied for nearly 16 hours a day and stayed away from social media throughout his JEE preparation. “My parents made many sacrifices, and my teachers always believed in me. This achievement belongs to them as much as it belongs to me,” he said.For Swain, Sagram’s achievement is also a milestone for Chadheipahadi, where very few students pursue higher education because of poor connectivity, difficult terrain and inadequate educational infrastructure. “Even today, students have to climb trees or the nearby hill just to get a mobile signal,” he said.
