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Journalism of Courage
The Orissa civil services job, when it comes through, won’t be Akshaya Rout’s first. Rout has worked on a construction site and sold vegetables so he could sustain his family and study at the same time.
Coming from a BPL family from the remote Dakhina Bhedi village in Rajnagar tehsil, Kendrapara, 32-year-old Rout has become the pride of the village and an example to many across the state. The non-descript village attracts huge crowds these days, with streams of people pouring into his thatched hut to congratulate Rout.
The hardships don’t matter, it is the two unsuccessful attempts that rankle Rout. ‘‘Those were heart-breaking experiences,’’ he says.
Rout, who passed matriculation in 1986, worked as a daily-wage labourer for two years to sustain his family. He then joined the BJB College in Bhubaneswar in 1989. To pay his fee, he worked as a sweeper in a school.
After graduation, he joined the Utkal University and did his masters in History. Then too, he worked in a private firm to pay his hostel and other fees. Later, when he failed to get a job, he sold vegetables near Nayapalli Square. But the shop was torn down by the municipality and he took up a part-time job with a private firm for a monthly salary of Rs 1,000.
Ever since he passed Std XII, Rout had been dreaming of joining the civil services. His first two attempts were unsuccessful. Now he will be leaving for the administrative training next week.
