Saroj Kumar Surjal
Saroj Kumar Surjal, aged about 17 years, son of Bairagi Surjal hails from a remote village Harinapali, Ulunda block, Subarnapur district in Odisha. His family is very poor and they have no agricultural land. His father is a daily labour and mother is a house wife. Sometimes, she goes to work depending on the season. Saroj has two younger brothers studying in grade 9th and class 6th.
Saroj was detected as a Pauci-bacillary (PB) case in 2016 and started PB Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT) and was released from treatment in March 2017. His family members, friends and classmates knows about his skin patch, but none of them discriminated.
In 2016, Saroj passed the board examination of 10th grade in second division with. Due to poverty, his father asked him to stop his studies and work somewhere to earn some money. But, Saroj is very much interested in studying further. During this period, the Community Health Coordinator (CHC) of LEPRA Society were searching for needy students who require educational support through CHAHA project. In October 2016, the CHC of LEPRA visited Saroj’s house, discussed with the family and need assessment done for educational support and suggested him to join in the college. The project supported financially and also provided career guidance. Saroj is very sincere in attending college classes regularly. He started tuition classes for primary school students in his village and earning nearly INR 700 per month. But he stopped taking tuition classes before his final exams. Saroj has passed intermediate in second division.
Saroj is very happy for the educational support and is aimed to complete his graduation and become a teacher. He is very much interested in teaching. In his leisure time, he used to teach lower classes at home.
Saroj’s uncle Gurunadha Luha advised him to join in a BCA course for which the government provides sponsorship for the backward caste candidates. Saroj also enquired and found that job opportunities were also good after BCA course. Therefore, in 2018, he joined Sophi Tourism Institution of Technology, Bania, Khurda in Odisha. As he belongs to a lower caste, the government will bear the entire course cost for completion of BCA. Oracle support was also not required to Saroj from then onwards. He is very much happy to get such opportunity and very much thankful to LEPRA Society & Oracle for providing support the two years.