Panaspadar is a small tribal village located in the Bissamcuttack block of Rayagada district in Odisha. Populated predominantly by the Kondh tribe, the village is situated near the Swarnagiri Shiva Temple. The village comprises 80 households with a population of 400, primarily engaged in farming and seasonal cultivation. The highest educational level in the village is matriculation.
Meenakhi Tuika (11) is the only child of her parents. She lives in Panaspadar with her family of six members. Her father is a daily wage labourer and earns Rs. 300 per day. They also rely on agro-horticulture for their livelihood, as they cultivate cotton, paddy, cashew nut and mango on 2 acres of their land.
Meenakhi studied from Grade 1 to Grade 3 in the government
primary school in Panaspadar. She was attending school regularly. However, after she passed
her Grade III, the school was shifted to a nearby village, Balipadar.
She was spotted by Sumitra, the Facilitator of Klorofeel Learning Centre (KLC) in Panaspadar. Sumitra recognized Meenakhi’s potential and engaged twice with her beyond school hours on a daily basis. Gradually, Meenakhi became an active participant at the KLC.
Seeing her keen interest in studies, her parents decided to get her admitted to Grade 4 in a government residential girls’ school in Munikhal at Hata Muniguda. Soon, due to her active participation in class and excellent academic performance, she became the favourite of her teachers. However, this had its own repercussions. Her success didn’t go down well with her peers, who, out of jealousy, bullied her. Eventually, unable to cope with this, Meenakhi returned home in the middle of the academic year.
In next academic year, she took re-admission to Grade 4 in the government primary school at Balipadar. Coming back to her old school and Learning Centre made her elated as she felt more comfortable and engaged in activity-based learning, twice daily with her old friends and study- mates.
However, after she entered Grade 5 in the next year, Meenakhi faced significant challenges, owing to her health conditions. She was suffering from joint pain and thyroid-related issues.
Due to this, she was unable to walk properly and hence couldn’t attend school regularly. She could attend her classes in school only for 1-2 months and appeared for examinations.
Sumitra constantly supported Meenakhi to navigate through these challenges as her mentor. She also encouraged Meenakhi to apply for competitive entrance examinations to prestigious government schools, viz. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV), Ekalavya Model Residential School (EMRS) and Kalinga Model Residence School (KMRS). Despite challenges like inability to sit properly and walk properly, Meenakhi didn’t give up. At the Learning Centre, her best friend Riya helped her turn the page of notebooks and text books. Activity based joyful learning, group discussions and action songs helped retain her interest in learning.
At home, her family members including her mother, grandmother and aunt supported and encouraged Meenakhi to study properly. Being a hardworking and sincere student, she would wake up at 4:30 am to study and she also devoted her time from 7 pm to 10 pm for homework and self-study.
Meenakhi focused on Mathematics and Environmental Science (EVS) as those were her favourite subjects. In her leisure, she loves to sing, chit chat and play with her best friend and study mate, Riya. They encourage each other to improve academically.
In February 2025, Meenakhi qualified the entrance examination of Kalinga Model Residential School (KMRS). She is also awaiting the results of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) and Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (OAV) entrance examinations. As Meenakhi’s grandmother speaks about her granddaughter’s achievement, her eyes well up with tears of joy and pride. In her unwavering pursuit of education, Meenakhi has already proven that, the greatest of obstacles can be overcome with resilience, determination, and the unconditional love of those who believe in the child. She aspires to become a doctor to get trained in
medicine and treat patients who are suffering from pain and illness.
She dedicates her success to the love and support of her family and best friend, catalyzed by the motivation and enabling atmosphere at the Klorofeel Learning Centre provided by her Facilitator, Sumitra. Klorofeel Foundation’s initiatives have expanded her horizons to a world of possibilities and instilled confidence in her to pursue her dreams, overcoming every problem coming her way.
