Daringbadi: For a family in the remote hills of Kandhamal district, the dream of becoming doctors is slowly turning into reality. Five members of an extended tribal family from Sikabadi village in Daringbadi are now pursuing or have completed medical education, despite growing up amid financial hardship and poor access to mobile connectivity.
This year, three members of the family cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and enrolled as first-year medical students in different medical colleges in the state. They are Esariya Pradhan and his sister Sunemi Pradhan, children of Burshi Pradhan, and their cousin Minakshi Pradhan, daughter of Burshi’s younger brother Jisaya Pradhan.
Their success adds to the achievements of two other members of the family. Burshi’s eldest son, Bibhishan Pradhan, cleared NEET in 2021, completed his medical studies and is currently undergoing internship. His daughter Monalisa Pradhan qualified in 2025 and is pursuing medical education. With the three latest qualifiers joining them, five members of the extended family have now entered medical education or completed their medical studies.
Their achievement is particularly significant because the students come from a remote, hilly and forested part of Daringbadi, popularly known as the “Kashmir of Odisha”. Many families in the area depend on traditional farming and forest produce for their livelihoods, with turmeric, ginger, millets and maize among the commonly cultivated crops.
Poor mobile connectivity has been another challenge for students in the remote villages. The successful candidates often had to travel to hilltops to access mobile networks and use online educational resources and social media platforms for their studies.
The Pradhan family’s achievement is part of a wider educational success story in Daringbadi. Four students from the block have cleared NEET this year. The fourth successful candidate, Rajashree Pradhan, daughter of Premisila and Nurunga Pradhan of Dongamala village under Dasingbadi panchayat, also cleared NEET this year and secured admission to Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla.
Over the past three years, eight students from remote parts of Daringbadi have cleared NEET and gone on to pursue medical education in different colleges in the state. The parents, who depend on daily wage labour and traditional farming, have supported their children’s ambitions despite financial constraints.
The growing number of medical students from the block has raised hopes that some of them will eventually return to their home region, help meet the shortage of doctors and serve the people of Daringbadi.