Maoist stronghold Bastar has a new star in tribal farmer's IIT daughter

Bastar (Chhattisgarh): "Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds", this inspiring quote by famous American author Orison Swett Marden perfectly fits on tribal girl Savitri Kashyap, who conquered all obstacles in life and cracked IITJEE, one of the toughest exams in the country.

The tribal girl, who resides in Kurandi village located in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, secured an all-India rank of 1,135 in the prestigious engineering examination and is now serving as a source of inspiration for all other youngsters in her village.

Savitri, who could not afford to buy books and other study materials two years ago, has achieved this feat courtesy the Chhattisgarh Government's 'Prayas Programme' - a special coaching initiative of the state's tribal welfare department.

The tribal girl got admission in 'Prayas Programme' though an entrance examination where she got the inspiration and resources to accomplish her dream.

It was her hard-work, determination and perseverance that eventually brought laurels for her as Savitri along with nine other students cracked the IIT mains, which is till date considered a herculean task among the engineering aspirants.

Savitri's resolve did not end here as the highly ambitious girl yet again proved to the world that hard work indeed gets rewarded as she became the lone kid to crack the finals i.e. IIT Advance exam as well.

It is the girl's dream to study in IIT Kharagpur, which figures among Asia's top 51 institutes and is the alma mater of several renowned personalities.

The credit for her feat also goes to Savitri's parents, who despite being uneducated, left no stone unturned to provide education to their children, including six daughters and a son.

With no other means of livelihood, Savitri's family is entirely dependent on their 10 acres of land for a basic living.

Savitri's father Mahadev Kashyap, who is a farmer, has put in all efforts to groom his children into responsible and successful citizens of the country.

One will definitely salute the spirits and guts of Savitri's parents, who have spent their entire life so far in a Kutcha house, devoid of luxuries and lavish facilities.

It is the result of their sweat that three of their daughters today are well placed with decent government jobs.

The Prayas programme was launched by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh's government in July 2010 under which meritorious students from the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) districts and other tribal areas were kept in tribal hostels in the state capital and were imparted coaching along with the regular studies at the higher secondary level.