Bhubaneswar: In the remote tribal hinterlands of Muniguda block in Odisha’s Rayagada district, 86% marks in the Plus II Arts examination would normally signal the beginning of a promising future.
For Debendra Kushulia, it has instead become a painful reminder of how limited opportunities at home are forcing talented young minds to migrate far away in search of basic survival.
Hailing from Dhepaguda village in Telengapadar panchayat, Debendra topped his block in the Plus II examinations, securing 502 out of 600 marks and achieving first division. Yet, instead of celebrating in a college classroom, the meritorious student is currently washing utensils and working as a waiter in a restaurant in Ernakulam in Kerala. His monthly earnings of Rs12,500 come after 13 gruelling hours of labour. The journey to this point has been one of relentless struggle.
It is learnt that Debendra completed his matriculation from Telengapadar High School with 74% marks. He took a year-long break in studies due to lack of funds. To earn money for higher education, he first migrated to Kerala, worked for a year, returned, and enrolled in Muniguda College. Daily commute costs of Rs 40, poor connectivity, and inability to attend college during monsoons were additional hurdles he overcame with sheer determination.
His dream is modest yet noble — to become a teacher and serve the education sector. But financial constraints at home have once again pushed him back to Kerala. His father Bhuj Kushulia is a marginal farmer, his mother is a homemaker, and his elder brother is also working in Kerala. The family’s economic reality offers no cushion for higher studies. Debendra’s story is not an isolated one.
Across Rayagada — a district rich in natural resources but plagued by lack of industries, bright youths like Debenedra are compelled to leave their homes. They travel to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Surat, or the Middle East, often ending up in low-skilled, exploitative jobs. The absence of local industries means that even meritorious students like Debendra have to put their aspirations on hold or abandon them entirely.
While the district sends out its brightest minds as migrant labourers, the potential for local growth remains untapped. Pro-industrialization and targeted skill-based education initiatives could change this narrative. Young minds like Debendra deserve the chance to build their future at home rather than washing dishes hundreds of kilometres away.
Debendra has expressed that if he receives financial support, he would return immediately to pursue higher studies. The real question is whether Rayagada can create an ecosystem where such talent is nurtured locally, rather than exported as cheap labour. Until then, stories like Debendra’s will continue — of brilliant minds forced to trade textbooks for restaurant sinks, and of a district losing its future, one migrant at a time.
The call for industrialization and opportunity creation in backward districts like Rayagada is no longer just an economic argument; it is a moral imperative.
