Bhubaneswar: We often hear stories of students who walk long distances, cross rivers, or trek through difficult terrain just to reach school. But what happens when the teachers themselves have to go the extra mile — sometimes quite literally — to reach their students? In many remote corners of Odisha, the struggle for education is not one-sided. While children overcome barriers to attend class, there are teachers who reverse the journey, braving the same obstacles every single day so that learning never stops. Their dedication turns the classroom into a destination worth any risk. One such story unfolds every morning in Odisha’s Nabarangapur district, where two teachers set out on a journey that most would consider extraordinary.
For most teachers, the morning commute is a simple routine. For Rotiot Harijan and Ajit Kumar Khura in Nabarangpur district, it is a daily act of quiet courage. Every morning around 7 am, the two men step into a modest country boat they bought with their own savings and begin a perilous crossing of the vast Indravati reservoir. The boat ride alone takes nearly one and a half hours. Once they reach the other side, several more kilometres of walking still separate them from their classrooms, according to reports.
Harijan, who lives in Bangalaguda near Indravati in Tentulikhunti block, teaches at Tanginicot Government Primary School, home to 42 students. After crossing the reservoir and reaching Gumaguda, he walks another seven kilometres to school. Despite the exhausting journey, he has remained remarkably regular so that his students’ education is never disrupted. The district administration recognised his dedication by honouring him on Independence Day.
Khura, a resident of Kenduguda near the reservoir, teaches at Gurumaiguda Government Primary School, which has more than 50 students. After sharing the boat ride with Harijan, he walks about four kilometres to reach his school.
For both teachers, the day’s real work begins only after this long and uncertain journey. The crossing is never without risk. Sudden changes in weather or rising water levels can turn the reservoir dangerous, and even a moment’s carelessness could prove costly. Yet the two teachers continue without fail, knowing that their absence would leave children in this remote region without lessons. Their steadfast commitment has earned quiet admiration from the local community.
Villagers point out that the daily ordeal of these two teachers highlights the challenges of taking education to the most inaccessible areas, and many have called for safer and more reliable transport so that such dedication no longer has to come at such personal risk.
In an age when teaching is often measured by classrooms and curricula, Harijan and Khura remind us that sometimes the greatest lesson begins long before the first bell rings — on a fragile boat, crossing open water, for the sake of children waiting on the other side.
