Overcoming the Odds
Pratap J Das established iBrain — a tutoring Center in 2013 to teach rural kids in his village Kantabania which comes with it’s own dose of history and legacy. This discreet village, set in rural Odisha is home to Bichitrananda Das and Brajasundar Das who had played key role in the movement towards formation of the state of Utkal (now Odisha). It is said, Odisha’s first weekly publication “Utkal Deepika” was published back in 1866 due to the efforts of Bichirananda Das.
iBrain — a modern tutoring center is modeled as a day-boarding centre where students drop in every morning and continue with their studies till late into the evening. They have a caring group of ladies who cook steaming food for the young kids during the day and take care of their basic requirements. Over the years Pratap along with his wife Sarita Devi have nurtured iBrain into a quality learning centre in Kantabania.
Each child comes to iBrain with a hope to break the glass ceiling, for poverty and deprivation is not easy to beat in Kantabania. Set in the Eastern State of Odisha in India, agriculture is the primary occupation for majority of population in the region and getting a steady employment is for a privileged few. Pratap’s iBrain serves as a training ground for hundreds of children who work hard to strike the goldmine!
In the last five years more than 100 students from iBrain have cracked the annual Scholarship Exam to study in the best Government Schools set up as a central network to train the best brains in India. Getting admission into the esteemed Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is a game changer — since Government takes care of all expenses related to the education of the child till higher secondary.
Steel Maker turns Tutor
Pratap Das completed his early studies in Bhubaneswar, then moved to Nagpur city in Maharashtra to pursue a specialized course in Steel Technology in the mid-nineties. A born innovator and entrepreneur, Pratap dabbed in different ventures — from developing study tools to running a company that produced utensil cleaner. After completing a Management training course at Xavier Institute of Management, Pratap became a full time HR and Training Consultant and his career was a new high.
However, fate intervened — on his way back from a training session in 2011, Pratap was struck with a stray cattle and lost control over his bike. He was rushed to hospital with multiple wounds and fractured legs. The next two years were straining times for Pratap and Sarita, yet both strung along with a smile on their face. Pratap could not recover fully from this mishap leaving him paralysed in both the legs, hampering his movement.
“Life came to a standstill when I lay on the hospital bed with each day a struggle to meet hospital bills. That’s when I decided to go back to my village and start afresh...” — Pratap Das
The fateful accident changed the course of Pratap’s life and his perspective about life. Pratap and Sarita decided to go back to their own Kantabania and dedicate themselves to educating children of his village. That’s how iBrain was born, and so far, it was going along fine with increasing popularity and students from far and wide aspiring to get coaching at iBrain.
Covid Pause — still running
Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has brought another stumbling block to Pratap’s efforts and a big question mark to his plans. In March this year Government ordered all schools and Learning Centers to be closed to avoid the spread of the virus, depriving Pratap from his sole source of income. Also, the students at iBrain are left in the lurch. Undaunted, he has been trying to bank on online platforms to continue serving the children in these difficult times.
Pratap is an excellent teacher; an educator who really cares about his students. In-spite of his infirmity which restricts his mobility, Pratap’s contribution to society is commendable — he continues to make a difference in the life of poor children which is a source of inspiration.
“Covid lockdown has thrown a challenge for us. We are committed to keep contact with the students through digital teaching. They are unable to pay the regular fee because most of the parents are without any work. I am anxious as well as hopeful that we will pass through this phase.” — Sarita Das
It has not been easy for Mr. Das with recurring medical expenses as well as utility bills and expenses to keep iBrain running….these add up to an uncertain future…all while he continues to fight for the children in his village.
The good news is, $2000 will be enough to weather the next six months of uncertainty, a sum we are hoping to raise as a gift for a man who is constantly giving to others.
We hope you’ll join us with any small donation as we seek to honor one of Odisha’s local heroes. 100% of money raised from this campaign will be delivered to Mr. Das and Sarita Devi so they may continue to serve the rural children and guide them towards a better tomorrow.
