Kalamati (Jharkhand), May 6 (PTI) Raised in an orphanage in a remote Khunti village, Elisha Hassa, 19, whose journey so far remained embroiled in struggle and pain, had not heard the word engineering before she got admitted to one of the schools for underprivileged in class 11.

This orphan tribal girl who once did not know how to speak Hindi has cracked one of the toughest examinations - JEE Mains. She dreams big and aspires for changes in lives of children like her afflicted with acute poverty.

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"I lost my parents when I was nine. I was admitted to an orphanage and from there I landed in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya(KGBV), Kalamati Khunti in 2015. I came to know of a programme 'Sapno Ki Udaan' which gave wings to my dreams. I studied day and night but could not succeed last year. This year I got all India rank 1,788 in ST category," Elisha who is now preparing for JEE Advance told PTI.

Elisha is not alone. There are nine others who despite facing adversities, not knowing Hindi till the average age of 12 when they got admitted to KGBV, qualified the JEE Mains. They all started preparation for the JEE Advance with a dream to overcome their poverty and bring a positive change in the Maoist hit Khunti district.

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They all unanimously credited their success to 'Sapno Ki Udaan,' an educational initiative of Khunti district administration to provide special coaching for engineering and medical to aspirants from disadvantaged groups of society. The project is a brainchild of Khunti deputy commissioner Shashi Ranjan, an IIT-ian himself.

Saraswati Munda, a descendant of tribal icon Birsa Munda who waged a war against the British much before the struggle for Independence, was admitted to KGBV due to extreme poverty with parents hardly able to meet both ends from agriculture.

With a glint in her eyes, she narrated, "I want to fulfill the dreams of my great great grandfather Birsa Munda, who dreamt for prosperity of tribesmen in Jharkhand. I wish to take the light of education to my village where people hardly have knowledge about engineering and medical studies."

Dreaming to become a pilot so that she can trot the globe right from Russia and USA to UK, she says she wants to work for disadvantaged communities not only in India but abroad as well.

Likewise, abandoned and rejected by her father at a tender age of two years for being a girl child after her mother's death, Angel Siyon Topno did not look back.

Raised in extreme poverty by maternal grandmother who ekes out a living on old age and widow pension, in a far-flung Khunti village, Topno was ultimately admitted to state-run Kasturba Gandhi School.

Once unable to speak Hindi, she cracked one of the toughest examinations the IIT JEE Mains this year and credits the success to her 'Nani' (maternal grandmother).

Faced with extreme financial crunch, they all foresee 'arranging finances' as the biggest hurdle. They all said none in their families know what IIT JEE is and they are not in a position to meet the expenses even if they qualify for the best of the institutions the country has to offer.

They narrated the example of Puja Kumari who despite qualifying NEET last year could not take admission due to a financial crunch and has finally buried her dreams of becoming a medical professional.

"None came to my rescue. I had to bury my dreams," Puja said.

KGBV Kalamati Warden cum teacher Jyoti Kumar echoed their concerns saying "No one could believe that girls from such a background could achieve such a feat. All of them are from underprivileged communities with many orphaned, many rescued after being trafficked, many belonging to single parent and many victims of various abuses."

Engineering coach appointed by Deputy Commissioner through a process of tender and selection, SD Mishra said the biggest challenge these girls faced was 'language' as they didn't know even proper Hindi initially.

"They all gave their 100 per cent not only to learn Hindi but also difficult English technical words of engineering and medical. If they get into government colleges no one can stop them from realizing their dreams, else how can they spend lakhs on education when they cannot afford a paltry sum of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 a year," he said.

Khunti Deputy Commissioner, Ranjan, who ignited the young minds, said once the trend has set rolling there would be no looking back.

"We will ensure all possible steps so that the talents don't go waste. We will get such children connected with entities desirous of helping them."

"I want this noble initiative to flourish. At present 30 such meritorious underprivileged girls are getting coaching. I want this to be a game changer for society. We want this spirit to be kept alive .... You can understand their mammoth efforts to crack this tough exam given they have not seen the world outside their village,” he said.

Ranjan said the success of this Kalamati institution will be replicated across other government schools as well.

A visit to the Kalamati School on the borders of Ranchi and Khunti, some 30 km from the state capital Ranchi, revealed that the day for some 80 inmates starts at 4 am and ends at 10 pm packed with teaching, self-study and coaching.

Citing examples of excellent performance by KGBV girls in JEE Mains, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has promised all possible support to such meritorious students.

Soren said there is no dearth of talent among poor students who cannot afford costly education and the state was committed to ensure all help to them.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)