‘Time for GenNext to take charge’

BHUBANESWAR: Sambit Panigrahi is originally a native of Aska. His father works in Balangir district. His family came to Bhubaneswar and started living in a rented accommodation last year to let Sambit and his younger sister Priti have access to better education. And Sambit hasn’t disappointed his parents. Getting selected in the final round of Times Scholar’s Programme is the latest feather in his cap.
“When I took admission to BJB College in Plus II, we decided that the family should shift here. My father shuttles between Balangir and Bhubaneswar because of his job there. The rest of us have been staying here,” said the Class XII boy. Sambit’s sister Priti is a Class XI student in the same college.
“Since my mother stays with me, I didn’t have to put up in hostel. I can concentrate on my study in a relaxed manner. I think this is a big plus for me as I have never stayed in hostel before. I have to appear in crucial entrance examinations this year, taking a chance with hostel would not have been a good idea,” he said. His mother Savita is a homemaker.
Sambit did his early schooling, from pre-school to Class X, at Kantabanji Sashu Vidya Mandir. By securing 94.3% in Class X, he secured the 17th rank in the state. His academic performance has been consistently good. He stood third in the state in Medha Brahti Krishna, a scholarship programme. Contrary to wide perceptions, Sambit feels parents these days wre not over-ambitious about their wards’ performances.
Sambit aims to become a civil servant. “I find civil service is the best job to serve the country effectively. Good bureaucrats can bring a lot of changes in the governance,” he said.
The immediate priority for the 17-year-old, however, is to crack IIT. “I want to join an IIT because these are perceived to be the best institutions where one’s talent is groomed well,” he said. He studies for around four hours daily apart from attending classes in the college and a private coaching class. “Classroom teaching may not be enough to compete in all-India level examinations. That is why I am also attending a coaching class,” he said.