Dasvi Paas: When MLA, sarpanch & friends went back to school in Odisha

Ashok Pradhan & Sonalika SinhaTimes Network
Jun 13, 2024 | 17:00 IST

MLA Angada Kanhar, 58, retook Class X exams after 40 years, inspiring friends and youth in Odisha's Kandhamal district.

  • A 58-year-old BJD MLA from Phulbani was among the 5 lakh students who took the Class X board exam this year
  • His friends, among them a sarpanch, joined in
  • Why did they go back to school to complete their education?
  • When is a good age to go back to school?
  • An inspiring ‘Dasvi Paas’ story answers such questions

It’s never too late to chase one’s dream. And when it comes to education and learning, age is certainly no bar. Here’s an inspiring story from Phulbani in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, where an MLA took his Class X exam after decades, and inspired three other friends to do so.

Way back in 1978, Angada Kanhar dropped out of school in Class X. But even without being “dasvi paas”, he achieved far more than many people his age could manage. He was a four-time sarpanch, a panchayat samiti chairman and a zilla parishad member before he became MLA in 2019. But something was nagging him at the back of his mind. Angad wanted to pass the matriculation examination. What he had never imagined was that 40 years later, life would give him a second chance.
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