Daringbadi: He did not have someone to guide him. His was a poor family. There were several other obstacles in his life. However, his strong determination and hard labour paid off in the long run as he became regional labour commissioner under Union Government’s Ministry of Labour & Employment.
People came to know about the success story of Kanhu Charan Sahu — son of Kunidev Sahu and late Jayadev Sahu of Daringbadi in Kandhamal district — after a clip of his interview telecasted in Bihar Doordarshan went viral.
Kanhu lost his father when he was a school student and studied at a nearby government high school. Following his father’s demise, the responsibility of the family, comprising four members — his mother and three sisters — fell on his untrained shoulders.
The young boy started selling vegetables to run his family. That said, he never allowed the business to affect his study. He used to open the shop after school. After Matriculation, he enrolled himself at a local block grant junior college while teaching school going students to make some money.
With the Rs 3,000 he had saved from his prior work, he went to Berhampur to continue his higher education after Plus II. Kanhu admits that it was his undeterred desire to become something in life that kept propelling him all along his life.
“My friends and neighbours would advise me to run the vegetable business. But it was my mother’s encouragement and my strong determination and hard labour that finally paid off,” says the man who is presently posted at Patna in Bihar as a regional labour commissioner.
PNN