From Jajpur to US, Hemant’s leap of faith guides him to NASA

Kendrapada: Hemant Ojha grew up on a daily diet of poverty. Born into a family of four brothers and two sisters, Hemant being the third of the siblings, they had to depend on the meagre income of their father, who worked in a stone quarry, for sustenance. But despite lack of resources and financial crunch, Hemant lived on hope. Today, the 25-year-old is getting ready to head to the USA and a dream job of a scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more popular as NASA.
“Despite all the hardships, my father (Arjun Charana Ojha) never made me feel the pain. He fulfilled all my needs. He had this dream of seeing me succeed in life,” said Hemant, who grew up at Raichanda village under Dharmasala block of Jajpur district. While his brothers and sisters did not cross the school level, Hemant studied at the village school before heading to Ravenshaw College in Cuttack, where he did his BSc with applied mathematics. Later, he did his PhD in applied mathematics from IIT Madras.

“From my childhood my father has taught me to work silently and let success make the noise. Finally, his hard work has paid off,” said Hemant who will heading to Washington DC on March 13 and join NASA as a junior scientist.

Talking about how he got through to the elite space research institute, Hemant said last year he and six others from India got a chance to spend a month in NASA as research assistants. It was there they got an opportunity to present their projects. Hemant’s project on weather prediction and data analysis caught NASA’s attention. Recently, he got an appointment letter from NASA, signed by its administrator Jim Bridenstine. “I was over the moon when I got the letter,” said Hemant.

When Arjun heard the news of his son joining NASA, tears started running down his cheeks and refused to stop. “I worked hard as a stone-cuter in my village and nearby areas. But I have always tried to help my son in his studies. I sold a piece of land and my wife’s gold ornaments to educate Hemant. Today I am extremely happy that Hemant will be joining NASA,” said Arjun.

“He has achieved what thousands in his age-group can only dream of,” said Arun Kumar Kaista, who taught Hemant at the village school. “His hard labour has borne fruits,” he added.