Odisha: Tea seller’s son cracks NEET

BERHAMPUR: The son of a tea seller in Kandhamal district’s Phulbani has cracked this year’s National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) at his sixth attempt.
Suraj Kumar Behera (22), the eldest son of Siba Shankar Behera of Masterpada in Phulbani, has secured 635 of 720 marks in the medical entrance exam and stood 8056th in the general category. Despite belonging to the Other Backward Class section, he could not obtain the reservation certificate as his family does not have their own house in the town.
Suraj, a Plus-III dropout, also helps his father at his tea stall near Phulbani hospital.
“I prepared for the exam on my own at home. I did not take any formal coaching as my family’s financial condition is weak. I consulted a lot of YouTube videos for tips,” he added. Despite failing to get the desired score in the previous five attempts, Suraj did not give up on his dream and continued his preparation.
Despite his poor financial condition, he tried to provide the best education to his children, said Siba Shankar. “My younger son is studying electrical engineering at VSSUT, Burla, while the youngest studies Plus III. I did not discourage Suraj ever. Despite his studies, Suraj helped me at the tea stall.”