Bhubaneswar: Sunita Nayak stands merely 1.5 ft tall. But at Panchayatiraj High School in Kamakhyanagar block of Dhenkanal district, where the 14-year-old is appearing for her Class X board examination this year, she comes across as one of the most determined and confident examinees.Sunita hails from Kata village under Kamakhyanagar block in Dhenkanal district. The HSC examination began on Feb 19, and since then, she has not missed a single paper. It overrides the fact that she faces difficulty in walking owing to her height and does not speak as clearly as other children of her age.Every examination day, her mother, Sanju Nayak, carries her in her arms to the centre. Accompanied by a scribe, who happens to be a distant relative, Sunita softly dictates her answers while the former writes them down. During this period, a patient Sanju waits outside, silently praying that her daughter’s exam goes well.The youngest of two siblings, Sunita is a student of Nigamananda High School under Mahulpal panchayat. She was born with the deformity, said Sanju. “Till she turned 3 years old, we took her to every doctor in Dhenkanal and Cuttack, but none could treat her condition,” she said. However, Sanju and her husband did not want this to affect her schooling. When they enrolled her at the local school, they were pleasantly surprised by her love for books and colours.“Despite her short height and speech difficulties, she never shied away from studies. So, as parents, we made sure she attended school every day,” recalled Sanju.Things changed 12 years ago, when Sanju lost her husband, a small-time farmer and labourer. Since then, she has been raising her two children by working as a cook at the local school and occasionally as a daily wage labourer. The family owns a small piece of land, but it generates little income. Her 20-year-old son, Rajesh, is also pursuing his studies.“Sunita is not regular in attending classes because my son or I are not available to take her to school every day. However, she prepared for the examination at home,” said Sanju.The state govt supports Sunita through scholarship schemes like Banishree, meant for differently abled children. She may be small in appearance but her dreams are big. Sunita wants to pursue higher studies. “The govt provides her a scholarship but if we receive assistance in taking her to college everyday, she would be able to continue her education,” Sanju added.
