Odisha couple sells land, mortgages pension cards to fund son’s MBBS dream

Bhubaneswar: In a moving tale of parental sacrifice, an elderly couple from Odisha’s Kandhamal district have sold a portion of their land and mortgaged their old-age pension cards to fund their son’s medical education.

Kepanga Sunamajhi (70) and his wife Nagatalu (70) are marginal farmers from Dhusari village in Daringbadi block. Their 26-year-old son, Sushant Sunamajhi, cleared NEET this year and secured admission to Maharaja Jajati Keshari Government Medical College in Jajpur.

To raise Rs 24,000 for his admission, the couple pledged their pension cards for Rs 12,000 each—one to a village moneylender and the other to a member of a self-help group (SHG).

Both receive Rs 1,000 monthly under the state’s Madhu Babu Pension Yojana. The lenders will collect their pension payments until the loans are repaid, leaving the couple without this vital source of income in the meantime.

Arpha Majhi, an SHG member who extended one of the loans, said the group decided to help after seeing the couple’s distress. “Seeing the parents’ sadness, we gave them money in exchange for their pension card,” she said.

Sushant’s journey to medical college has been marked by determination. After completing Plus II at a government-aided college in Kanisi, Berhampur, he returned to his village, helped his parents with farming and prepared for NEET. He cleared the examination on his third attempt without private coaching, relying mainly on internet resources.

But the struggle is far from over. The family must now arrange money for tuition, accommodation, food, books and other expenses throughout his medical course. “We are happy for our son, but the expenses have become a concern for us,” Nagatalu said.

Sushant, too, is worried about the financial burden on his parents. “Beyond college fees, I will need money for accommodation, food, books and other educational necessities. My parents are worried about how they will meet these expenses throughout my medical course,” he said.

With their land partly sold and pension income pledged to repay loans, the couple now faces an uncertain financial future as they strive to keep their son’s dream of becoming a doctor alive.