Retired teacher donates house, land for school in Odisha

Balipatna: Noble persons do exist in the materialistic world for philanthropic work. A retired teacher in Balipatna area of Khordha district is such an example for extending his helping hand to set up a model school at his village.

Benudhar Patra, a retired school teacher of Banamalipur Sheikhpatna village in Balipatna Tehsil, came forward to help in building a school by donating his own house and land located at his village is Majhihara panchayat near Kushabhadra River bank.

When people hesitate to spare an inch of land for others, Benudhar set an example by announcing to donate his properties worth lakhs in the business hub like Banamalipur for school, which was his dream.

“During my 38-year-long tenure serving as a teacher, I had dreamt of constructing a model school at my locality. I had been asking my students and local youths to set up a school to spread education. Now, my dream will come true as my students have come forward to fulfill my wish for which I have donated my land and house,” Benudhar said in his address at a meeting held at Balipatna on Sunday.

No happiness is bigger than it for me, he said in tearful eyes.

Recently, he had constructed a 10-room house at investment of around Rs 10 lakh. He donated it for the school. Besides, he announced to pay Rs 2,000 to a teacher as salary from his pension every month.

Benudhar, whose only son is working at a reputed company as the Manager and his three daughters are busy at their own life, now wants spend his rest of his life with children by providing them quality education and make them best persons.

While education has turned into a commercial institution in the modern age, this is my a little attempt to impart advanced and quality education to children of my area apart from helping them to come out of commercialization concept by setting up a school here, Benudhar said.

He was retired from Ram Chandra High School under Balipatna Block in 2010 after serving as the Headmaster at Jaleswar and Bakua High School. Even after his retirement, he wanted to continue teaching at his village.