Berhampur, Jan. 12: Sisters Amibica and Taraka hadn't seen their father for the 17 years they had spent in an orphanage. They met him at last two days ago.
Twenty-year-old Ambica Ray and her older sister Taraka, 23, have been staying at the orphanage here ever since their aunt left them there.
Now, the two and another inmate of the Utkal Balashram orphanage, 18-year-old Durga Devi Panda, will travel to Chennai after landing jobs as trainee technicians with Royal Enfield (India).
"We never expected that life would become easy for us, but we have made it," Ambica said. Residents of Katingia in Kandhamal district, the girls' mother died in 2005, while their father suffers from paralysis. Their three brothers work as labourers outside Odisha. Gadianala resident Durga lost her father at a young age and was left at the orphanage by her mother when she failed to provide for her.
The three girls opted for technical training at the government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Berhampur, as electricians after completing their Plus Two studies. Upon completing their course, they were selected by the motorcycle maker, which would put them on their payroll at Rs 9,370 a month and provide free accommodation till the end of the training period. The girls will report for work on January 18.
The sisters credit Satish Patnaik, a dentist and the honorary secretary of Utkal Balashram, principal Rajat Kumar Panigrahi, faculty members Udit Narayan Behera, Sabita Padhi and ITI, Berhampur, placement officer Sasmita Das, with transforming their lives.
"I have been looking after the inmates here for 27 years and I never look at them as orphans. They call me papa (father) and I am attached to them as well," said Patnaik.
"We came here 17 years ago. We had not seen our father, who is bedridden, until January 10 when we went back to our village. We have promised him that we will now begin his treatment," said Taraka.
Principal Rajat Kumar Panigrahi said the girls had become self-sufficient. "I am very happy. Every girl should become self-sufficient once they reach adulthood," he said. "We deputed the girls to the Indo-German Advanced Tool Room in Visakhapatnam to develop their skills and they succeeded," he said.
