Bhubaneswar, May 29: Karmu Majhi, 25, had mixed reactions when he saw his confirmation letter from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He was ecstatic to have cracked the entrance of postgraduate diploma in graphic design, but the exorbitant fees left the boy in a tizzy. Coming to his rescue was none other than chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Coming from an agrarian BPL family of eight, when Majhi failed to get any bank loan, he decided to ask Naveen for financial assistance. He applied at the chief minister’s office on May 27 and to his delight Naveen called him today and promised to take care of his course fees, which is Rs 4,30,000. “He congratulated me and gave me a letter to show at the institute. He also gave me a gift of Rs 10,000 for my achievement,” said Majhi who left for Ahmedabad this evening.

Majhi, who graduated from the department of painting at B.K. College of Art and Crafts last year, and his batch mate Biplab Kumar Bhesra, 24, became the first ones from the college to qualify for one of the premier institutes of design in Asia. Biplab, who graduated from the department of applied art, has qualified for the film and video communication course at NID.

Family members, relatives, friends and teachers praised both the students. Their professor and well-known painter Meenaketan Patnaik, who has seen the growth of the two boys for four years, believes that it was the boys’ determination that worked in their favour. “Many students from the college had earlier tried at NID, but could not qualify. But Karmu and Biplab were keen on getting into the institute and worked hard for the entrance. I am happy about the exposure these two kids will get,” said Meenaketan, instructor, department of applied art.

Unlike Majhi, Biplab, who is still having second thoughts about NID, said: “I want to become a filmmaker. I have applied to the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, and am waiting for the results before making the final call.”