Failed To Qualify For Army, Odisha Man Opens Training Institute, Helps 70 Youngsters Get Placed In Forces

For the past five years, Silu Nayak is training local youths by a riverside at Arakhadu district in Odisha.

Popularly called Nayak Sir by his students, he has made his life's mission to help youngsters prepare for the armed forces examinations. For this, he has set up the 'Mahaguru Battalion' institute that admits students in his district and the nearby villages.

Nayak himself gave various Indian Army examinations but couldn't qualify. Even though he qualified for the Odisha Industrial Security Forces (OISF), which falls under Odisha Police in 2016, he chose not to join.

He decided that instead of joining the security forces, he would help the youngsters in his district to prepare for the armed forces examinations. Till now, he has trained 300 youngsters out of which 70 managed to get into the armed forces: 18 are in the Indian Army, three in the Indian Air Forces, and six in the Indian Navy. Others qualified for Central Reserve Police Forces and Border Security Forces.

"When I could not clear the entrance exam of the armed forces, I felt dejected. There are limited job opportunities in my village, and getting into the forces is one of the ways through which we could get secured jobs. I did not want any other educated young person preparing for the forces to face the same ordeal. That's when I decided to train the youngsters in my district to get prepared for the examination of armed forces," Silu Nayak told The Logical Indian.

Nayak recalls aimlessly wandering for two to three months when he could not clear the entrance exams. However, shortly after, he came up with a study plan that would help youngsters who would be attempting such competitive examinations for jobs.

Nayak said by training the youth in his district, he has found the purpose of his life. "I always wanted to work for a social cause, and running an institute makes me feel satisfied."