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Amazing journey of orphaned tribal boy

Gagan Dhal with the Queen Sonja of Norway

BHUBANESWAR: When a three-year-old tribal boy along with his younger brother was picked up from a remote village of Keonjhar district in mid-1990s, he neither knew about his parents, nor about the world around him.

Subsequently christened as Gagan Dhal, the boy is now confident of going anywhere in the world. Gangan’s college-mates hail from 80 different countries. The amazing journey of the orphaned tribal boy began from SOS Children’s Village here, where he was inducted in rather a dramatic manner.

“In 1994, some of the volunteers had identified 12 children in tribal dominated Keonjhar district. There was no trace of their parents. Gagan, then three-year-old, and his brother Pawan, were among them. At that time, they could hardly utter their names,” in-charge of the village R.K. Patra said.

After his induction, known as home coming in SOS Children’s Village, he got the name Gagan and inherited surname from his caretaker, called as mother.

A good student throughout his career, he studied in Unit-VIII, DAV Public School in Bhubaneswar and then at Rishi Valley Education Centre, run by Krishnamurti Foundation India, in the interior of rural Andhra Pradesh.

Finally, the big moment came when Gagan got the sponsorship as only student from India and studied at Red Cross Nordic United World College in Norway. He is now pursuing science stream under international baccalaureate programme and aims to become a doctor.

“I am confident that I will get further sponsorship to study medicine either in United Kingdom, America or Canada,” Gagan said here on Sunday.

Does he feel nervous outside India? “Yes, in initial days the country was a bit different. Now I am perfectly alright,” he said while amusing with other kids in the SOS Children’s Village.

The campus sprawled over 10 acres now houses 147 children from different corners of the State. Altogether, 259 such estranged kids have occupied the home at different times. Another occupant, Abinash Swain, who was also picked from Keonjhar district, is now studying physics and computer in Canada. He has also graduated from Red Cross Nordic United World College in Norway.

Twelve inmates of the village have so far joined engineering institutions. Many are in colleges and some others have got jobs in Orissa and outside. The children, who had been abandoned by their parents or got separated by accidents, have scripted spectacular success stories here.

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