Kaptipada (Degree) College

Up here in Kaptipada, life doesn't move as fast as it does in the bigger towns of Odisha. This college is the main place where students from across Mayurbhanj come to get their degrees. We are surrounded by plenty of trees and greenery, which makes the campus feel open and airy. The college building itself has been standing for quite a while, and you can see the age in the brickwork here and there. Students come from all over, some taking long bus rides while others just walk from the nearby settlements. Our classrooms are very basic and functional. In the main office, we spend a lot of time dealing with stacks of admission forms and exam papers. The internet can be a bit slow out here, so we often have to wait for things to load. Most of the staff members know the students by their names because it’s a tight-knit community. We don’t have a massive canteen, just a little corner where people can get a cup of tea and a snack. It’s a place for studying, but it’s also where the local youth catch up with each other. When the rains come, the whole place looks beautiful, even if we have to deal with a few leaks in the older roofs. Most kids are just trying to get their degree so they can find work or move on to bigger cities like Baripada. It’s a quiet and honest institution where we do our best for the students.