Bargarh: Rambai Das, a female farmer from Jamurda village in Bargarh district of Odisha, will be honoured with the Nilimarani Social Service Award. Never giving up in a struggling life, she established herself with strong willpower and continues to inspire others.
After selection of Rambai Das for the prestigious Nilimarani Social Service Award by Neelimarani Charitable Trust, there is a happy atmosphere in Bargarh district.
Earlier, the female farmer Rambai Das has been awarded by PM Modi as well as former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.
Forty year old Rambai hails from Bargarh district, which is considered as the application area of green revolution.
Rambai’s life is full of struggle. However, she has fought with every challenge of life amid big sorrows. When she was young, her mother migrated to Bargarh district from Chhattisgarh with another man. They took refuge at the verandah of the Gauntia’s house in Jamurda village. Later they started working as an agricultural laborer in the Gountia’s paddy field.
Rambai had a keen interest in academic studies. However, situation did not permit and she had to remain uneducated. As she grew up her marriage was solemnized too early at the age of 16. And soon after marriage she became mother at a young age.
Because she gave birth to a girl child, the in-laws began to torture her. Despite this, she borne all the torture for her child and stayed there. However, as the degree of torture elevated, she finally decided to leave here in-law’s house. She returned back to her mother’s place in Jamurda along with her daughter. Even, at this time she was pregnant.
At her mother’s place Rambai gave birth to her second daughter. However, when the young girl was 4 years old, the elder girl of brain fever. She got disheartened following death of her daughter. Yet, this was not the end. Later, her husband also passed away at his house.
The news of her husband’s death gave Rambai a mental shock. A frustrated Rambai tried to commit suicide, but she stopped herself because she had still her younger daughter and old mother.
She consoled herself and tried to stand on her own feet. She started farming herself. Even though she did not have her own land, she worked hard on other’s land and cultivated vegetables.
She does all the farming related works herself. From ploughing the land to running the motor pump to irrigate the land, driving the weeder machine, carrying loads and selling the vegetables in the market, Rambai can do anything like a man.
Today, Rambai Das is self-reliant and inspires others. She felt proud and grateful after getting selected for the prestigious Nilimarani Social Service award for her social service.
The Neelimarani Social Service Award is an award conferred by the Nilimarani Memorial Charitable Trust, set up by Dr. Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT and KISS, every year on the social workers.
The award has been constituted in the loving memory of the exemplary contribution of late Nilimarani Samanta in the field of social work.