Soumya Ranjan Pradhan, from Buhalipal village in Odisha, is the eldest of four children in a daily-wage labourer’s family.

At the age of three, a surgery for a medical condition led to a spinal cord injury, which left him unable to walk. For a while, his father hesitated to send him to school, unsure how he would manage. But with support from local staff and community members, Soumya was eventually enrolled in Class 4.

He later received a government-sponsored tricycle and the Banishree scholarship. His high school was uphill and hard to access, but his friends pitched in — taking turns to give him rides on their bicycles. His teachers, too, offered steady encouragement.

Determined, Soumya excelled in tricycle races, winning at block and district levels and securing second place statewide. With a ₹700 monthly disability allowance from the government, he completed grade twelfth, graduated from BJB College, and finished computer training—supported by the Ganeswar Club (an ILP NGO partner).

Today, he runs Jana Seva Kendra, a digital service centre in his village, assisting locals with Aadhaar updates, online forms, and more—earning a dignified living while giving back to the community that supported him.