Bhubaneswar: Boston-based Manorama Choudhury has always believed that education can change the trajectory of a child’s life and that belief has been the guiding force behind her nearly decade-long philanthropic work for tribals in Odisha. What began with a contribution to one school in Mayurbhanj district has now grown into a support system for 30.For Manorama, it began with her participating in a community event in the US in 2015. “After some time, I was invited to another event on the power of education. That’s when I decided to support one school. In the subsequent years, more schools were added,” she said.During her visits to Odisha in 2022, 2024 and 2025, she travelled to these schools, interacted with students and teachers, and saw first-hand the circumstances in which they were studying. The visits, she said, gave her a deeper understanding of both the challenges and aspirations of the children. “She spends a lot of time with the tribal students, often playing and practising yoga with them. She also meets the villagers,” Iti Mishra, who was earlier the Mayurbhanj in-charge of the schools and is now with Balangir, said.As she came to know more about the schools’ activities, Manorama started spreading word about these schools in the US by hosting people at her home. Seeing her enthusiasm, her husband Bhaskar Panigrahi joined too. “This was the real turning point, from participation to advocacy, from observing to shaping,” she said.Her involvement with the schools soon took a creative form with Manorama investing in producing a song with lyrics carrying the donation message forward. “The project not only carried the school’s message but also supported many artists back home,” she added.These experiences inspired her to write blogs and make vlogs, sharing what she saw and felt, hoping others would be moved too. “These efforts required both time and significant personal resources and often meant time away from family, but I felt these were meaningful contributions on my part,” she said.
