Bhubaneswar: When most people retire, they look forward to slowing down. For educationist Pritish Acharya, retirement meant finding a new way to stay connected with students.Instead of renting out a room in his Bhubaneswar home, Acharya, who retired as a professor from the Regional Institute of Education (RIE) in May this year, decided to turn the space into a free reading room for students preparing for competitive examinations.Every day, he opens the room to students struggling to find a quiet and affordable place to study in the city. With libraries and private reading rooms often overcrowded and many facilities charging fees that students may find difficult to afford, the space in Acharya’s home has become an alternative for aspirants who need a place to concentrate on their preparation.The room has a small collection of books from Acharya’s personal library and, for students preparing for competitive exams and free Wi-Fi. They can sit and study for hours, access online resources, and use the space without having to worry about paying for a reading room or internet connection.But Acharya offers more than just a place to study. Drawing on his years of experience as an educationist, he also provides free counselling and guidance to students preparing for different competitive examinations. “It is for students who come to Bhubaneswar to prepare for competitive examinations. I have noticed that many of them need counselling, and I help them in whatever ways I can. My resources are limited, so I am providing basic facilities such as Wi-Fi and seating arrangements. The books here are from my personal collection,” he said.Interestingly, the initiative was not part of Acharys’a retirement plan. He had initially thought of using the space as part of his retirement routine, a way to remain occupied and engaged after years in academia. But the idea changed when he saw students struggling to find affordable spaces to study.“What began as a way to keep myself engaged after retirement gradually turned into an effort to help students who cannot afford reading room fees. I do not want to earn any money from this. I spend a part of my pension on maintaining the facility,” Acharya said.“I stay in a boys’ hostel in Chandrasekharpur, where the rooms are small and often noisy, so I had to use a commercial reading room in Nayapalli for a few days. But with the growing demand for such spaces, they are almost always crowded. Acharya’s initiative is therefore a huge help for students like us. Having a quiet place to study, and that too free of cost, makes a big difference and saves us a considerable amount of money”, said Abhisek Nanda, a student.
