Pay 18 saplings to join this Bihar coaching institute

A unique institute in Bihar’s hinterland is trying to tackle two burning issues – global warming and unemployment – at the same time.

- Manoj Chaurasia

It’s a coaching institute that charges only 18 plants as admission fee. Piyush Kumar, son of a poor grocer in Rosera, a municipal town along the Burhi Gandak river in Samastipur district, can vouch for it.

“But for this institute, I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to study further. It has shaped my career and my future. I just can’t express my feelings in words,” says Piyush, who has landed a job with the income tax department in Delhi. He cleared the exam in his maiden attempt.

Baljit Kumar, who works with Indian Railways, also credits the institute with shaping his career. Baljit’s father was a poor mason in Samastipur district with no money to fund his studies. “One day, a local student brought me to this institute and introduced me to Suman, who asked me to give 18 saplings as admission fees,” says Baljit. “It was here that I got basic information about how to compete for government jobs. Ultimately, I got a job in the railways.”