By Purushottam Nayak

Bhubaneswar: A young Catholic woman, victim of the anti-Christian violence in 2008 in Odisha’s Kandhamal, has cleared the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET), one of the toughest national level exams in India.

“God is so caring and loving to the orphan. If my parents were alive they would have been happier. I credit this success to my parents, especially my father, who stood behind me always. Hard work and determination has made my life successful,” said Sibani Swarnamayi Singh.

The 22-year-old orphan also thanks several Catholic priests, nuns and teachers, who helped her.

Singh was born on December 30, 1997, as the eldest of three children, at Mohagudi, a remote village and substation of St. Joseph’s Parish, Godapur in Kandhamal district, under the Archdiocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar.

She lost her mother when she was five.

“My mother passed away because of delivery complications. Losing mother was a huge blow to me. I felt crushed even at that age. I felt alone and lost as no one could understand my pain,” Singh told Matters India controlling her tears.

Her strength was her father, who always encouraged her to study and take coaching classes for the NEET. However, he died January this year, nine months before she wrote the exam with her young brother Srabana Uthan Singh,

“I was once again shattered. Father was the only support in our lives,” said Singh a Dalit girl. She wrote the NEET exam on September 13. The NEET exam results were announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on October 16. As many as 1,410,755 candidates wrote the exam.

Singh scored 429 and her brother 441 out of the total marks of 720.

Singh and her brother now study medicine.

She says her inspiration to take up medicine is the desire that no other woman should meet her mother’s fate.

“As I grew up I was determined to see mothers alive and healthy. I want to serve the sick and suffering as a doctor,” she explained.

After her mother’s death her brother, younger sister Sradha Uthan Singh and she stayed in Mother Teresa orphanage, Berhampur, another town in Odisha.

Singh did her primary education in the village school. A Father Maria Singarayan, who was impressed her studiousness, helped her shift her to a boarding school attached to Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish, Mondasoro, where did her fourth and fifth grades.

She vividly remembers the extremists attack on the church and the convent of Mondasoro in 2008. Hindu radical groups burnt vehicle and houses. She had to run to the deep forest and climb mountains to reach Godapur.

“The anti-Christian violence had affected us mentally, physically and psychologically. We did not fear wild animals but were afraid of human extremists who forced us to spend five days in the jungle without food and drink,” Singh recalls.

She also says she and others had to undergo pain, agony and threat to life just because they were Christians.

“But, I am firm in my faith in Jesus who is there in my danger and difficulties of life. I am proud of being a Catholic. Jesus is my savior,” Singh asserts.

After the anti-Christian violence, she studied grades six and seven at Godapur and grades 8-10 in Prabhati Tara Girl’s High School, Bamunigam.

She completed her tenth in 2013 and studied intermediate at Model Women’s College, Berhampur in 2015. She joined for degree course for two years but changed her stream for medical coaching in at Solidarity for Developing Communities (SFDC), an NGO, Berhampur.

She says she is grateful to nuns and priests who supported different stages of her studies.

Father Praful Sabhapati, pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish, Godapur, finds Singh a studious girl. “She worked extremely hard, studied day and night, and finally cleared NEET exam despite losing her beloved mother in her childhood and father recently,” the priest told Matters India.

Father Sabhapati has also observed Singh’s strong faith in Christ. “Today, she is proud of where she is. She is also proud of even her struggles,” he added.

Singh now waits for the results of state counselling of Karnataka government to get admission Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree in St John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore.

She requires some 800,000 rupees as admission fees.

Bijay Singh, SFDC founder and executive secretary, says it would sad if Singh fails to get admission in the medical college because of lack of funds.

“All our efforts will be in vain,” said the Catholic social worker who started the coaching center started in 1993.

Singh says God who stood with her in all her difficulties will show her a way.