Do you not want to know something about me? How did I become a shepherd? Let me introduce myself first.

I'm Teknu, a 15-years-old Kalahandian young boy, living there in a small cottage. This is Macaguda, a tribal hilly village with having a population of about 5 hundred people. I have never touched down to the ground of a school. Being an illiterate fellow also I'm living in my own way positively here.

There are two reasons for not getting an education.

The first one is; no school is established in our village. The second point is related to my late father. He was a rigorous worker in his life. He was habituated to go even if Jhola, the nearest village of Macaguda, for works. There was only one school for our belt where very few children were reading. When I wanted to go there he didn't agree. He stated that only the sons of riches should read. The sons of the poor should not be worried to get an education.

He died of a serious fever. I was only 7year old at that time. Some of our neighbors told us that his father met with death as a deity of a cornfield was rude upon him. Just right after one month of my father's demise mother got married to another young man and stayed with him.

I became alone, an enigma to narrate details isn't at all possible now. Only one thing I know is that my tough struggle started thereafter for survival in this dense range. My engagement was fixed up in a well-to-do person of the village.

I became a shepherd for the sake of that family. The working schedule was from morning to evening every day. At present also that time table has not been changed and followed by me. I take stale wash mingled with salt, onion pieces, and dried chili in lunch with my friends in the grazing field and hot rice along with a little bit of veg curry in dinner at owner's except for the room where I sleep. It's very rare to get mutton curry in dinner, yearly twice or thrice.

The utensils used for me will be cleaned in my own hand after eating.

However, I have been living yet and hope also to continue this trend until my death. At last, not least may l say one most important thing that I am in search of a girl to make life partner. No more to express for the time being.

- Sudhanshu Shekhar Patra