Prof Achyuta Samanta’s life story reads like a powerful saga of grit, determination, and social responsibility. Born and brought up in poverty in a remote village in Odisha, he was dealt a cruel blow at the tender age of four when he lost his father, after which his life became a struggle for food and education for 15 long years. However, he persevered, and at the age of 22, joined teaching. At 25, he embarked on a journey that would change his own life, and the lives of thousands of people. With just Rs 5000 in his pocket, he started KIIT (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology) and KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences) in two rented houses.