They Train On Leave, So Others Can Wear The Uniform: Inside Odisha’s Free Defence Training Academy
Driven by patriotism, serving soldiers spend their leave and salaries to train underprivileged youth for the Army, free of cost, in Balasore’s Khaira.
Published : December 19, 2025 at 12:53 PM IST
By Jeevan Jyoti Nayak
Balasore: Thousands of youngsters across the length and breadth of the country aspire to get into the Armed forces. Hailing from far off villages and small towns, many aspirants are deprived of the means but still wake up before dawn, tighten their shoe laces and run with the dream to serve the nation in uniform. Yet, for many, that dream ends prematurely due to lack of professional training which is expensive, inaccessible, and many times, out of reach.
But in Khaira block of Odisha’s Balasore district, three men in uniform - soldiers - decided that money, access or training should never decide who gets to serve the country.
That decision gave birth to the Kalinga Utkal Defence Academy, a free training institution run by serving and former Army and CRPF personnel, who teach men and women aspirants during their own leave period. Not only that, they spend a major part of their salaries to run the academy but do not expect anything in return. "If any trainee qualifies to serve the country, that becomes our remuneration," say Amulya Bindhani, Mayur Das, and Bijay Pradhan, the brains behind the training academy.
All three of them had seen the same story repeat itself when young aspirants practiced rigorously and cleared the physical drills but failed in entrance exams due to lack of guidance or funds. Many returned broken, their morale shattered. After two to three trials, they backed out and looked for other options.
“We realised motivation alone is not enough. These youngsters need proper training, discipline, and direction, particularly those from rural and border areas of Odisha,” says Mayur Kumar Das, a CRPF jawan.
In 2021, the trio turned that thought into action, and started the Kalinga Utkal Defence Academy with 40 students from Balasore and neighbouring districts. Today, while over 70 young men and women are undergoing training here, more than 40 have already joined the Army and police forces in last couple of years.
At the academy, physical training and written coaching are free for all. The trainees, particularly those from far off places, have to bear the expenses of food and accommodation. But for those who cannot afford that much also get a waiver with the academy bearing the cost.
Classes at the institution begin at 5 am with rigorous physical drills at the playground of Nayakhandi Primary School. Classes to qualify written exams are held in the afternoon at a rented house in Natapada Chack, Khaira Bazaar. A small library has also been set up for the benefit of the trainees.
Four teachers have been assigned to provide academic coaching. Surveillance cameras ensure discipline and focus. It is not only about exam preparation, the students also imbibe rules of discipline, responsibility, and dignity from here.
Since the trainees stay upstairs at Bijay Pradhan’s residence, his mother, Aarti, looks after them like her own children.
What makes the academy extraordinary is the people who teach here. All physical trainers are serving Army personnel who return during leave. They make it a point to train the aspirants. Many former trainees, now posted in uniform, return during their leave to train the next batch.
“We do not take help from outside. We contribute from our salaries. Also those who get selected after training here, support the academy every month by contributing some amount from their salary. This is how it runs,” says Mayur Kumar Das, a CRPF jawan.
Today, the academy has grown into a collective effort of 13 serving defence personnel and four academic teachers.
The trainees have their own stories. Priyattama Bagh from Boudh feels the academy is a lifeline. “I learnt about it from social media, I am preparing for SI exams here. Physical and written classes are free and coaching is excellent. More girls must come forward and train here to become self-reliant,” she says.
Similarly Jyotiraditya Roy, now inducted into the Army, recalls when he arrived here with little money. “I failed once, but I was selected the second time. Today when I wear the uniform I feel proud to have been trained at the proper place. Like me, many others from here have been successful in realising their dreams,” he says.
Purushottam Giri, a trainee from Jaleswar, says, “The academy teaches us how to live like soldiers, not just how to clear exams.”
Prahlad Dhal, a social activist and an eminent person in the locality calls the academy a model the government should emulate. “Soldiers spending their leave and salary to train youth is nation-building in the real sense. We as Khaira residents are proud of this academy. More people should come forward and contribute in their own way to help the society,” he says.
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