Bijapur, Sept. 5 -- Long before school bells ring in the villages around Bijapur, over 50 children from six different schools gather at a modest coaching centre, drawn by ambition to clear exams such as the Navodaya Vidyalaya entrance exam and change the course of their lives.

Inspired by the widely known biographical "Super-30" film starring Hrithik Roshan, two local teachers, Pritam Kumar Baiga and Gajendra Pradhan, have spent the past two years running free coaching classes for underprivileged children well before their regular school hours begin.

What makes the effort remarkable is where it is happening. Bijapur, which used to be a Naxal stronghold once, is now home to children who dream not of escaping their circumstances, but of t...