Teachers play a vital role in shaping the future by imparting knowledge and values to students. They inspire, educate, and guide, fostering intellectual and personal growth. Despite facing challenges like overcrowded classrooms and limited resources their dedication and passion continued to light the path for generations, instilling a thirst for learning and contributing to society's progress. Teachers remain unsung heroes, molding minds and molding the world.
India celebrated?Teacher's Day?on?September 5 each year to mark the birth anniversary of former President and Bharat Ratna recipient, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Here are some instances of teachers who touched many hearts:
Recently, Rohit Kumar Yadav, a head constable in the government railway police (GRP) in Unnao, UP who was teaching around 125 underprivileged kids of Sikandrapur Karn since 2018 had been transferred.?
Rohit followed his father Chandra Prakash Yadav's footsteps and started an open-air school for these kids after his duty hours. He even took money out of his own salary to support the students with books, stationery, and even clothes. The idea struck Yadav after he saw children begging in trains near a railway station.?
Soon, his initiative garnered attention and Yadav was offered a panchayat office in Korari Kalan village to conduct classes. People got inspired by the cop and joined in to teach these underprivileged students as well. The man however had to leave for Jhansi due to his transfer, which left his students heartbroken.
Another similar incident went viral on social media in July when images of a teacher bidding farewell to his children while they wept and hugged him. Shivendra Singh was appointed as an assistant teacher In 2018 and was transferred after four years at the hilly Raigarh Primary School in Chanduali, Uttar Pradesh. Videos from his farewell showed a significant number of students hugging and weeping for him. Some students gripped him tightly and wouldn't let go. Mr Singh tried to reassure them while smiling, but he too teared up.
Teachers from Tura Government College in Tura, Meghalaya, noticed a discarded bus and came up with the idea of building a mini library, which could also double up as a multi-utility unit. Their intent was to help the underprivileged students, who were struggling with basic amenities like books, stationery, clothes, and even affordable meals.
It was during one of their brainstorming sessions, that the teachers from the English Department decided to use a discarded college bus and restore it into something useful for the college kids. Hence, began the project where teachers and students collaborated to conceptualise and design a library. The library project evolved into becoming a multi-utility unit that would allow people to donate used or new items such as books, stationery, clothes, etc.?
Linsi George is a teacher at the lower primary section of Government Tribal Higher Secondary School at Murikkattukudy in Idukki. She is partially blind. But while she may see mostly darkness, it has not prevented her from spreading the light to the next generation. She has helped the tribal students and their underprivileged families settled in the area, as per The New Indian Express.
In 2020, Linsi won the state teacher¡¯s award. The 42-year-old hails from Labbakkada near Kattappana and till now has helped six homeless tribal children in the school to get a roof over their heads. She pooled money and contributed her and her husband's savings to build a house for these underprivileged students. She set up a vegetable garden in the school to ensure chemical-free meals for students. At the time of the pandemic, she had managed to distribute groceries to nearly 150 families in Murikkattukudy as well.?
When students of Katiahat BKAP Girls' High School, in West Bengal, came to know that their favourite teacher was leaving they gave her a heartwarming farewell. In the video clip, two girls can be seen bringing their teacher, identified as Sampa ma'am, to the ground where their classmates are waiting for them. After the teacher reaches the ground, all students get down on their knees to sing 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai'. The teacher gets misty-eyed after receiving such a heartwarming goodbye. She and the students then hug each other.?
Satheesh Kumar, a government school teacher in Lalgudi raised over Rs 1 lakh to fix class III student Martia John¡¯s hearing aids. Martia hails from Alambadi in Lalgudi taluk in Tamil Nadu and was diagnosed with a problem in hearing at the age of 2, as per The New Indian Express. The cost of servicing it cost ?60,000 to ?100,000, something that her parents weren't able to afford. When Satheesh came to know he arranged funds in excess of ?1 lakh.
¡°I want the child to have a good life and study well. She has lost the progress she made in speaking owing to the issue with the device. As she was unable to get it fixed, she was not wearing the hearing aids for almost two years,¡± he said.?
After 44 years of darkness, Nagaland¡¯s Shinnyu village (along the India-Myanmar border)?where 60 families live got electricity all thanks to a government school teacher, John Khangnyu. The village was set up in 1977 and got official recognition in 2002. Lack of connectivity cut it off from the rest of the world. But one man made the difference. A social media post by John Khangnyu paved the way to bring light to the village.?
¡°I was very surprised to see this village aloof from the world. Students would move out of the village for higher studies due to darkness, women faced issues using the toilet at night and all the activities had to be done before dusk. So, I decided to make an appeal on social media and see if anyone had solutions,¡± he said. As a result, with the help of Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), famous for setting up micro solar grids to electrify the remotest villages of India, now every house has a 170-watt solar panel, battery, two mobile charging points, two tube lights and three LED bulbs. Not to mention 11 solar lights on the street.?
On October 24, 2022, ANI tweeted pictures of teachers from Chattisgarh's remote village of Balrampur district carrying mid-day meal ration on their shoulders for 8 km by crossing difficult terrains like mountains and streams to ensure that students get mid-day meals. India has true heroes who carry on helping people no matter what the circumstance.?
Puli Raju who works as a teacher in the Siddipet district for the last 20 years has been documenting, researching, advocating and helping the families of those farmers who took their own lives in Telangana. Since 2001, Raju has visited around 2500 households across the State, covering 150,000 km and has met the bereaved families to let them know they are not alone. A case he filed along with P Srihari Rao in the High Court from 2014 and 2018 helped about 400 families get compensation.?
Kiran Naik is doing his bit to shape the future of India and became an inspiration for many people after bringing education to the doors of Andhra Pradesh's tribals. Kiran hails from Sanjeeva Nagar Thanda in Nallamala forest of Atmakur Mandal and works as a lecturer at Government Model Residential Polytechnic for Tribals in Srisailam. Not long ago, he received the National Award of Excellence Leadership and Management from Angel Global University in Kakinada.
He has been convincing the parents of tribal children to get the kids educated and improve their standard of living. His mission in life is to make these kids concentrate on their studies and achieve big things in the future.?
Jharkhand's Sub-Inspector Pankaj Verma has a master's degree in mathematics. Before joining the force, he took coaching classes in Hazaribagh. After he became an officer, he decided not to give up on teaching altogether. As per a report in The New Indian Express, Verma takes some time out from his regular routine to teach at a school. The school is within walking distance from his police station in Dhanbad.?
¡°Teaching at Government Girls High School, Modidih Sijua in Dhanbad, is my hobby. The school is located under the Jogta Police Station where I was recently posted,¡± he said.?
In Rishikesh, there is a teacher who is going above and beyond to help her students. In fact, she is no less than a mother to her students. Sushila Barthwal lost her husband after just being married for five months and got another shock when she realised she was expecting. The future looked anything but rosy, but Sushila did not lose heart. She decided to fight the odds, not just for her own offspring but for the children who were not so fortunate to have parents.?
¡°I saw many children who had no one to look up to, for feeling love and care. That made me treat them as my own children,¡± she said.?
Even as Sushila raised her child, she did not let education take a back seat. She completed two Masters Degrees, a Bachelor of Education and also a law degree. She has been teaching for 26 years and has been like a mother to those who have learned under her.?
We need more kind-hearted people like them in the country. Happy Teacher¡¯s Day 2022!
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