India@75 | Incredible teachers of India

Education is one of the strongest pillars to lay a well-rooted life. Here are the teachers who have gone out of their way to do good to the future citizens of the country, the young minds, by providing them with education and life values.

Annapurna Mohan

Between choosing a manager post and a school teacher, Annapurna, who wanted to bring about change in education, took the job of teaching English in a government school in Tamil Nadu. She is the teacher who sold her jewelry to suffice the classroom with equipment and provide facilities to children to be on par with well-funded private schools and to teach students English. She used phonetics, created scripts for the lessons, and taught them through skits. The classroom walls had bright colors and art, creating an ambiance for students to learn better.

Aditya Kumar

Aditya Kumar is a laborer’s son who is a BSc graduate. Popularly known as the Cycle-Wala Guruji, he hosts mobile classrooms for underprivileged children. After completing his studies, Aditya decided it was time to serve society and started providing education to children who could not afford school. He has traveled to 29 states in 45 months to reach out to children on every corner to educate them. He faced difficulties through the journey, especially while teaching girl children. Despite the hurdles, he stood strong and now holds the Limca Book record, with other awards for his selfless contribution.

Babar Ali

Babar Ali was nine years old when he saw a bunch of kids working in the field when they had to be in school. That was the moment he decided to teach young children in his neighborhood. Every day after school, he returned home and taught the children in his backyard. Little did he know it was the beginning of a huge achievement. Gradually many children started to join his classes and apart from lessons, he organized various activities like sports, music, and dance. The class which began with a few children now has over 1000 students in his school named Ananda Shiksha Niketan.

Sushil Kumar Meena

He is a railway engineer who has committed to teaching poor children. He was taken aback by the sight of street children working as ragpickers or begging to provide for their families. He dedicated his time to teaching underprivileged children and providing them with essentials their families could afford. This led to the foundation of NGO-Nirbhed, meaning without discrimination. While posted in Ghaziabad, he taught children of Group D workers who were preparing for government service exams while putting on hold his civil service exam preparations.

Rajesh Kumar Sharma

The founder of the School Under the Bridge, Rajesh, gives hope to poor children by providing them with education. He, whose dreams were unfulfilled because of inadequate means, conducts classes under one of the metro bridges in Delhi, helping the poor kids to build a life. He began by helping two children with their homework, and four years later, he set up his makeshift-school under the bridge. Though a shopkeeper, he is called by the name Masterji. The surrounding walls are painted colorfully to create a joyful learning experience. He started this mission by himself, and today some volunteers help Rajesh teach these bright kids.

A heartfelt appreciation to all the thoughtful human beings who selflessly are contributing to the betterment of society.