Teachers demonstrated courage by acting as protectors and first responders during emergencies.
They taught lessons from textbooks, but when crisis struck, these teachers stepped far beyond the classroom and taught courage through their actions. This Teachers’ Day, TOI looks back at the moments when educators became protectors, rescuers and, when every second counted, first responders
He sensed danger before it struck
At 62, Meenaiah is no longer standing at the head of a classroom or overseeing a school hostel. About 70 students were at school when the staff noticed signs that the structure was unsafe. Meenaiah made the decision to get them out of the Tribal Welfare Upper Primary School in Mulugu. The escape itself meant crossing a swollen rivulet, with frightened children struggling to navigate the rushing water. So, as the waters rose around them, he carried some of the younger children on his shoulders and waded across to safety. The entire ground floor of the school was submerged. For the next four to five days, his home became a temporary shelter for the students. With the help of school cooks, he arranged food for them and waited until the waters receded enough for their parents to cross the swollen Jampanna vagu and bring them home. But he continues to help children in his village in whatever small ways he can — buying them books and stationery and making sure they remain in school. At a govt primary school in Narlapur village of Kollapur mandal, Nagarkurnool, headmaster G Janardhan and his staff sensed something was wrong with the ageing building after days of rain. The children were being taken one by one for face-recognition attendance after the morning prayers when the staff decided to move them out of the classrooms and into the courtyard.
Calamity came calling, teachers responded
A collapsing roof, pesticide contamination, a swollen stream and a school fire. When every second counted, they evacuated children, detected danger and, in one tragic case, gave their lives trying to save their students