Jeyaishwari R Nadar, a Mathematics teacher from Matunga, Mumbai, had never had to solve calculations for her students using a smartphone screen instead of her classroom blackboard. When their school closed down indefinitely during the first wave of the pandemic last year, she and her students grappled with their online Maths classes. Till inspiration struck and the ingenious teacher decided to use a refrigerator glass tray by elevating it, and using the sundry dabbas from her kitchen to place her smartphone face down on top of that, so that students can see through the tray to the calculations she’s working out on paper beneath. ‘Problem solved’!

Similarly inspired, Subrata Pati, a History teacher from West Bengal's Bankura district, climbs the high neem tree behind his house every morning to teach his students. Ever since online learning made mobile connectivity a daily necessity for teachers and their students, Subrata has to ensure getting a proper internet connection. Perched atop a tree, the undeterred 35-year-old teaches his students in Kolkata, some 200 km away. That tree top is the only spot in his neighbourhood that receives signals.

In Jharkhand even though students are unable to attend school, learning is still on. Their classrooms have merely shifted to their homes and community spaces. Several loudspeakers have been placed atop trees and compound walls across the state. As teachers conduct lessons through these loudspeakers daily, their students attend classes from convenient locations. Moumita Bhattacharjee, a Chemistry teacher at Saint Xavier’s High School, Panchgani, Maharashtra, uses a makeshift tripod for her online classes. Suspending her smartphone from a hanger tied firmly to the ceiling, she demonstrates practical Chemistry lessons to her online students.

Throughout the country, teachers have shown an exceptional level of adaptability and flexibility, and there are thousands of heartening stories like these of India’s incredible teachers who ensure that learning never stops even when schools are closed. This Teachers’ Day, Amazon Pay takes the opportunity to thank all our teachers who’ve made learning possible during a pandemic, and acknowledge the hard work, creativity and passion of all those who have taken care of our children’s learning progress during this difficult phase.