Best of 2025: Meet the 10 Educators Who Turned 2025 Into a Year of Hope, Innovation & Learning

2026 is around the corner, and before we set foot into it, here’s flipping the pages of the past year to celebrate those who’ve made it better for thousands through their work. We’re shining the lens on ordinary citizens who’ve pushed the boundaries of resilience to spark impact on the ground. 

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We bring to you 10 educators who reimagined education beyond the blackboard. Across Indian cities, these educators have been teaching young minds to dream big and to never let their current circumstances define their aspirations. 

1. Hitarth Pandya: Helping children get back to nature 

The Gujarat journalist constantly wondered if his articles were having the intended impact on society, or changing it for the better in any way. In 2016, he quit to start KEDI (Kids for the Environment Development Initiative), which would be premised on a practical, hands-on model.  

While the KEDI Haat introduces children to the economics of farming, the KEDI Mela sees children sell around 2,000 kg of terrace-grown greens and 3,500 kg of soil-grown vegetables. What started in 2016 as a single school’s semester-long farming module has now grown to reach nearly 20,000 children across five schools in Vadodara.

Read their full journey here. 

2. Shrey and Jyoti Rawat: Turning the forest into a classroom 

In the hills of Uttarakhand, a couple, Shrey (33) and Jyoti Rawat (31), have started Suraah, a student-centric alternate schooling movement in Dehradun’s Katapatthar village. Inspiration was always close to home for Shrey, who grew up on stories of his grandmother, Anari Devi, who walked 300 km in the 1930s to write her Class 5 examination, and his grandfather, Surendra Singh Rawat, who led many social movements in Uttarakhand. 

Through Suraah, Shrey and Jyoti are creating a curriculum that includes forest walks, lessons focused on developing emotional intelligence, football, kitchen gardening, etc. There are currently 70 students studying at the school. 

Read the full journey here. 

3. Hari Parameswaran: Making science simple 

Bengaluru-based Hari Parameswaran (84) has long worked to make science less abstract, designing both tools and ideas. 

His home workshop is lined with 25 patented science kits, including a mini microscope, that offer children access to answers. Science has always been his passion, and Hari wants to imbue that same curiosity in children. 

Under his Dynam Engineering Corporation, started in 1963, Hari has been trying to reframe how children perceive science, create openings in rigid academic norms that stifle imagination, and convert disengagement into genuine excitement. Meanwhile, Hari’s Dynam Vocational Skills Training Centre has provided vocational skills training to over 200 neurodivergent children. 

Read the full journey here. 

4. Malati Murmu: Creating alternate routes to education

As dropout rates rose in a remote tribal village of Jilingsereng of Purulia in West Bengal, Malati refused to wait for institutional change. She converted her mud house into a free school. 

Now, over 45 children have a place of hope, proving that some of the most powerful classrooms are shaped by willpower, not walls. Although a government primary school stands nearby, families increasingly choose Malati’s classes for their personalised attention and culturally sensitive methods, as she continues to teach in Santali through the Ol Chiki script, along with Bengali and English. This multilingual, culturally rooted approach has greatly boosted students’ enthusiasm.

5. Khushboo Kumari: Making Indian classrooms safer 

Drawing strength from her own personal trauma, Bihar-based Khushboo turns it into a powerful lesson for the nation. You’d know her from her videos that went viral across social media. 

Through role-play and compassionate dialogue, she teaches children about safe and unsafe touch, giving thousands of students the language and confidence to protect themselves. Her brave efforts are making Indian classrooms safer. 

6. Ashu Ghai: Simplifying tricky concepts 

Ashu Ghai once delivered tiffins. Now, he’s making science fun for students. His dedication to making learning exciting has led to the creation of the ‘Science and Fun’ channel, which has over 5 million learners. 

The channel is a maze of creative videos breaking down technical concepts for students in classes 9 to 12, preparing for board exams and other competitive tests. Practical demonstrations and a team of young, dynamic teachers come together to help students grasp even the most complex concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology.

7. Lahu Borate: Transforming a government school 

Hailing from a farming family, Borate decided to dedicate his life to transforming the futures of children in a Zilla Parishad school in Hanuman Nagar Basti in Maharashtra. But the school was almost in a defunct condition. 

But Borate did not give up. Either through nature walks, classes by the river, or lessons learnt through play, this teacher began making learning fun for the children. He started posting these videos on social media, and they garnered a lot of love from people who stepped forward to donate in cash and kind. Through murals, gardens, and boundless belief, he built a joyful sanctuary where learning thrives, proving transformation starts with one teacher’s dedication.

8. Rajwinder Kaur: Proving age is no bar to learn 

At just 29, Rajwinder is empowering Punjab’s elders to shape their own futures. At the ‘Bebe Bapu School’, Rajwinder guides senior citizens from thumbprints to signatures. But it’s more than learning to read and write; she’s restoring dignity, fostering independence, and making sure no one is left behind in a fast-changing world. 

Rajwinder explains a common struggle: many seniors rely on thumbprints for documents. She teaches them to sign their names confidently, giving them a vital skill and greater independence in handling official paperwork. The Bebe Bapu School has served over 100 students, mostly over 50, challenging age norms by welcoming anyone eager to learn.

Read the full journey here.  

9. Lal Singh Kushwaha: Disability shouldn’t stop one’s dreams  

The story of Lal Singh Kushwaha is one of resilience. His life’s trajectory is a fitting response to anyone who’s ever asked him, ‘What will you do in life?’ But he did not let his polio condition affect his dreams; in fact, he used it as inspiration to help children in the village, choosing this career path over a lecturer’s job in the city. 

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His unique teaching methods are no longer confined to the classroom; they have reached lakhs of children across India and beyond through social media.

10. Dwijendra Nath Ghosh: Investing his time and savings to teach children

Dwijendra Nath Ghosh, a 78-year-old retired teacher from Basantpur, West Bengal, has dedicated over a decade to keeping Basantapur Junior High School running, teaching hundreds of children for free.  

Growing up in poverty, Ghosh understands the transformative power of education and strives to provide opportunities to economically disadvantaged and marginalised students. After retirement, he secured government approval to reopen the school and personally oversaw its construction and management. With minimal funding and temporary teachers, he continues to teach and inspire students, believing that their hope for a better future is reward enough.

Currently, Dwijendra Nath teaches 142 students.

Read the full journey here.