In a small village in eastern Uttar Pradesh, a simple roll call sounds more like a celebration. Jackets are handed out, notebooks distributed, birthdays announced, and children gently coaxed to stand up and speak. What looks like a modest tuition centre has quietly become a lifeline for hundreds of families.
At the centre of it all is Aditya, a graduate student from Badhar Kala village in Basti district, who began teaching children when he himself had just completed Class 10.
What started with two or three neighbourhood children soon revealed a deeper crisis. Many students from government schools, even those in Class 7, struggled with basic counting and multiplication. Parents, most of them daily wage workers, had little choice but to accept a failing system.
Aditya decided to intervene.
Inspired by Khan Sir, he began spending an hour or two each day teaching children alongside his own studies. As their results improved, word spread. Parents from nearby lanes began sending their children. By 2021, the number had crossed 100.
The turning point came in 2022, when Aditya started posting short videos of his classes on Instagram. One video went viral, clocking over seven million views. With visibility came support. Viewers began sending money for books, bags, sweaters, shoes, even small gifts to motivate children.
Today, Aditya teaches around 230 children across three centres. At least two of these operate entirely free of cost. The original centre charges a symbolic fee of ₹100 from families who can afford it, while some parents insist on paying just ₹1, a gesture of dignity rather than obligation.
The impact goes beyond academics. Children who once roamed the streets, gambled, or skipped school are now spending their evenings in classrooms. Parents say discipline, behaviour, and even dress sense have changed. “You don’t see children wandering aimlessly anymore,” Aditya says. “That itself is a big change.”
He now employs at least 12 teachers, most of them young graduates or postgraduates from similar backgrounds. Monthly expenses for education alone range between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000, rising sharply when winter clothes or supplies are distributed. This is sustained almost entirely by small monthly contributions from 15 to 20 supporters he met through social media.
Despite the scale of his work, Aditya earns virtually nothing from it. Any income from fees goes back into books, transport, or basic running costs. Monetisation on YouTube and Facebook is still limited, but he hopes these platforms will help sustain the project long term.
His dream is simple and ambitious at once. He wants to build a proper school.
“There are schools here,” he says, “but not the level of education these children deserve.” Fundraising for a permanent school building is already underway, driven again by the same online community that helped his classroom grow.
In a time when viral fame is often fleeting, this story stands out for its substance. From a Class 10 student teaching two children to a movement educating hundreds, Aditya’s journey shows how quiet determination, backed by community support, can reshape an entire village.
