“As a child, I always aspired to be an actor,” Ashish Dangwal, a teacher from Government Inter College Bhankoli, in Kelsupatti of Uttarkashi, whose images of a grand, teary-eyed farewell, went viral tells me. Guess, Bollywood’s loss was Uttarakhand Education Departments gain.
Immaculately dressed, sporting a beard, tall and smart, all of 27, Ashish breaks the stereotype image of a teacher in the hills. His first posting at the age of 24, saw him as an LT teaching Social Science to students from grade 6th – 10th . As the years went by, he ruled not only the mind but the hearts of all those whom he interacted with.
“It was only after my graduation, that I decided to become a teacher and gave up aspirations of becoming a hero.” He went on to do his Masters in Political Science along with Diploma in Disaster Management and Human Science.
A resident of Rudraprayag, Ashish strongly believes, that what he witnessed on his farewell from the school, came as no surprise. “For three years, the people, across every age group from not only Bhankoli, but the seven villages which fall within Kelsu patti have showered their love and affection on me. I will always be indebted to them.”
He calls himself a constant learner, stating, “There are so many people in this department who are doing so much more for their students. I am young, willing to teach and learn from my elders in the field. These accolades and awards will only bring me satisfaction when ‘I’ truly believe that I have done ‘my’ job well.”
Ashish Dangwal is hopeful that the younger generation, especially his male counterparts will consider teaching as a career alternate, for he believes, “in a generation that is being brought up on 4G and 5G, we as a society stereo-type teachers in the hills to be primitive in their appearance and approach, which needs to change,” further adding, “I welcome young people to take up this noble profession and bridge this generation gap with their youthful vision and approach.”
Today, Ashish has joined as a Social Science Lecturer, in Tehri Garhwal . Geared up to motivate and make a lasting impact on the lives of his future students who are no strangers to their ‘hero’s heart winning streak.
