Standing on the road all day directing vehicles, be it in the rain or heat, is a challenging job for the traffic police. Going above and beyond his call of duty, a personnel with the Kolkata Police has taken up the task of being a teacher to a homeless child.
Sergeant Prakash Ghosh of Southeast Traffic Guard is winning hearts online after a photo of him teaching an eight-year-old started doing the rounds on the internet. Captured by a local journalist, the image shows the policeman standing with a twig in hand while the boy sits on the pavement on a plastic sheet writing in a notebook.
The image of the boy sitting under a tree by the roadside along with his school bag and pencil box as the cop watches over attentively tugged at the heartstrings of many online.
Later, the law enforcement agency explained how Ghosh ended up becoming a part-time teacher.
Ghosh, who is often on duty near Ballygunge ITI in south Kolkata, had noticed the boy and his mother in the area. Over the years, he got acquainted with the mother, who works at a roadside food stall.
The cops explained the duo are homeless, and the mother has tried her best to get the boy admitted to a government school in hopes of a better life for him. “The homeless mother and son live on the pavement, but she nurtures great hopes that her son will break free of the shackles of grinding poverty and make his mark on the world,” they wrote.
After the mother complained to the cop that her son was losing interest in his studies, the cop promised to guide and help the boy, a Class III student.
Now, whenever he is in the area managing traffic, he also keeps an eye on the boy, “from setting and checking homework, to correcting his student’s spellings, pronunciation, even handwriting”.
While the cop’s uniform and gaiters make it difficult for him to sit, “he takes his ‘class’ standing up, using a twig as a teaching tool,” the post added.
Netizens appreciated the sergeant’s thoughtful gesture and thanked him for his kindness. Many said the post reaffirmed their “faith in humanity”.
