Many people have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and are trying to make ends meet, in these crucial times.
Venkatasubbaiah, a Telugu teacher who lost his job due to the coronavirus outbreak, ended up selling bananas on a pushcart.
But, to his surprise his former students extended a helping hand and raised ₹86,300 for him.
In the beginning, when the lockdown came into effect, he taught his students at the Narayana School in Nellore through online classes but, for the past 3 weeks he has been selling bananas on the roadside.
He taught high school students for nearly 15 years.
After hearing about his financial condition, his former students launched a campaign to raise funds for him. And, their efforts paid off.
Around 150 students who were previously taught by Venkatasubbaiah 5-6 years ago, raised ₹86,300 for their teacher. Overwhelmed by the response he received, Venkatasubbaiah said he wishes to go back to teaching. He said:
Selling bananas is a temporary job. If so many former students from years back wanted to help me, I must have made an impact as a teacher. I want to go back to teaching eventually, even if it pays less.
The school management held an online meeting with him and 5 other colleagues of his who were fired from their job. He said:
They told us there was no need to work anymore, that we were of no use as we were not bringing in admissions. We tried to explain that it had been difficult to go canvassing for admissions during the pandemic as people wouldn’t let us into their houses. But they called us incompetent.
All thanks to his former students, Venkatasubbaiah has received much-needed financial aide and help. However, he continues to sell bananas until he finds a new job.
Heartwarming stories like this give us hope.