Teacher walks 5 km through forest daily to teach two girls in remote Kolhapur hamlet

Jeevan Mithari, a Zilla Parishad teacher and ex-chairman of the Kolhapur District Teachers’ Bank, accepted a posting at Kavaltek Dhangarwada’s hilltop school thirteen years ago after other teachers declined. The hamlet, part of Gaganbawada taluka, consists of three houses, lacks electricity and lies within a forest inhabited by gaurs, leopards, wild dogs and sloth bears. Each day Mithari walks roughly 5 km, including a steep 3 km climb, wearing a helmet and raincoat to navigate slippery terrain and avoid wildlife.

He teaches eight-year-old Swara Dagdu Bodake and her five-year-old sister Reshma, who attend the school despite its tiny enrollment of two students. Their parents, Dagdu Bodke and Sakhubai, rely on Mithari’s dedication to keep the girls in school, fearing they would have to travel eight kilometres to the nearest alternative. Mithari hopes the school’s leaking roof will be repaired and that his pupils can compete for scholarships and Olympiad exams like other Zilla Parishad students.