By News18
A whole village steps out to bid farewell to one teacher. That is not something you see every day. But when you have spent 22 years changing lives, raising awareness and spreading education in a remote village, people don鈥檛 just remember you, they celebrate you. This is the story of a woman called Rekha, who dedicated 22 years to teaching at Adarsh Madhya Vidyalaya in Bihar鈥檚 Muzaffarpur. She recently got transferred, and her farewell turned into a moment that she and her village will never forget.
The heartwarming video was shared by content creator Abhinav, who begins by narrating, 鈥淓k aisi teacher rehti hain jinse poora gaon pyaar karta hai, jinhone apne 22 saal Adarsh Madhya Vidyalaya ke bachchon aur is gaon ke logon ko padhai ke liye jagruk karne mein laga diye. Yeh kahani hai Rekha Ma鈥檃m ki, jinka aaj 22 saal baad school se transfer hone wala hai (There鈥檚 a teacher whom the entire village loves, she spent 22 years educating students of Adarsh Madhya Vidyalaya and raising awareness about learning among the people. This is the story of Rekha Ma鈥檃m, who is getting transferred from the school today after 22 years.)鈥
As news of Rekha Ma鈥檃m鈥檚 transfer spread, the whole village came together to say goodbye. People of all ages, including children, elders, men, women, students and parents, gathered with teary eyes and heavy hearts.
In the video, Rekha can be seen breaking down as she says, 鈥淛ab hum aaye toh apne papa se gussa the ki unhone yahan kyun bheja, lekin ab sabse zyada unhi ki yaad aa rahi hai (When I first came here, I was angry with my father for sending me to this place. But now, I miss him the most).鈥
What follows is a deeply emotional farewell. Students hold placards saying 鈥淲e will miss you, Ma鈥檃m,鈥 while villagers cry, give speeches and hug their beloved teacher. The school organised a proper send-off. There was a flower-decorated jeep that took Rekha Ma鈥檃m on a rally through the village. People came out of their homes to shower her with gratitude and gifts.
Abhinav adds, 鈥淪aara gaon bas unhe aakhri baar school mein dekhne aaya tha, unko vida karne aaya tha. Chhote bade sabhi logon ne unko sammaanit kiya, unke liye bahut si baatein kahin, aur kai log bolte bolte hi ro pad gaye. Logon ka asli pyaar kamaana kya hota hai, yeh maine aaj Rekha Ma鈥檃m se seekh liya (The whole village came just to see her one last time at the school to bid her goodbye. People of all ages showed their respect, spoke about her and many couldn鈥檛 hold back their tears. Today, I learnt what it truly means to earn real love from people. I learnt it from Rekha Ma鈥檃m).鈥
Abhinav shared it with the caption, 鈥淜uch logon ko famous hone ke liye social media ki zarurat nahi hoti (Some people don鈥檛 need social media to become famous.)鈥
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A post shared by 啶呧き啶苦え啶 啷むイ Abhinav (@mai.abhinav)
The video has gained significant traction online as it has accumulated over two million views. It struck a chord with many online.
One user commented: 鈥淲hat she built isn鈥檛 just literacy. It鈥檚 trust. It鈥檚 dignity. It鈥檚 a belief.鈥
Another said, 鈥淭his is what true emotions are.鈥
鈥淭hanks for highlighting people like Rekha Ma鈥檃m and Bihar for the right reasons. Kudos,鈥 someone else expressed.
鈥淏ro, the video really made me cry!鈥 read another comment.
Last year, in Karnataka鈥檚 Dharwad district, a physical education teacher named Geetha Suresha Betageri received a grand farewell from her students from classes 1 to 10. She taught at a government primary school in Mummigatti village located in the Dharwad district.