Kolkata traffic cop becomes part-time teacher for 8-year-old underprivileged child

Guwahati, April 16: A heartwarming picture has surfaced online, wherein a traffic cop from Kolkata was seen teaching an eight-year-old underprivileged boy on the pavements of Ballygunge ITI in south Kolkata.

Despite rendering his duty of easing the chaotic traffic, the traffic cop identified as Sergeant Prakash Ghosh of Southeast Traffic Guard is winning hearts after a photo of him teaching a homeless child while on duty started doing the rounds on the internet.

In the picture, the traffic policeman was seen with a twig in his hand teaching the boy who was on the pavement writing in a notebook under a tree by the roadside.

The picture shared by a local journalist went viral, following which the Kolkata Police shared the story behind the click in a Facebook post and how he ended up becoming a part-time teacher.

Referring to him as "the teacher cop", the law enforcement agency wrote that Ghosh during his duty came across the mother-son duo who were homeless and were living on the pavement. The boy's mother works at a roadside food stall and has gone to great lengths to get her son enrolled at a government school, in hopes of a better life for him.

"The boy's mother nurtures great hopes that her son will break free of the shackles of grinding poverty and make his mark on the world. However, the student of class 3 was losing interest in his studies, which was becoming one of her biggest worries. Having grown to know Sgt Ghosh over time, she confessed those worries to him," they wrote.

Ghosh came to her rescue and promised to help in whatever way he could. On the days he is assigned to the area, Sergeant Ghosh has been teaching the boy. Despite his busy schedule, he makes time once he goes off duty at the end of his shift.

"From setting and checking homework, to correcting his student's spellings, pronunciation, even handwriting. Because his 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.

According to Kolkata Police, the boy's improvement in his studies has given his mother complete faith in the 'teacher'.

Meanwhile, netizens praised the gesture of Sergeant Ghosh who apart from performing his duty has engaged in a thoughtful endeavour of educating a child in whatever way possible.