Balrampur (Chhattisgarh) [India], September 19 (ANI): Every morning during monsoon season, two schoolteachers in Chhattisgarh make a journey most people would call impossible to reach their classroom in a corner of Wadrafnagar block that gets cut off from the rest of the world after rain. 

Dhaurpur hamlet sits beyond the confluence of the Moran and Iriya rivers, reachable in the monsoon only on foot and by those dedicated enough to cross the waters. For teachers Sandhya Haldar and Karmila Toppo, that risk is simply part of the job. Tapoo makes the crossing with her nine-month-old daughter in her arms, wading through water that rose from waist to stomach height. 

Their day begins the same way each time. They park their scooters at Marna, the last point a vehicle can reach, and set out on foot across three kilometres of rocky, hilly terrain. Then comes the river. 

'We park our scooters at Marna, and the route is entirely hilly. We walk 3 kilometers, cross the river, and then reach the school,' Haldar told ANI. But the crossing itself is never guaranteed. 'On days when the water level is low, we manage to make it across; but when the water is very high, we have to turn back right from the river.'

The road might be tough, but the happiness of the children she teaches makes it worth it. 'The children are so small. We worry a great deal about them, feeling bad that we can't reach them or provide them with an education. The children get so happy when they see us,' she said. 

Karmila Toppo, who has been posted at the school since 2014, said that many have advised against this route. 'It happens like this every year during the rainy season. We are advised against it, told not to go if the water level is high,' she said as she carried her infant in her arms. 

As they were being praised for their dedication, word of their commitment eventually reached Balrampur Collector Chandan Sanjay Tripathi, not through official channels, but through news reports. 'I learned through ANI about a teacher in our district who, carrying her young child, crosses a river and walks 3 kilometres, even during the rainy season, to reach her school,' Tripathi said.

'Through her (Tapoo) immense sincerity and hard work, she has set a truly praiseworthy example for other teachers in the district. I deeply respect educators who are so dedicated to their duties; such teachers are rare indeed. Honouring a teacher like her is a matter of pride and honour for the entire district,' she added. (ANI)