Every morning, 55-year-old Jivan Mithari walks nearly 5 kilometres through dense forest to reach the Zilla Parishad school in Kawaltek Dhangarwada, a remote hamlet in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district near the Kolhapur-Sindhudurg border. For more than 13 years, he has continued making the journey despite heavy rainfall, difficult terrain, wildlife and the absence of a proper road, because one Class 3 student, Swara Bodake, is waiting for him at the other end. Mithari joined the school on July 26, 2013, after choosing the difficult posting himself.
The school once served dozens of children, but migration to Kolhapur city for work and better livelihoods has steadily reduced enrolment. Today, Swara is the only officially enrolled student, while her younger sister also attends because the hamlet does not have an anganwadi centre. Mithari’s daily journey highlights both his personal commitment to education and the challenges faced by children and teachers in remote communities. While the teacher continues to fulfil his responsibility, the community believes the school also needs better basic infrastructure, including a compound wall, to improve children’s safety.
A 5-Km Walk For One Student
Mithari’s school day begins long before he enters his classroom. From the nearest motorable road, he walks around 2.5 kilometres through forest to reach the school and makes the same journey back after classes, covering nearly 5 kilometres every day.
The route becomes particularly difficult during the monsoon, when heavy rainfall makes the terrain harder to navigate. The forest is also home to gaurs and leopards, making the daily walk more than just a physically demanding commute. Mithari has encountered gaurs while travelling, while a leopard was also spotted near the settlement after killing livestock.
Villagers have taught him how to respond when he comes across gaurs, including how to behave depending on whether an animal is alone or moving in a herd. Forest officials also installed a trap camera after the leopard sighting and advised Mithari not to stop or sit along the route while travelling to and from school.
Despite the risks, he has continued making the journey.
“I reached here on July 26, 2013, and I have continued working here since then,” Mithari told PTI.
The school is located in Kawaltek Dhangarwada, in Gaganbawada taluka of Kolhapur district. The remote hamlet does not have electricity, and vehicles cannot reach the school. For Mithari, however, the difficult journey has become part of his routine.
He admits that encounters with wildlife can frighten him, but says that after years of travelling the route, he has become accustomed to it. His commitment is ultimately centred on the child waiting for him in the classroom.
From A Busy School To A Single Student
Mithari’s posting was not simply a matter of accepting an assignment. Before coming to Kawaltek Dhangarwada, he had served as chairman of the Kolhapur District Primary Teachers’ Cooperative Bank.
He recalled colleagues suggesting that people in influential positions generally managed to secure comfortable postings, while others were left to serve in difficult and remote locations. Mithari decided to challenge that perception by opting for the remote school himself.
“I said I will go,” he told PTI, recalling his decision to apply for the transfer.
More than 13 years later, his posting has become a long-term commitment.
The circumstances surrounding the school have changed significantly during that period. Kawaltek Dhangarwada and neighbouring Anandur Dhangarwada were once home to around 70 to 100 families. From around 2000 onwards, however, several families began moving towards Kolhapur city in search of employment and better livelihood opportunities.
As the population declined, so did the number of children in the hamlet.
This year, only one child is officially enrolled at the school — Class 3 student Swara Bodake. Her younger sister also attends classes even though she is not yet old enough for formal schooling, as the hamlet does not have an anganwadi centre. She is expected to enter Class 1 next year.
The situation demonstrates a broader challenge faced by remote settlements: when families migrate in search of economic opportunities, local schools can gradually lose students and become difficult to sustain. Yet, for the families who remain, access to a nearby school can be crucial.
The nearest alternative school at Dhundawade is nearly 5.5 kilometres away. For young children, attending it would involve travelling almost 11 kilometres every day, an especially difficult prospect during the rainy season.
The community therefore continues to rely on the local school, even with just one officially enrolled child.
Mithari is expected to retire in May 2029. Until then, he intends to continue his daily journey. He has also said that the long walk has become a form of exercise, but believes the school requires a compound wall to improve the safety and security of the children.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Jivan Mithari’s story is a reminder that the value of education cannot be measured simply by the number of students sitting inside a classroom. In a country where access to education can still depend on geography, infrastructure and economic circumstances, his decision to continue teaching one child demonstrates what responsibility can look like at the grassroots.
At the same time, the story should not only celebrate an individual teacher while overlooking the structural challenges that make his journey necessary in the first place. A teacher should not have to repeatedly cross difficult forest terrain simply because a remote community lacks basic connectivity, while children should not have to face the prospect of an 11-kilometre daily commute to attend the nearest alternative school.
Recognising Mithari’s dedication should go hand in hand with asking how governments and communities can strengthen infrastructure, improve safety and ensure that migration does not leave the children who remain behind without accessible education. His story is ultimately about perseverance, but it is also about collective responsibility, ensuring that every child, regardless of where they live, has a fair chance to learn.
What more can communities and authorities do to make quality education genuinely accessible to children in India’s most remote settlements?
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