A young teacher-student discovering his voice, purpose, and the courage to keep moving forward
Some stories don’t begin with a big moment. They begin quietly, somewhere in a school corridor, between ordinary days, in the middle of a thought you weren’t expecting. Sauvik’s story is one of those.
From the calm lanes of Kailashahar in Unakoti district, Tripura, comes the journey of a young pre-service teacher who is slowly discovering his purpose. Sauvik Sekhar Deb, now a first-year D.El.Ed trainee at DIET Kailashahar, did not grow up dreaming of becoming a teacher. In fact, the path he is on today is something he found gradually, through moments of doubt, unexpected turns, and a series of experiences that nudged him toward the classroom.
There’s a line by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, “A dream is not something you see when you sleep, but something that keeps you awake.” Sauvik once said, “I believe in these words.” At that time, he didn’t know what his dream was. Today, when he looks back, he realises his dream was hiding in plain sight, waiting for the right moment to show itself.
There is a well-known truth about human beings: one of our biggest fears is losing consistency. Something similar happened with Sauvik, who realised the meaning of consistency only after joining the D.El.Ed course at DIET Kailashahar, Unakoti district, Tripura.
All through his school life, Sauvik had been an outspoken, bright, and active student. Naturally, everyone around him believed that after completing Class 12, he would join a good college and pursue graduation. Even he thought the same. But life had a different plan.
When Sauvik volunteered at his uncle’s school for some administrative work, it became the day he unknowingly stepped into the first turning point of his journey. For the first time, he began reflecting on his thoughts and passion. Slowly, he realised his love for teaching.
Choosing the Unpredictable Route
Sauvik is now a first-year D.El.Ed student at DIET Kailashahar. The path was not easy. Convincing himself to join the D.El.Ed course was a challenge, but with his family’s support, he finally took the step. And as Sauvik says, “You know, i’ve heard somewhere, ‘Daar ke aage jeet hai’,” he laughs. “So I felt this is the right time for me to conquer my daar.” His biggest support throughout has been his parents and his uncle.
At the time of joining, Sauvik thought it would be easy for him to excel because he had always handled academics confidently. But reality surprised him. Laughing, he said, “I think life actually heard me when I said I wanted to hug my daar!”
In the beginning, he was satisfied with his performance. But soon, he hit a realisation when his professor told the class, “Now you must start thinking like a teacher. You are teacher-students, not just students. You must look at your classroom and classmates as your own students.”
This made Sauvik observe more deeply. He noticed that many students were not as outspoken as him. Some were quiet but observant, some had anxiety while speaking, some felt shy or unsure because of cultural or language differences, while some were active outside but not in the classroom.
He wondered why. He asked himself, “Did such situations exist when I was in school? Did I ever notice them in my classroom or in my uncle’s school?” The answer was yes.
So, what was missing then, and what is missing now? He enjoys his classes; he enjoyed learning in the past as well. So where is the barrier? Is it fear? A lack of safe space? Was there ever anyone in the past who told these students that there was space for them, or can we now create situations where they truly feel that this space exists?
Sauvik wanted to do something, but again got stuck at the question, “How?” Slowly, he felt the fear again: the fear of consistency, the anxiety of how he would handle such situations in his future classroom. He even began doubting his decision. And maybe at that moment, as Sauvik says, “Life felt there was an overdose of daar.”
Sometime later, Sterlite EdIndia Foundation came to their college. They started conducting workshops and learning circles on various topics. The sessions were enjoyable for everyone.
He observed closely how the facilitators created an inclusive environment, encouraged participation from every learner, formed groups thoughtfully to ensure diversity of voices, and used a blend of local language and simple instructional strategies to make everyone feel at ease. The approach felt natural and grounded, helping every student engage without hesitation.
What instantly caught his attention was their use of local, practical, everyday examples that made every concept feel relatable.
He also observed how beautifully they interconnected subjects to strengthen students’ conceptual understanding. Soon, Sauvik felt that a safe classroom environment had been created, one where he and his classmates could share anything freely. Slowly, he began regaining his confidence. He felt his decision to enter this profession was right.
A recent milestone proved this. During his micro-teaching practice, he managed to connect with all his students through different classroom strategies. He felt deeply satisfied teaching bilingually, using real-life examples, and linking different concepts to make learning meaningful.
Today, Sauvik says, “I still don’t know whether daar ke aage jeet hai or not, but I have realised something else, even with daar, we can still feel the joy of jeet, if we develop the mindset to keep searching for the right direction until we find it.”
Learn more about EdIndia program, an exceptional teacher education and training initiative designed for both pre-service and in-service educators.