The stage was not just for the awardees, it was also a celebration of those who handed over the awards, each with a story as inspiring as those being honoured.

At the 30th edition of The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2025, held at the Science City auditorium on Saturday, the auditorium rose to its feet twice — once
when Sukumar Paira, who chose to spend his entire career teaching in the remote Sundarbans, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and again for Prabir Pal, a self-taught teacher from a village primary school who cannot walk.

All these award presenters received The Telegraph Education Foundation Honour at the International Institute of Hotel Management presents The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2025, 30th edition, in association with The Bhawanipur Education Society College, Adamas University, and Exide.

Self-taught teacher

Prabir Pal, born with a congenital disability and raised in poverty in Arambagh, Hooghly, lost his father at four. Raised by his mother and sister, Pal collected textbooks of various school boards and largely educated himself through his own efforts. He now teaches at the only primary school in his village. He reaches school early to settle in before students arrive, ensuring his disability doesn’t disrupt the classroom.

Prabir not only teaches academics but also instils values. He started a school garden project, guiding children to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers. He personally takes care of school maintenance and cleanliness, including the toilets, and encourages students to participate and take responsibility.

“I want children to learn compassion. Humanity is above everything else. We must care for others, especially the marginalised,” he said.

On Saturday, he climbed the dais without any assistance to hand over the Surrendra Paul Memorial Award for Courage.

Fighting discrimination

Kartick Kalindi, a recipient of a 2008 scholarship from The Telegraph Education Foundation, returned to the stage — this time to give back.

The IIT Kharagpur horticulture graduate now works with a colony of leprosy-affected families near Durgapur. His father and grandfather had leprosy, and Kartick grew up witnessing its stigma. He turned down lucrative global offers to uplift his community, helping residents become financially independent so they wouldn’t have to beg, like earlier generations. “The stigma has reduced only slightly. Many still believe leprosy is contagious. A stronger campaign is needed,” he said.

Kartick presented The Somak Dutta Endowment.

Wildlife rescuer

Chitrak Pramanik, an electrical engineer by training, is a wildlife saviour by passion. In parts of Howrah, Hooghly, and East Midnapore, he’s the first call when a snake or wild animal wanders into human habitation. He saves humans from animal intruders and animals from human interference.

Chitrak and his diverse team — from a travel agent to a petrol pump worker — routinely rescue animals, often aiding the understaffed state forest department.

On Saturday, he presented The Ambuja Neotia Award for Excellence in Maintenance and Eco-Friendly Initiatives.

“We tend to think only about the large and morecharismatic animals like tigers and elephants, but there are so many wild animals around us, like fishing cats, which need to be protected,” he said.

“If there is an injured bird that has entered someone’s home or an injured fishing cat, they call us. We go and rescue the animals. We have also rescued many snakes,” he added. Among the animals he frequently rescues are the venomous Monocled Cobra and Russell’s Viper.

Roll Kaku

Eight years ago, Pathikrit Saha was delivering food when a hungry child at Dum Dum station changed his life.

Now known as “Roll Kaku” in Dum Dum Cantonment, Pathikrit runs six informal schools that offer free education and food to over 400 underprivileged children. He resigned from a government job as a pump operator for a civic body to become a food delivery worker to continue his social work. He would reroute cancelled food orders to hungry mouths.

His NGO, launched from that small gesture, is now a movement. At Saturday’s award ceremony, he gave away a set of scholarships.

“I have seen poverty closely. I don’t want a single child to go hungry,” he told Metro.

Barry O’Brien, trustee of The Telegraph Education Foundation, who has been hosting the awards for 30 years, called Pathikrit’s journey one that “exemplifies how one person’s compassion can ignite change and provide hope to street children, transforming their lives — one egg roll at a time.”

Back to books

Sangeeta Dey had to give up her studies when she married young in the 1990s. Decades later, denied entry to a professional course because she hadn’t cleared Madhyamik, she resolved to fix that.

In the same year her daughter Saheli sat for Class X, Sangeeta did too, from Rabindra Mukta Vidyalaya. They repeated the feat for Class XII and again for their undergraduate degrees, graduating together in 2025. Now, both are enrolled in a master’s programme in journalism and mass communication at Calcutta University.

Mother and daughter handed out scholarships on stage on Saturday.

“Once I cleared Madhyamik, it opened the gates,” Sangeeta said. Her daughters, Saheli and Sarmishtha, were her strongest supporters, she added.