It was the year 1992, a time that slowly changed everything for his family.
His parents had finally rebuilt their old house, a dream they had carried for years. But to make it possible, they had taken a loan. What should have been a moment of happiness slowly turned into a financial burden.
Sona was studying in the 9th standard at that time. His mother was a primary school teacher, and his father worked as a government employee. Even with their jobs, managing daily expenses was becoming difficult.
Every night, his parents would quietly discuss how to manage the expenses.
To support the family, Sona's mother made a decision.
She started tuition classes at home.
At first, a few girls from her school joined the classes. Most of them were studying in the 7th standard. The tuition was mainly started to earn some extra income, and the timing was fixed from 6:00 to 7:00 in the evening.
Sona used to attend school from 8:40 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon. One day, his mother said to him,
"You are good at English. You studied in an English medium school. You should help me teach."
And just like that, Sona was asked to teach English grammar.
In the beginning, he was very hesitant. Standing in front of a group of girls made him nervous.
"I don't think I can do this," he told his mother. "I feel uncomfortable… everyone is looking at me."
His mother understood his fear. She smiled and told all the girls,
"From today, you will call him 'Dada'."
That one word changed everything.
From that day onwards, Sona was no longer just a student. He had become a teacher.
Every evening, he started taking classes. After the classes, he would sit down and complete his own studies and homework.
A few days later, his elder brother also joined. Their mother asked him to handle Mathematics, while Sona continued teaching English and Science. Their mother took care of languages and social studies.
Slowly, their home turned into a classroom every evening.
With time, the number of students increased. The income also started improving, and the financial condition of the family became a little stable.
The fees were very low in those days — around 25 rupees per month. The class was located in a poor neighborhood, and still, many students came with hope.
All the earnings were handled by their parents. Sona and his brother were too young to think about money. They were simply learning and teaching at the same time.
The first batch had around 25 students.
But within a few years, by 1998, that number had grown to more than 300.
By then, Sona had completed his 12th standard and had taken admission in a diploma engineering course. His elder brother was completing his ITI in civil draftsman.
What had started as a small part-time effort…
was slowly becoming something none of them had ever imagined.