'Will be happy to …': Sridhar Vembu offers support, hails Bihar’s rooftop school teacher

In a powerful endorsement of grassroots education, Sridhar Vembu, founder and former CEO of Zoho Corporation, has praised a unique learning initiative emerging from Bihar, describing it as a symbol of hope for the country’s future.

Reacting to a viral video shared on X, Vembu wrote, “I see this and I feel pride and optimism for Bharat. All these kids, from humble backgrounds, so eager to learn maths and science, will define the future of our nation. We will be happy to support this effort through our foundation.”

The video tells the story of Rohit Kumar, a young teacher whose unconventional “rooftop classroom” now educates nearly 1,000 students every day — an initiative born not out of resources, but resilience.

From Struggles in School to Teaching Hundreds

Rohit’s own academic journey was far from smooth. Raised in a small village, he once struggled to pass Class 10. His mother supported the family by selling cow dung to pay his school fees, while Rohit sold vegetables after school to continue his education.

Despite the odds, he remained committed to learning — and eventually to teaching.

He began modestly, tutoring four neighbourhood children for a fee of ₹125, ensuring that no student was turned away for lack of money. Skeptics questioned his ability, often mocking his academic record. Rohit responded not with arguments, but with persistence.

Rejecting rote learning, he focused on simplifying science and mathematics, encouraging curiosity and removing the fear often associated with these subjects. He stayed late into the night to ensure every child grasped the lesson.

Rooftop Becomes a Movement

What started with four students soon grew to forty, then hundreds. Today, nearly 1,000 students gather daily at 5 a.m., climbing narrow stairs to attend classes that run from sunrise to sunset on a modest rooftop.

Rohit’s teaching methods — hands-on experiments, simple explanations, and relatable examples — have also found a digital audience. His lessons now reach lakhs of learners online through Instagram, expanding the reach of his low-cost education model far beyond his village.

For Rohit, the most meaningful milestone is not social media popularity or national attention, but the transformation within his own family. He says his proudest moment was seeing his mother freed from daily labour, watching him teach from the same rooftop that once symbolised sacrifice.

Rohit now hopes to scale the initiative into an affordable digital education platform capable of reaching millions of students who lack access to quality coaching. As Rohit puts it, classrooms don’t always need walls — sometimes, they just need someone who refuses to give up.