Landslides, poor roads and no reliable internet: This Keralam teacher travels 3000 km to teach in an Arunachal village

A 28-year-old teacher from Kerala has travelled nearly 3,000 kilometres to teach children in a remote village close to the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Ali Ashqar left Areekode in Malappuram district to take up a teaching position at NSCBAV School in Karo village, Shi-Yomi district, where difficult terrain, poor road connectivity, frequent landslides and limited access to electricity and the internet pose everyday challenges.

His efforts have helped bring fresh attention to the school, which currently has 102 students. Ashqar recently caught the internet's attention after videos showing children celebrating Onam at the school went viral. One of the clips garnered nearly 5 million views, while Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also shared a video of the celebrations on social media.

However, Ashqar's contribution to the remote school extends well beyond the viral videos. Alongside teaching, he collaborates with other educators, conducts teacher training sessions, organises extracurricular programmes and encourages parents and residents to take an active role in improving the school.

From Kerala to a remote village in Arunachal Pradesh

Ashqar's academic journey has taken him through several parts of the country. According to Manorama Online, he completed his bachelor's degree in Kerala before moving to Punjab for his Master's degree. He subsequently pursued a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Puducherry and also worked in Kashmir for some time.

His passion for travelling and teaching in different regions eventually led him to Arunachal Pradesh. Between 2022 and 2024, he enrolled in a Master of Education (M.Ed.) programme at a university in Shi-Yomi district. His time in the region helped him understand the local community and sparked his interest in teaching at Karo.

He later joined NSCBAV Karo as a language teacher through a non-governmental organisation (NGO). At the time, the school was dealing with several problems, including a fall in student enrolment and the lack of hostel facilities. According to The New Indian Express, the institution was facing difficulties in continuing its operations, leading to intervention by the government and an NGO around the time Ashqar joined.

The school has since witnessed an improvement in its circumstances, with its student strength reaching 102. Ashqar has also taken on responsibilities beyond academic instruction, focusing on making school life more interactive and encouraging children to participate in different activities.

Poor roads, landslides make everyday life challenging

Teaching in Karo involves navigating difficulties that are largely unfamiliar to educators working in cities. The village has limited road access and frequently experiences landslides. Electricity supply and internet connectivity are also unreliable, while access to healthcare and shops selling essential goods requires several hours of travel.

Even arranging supplies for school events can involve extensive journeys. During preparations for the Onam festivities, Ashqar told The New Indian Express that purchasing the necessary materials involved travelling nearly 200 kilometres.

"The village is very far from the city, so procuring everything was difficult. It is around 200km away, but because of the condition of the roads, the journey can take almost eight hours. There is also limited electricity and internet connectivity here," he said.

Despite these limitations, the teachers have continued to organise activities that give students opportunities to learn and experience different cultures. The village community also played an important part in making the Onam programme possible, with residents contributing vegetables and other locally available resources. Several additional ingredients and supplies had to be sourced from markets located far away.

Ashqar regularly documents these experiences on his Instagram account, @teacher_tales_. His posts offer a glimpse into the children's everyday lives, including their performances, singing sessions, dance activities and experiences at the school hostel.

Onam celebrations introduce Arunachal children to Kerala's culture

The school's 2026 Onam festivities became particularly popular on social media. Ashqar and his fellow teachers introduced the students to the traditions of the Kerala festival through Malayalam music, traditional dishes and cultural activities.

One of the main attractions was a dance performance that lasted nearly eight minutes. The children performed to a mix of Malayalam folk and film songs, popular social media tracks and Tamil numbers. The teachers wore mundu and sarees, while the students were dressed in gal, a traditional outfit of the local community.

As reported by Manorama Online, students and teachers also visited homes across the village to collect flowers for a pookkalam, the traditional floral decoration prepared during Onam. Banana leaves were used to decorate the venue and serve the festive meal.

The celebrations included an Onam sadya comprising rice, sambar, rasam, pappadam, pickle, banana chips and payasam. Organising the feast was no easy task, as many of the required ingredients and supplies had to be transported from markets approximately 200 kilometres away.

Explaining his motivation behind introducing the festival to the children, Ashqar told The New Indian Express: “Onam is a celebration where people come together regardless of religion or background. I wanted the children to understand that spirit of different traditions coming together and the sense of togetherness it carries.”