Archive · 2 Sep 2026
Three Indian Changemakers Honor Teachers Who Shaped Their Dreams
Three people who now help others are remembering teachers who changed their lives.
Manav Sony was encouraged by radio jockey Genie Tangri to follow his passion for social work.
He later left a legal career and started working on community projects.
Vaibhav Rathore learned from his teachers that learning is about more than marks.
One teacher also pushed him to speak in front of his school, even though he was scared.
Richa Jain’s Hindi teacher helped her believe in herself and focus on improving each day.
Richa later began free online coaching for students preparing for NET and JRF exams.
All three now try to give other people the same confidence and support they once received.
Manav Sony credits radio jockey Genie Tangri with encouraging his shift from law to social work.
Sony now leads Funsmart Knowledge Solution Foundation, which has impacted more than 3.8 lakh people across 35 cities.
Vaibhav Rathore says teachers Reshu Tiwari and Vipul Sir taught him curiosity, dedication and public-speaking confidence.
Richa Jain says Hindi teacher Dr Sakshi Singh helped her trust her abilities and stop comparing herself with others.
The three changemakers now support communities and students by passing their teachers’ lessons on to others.
- Who
- Manav Sony, Vaibhav Rathore and Richa Jain, along with the teachers and mentor who influenced them.
- What
- The three changemakers described how encouragement from teachers shaped their careers and their work helping others.
- When
- Their stories were shared for Teacher’s Day; the cited source articles were published in 2026.
- Where
- The work described took place in India, including projects across cities and districts and online Hindi coaching.
- Why
- They wanted to explain how teachers’ belief, guidance and encouragement gave them confidence to pursue social impact and support students.
- Manav Sony’s organization
- Funsmart Knowledge Solution Foundation
- Manav Sony’s reported impact
- More than 3.8 lakh people across 35 cities
- Sony’s environmental work
- More than 4,000 trees planted and 12 tonnes of plastic waste collected
- Vaibhav Rathore’s organization
- Revamp India Foundation
- Rathore’s tree initiative
- Faldaar helped saplings reach a reported 75 percent survival rate
- Richa Jain’s online community
- Around 90,000 NET and JRF aspirants
- Jain’s teaching format
- Free Hindi coaching that began using only a smartphone