When Kashmir was under complete lockdown due to the abrogation of Article 370, people lost their livelihood but thousands of students aspiring to write their JEE and NEET exams had lost hope. That's whenWassim Bhatthought he could help kids by recording the videos of different concepts that he would otherwise have taught in a physical classroom. Originally from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, Wassim is not only young but a much-loved teacher among the kids in his village.

He says, "Kashmir was under lockdown even before the pandemic began and the world knows it very well. And so many careers were at stake. Hence, I decided to record videos of eight important chapters in Chemistry for JEE students and provide them on a pen drive. Since I have been working as a teacher and the students know me here, I contacted them personally and told that if they are interested in preparing for the exams, then they can come home and copy it on their laptops from my pen drive. The response from these students was positive. While some students did not have a laptop, they would watch these videos along with their friends and take notes."

Such is Wassim's dedication to helping kids with studies. Observing the response from students and taking their advice seriously, Wassim started a YouTube channel called Wassim Bhat where you will find around 37 videos that he has uploaded two or three months ago explaining the important concepts in Chemistry - each video has more than 6,000 views. He also has more than 4,19,000 subscribers.

But what led Wassim to become a teacher is an interesting story in itself. He was quite young when he lost his father and his family was bereft of income. While he went on to study Civil Engineering at SRM University in Chennai, there was pressure on him to look after his mother and siblings. That's when he started working as a model and took up a few assignments that paid him decent money. On the other hand. Wassim had good skills in teaching which his family knew very well. He recalls, "One day my mother called me and told me that my father always wanted me to become a professor as I was good at teaching. When my sister was in class 7, I would coach her in most of the subjects and my family liked the way I taught her. My mother's words made me change my decision and I started teaching Chemistry to my college friends and juniors when I was a third-year engineering student. Days passed by and one of my friends suggested that I must start teaching on a bigger online platform so that it can be of some help to the students."

Soon after completing his graduation Wassim joined BYJU'S and taught Chemistry to class 11 and 12 students. He says, "After working here for a year or so, I moved to Srinagar and worked at the Kashmir Institute of Excellence. When the lockdown was announced, I occupied myself with shooting videos for YouTube and then got an opportunity to work with Vedantu which is an interactive online tutoring platform. Now, it's been three months since I began working with them."

Curious to know more about the subject he teaches, we asked him if students really had an interest in learning Chemistry beyond their exams. He explains, "Whether students take an interest in the subject or not, it depends on the teacher. No student will understand if you don't teach them the basics. Hence, whether the student is a rank holder, an average or a below-average student, I start the concepts from the basics. That's when they get interested to know more. And when it comes to chemical reactions and formulae, there are tricks to remember them. Once the students are thorough, nothing can stop them from gaining good ranks."

Aside from teaching, Wassim has played a key rolein helping students deal with stress and boost their confidence to write the exams amidst this pandemic. "There are many students that I have met who are prepared and wantto write their exams this year. Because these students would have already taken a year's break in 2019. A break for another year would mean a lag in their careers. Therefore, whenever these students call me, I tell them not to lose touch with the books. If not for ten hours, they can invest three hours of a day to study so that they are prepared to face the exams," explains Wassim.

Teachers Who Inspire is our little tribute to some great teachers out there who are bringing hope to entire generations and reaffirm our faith that no other profession comes even close. Happy Teachers' Day to every teacher out there. You know you're awesome and so do we!

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This Kashmiri Chemistry teacher gave JEE, NEET aspirants tutorial videos on pen drives during lockdown - EdexLive