New Delhi: Physics Wallah CEO and teacher Alakh Pandey celebrated Raksha Bandhan with young students, sharing videos and photographs of the celebrations on social media. Hundreds of Rakhis could be seen covering his wrist as girls tied them to his hand.
The videos were filmed at the Pardada Pardadi Educational Society in Anupshahr, Uttar Pradesh, a grassroots organisation that provides free education to rural girls.
In two different videos, Pandey was seen getting rakhis tied on his hand with the students at a basketball playground and, in one, inside the school premises. Some of the girls are reportedly national-level basketball players.
The scenes drew comparisons with Patna-based teacher and educator Khan Sir (Faizal Khan), who has become widely known for his annual Raksha Bandhan celebrations. While Khan Sir has made the tradition a recurring public spectacle, Pandey’s posts showed him taking part in a similar celebration this year.
‘I have also become your fan’
“Sir, I am a very big fan of yours,” one girl tells Pandey while shaking his hand. He responds by praising her sporting abilities.
“I have also become your fan after seeing you play,” he says in the video.
In another video, a girl becomes emotional after meeting Pandey. “I watch your every video,” she says while wiping away her tears.
Pandey asks her name before she ties a Rakhi on his wrist. By then, his hand is almost completely covered, with the girls seen trying to find space to tie more Rakhis.
Also Read: Physics Wallah urges Jharkhand govt to visit student protest site
From Students to Flood Relief
In the past few weeks, Pandey has been involved in student welfare, disaster relief, and grassroots initiatives.
In Assam, Pandey documented his relief efforts through several Instagram videos. Wearing a life jacket with an Assamese gamchha draped around his neck, he appealed for help for flood-affected people.
“Please help Assam,” reads the caption of one of his videos.
In another, Pandey is seen carrying two young girls and a woman to his car before taking them to a temporary accommodation.
“Providing temporary homes,” reads the caption of the reel.
Backing Student Protests
Pandey has also been increasingly visible at student protests and education-related initiatives.
He visited a protest site in Jharkhand and appealed to the state government to meet the students and listen to their demands. He also backed their demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission examinations.
“Students ko peetna koi solution nahi” (beating students is not a solution), he said, criticising the use of force against protesting students.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)