Teacher’s Day 2026: Kolhapur Teacher Felicitated With First-Ever Kind Teacher Award For Teaching Compassion, Rescuing Snakes

Mumbai, September 3, 2026: A Kolhapur-based school teacher received the first-ever ‘Kind Teacher Award’ on Teacher’s Day for his efforts in inculcating compassion towards animals within students.

The educator was felicitated for teaching students to co-exist with animals and rescuing snakes from human-inhabited areas and releasing them into the wild.

Teacher Honoured For Animal Welfare

Maharashtra-based animal welfare organisation, Animal Rahat, honoured Sachin Kusnale – a teacher, author and snake rescuer – with the maiden ‘Kind Teacher Award’. He has been selected for his work to build a kinder society by teaching animals to young students of Vidya Mandir Ganeshwadi Mal School in Shirol.

According to Animal Rahat, Kusnale was selected for the award for weaving animal welfare into his lessons like teaching children not to fly kites with glass-coated strings that slice into birds and not to set off fireworks which terrify monkeys and dogs.

Apart from his own school, Kusnale also promotes Animal Rahat's work in other schools to grow a regional network of compassionate educators. He has also authored books on the importance of not eating meat, being kind to animals, and living in harmony with nature.

Moreover, Kusnale is also a trained snake rescuer and has relocated multiple snakes from human-inhabited areas and safely returned them to forests.

‘Kindness Does Not Require Wealth’

“Receiving the award is deeply emotional for me because I never worked for recognition. If this award helps even one teacher or student think more compassionately about animals, that would mean more to me. My message is simple – kindness does not require wealth, power or a special position. Every one of us can choose compassion and every teacher has the power to plant that thought in the next generation,” Kusnale said.

Animal Rahat’s Work In Maharashtra

Based in Sangli, Animal Rahat is known for working to replace bullock-driven carts with mechanised alternatives through its ‘sugar factory mechanisation project’ since 2011. It has influenced the deployment of over 18,850 tractors and 270 harvesters at 26 sugarcane factories of Maharashtra.

It conducts free humane education workshops using a ‘Compassionate Citizen’ programme, to help students between 8 to 12 years of age to better understand and appreciate animals. It is said to have reached around 70,000 children across the state.

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The NGO's chief operations officer, Dr. Naresh Upreti, said, “Going beyond books and lessons, Kusnale teaches his students that every being deserves compassion and that each of us has a role to play in building a kinder world. Animal Rahat is proud to present him with our first-ever Kind Teacher Award, and we encourage other educators to follow in his compassionate footsteps.”

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