Photos | Couple runs street-side classes in Delhi for poor students amid coronavirus

Veena, a singer and grandmother of three, and her husband, Virendra Gupta, decided to go out to the street and teach the kids so they are not left behind when school reopens. It all began when Veena's maid complained that with schools shut, children in her impoverished community were running amok and wasting time. The street-side classes have grown as dozens of children showed keen interest. Now the Guptas, with help from their driver, teach three different groups three times a week, morning and evening. As most schools in India remain shut since late March when the country imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, many switched to digital learning and taking classes online.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2020 5:27 PM IST

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Children return home after their class on a sidewalk in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020. An Indian couple, Veena Gupta and her husband Virendra Gupta, is conducting free classes for underprivileged children on a sidewalk in New Delhi with the goal to keep them learning and not left behind when schools reopen. It all began when Veena's maid complained that with schools shut, children in her impoverished community were running amok and wasting time. As most schools in India remain shut since late March when the country imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19, many switched to digital learning and taking classes online. (AP)

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A former diplomat Virendra Gupta and his singer wife Veena Gupta pose for a photograph with underprivileged children whom they teach on a sidewalk in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020. The Indian couple are conducting free classes for underprivileged children on a sidewalk in New Delhi with the goal to keep them learning and not left behind when schools reopen. (AP)

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Veena Gupta speaks to a child during a class for underprivileged children she conducts along with her husband Virendra Gupta, in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020. (AP)

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Veena Gupta, right, performs stretch exercises during a class for underprivileged children she conducts with her husband Virendra Gupta, in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020. (AP)

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Children lay a sheet to sit on for their class on a sidewalk as their teacher Veena Gupta watches in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020. (AP)

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A child practices writing numbers on a sidewalk class in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020.\ (AP)

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A child takes a pencil during a class conducted by Veena Gupta on a sidewalk in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020. (AP)

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Children wave goodbye to Veena Gupta as she leaves after conducting a class on a sidewalk in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 3, 2020. (AP)