Auto driver's daughter from Kottayam is sought-after Malayalam teacher in Gulf, US

For most teachers, the workday ends when the school bell rings at 3 pm. For Punya Mohan, however, it marks the start of a second shift. Every evening, after returning from school, the 28-year-old Malayalam teacher from Karappuzha in Kottayam logs on to teach one-on-one online Malayalam classes to students across the world. Her virtual classroom brings together learners ranging from preschool children to senior citizens in their seventies.

What began as a temporary shift from home tuition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into Malayali Wordsmith, an online venture helping people across India and countries including the UAE, Qatar, the UK, the US and Australia learn Malayalam. "It was surprising to realise how many people genuinely wanted to learn Malayalam," says Punya.

Her love for Malayalam began in childhood. Encouraged by her family, she actively participated in speeches and language competitions. Although she had scored well in science at school, she chose Malayalam for higher studies despite criticism. "People expected me to continue with science, but choosing Malayalam felt right," she says.

Punya had been taking tuition classes since her college days. In 2020, when the pandemic disrupted conventional teaching, she received an enquiry from a Malayali working in the UAE who wanted his Class 3 daughter, Ishita Roy, living in Kolkata with her mother from West Bengal, to learn Malayalam.

"That was when I seriously explored online teaching. Ishita remained my only student for nearly a year," she recalls. "I barely knew how to use video conferencing platforms then, and I taught using a basic smartphone that would overheat during long classes. Those were challenging days."

Word-of-mouth recommendations gradually brought in more learners, while social media helped widen her reach. In 2025, she launched the official social media pages of Malayali Wordsmith. "Malayalam has a niche audience. Most of our students are Malayalis living abroad who want to stay connected to their roots, children returning to Kerala from outside, or people who simply want to improve their Malayalam. We even have Tamilians learning the language out of interest," she says.

Her oldest student is a 72-year-old woman from Mumbai, married to a Malayali, who wanted to learn Malayalam to read the Bible. "She has been attending my classes for over a year," says Punya.

Malayali Wordsmith now teaches around 45 students from India and abroad, offering both spoken and written Malayalam. Every class is conducted individually. "Each student learns differently. Children need interactive methods, while adults have different goals. Personalised sessions help us teach according to each learner's pace," she says. The syllabus is customised too; some begin with the alphabet, while school students follow their curriculum, and others progress to literature and advanced language skills.

As demand increased, Punya brought five more qualified Malayalam teachers, most of them her friends, into the venture. Like her, they teach in schools during the day and conduct online classes in the evenings. Punya herself joined Pallikoodam School in Kottayam as a Malayalam teacher in 2022.

She says the initiative also provides an additional source of income for teachers facing poor employment prospects. "Getting into aided schools often requires huge sums of money, while salaries in many private schools are quite low. Many qualified teachers are willing to work extra hours to supplement their income," she says. “However, the school where I work offers better prospects and has been very supportive of my venture."

Balancing both jobs is demanding. "My father, an autorickshaw driver, picks me up from school every day so I can reach home and start classes immediately. The sessions continue until 10 pm," she says. Classes are usually held only on weekdays, with weekend sessions scheduled only when necessary.

Some learners become comfortable with basic reading and writing within three weeks, while others continue for years to study literature and improve their proficiency. Punya credits her parents, Mohanakumar and Jayakumari, for making it all possible.

"I started with a basic smartphone and gradually upgraded my devices. My parents may not understand the technology, but they have always supported me. They even take care of household chores because I hardly get any free time during the week," she says.

Looking ahead, Punya hopes to expand Malayali Wordsmith into an app-based learning platform, making Malayalam education more accessible to learners around the world.