Back in 2020, when we first introduced SRIMATHY to the world, we never imagined the ripple effect it would set off within our team and across the communities we hoped to reach.

SRIMATHY was an app designed to help rural teachers in India practice and improve their spoken English through interactive lessons, personalized feedback, and content tailored specifically for their classroom challenges.

Our goal was simple: Empower educators with the language skills and confidence to create new opportunities for their students. Together with my engineer colleagues Naveen Sampath, Rajesh Badveti, and Vishnu K, we built a tool that made language learning accessible and relevant for teachers working in some of the most resource-constrained environments.

Fast forward to the recent Google Cloud Agentic AI Day — a record-setting global hackathon that brought together innovators from around the world. Out of the hackathon came SAHAYAK, an AI-powered learning assistant that reimagines support for rural, multi-grade classrooms.

Built with the same passion and teamwork that defined SRIMATHY, SAHAYAK enables offline, multilingual, and adaptive learning for both teachers and students.

In rural India, teachers often manage diverse learning levels in a single classroom, but technology can be the bridge that connects these worlds. With SAHAYAK, we built a companion for educators that listens and evolves alongside them.

Throughout this process, the enthusiasm from employees who care about AI, innovation, and hackathons was palpable. Teams focused on CSR and education saw in SAHAYAK a concrete example of technology driving inclusive growth. Colleagues from across the globe reached out, curious about agentic AI applications and eager to share their own stories and ideas for using technology to do good.

What inspires me most is the sense of pride and purpose that comes from knowing our efforts matter. Every time a teacher shares feedback or a student masters a new concept, I am reminded that technology, when harnessed for good, can be truly transformative. Cisco’s culture is one of problem-solving, creative thinking, and above all, a belief in the power of technology to make a difference.

Stories like ours show what’s possible when we work together. Whether you’re an engineer, program manager, or simply passionate about education or social good, you can contribute by sharing ideas for AI for Good, exploring new agentic AI use cases, volunteering skills for education-focused initiatives, and spreading the word.

The work doesn’t end here. SAHAYAK is just one milestone on a longer journey towards a future where technology lifts everyone, everywhere — one classroom, one teacher, and one inspired learner at a time.