Raju Barkade
In 2022, Raju Barkade registered for his very first NPTEL course simply out of curiosity and a desire to bring fresh perspectives to his classes at Government Polytechnic, Kolhapur. At the time, he didn’t know where that one decision would lead. Four years later, in 2026, that single enrollment has grown into an unforgettable story of recognition, contribution, and continuous personal growth.
As an engineering educator, Raju has always believed in leading by example. “If I expected my students to stay curious and disciplined, I wanted to do the same myself”. Balancing full-time teaching with late-night coursework was not always easy. There were weeks filled with lectures, evaluations, and administrative responsibilities, and NPTEL assignments often had to be completed after college hours. Yet he kept returning to the lectures, revising concepts, and submitting assignments on time. In the July-December 2025 session, that consistency paid off when he achieved the prestigious NPTEL Star Recognition in Electrical Engineering. The recognition affirmed the effort he had invested in his learning.
The gain was not limited to the certification. Domains such as telecommunications and modern simulation tools move ahead swiftly, and NPTEL gave Raju the platform to sharpen his skills with top IIT faculty and bring those insights right back into lectures and labs. The subjects he completed from NPTEL were Next-Gen Wireless & Optical Communications, Signal Integrity & System Control and Human Behavior & Research Methodology .
In January 2026, he had the privilege of attending the NPTEL SPOC Celebration at IIT Bombay. Standing in that iconic campus, alongside visionaries, mentors, and fellow passionate educators felt surreal. It was more than a personal milestone; it was a reminder of the larger community that NPTEL has created. Meeting people who share the same belief in accessible, high-quality education made the journey feel even more meaningful.
Believing that language should never become a barrier to quality education, he stepped up as an NPTEL Translator. Raju translated over 5 hours of video content into Marathi for the core ‘Analog Circuits’ course.
Translating technical ideas involves more than just converting words from one language to another – it requires understanding the concept deeply enough to explain it naturally. Breaking down topics like operational amplifiers and frequency responses into Marathi remains one of the most fulfilling parts of his teaching career. Knowing that a student may understand a difficult concept better because the explanation is available in their own language makes the effort worthwhile.
With a solid engineering foundation built between 2022 and 2025, he decided to cross disciplines in 2026 by enrolling in NPTEL Domain Courses in Psychology.
While the former taught him how systems work, the latter is teaching him how people think, learn, and respond. As a teacher, this shift has already changed the way he looks at his classroom. Every student learns differently, and understanding that has made him more patient, observant, and empathetic.
Looking back, one course in 2022 opened doors he had never expected. Translating, teaching, and mentoring showed him that sharing knowledge doubles its value, while exploring new domains reminded him never to restrict to a single field.
“Don’t just track your progress, transform your possibilities! Thank you to NPTEL, IIT Bombay, and Government Polytechnic Kolhapur for being part of this ongoing story…”
~written by Khadija Hussain
