Prakash Vidyalaya

Out here in Kalol, Prakash Vidyalaya is a place where most local families have sent their children at some point over the years. Being in the Gandhinagar area of Gujarat means we deal with a lot of heat, so we try to keep the classrooms as cool as we possibly can. The building has been standing here for a long time. It is not a modern glass structure, just a solid, simple place where teachers show up every single morning. We start early before the sun gets too high in the sky. You can often hear the kids reciting their lessons from the street outside. We focus mostly on the basics. There are no fancy gadgets in every room, just old-fashioned blackboards, white chalk, and paper notebooks. The teachers talk to the parents right at the front gate. It has a very local, neighborhood feel to it. We have many students whose older brothers and sisters also sat in these same wooden desks. Sometimes the ceiling fans make a bit of noise, and the furniture is old, but it still works fine. During the lunch break, the whole place smells like the homemade snacks that the kids bring from their homes. We do not have a massive campus, but the children always find enough space to run around during their breaks. It is a quiet life for the most part, just following the curriculum and making sure the exams get graded on time for the families.