Akar Vidhyavihar

Akar Vidhyavihar sits right across from the Khodiyarmata Temple in Deesa, so we hear the temple bells quite clearly during the day. Banaskantha can get very dry and hot, especially in the summer months, but the school stays fairly cool inside the thick walls. We have a lot of kids coming in from the nearby parts of town. The staff room is small and usually smells like tea because we make a fresh pot every couple of hours. There is no big corporate office behind us, just local people making sure the school runs. We spend a lot of time talking to parents who stop by after visiting the temple. The floors are stone and they stay a bit dusty no matter how much we sweep. It is just the way it is in this part of Gujarat. We don't have fancy brochures or anything like that. If you walk past, you’ll see the bicycles lined up near the entrance and hear the teachers shouting over the noise of the ceiling fans. Sometimes the power goes out, and we just open the windows and keep going with the lessons. It is a very normal life here in Deesa. We focus on the books and the exams, and making sure everyone stays on track. The playground is mostly dirt, but the children still manage to play cricket whenever they get a few minutes of free time during the short breaks.