Sri Kanchi Mahaswami Vidya Mandir

The school is located at No 1 in Rajakilpakkam, Chennai. It’s a neighborhood that has grown a lot lately, so there are houses all around us. The building has a fairly traditional look and feel to it. In the mornings, you can see the students walking through the gate in their uniforms, some looking sleepy and others ready to go. We have a central area where the kids gather for their daily routine before classes start. The hallways can be quite cool in the morning but they warm up as the day goes on. We have plenty of windows, which helps with the light, but the Chennai sun can be quite strong. The desks are arranged in neat rows, though they don't stay that way for long once the lessons begin. We have some trees around the perimeter that offer a bit of shade to the schoolyard. The staff works out of a common room that is usually piled high with papers and registers. We don't use a lot of fancy words or have big promotional events. It’s mostly just the teachers explaining things on the board and the students writing in their notebooks. Sometimes you can hear the sound of a nearby temple bell or the traffic from the main road. It is just a regular place for learning where the day follows a very set and predictable pattern. We’ve been part of this neighborhood for a while and most families around here know us well.