Bachpan

You’ll find us at Patel Villa in the Buxibazar area of Cuttack. It’s a bit of a different setup since we are in an older building that feels more like a home than a big institution. Since we deal with the really little ones, the place is always full of color and, honestly, quite a bit of mess. There are toys scattered around the rooms and drawings taped up on almost every wall. We spend our days trying to keep toddlers in line, which is as hard as it sounds. There’s a lot of singing, some crying, and plenty of snack times. Buxibazar is a busy place, so we have to keep the gates locked tight to keep the noise and traffic out. The yard has some play equipment that gets a lot of use every single day. We don’t have a fancy corporate office; it’s just a desk in the corner where we keep the registers and the emergency contact numbers. Parents are always coming in and out, dropping off bags or picking up their kids early. It’s a very hands-on job, and we usually go home with paint or chalk on our clothes. It’s not a quiet life, but it’s what we do here at Patel Villa. We just try to make sure the kids are safe and have enough things to keep them busy until their parents come back at the end of the day.