Kumdshree Residential School

Out here in Venur, on the way to Dharmastala, the scenery is quite nice, but the work is still the same. We are a residential school in the Dakshina Kannada district, which means the kids are with us all the time. It’s a different kind of life when you live where you work. The mornings start very early with the sound of the students getting ready in the dorms. We have to manage everything from their meals to their study hours. The air is a bit fresher here than in the big cities, but when the monsoon hits, it really pours down on us. The school building is spread out a bit, and we have to keep an eye on everything to make sure the kids are safe and staying out of trouble. It’s not a luxury setup. The rooms are basic, and the food is just simple local stuff like rice and sambar. We have teachers who also stay on the grounds, so there’s always someone around if a student feels sick or needs help with something late at night. It’s a lot of responsibility looking after other people’s children 24 hours a day. We spend a lot of time just keeping the place tidy and making sure the schedule is followed. It’s a quiet life most of the time, away from the main roads and the big town noise.