Shree Sharda Junior High School

Down by the Shyampur Bypass in Rishikesh, you’ll find Shree Sharda Junior High School. It’s located in Amit Gram, which is a busy little pocket near Gumaniwala. Being on the bypass means there is always a bit of noise from the trucks and cars heading toward Dehradun. The school itself is a straightforward place for the junior high kids in the area. We have a few floors with classrooms that look out over the nearby houses and some trees. It’s not the kind of place that has a big fancy entrance; you just walk in past the main office. The steps are a bit worn down from years of students going up and down. In the mornings, the air is often a bit cooler because we are near the hills, but by midday, the sun is strong on the concrete. The teachers here usually arrive early to get their notes ready. There’s a small space where the kids can sit during their lunch break and share their tiffin boxes. Most of the families around Gumaniwala are hard-working people, and their children are the same. We don’t have a lot of extra fluff here. It’s mostly just desks, books, and the daily routine of getting through the syllabus. Sometimes you can see the mountains in the distance on a clear day, which is nice. It’s a very local spot where people from Amit Gram feel at home sending their kids to learn.