Vivekananda Vidya Niketan

Vivekananda Vidya Niketan is tucked away in Ojha Layout, just off Jewargi Road in Gulbarga. It’s a residential neighborhood, so it’s relatively calm compared to the city center. The school building is simple, and we’ve tried to make the best of the space we have. Every morning starts with the kids lining up for the assembly. You can hear them reciting their prayers from down the street. We have a few rooms for each grade, and they are usually packed with benches. The walls are painted a pale color that has faded a bit over the years. We don't have a huge playground, but the kids find ways to run around in the courtyard during recess. The office is where all the paperwork happens, and it’s usually a bit of a mess with files and old registers. We use simple tools here, mostly just books and pens. The teachers often sit together during the breaks to talk about their families and the day's work. Gulbarga can get incredibly hot, so the fans are always running at full blast. Sometimes we have to deal with minor repairs, like a leaky tap or a broken chair. It’s a small operation, and we all know each other’s names. We just focus on getting the kids through their exams and making sure they learn something useful. It is a humble place, and we like it that way.