Kathana Primary School

You can find our primary school in the Mangalam Building, which is right in the Lal Bazar area of Kolkata. We are up on the third floor in Room 309. Being in this part of the city means it is always incredibly busy outside on Hemanta Basu Sarani. There is a lot of noise from the street, but once you get up to the third floor, it gets a little quieter. The school consists of a few rooms where the children spend their day. We have small chairs and tables that are just the right size for primary students. There are always piles of books and art supplies tucked away in the corners. The elevator in the building works most of the time, but we often end up taking the stairs because it’s faster. We spend our mornings helping the kids with their ABCs and basic numbers. The light in the rooms isn't the best, so we keep the overhead lights on even during the day. It’s a compact space, so we have to stay organized to make sure there is enough room for everyone to move around. We don't have a playground of our own, so the kids mostly stay inside for their breaks. The staff here is small, and we mostly focus on keeping the kids safe and busy with their lessons. It’s a simple setup in a very old and busy part of Kolkata. Sometimes we hear the traffic horns all the way up here.