Katurva Gandhi Girls School Sheopur 100 Seater

The school is tucked away on the first floor of P135, Cit Road in Beliaghata. It is a 100-seater facility, which means it stays quite full most of the time. Being in Kolkata, the humidity is always there, and the ceiling fans are almost always running. The stairs leading up to the first floor are a bit steep and narrow, so you have to be careful when everyone is trying to leave at once. Since it is a girls' school with residential capacity, there are always clothes drying on the lines and trunks tucked under the beds. The rooms are basic. We have a small kitchen area where the meals are cooked every day. You can smell the rice and dal cooking from the hallway. Outside on CIT Road, the buses and taxis never seem to stop, so there is a constant hum of engines. The girls come from different backgrounds, and they spend their time studying at the long tables we have set up. It is not a luxury place by any means. It is just a spot to stay and learn in the middle of the city. The walls are painted a light color that has faded over the years. We keep a schedule for everything, from waking up to turning off the lights. It is a very lived-in space that feels more like a big house than a formal institution. Teachers sit in the small office near the landing.