Shri Laxminarayan Vidyapratishtan

Down in Deshalpar, which is out near Bhuj, sits Shri Laxminarayan Vidyapratishtan. This place is part of the Sanskardham area. If you come out here, you’ll notice how wide the sky feels compared to the crowded cities. The school itself is a collection of buildings that have been around through the winds and the dry weather we get in this part of Gujarat. We spend a lot of time just keeping the dust out of the classrooms because it gets everywhere. The floors are stone, which stays nice and cool under your feet even when it’s baking outside. We don’t have any big corporate offices or polished reception areas here. It’s just a desk near the entrance where someone sits to answer questions. The kids come in from all over the local area, some walking and some on the back of their father’s bikes. Our daily life is just the sound of the bell and the teachers calling out names from the register. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we just open the doors wider to let the light in. It’s a very practical sort of life. We focus on the lessons, and when the day is done, the place gets quiet very quickly as everyone heads back to their villages. It’s just a school in the middle of a quiet landscape, doing what schools do for the people here.