Gautam Vidya Mandir Inter School

Gautam Vidya Mandir Inter School is out in Bati, which is a bit away from the main Mathura city hub. The area is more open and has a different feel than the crowded central markets. We’ve been operating here in the 281004 area for many years. The building is a simple concrete structure with several classrooms lined up along a long corridor. We have a small field in front where the students gather for the morning prayer. It’s mostly dusty ground, but it works for sports too. Our teachers come from the surrounding villages and some travel from the city. We don't have air conditioning or anything like that; we just use the ceiling fans and open the windows. The desks are the old-fashioned kind where two or three students sit together. We keep our records in handwritten registers in the main office. Sometimes the cows from the nearby fields wander near the boundary wall. It’s a quiet life out here for the most part. We follow the state board syllabus and try to get the exams finished on time. There isn't any fancy cafeteria, so students bring their own lunch boxes from home. We just focus on the basics of running an inter school without any extra fuss. It’s a plain, honest place for local kids to study. We ring the bell manually to mark the end of every period.