Upendra Nath (Junior) College

Upendra Nath (Junior) College is out in Nalagaja, which is part of the Mayurbhanj district. It is a quiet area, far away from the noise of the big cities. The college provides a place for students who have finished their tenth grade to continue their education without having to travel too far from home. We have a fairly large open space around the building. You can see the fields nearby, and the air is usually quite fresh. The building itself is a simple structure made of concrete. We have a few staff members who handle everything from the office work to the actual teaching. It’s a small operation. Students usually arrive in groups, many of them walking from the local villages. We don't have high-tech equipment, just the standard blackboards and wooden desks that have been used by many students before. During the monsoon season, the sound of the rain on the roof can be quite loud, making it hard to hear the lectures sometimes. We just pause and wait for it to pass. Our days are spent going through the textbooks and preparing for the final exams. There is a sense of calm here that you don't find in many places. We don't have any fancy programs, just the basic courses that the government requires. It is an honest place where local kids come to get their certificates and figure out what to do next with their lives. We just stay here and teach.