Saraswati Hindi High School

Saraswati Hindi High School has been around Umbergaon for quite a while now. If you walk down the main road in Valsad with the 396170 pincode, you will probably see our gates. It isn't a fancy place with glass walls, just a regular building where kids come to learn their lessons. Most of the teachers here have been working in these classrooms for years, so they know the families in the neighborhood pretty well. We have a lot of students who speak Hindi at home, and that is why the school stays busy from morning until the afternoon bell rings. The playground gets a bit dusty when the wind picks up, but the kids don't seem to mind much when they are playing during break time. We have some old wooden desks that have seen better days, though they still do the job for writing and reading. On rainy days, the sound on the metal roof is so loud you can barely hear the teacher speaking. It is just a normal part of life here in this part of Gujarat. People usually just drop their children off on their way to work. We don't have a big office or a secretary to answer every phone call, but someone is usually around if you just walk in. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint next summer if we get the time. You can see the students walking home in their uniforms every afternoon, talking as they head back to their houses. It’s a noisy, lively place that feels like home.