Vidya Niketan High School

Being up here in Panchgani means dealing with a lot of fog and rain during the monsoon months. Our school sits right on the Main Road, so it’s pretty easy to find if you’re passing through. Most of us who work here have been around for years. We know the families in the area and we've seen a lot of kids grow up and move on. The classrooms are basic but they do the job. Sometimes the monkeys from the trees nearby get a bit too curious and try to see what's happening inside, which usually makes the students laugh. We don't have a giant marketing team or anything like that. It's just us. We spend our mornings checking the registers and making sure the chalkboards are ready. Lunch breaks are usually the loudest part of the day. The playground isn't massive, but there's enough room for a quick game of football or just sitting around. Living and working in a hill station has its own pace. Things move a bit slower here than in the big cities. We focus on getting through the syllabus and making sure the kids understand what they're reading. If a lightbulb goes out or a desk breaks, we fix it ourselves or call the local guy down the street. It’s a practical way of running things. We like it that way. No fuss, just a place for learning on the main road.