Him Modern Sr. Sec. Public School

Living up here in Kinnaur, you get used to the cold mornings pretty fast. Him Modern Sr. Sec. Public School is located right near the Bhaba Bus Stand, so there is always some noise from the engines warming up early in the morning. Bhaba Nagar can be a bit dusty when the wind picks up from the mountains. Our school in Ponda Solding isn't the biggest building you will ever see, but it is sturdy enough for the winters we get. We spend a lot of time making sure the children are wrapped up warm because the classrooms can get a bit chilly before the sun hits the roof. I usually walk to work and see the shopkeepers opening up their stalls near the bus stand. It is a small community and everyone knows whose kid is in which grade. Inside the school, we have shelves that are a bit wobbly and full of old textbooks we have kept for years. We don't really have a big fancy office, just a couple of desks pushed together where we drink tea and talk about the day’s plans. Sometimes the mountain roads get blocked and half the staff cannot make it in, so we just double up and manage the best we can. It is not a polished place, but it works for us and the families here. When the day ends, I watch the buses pull away and wait for the quiet to settle back over the valley.