Gurukulam

Gurukulam is over in Sannagar, Panthalakkode, and it’s been here quite a bit now. Thiruvananthapuram has that warm, sticky air most days, and our building sits right in the middle of it. We don’t have fancy stuff, just rooms where kids sit and we talk about lessons. Most mornings start with some noise as everyone arrives. You can hear the scooters and the buses dropping off students near the gate. It isn’t always organized, sometimes things get messy with the bags and the lunch boxes scattered around. We spend a lot of time just managing the day. Teachers here have been around for years, so we all know each other’s families by now. It feels more like a big house than a formal office or anything like that. In the afternoons, when it gets really hot, things slow down. We sit under the fans and try to finish the work before the final bell. Sometimes the power goes out, and we just open the windows and keep going. There’s a lot of walking back and forth between the classrooms. People from the neighborhood often stop by just to say hello or ask about something. It’s a simple life here in Panthalakkode. We aren’t trying to do anything big, just making sure the kids have a place to be every day. The walls could use some paint, but that’s how it is when you’re busy with the actual teaching and the students.