Rise 'N' Shine School

Being located on Hanuman Ghat Road means there is always something happening right outside the door. This part of Chandpole in Udaipur is full of old buildings and narrow lanes that get really crowded with tourists and cows. At Rise 'N' Shine School, the morning starts with the sound of metal shutters opening up all along the street. The building itself is an older structure, but it fits right into the neighborhood. Kids come running in with their bags, often dodging the motorbikes that squeeze past our entrance. Inside, the rooms are not huge, but they are tall, which helps with the Rajasthan heat in the summer months. You can see the lake from some of the upper windows if you lean out a little. We have been here for years, and the neighbors all know the kids by name. During the lunch break, the smell of home-cooked food fills the corridors. The wooden desks have seen a lot of use, with names scratched into them from students who left a long time ago. It is a bit noisy because of the traffic and the shops nearby, but the children do not seem to mind at all. We spend a lot of time just managing the daily routine, making sure everyone is in their seat when the bell rings. It is just a regular school where people work hard and the floors get swept every evening after everyone goes home.