The Star Classes

The Star Classes is located on Mahaveer Mandir Road in Varanasi. It’s exactly where you’d expect, right near the Mahaveer Mandir. Because of the temple, there’s always something going on outside—people walking, bells ringing, and vendors selling things. Orderly Bazar is a crowded part of town, but we like the energy. Our classrooms are simple and we don’t spend much on decorations or fancy stuff. We have some benches and blackboards, and that’s about it. The air gets thick in the summer, but we have enough fans to keep it moving. People come from all over this part of Varanasi to find us. We don’t have a big lobby, so students often wait outside by the temple before their turn starts. It’s a very local way of doing things. We know the neighbors and the shopkeepers nearby. Sometimes we have to pause when a loud procession goes by on the road, but we just pick up where we left off. It’s not a polished environment, just a place where teaching happens every day. We write our own schedules on a piece of paper taped to the wall. It’s been like this for a long time and we don’t see any reason to change how we run things. It feels like home to most of us who work here. We usually close up shop late in the evening when the temple crowd starts to thin out.