Dr. Radhakrishnan English High School

Dr. Radhakrishnan English High School is located at No 8 in Tirukannur, which is a bit of a distance from the main Pondicherry town. It is a place where you can still feel a bit of the quietness of the outskirts, though it gets plenty busy during school hours. The building is a simple one, and it sits right on the street where everyone passes by. In the mornings, the sound of motorcycles and the occasional bullock cart or tractor from the nearby fields mixes with the voices of the children. We have a small office near the entrance where we keep all the records and files in old steel cupboards. The classrooms have high windows to let in the breeze, which is necessary during the hot Pondicherry summers. We don't have air conditioning, so we rely on the ceiling fans and the shade from a few trees near the gate. The teachers here have been part of the Tirukannur community for a long time, so they know the families of the students quite well. It’s not a polished corporate institution; it’s more like a local landmark where things are done the old-fashioned way. We spend our days writing on chalkboards and keeping track of the kids in the playground. When the day ends at 605501, we lock up the big gates and head home, ready to do the same thing again the next morning.