​It is now mid-August, actually the 19th August, and the rainy season here in Varanasi is fast coming to an end. Instead of rain, it's another bright and sunny day as the Just One team travels to the Shiva Ji Mission school in Laxmanpur, on the outskirts of Varanasi.
 
 On opening the big metal gates that form the main entrance to the school, the Just One team almost step into the open-air classroom just inside the gate. This makeshift ‘classroom’ sits in an open space just beside the entrance gate. The open space is bounded by the school office building behind it, and corrugated iron sheets jut out from the office roof to keep the sun and rain off the students. Regardless of their ‘open-air’ classroom, they are joyous greet us each time we enter the gate, and every one of the students has a huge, welcoming smile on their face. A few also disturb their studies to wave vigorously at us as we enter the school grounds.

​This week’s Just One program at the Shiva Ji Mission School, Laxmanpur, Varanasi was moved from Saturday to the following Tuesday -  Tuesday 15th of August. This is a very special and much celebrated day in India. It is Independence Day for India, and the Shiva Ji Mission School is joining with every school, government office and business in India to announce and celebrate India’s independence and the country’s unique spirit.
 
In addition to celebrating India Independence Day, the Shiva Ji Mission School is taking this opportunity to acknowledge and participate in a number of other occasions. So the Just One team is also participating in a belated birthday celebration for Sai Maa and thank you to Just One, the recent recognition on the school principal and his wife by the Uttar Pradesh State government for their social services, and the Varanasi Lion’s Club ‘Plant a Tree’ program which will see a number of trees planted on the school grounds.

It's unusually warm and humid today, Saturday 5th August, as the Just One team drive towards Shiva Ji Mission school in Laxmanpur, Varanasi for a fruit distribution. When we arrive today everything is quiet. All the students have returned to the classrooms except for the youngest ones. These 3 and 4 year olds now have the small play area to themselves and are using this time to full advantage. They are an amazing sight as they dance and twirl and laugh and play, completely oblivious to everything else, including our arrival at the school.

​There are several large monkeys paying very close attention to the activities at the Shiva Ji Mission School on this 29th July morning. They are remaining very close, uncomfortably close, to the student areas and are extremely attentive to every move in the school yard. The reason? Several large crates of very large, very yellow, perfectly ripe bananas have been delivered to the school for today’s Just One program. It seems these monkeys feel that maybe they should be included in this morning’s Just One fruit distribution as well. And if they are not going to be included, then perhaps there might be a chance to take matters into their own hands and grab some delicious and tempting bananas while no-one is looking..

​Today, 29th April the Just One team are distributing mandarins to the approximately 300 students of Shiva Ji Mission School. Each student receives 2 mandarins, and there are huge grins all round. The students here love both the treat of receiving the fruit, and the attention they receive during the Just One teams’ visits.  
 
The school is now almost full for the next year, with all the rooms except for the outdoor classroom now in use. Even half of the principal’s office is now reconfigured to be classroom and office combined. Looking around, there are still many students without uniforms (compulsory for all students in government recognised schools in India) and many looking unfamiliar in their surroundings, but this will have changed by the time the new school year begins in July.   

​Just One arrived at the Shiva Ji Mission School today Saturday 22nd April and again there were parents in the principal’s office discussing enrolment of their children in the school.   The formal start of the next school year will not be until after summer break, in July. However these preparatory months of April and May not only serve to prepare the children for the rigours of the formal upcoming school year, but also allow parents to discuss their children’s education with the schools.  Often this is about deciding on a school, but often for those families at Shiva Ji Mission School it is about understanding the value of education for all children.

The weekend of Easter is like in any other weekend in Varanasi.   The Christian community here is very small, and so most businesses open as normal including government and schools.  Shiva Ji Mission school is no exception, and the Just One team arrive at 10am on the 15th April for their fruit distribution program.
 
The school is still very quiet, with all the 200 students engrossed in their classes. The teacher of the youngest class is seated with the children and they are all listening intently to her.   In other room the teacher walks around the room as the students each read a short piece from their books.  In yet another classroom the teacher is sitting at the back of the room and each student is bringing him their homework for checking and if needed correction.      
 

​Today is just 5 days since our last visit, but already the number of children at the school has increased significantly to about 200.   Today the Just One team is here for the first hot meal of this new school year.  It’s only April 8th, but the hot sun is already blazing down and the school hours have been moved earlier in the day so the children are not walking home in the hottest part of the day.
 

hen the Just One team arrives at the Shiva Ji Mission School today there is an unusual quietness. We can see the children in their classrooms and the teachers walking around the room, but it is much quieter today, Monday 3rd April.
 
We find out that today is essentially the first formal day of a new school year.  The school did open on the previous Saturday but today is the first day of classes. Most of the classrooms are only partially filled except for the kindergarten and pre-Kindergarten rooms. These are full by our standards, but we recognise more students will be accommodated as new students join the school. Many of the 3 and 4 year olds in these rooms look a little stunned  and look around at everything, including the Just One team and the oranges they receive -  with their big round  eyes staring and mouths open.

The exam period for all classes at the Shiva Ji Mission School finished yesterday, and today, 11th March 2017, is the day before the Hindu festival of Holi begins. The result is a palpable exuberance and excitement amongst all the students and the teachers. Holi is the festival of color, and traditionally it is celebrated with ecstatic and enthusiastic throwing of many brightly colored powders. When the Just One team arrive at the school to provide a hot meal, many of the children already have bright red powder dusting their clothes, in their hair, on their face, arms and legs however when we arrive they are sitting quietly in their classrooms, absorbing their lessons.