Students aged six to 13 write using both hands, and in two different languages; children in Class V to VII have multiplication tables up to 970 down to pat, sections of the Constitution are at the tip of their tongues, and solving a Rubik’s cube is as easy as connect-the-dots. Not blue-blooded pupils of an international school or private school, these children go to the Zilla Parishad school (ZP) in Nashik’s Hiwali village. And they can also name most highways and capitals of nations.

This is thanks to their teacher, Keshav Gavit. Instead of a decrepit structure, the Hiwali ZP school is colourful, surrounded by lush greenery, and covered in educational posters inside and outside. “If a child’s attention wanders, everywhere s/he turns, they will only see educational material,” says Gavit. There are just two classrooms and two small rooms, one of which houses 150 to 200 books, and the other serves as a project room. The students paint and decorate the school with Gavit’s help. On a hillock close-by, they grow vegetables for their midday meal.