the shiva temple

observations durinG a Ceremony

Teej Festival

The Teej Festival is a females-only festival celebrated by Hindu women. During the festival, women fast and pray for marriage and family. Single women pray for an auspicious future marriage, while married women pray for marital bliss. At midnight, the husband feeds the woman sweets.

Taking part in the celebrations, was a really unique experience that gave us the opportunity to get truly integrated in the community and interact with local people, outside the school environment.

The Temple

The temple stands proud in the middle of the rice fields, not far from the school, and local women and men come to join the celebrations from as far as 1hour away, walking.

The temple is made out of concrete, a sign of wealth, and concrete columns mark the perimeter of the outside yard.

Festivities

The festivals for women, include dancing, singing, getting together with friends and telling stories, dressing up with henna-coloured hands and feet, wearing red, green or yellow clothes, and sharing festive foods.

Even though the festival is celebrated by women, men and boys often join the celebrations to enjoy the dancing and singing.

The festival was on a school day but the girls and female teachers were pardoned so they could attend the temple ceremony.

CErEMONY

At the Shiva temple, women worship the Shiva linga, the symbol of the lord Shiva, offering flowers, sweets and coins. The main puja (religious ceremony) takes place with offerings of flowers, fruits, etc., made to Shiva and Pārbati, pleading them to grant their blessing upon the husband and family.

Before they enter inside, the women go around the temple three times in a clock-wise direction. Once inside, in the same direction, they go round and place offerings in the statues that live in recessed parts of the walls. At the end they place the last offerings in the central statue, Shiva linga.

The different rituals might seem simple at the beginning, but there is a lot of detail and meaning that comes with them. Every action is done in a specific way, which links back to their culture and tradition that has shaped Hinduism over the millennia.

Asking why something is done in a specific way might lead you to hear wonderful stories about their religion and beliefs.

The Aabir plate is used to carry aabir, which is scented powder made from fragrant plants, usually red and yellow, rice and flower and fruits. The plates are prepared by the women in the morning and are used for the offerings in the ceremony .

Hariharpur Secundary School is a public school which is located in the active area of CEPP in Ghanta. They offer classes for grade 1 until 10 for students of the environment. Every grade has its own classroom located in different buildings which are built by different organizations.

Different Buildings

observations of the Classrooms grADE 1-3 & 10

This is the newest building of the school and is made out of concrete. In the Nepali culture, they prefer to build concrete buildings, because it shows more statue. The classrooms of grade 1, 2, 3 and 10 are located in this building.

As shown on the sketch below, the corbels and windowsills are used as a sitting area for the students to watch a volleyball match during break. The students also climb and walk around the building.

The noise of the next-door building is audible through the windows, which disturbs the class. Even on the ground floor, you can hear the movements upstairs because of the contact with the wooden platform.

In this building there are two types of interiors. In the classrooms of grade 1-3, there is a wooden platform. As the students sit on the floor during class, the platform helps them to sit on a warmer surface. The classroom of grade 10 has benches. But all the classrooms feel very impersonal and functional, because of the used materials. Only the classrooms of grade 1 and 2 has a pleasant atmosphere, because they are already designed by two other international interns. The different classrooms in this building can be locked.

Observation During Class Of Grade 3

The day begins with indicating and taking record of the present students, who they have an assigned number. If their number is called by the teacher, the students stand up and say ‘Yes madam’. The quantity of present students can vary from 5 to 30 students each day.

Grade 3 (and also grades 1-2) has one teacher, who teaches all the subjects: Nepali, English, Mathematics, Science, Social, Health and Physical Education. During the day, the students choose which topic they want to learn, at which moment and for how long. At the start of each subject, the students go to the teacher to correct their homework. In the classroom, a metal box (which can be locked) is present. The students can use some pencils, rubbers, a ball, etc.

The students sit on a wooden platform on the floor, which is covered by a carpet. Thanks to the carpet the pencils cannot fall through the holes of the wood. By sitting on the floor, it enables them to feel free and to take different positions. The teachers have the tendency to sit together with the students and to interact. In this case, they have to take off their slippers and put them outside at the door (which is very normal in the Nepali culture).

During class, the students can leave the class for a short time (5 minutes) or for a longer time (15 minutes). Before they leave the class, they put a small card in an envelope which indicate the time. When a student wants to enter the room again, they have to ask for permission.

grADE 8 & 9

Next to the concrete building is the building of grade 8 and 9. The walls are made of bricks which are covered with cement. There are different openings in the walls finished with wooden frames. The roof is constructed by wooden beams and sheets of corrugated iron.

Acoustics

In the wall, which divide the building in two classrooms, there is a big hole on top. Because of this, the sound of the two classes interrupt each other. Noise is also coming through the windows from outside. When it is raining, it is almost impossible to understand the teacher.

Interior

The classrooms in this building are pretty dark, because of the shadows of the trees. These shadows make the rooms more cool. But the heat is still coming from the roof. The whole classroom is surrounded with a low wall which gives the teacher the opportunity to sit during class.

Traffic Flow And Organization

The classrooms are filled with desks, which leaves very little space to move around. The main reason is that the furniture are made without taking into consideration the dimensions of the classrooms.

Unconsciously, the students are split in female and male. The teachers stay in front of the class and don’t move through the students.

The teacher talks and the students repeat. Also the study material that the teacher writes on the blackboard (black painted surface), will be copied by the students in their notebooks.

Grades 4 until 10 have different teachersmostly men - who change every 45 minutes, depending on the subject. Sometimes it happens that the teacher is absent, at these moments the teacher won’t be replaced by another teacher. The students have to wait for the other class. In this case students can do whatever they want: they can stay in their classroom or they can go out.

Using The Benches

The higher grades have benches to sit on. This benches have different sizes and have a small surface to write on. The students sit on different poses on the benches: lying, hanging, staying, sitting straight, etc.

When the teacher enters the classroom, the students stand up and welcome him/her. They will sit again after the teacher orders them to do so. The same thing happens when the teacher asks them to give an answer.

Books

The students do not have a specific place to put their textbooks on. So they put them everywhere they want, such as: on the floor, in a window opening, on their bench, etc. If they put their textbooks on the desk, they use them as a rest place for their elbow while writing.

grADE

6 & 7

The classrooms of grades 6 and 7 are located in a building constructed by bricks. The roof is constructed by a metal structure with sheets of corrugated iron.

ROOF

In this building they already tried to fix the overheating problem. On top of a structure (made of bamboo) they put a sheet of plastic covered with clay that traps and absorbs the heat, making the classroom cooler. INTERIOR

Every 45 minutes, a staff member rings the bell to report another lecture.

STAFFrOOM & COMPUTErrOOM

This building is made of concrete. Students are not allowed to enter this building without permission.

Staff Room

In this room the teachers meet and wait for their classes. All the materials of the school are also collected here, because this is almost the only building which can be locked. This is also the only building which has electricity because of the solar panels on the roof.

COMPUTERROOM/STORAGE ROOM

There are some computers available in the school, because of the solar panel. They do not use them very often. Because of this, they also use it as a storage room to store benches, chairs, etc.

STOrAgE

This building is used to store waste of wood. The walls are constructed by stones covered with clay, and wood.

grADE

5

The building of grade 5 has a surface of 2 classrooms. Only one side is in use. The walls on both ends are closed by bricks. The other walls are half-high constructed by bricks which are covered with cement.

Construction

The walls are half way made of bricks. On top there is a metal structure. Because of the metal roof, the classroom gets very warm.

Interior

The interior of this classroom is very open. On the wall next to the blackboard, some formulas are written.

Traffic Flow

During an observation, we remarked that the specific teacher was more engaging, moving through the benches and communicating with the students.

DESKS grADE 4

The benches have different sizes responding to the different ages and heights of the students. But some of them are quite low for grade 5, which makes them uncomfortable to sit.

The building of grade 4 looks quite the same as the one of grade 5. One side of the building is not in use.

Area In Between

morninG and break

MOrNINg

PrAYEr

Every morning starts with a morning prayer. This includes some physical exercises, theoretical exercises and singing the national anthem. During this moment the students stand in lines of grades.

After the morning prayer the students go in lines of grades to their classrooms. When they are in their classroom, they sing all together a song which is connected to their grade.

BrEAK

Playing

During break (in the morning, during lunch and after school) the students use the area between the buildings. They play volleyball, badminton, football, etc.

Watching

The children climb through the windows in and out the classrooms, especially in the building of grade 6 and 7. They hang on the roof structure during the break and spend their time observing and playing.

The windows are overall an important connection - not only the move through and to climb, and not only for the pragmatic role of natural ventilation - but also as communication slots. Students often observe what is happening inside another class.

Walking To School

riCefields

and rivers

For every student, the time of walking to school can vary from only a few minutes to more than one hour. The path to walk also varies from small paths in the ricefields to wide wild paths. All of them wear slippers. Some of the students also have to cross rivers. When there is a heavy rainfall, it is impossible to cross the river, hence missing out school.

Most of the students do not have a book bag to carry their books and carry them in their hands or on top of their heads.

uniform teaChers and students

The children and the teachers have to wear a uniform. For this they have to go to their own tailor man. The students of grade 1 until 3 are not obliged to wear this uniform.

Another School

tinkanya Primary sChool

2 hours walking from Hariharpur Secundary school is another school, Tinkanya Primary School.

By an agreement with CEPP, the school, the parents and local carpenters, we did some interventions in the school. By those interventions we hoped to decrease or even stop the school drop out.

Interventions

One of the main starting points for the designs were the amount and variety of available local and recyclable materials, listed on the sketches on the left.

We reused wood from the facade of one of the old school buildings, as well as wood from the forest, partially collected by some of the elder students. The participation of the whole community was involved in collecting the materials. The parents and students helped with delivering some natural ropes, old tires from motorbikes and cars, bamboo, straw, sand bags and plastic bottles.

There was also some sand that the school had in their yard. Mud / clay and stones were available as well.

We were also motivated to find some application of the huge amount biscuit and noodle packages, which fly around the school land.

sitting platform different Possibilities

Our first design was a much needed sitting platform around a central tree in the school yard.

The platform hugs the tree and its platforms stand on different heights to accommodate the different age groups of the children.

The orientation and shape of the platform was also built in a way that it can be connected to the playground. Immediately after it was completed, the lower grade students were already using the raised platforms and the space beneath as part of their games.

When the school holds volleyball competitions, the students also use it to watch the games, instead of standing or sitting on the floor.

During the few weeks that we stayed at the school to observe its use, we came to the conclusion that the design decisions we made was successful, aiming to integrate a common multi-used sitting area. However this led to overcrowding which might create a need for expansion in the future.

Chosen Location

NEW HIGHWAY PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE

Location

The location of the playground was decided by us and CEPP and between two locations in the school, we came to the conclusion to build it in the corner between the classrooms and the PC room.

Even though this location is closer to the classrooms and might result in some extra noise, CEPP wanted a location where the playground can be visible from outside, presented as the “jewel” of the school.

CLIMBINg STrUCTUrE

The most dominant part of the playground is the climbing structure, which ends in a wide, multiperson slide.

The structure builds up height slowing by raised platforms (in an angle that is a continuation from the sitting platform) which also allows students to sit during non-play time or also to be used by lower grade students when doing outdoor activities.

The shape and positioning of the play elements are designed in a way that the students are encouraged to go round the structure and go through all the “challenges”

We originally designed and built a sandbox in the middle of the structure but the heavy rain quickly flooded it. We, hence, relocated the sandbox underneath the structure, so it can be sheltered from the rain.

Apart from the stepping platforms, students can climb on the structure using a diagonal platform made by interlocking, unused, tires.

The tires are being washed by the river to the village and are collected by the families for personal use. We were able to buy half off at a cheap price from different families, while the other half were donated by parents.

The durability and shape of the tires makes them a very good and innovative material which was used throughout the playground.

Our choice to go for a three-person slide, rather than the usual single slide, is that during our stay we observed that students were always walking in groups of 3-4 people, so it was natural that they will stick to their groups when playing.

A multi-slide would allow them to complete with their friends and also to avoid any injuries by them trying to fit more than person in one slide.

However, the wide platform encouraged them to climb up the slide, instead of going around, which resulted in overcrowding the top platform. Like all playgrounds around the world, a supervisor needs to be present to ensure that the platform is being used correctly.

We have also noticed that a lot of the children take their shoes off to play, which leaves a lot of sandals around and on top of the structure. In the future an area to put their shoes can be provided to avoid any injuries.

Even though some older students were reluctant to try the playground at the beginning, it quickly became the first point for the younger children to run to when they went on their break.

The playground encouraged even the shy children to engage in physical activities during school time and gave a bigger space of interaction between the male and female students, who previously separated themselves into groups while playing games in the yard.

The playground also aims to integrate fun into the learning experience of the students and decrease drop out rates.

Since timber can be very valuable and expensive, we decided to collect and re-use plastic bottles, which create a big waste problem. Plastic bottles, filled with mud, created a strong perimeter for the sandbox.

The upper class students helped us with collecting and filling the plastic bottles. Their involvement aimed to help them understand how easy a material, that is otherwise thrown away, can be used in a practical way.

Three months after we left Nepal, Carine and Paul (Belgi an volunteers) went back to the school. They wrote a description of the playground in their report: “Since it was made, school drop out has stopped, and children now come to school from 8 o’clock (lessons start at 10) and stay after school has finished. The materials seem very strong and safe and nothing was damaged. We did not see any children around because it was a holiday but we noticed how Kopila’s young son, Unique, started to use the playground in different ways: he took a number of small stones and made them roll from the slides.”

(This picture shows the playground after 3 months.)

SWINgS

The frame is made out of timber and the swings are hanged with handmade rope made out of natural materials by the locals.

Instead of a wooden seats, we used the available tires, which were also used to attach the swings to the frame. This allows for a smoother movement.

There are currently four swings but the frame is big enough to accommodate for more in the future.

The size and height of the swings were decided taking into consideration the younger children. This will discourage older students from taking over the playground, as the swings are too low for them.

We originally designed a big swing where 3 of 4 students can use together but it wasn’t realised as we used a different building technique that didn’t allow for this. It can however be an interesting proposal for future playgrounds as the students tend to play in groups.

The playground also included a ‘balance’, which became a favourite between the students. As we have observed, students stuck to their friend groups when playing and we quickly realized that a longer balance was needed.

Again, tires were used, to soften the impact of the wood to the ground.

BUILDINg AND COMMUNICATION

All of the playground frames and platforms were built with timber, using construction techniques that you will find in their houses.

When designing the playground we made an effort to use all available unused materials, also trying to incorporate ‘unconventional’ materials, like plastic bottles and packages.

Local builders were hired to help us with the construction and making sure that our structures are safe for the children. The hardest part was direct communication with them due to not speaking the same language and always needing a translator.

We tried to overcome this problem by colourcoordinating our plans and sections with different heights and creating visual images.

We draw plans in colours and then marked the ground to where the foundations should be with sticks. On the sticks we taped the appropriate colour that corresponded to the height we wanted the platform to be.

This not only made our design clear to the builders, but also to the teachers who were able to give some feedback.

rECYCLINg PLASTIC

One of the first things we noticed when we arrived at the school, was the vast amount of waste in the school ground. The waste consisted mostly of plastic biscuits and noodles packaging, that are thrown to the ground due to the absence of trash bins.

We have noticed that some local women started using the packaging, instead of painted leaves, to make their creations more colourful. We invited some of the women to teach us the local technique of braiding to create bowls and encouraged them to use the available plastic.

We proposed that the same technique can be used to create larger containers to be used as trash bins around the school. This will result in using even more packaging, that would otherwise pollute the ground, and eventually creating a mentality of reusing.

This, along with proper education about waste, will encourage students to throw their leftovers in the trash bins and reducing pollution.

Interior Design

Classroom of Grade 3

EXTErIOr LOCATION

The classroom of the third grade is located on the first floor of the concrete building. From the outside it is not visible which classroom is meant for which grade. That is why we painted the number of the grade above the door. In the future this can also be done for the other grades.

Cupboard For Shoes

During the observations, we marked that they needed a place to store their slippers. So we designed a cupboard for their slippers (for grade 1-3). Consciously, we didn’t make the openings very big, so the older students cannot take up their place.

INTErIOr DESIGN

Thanks to observations during class of the third grade, some needs became visible, like: desks, shelves for books, colours, personal things, elements which give sphere, etc. Based on this we started to design, in agreement with CEPP and the teacher of the third grade.

Drawings

Together with some students, we painted subject material on the walls. The drawings are the same as the pictures of the textbooks, so the students can recognize those pictures. In agreement with the teacher we chose the different subjects: saying ‘namaste’, roman numbers, living and non-living things, map of Nepal with the different areas and sources of food.

Bookshelf

Because the students did not have a specific place to store their books, local carpenters made bookshelves.

Creation Tree

During our stay in the village, we marked that the children liked to draw. But we never noticed that they use these drawings to decorate their classes. So we painted a big tree on the wall, namely ‘a creation tree’. We glued some cord, following the branches, by pieces of bamboo. The drawings can be hung on the wall. This brings a personal touch in the classroom and the children can be proud about their own creations.

While we were painting the tree, some people were questioning the meaning of this. So maybe it would have been better If we had given an example before we left.

Bamboo

There was a impersonal and functional atmosphere in the classroom, because of the concrete walls and floor. To create another atmosphere, we used bamboo sticks to cover the wall. These are waved by a horizontal stick which would be connected to the wall. On top there would come some coat hooks, so the students can store their jackets (this is not finished yet).

Desks

From the fourth grade, the students have benches with a table to write on. To prepare the students of the third grade, we designed some small desks, so they can use them while they are sitting on the floor. We painted them in different colours to create a warm and colourful atmosphere in the classroom.

This picture shows the classroom after we left Nepal (3 months later). Remark: bamboo sticks come of the wall and the materials we used to paint, are still in the room (in the same place).

acoustic insulation testinG out solutions

Lack Of Insulation

The classrooms suffer from lack of acoustic insulation, which results in a lot of noise being transferred from the neighbouring classes.

The shared walls have big air gaps, at the top where that wall meets the roof, which allows air, therefore also sound, to be easily transferred.

The schools is however reductant to fill up the gaps as they believe it would make the classrooms warmer during the summer.

Possible Solutions

While considering different solutions, three main limitations should be taken into account:

1. The walls are made out of brick making it difficult to fix elements with nails.

2. Most classrooms do not have windows and doors, making theft easy if valuable materials are used, like timber.

3. Only low tech solutions are possible, using materials available in the village.

One idea was to build an extra layer, made of stones, against the wall to create a cavity in between that would trap air inside. However this might prove expensive as it requires skilled labour to make it safe.

Another idea was to built shelves against the walls, which would create various depths and surfaces that would trap the noise. The school was, however, worried that children would attempt to climb it and break it and that it would also be a subject of theft.

Tested Solution

We stuffed sandbags, which you can find around the village, and bonded them together against the wall, in an attempt to create a surface that would lessen and weaken the noise impact.

The bags were filled with dry grass, and bonded together with hand and local made thread, making it a very cheap solution.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to prepare enough bags to cover the whole wall, so the idea wasn’t fully tested. Also, care should be taken to avoid places for scorpions and snakes to hide.

Back home, when we dealt with all our impressions of this trip, some new ideas came in to our mind. We listed some new suggestions and remarks about a school building, interior of a classroom and a playground.

school building suGGestion

THE CUrVES

Following the strategy for the playground, a possible design start can be to break the rigidity of boring perpendicular walls, creating kind of spiralled rooms. Rudolf Steiner, who developed the Waldorf alternative schooling system, stated that rectangular rigidity of buildings results in ridged conditioning of our minds and the way we think. It put our imagination in boxes. That is why, he meant, especially for children, it is important to grow up in an environment which is spatially distorted and activates the creative thinking of the kids. Waldorf schools exist since 1919 and proved widely their success.

The sketch is also showing an intermediate corridor that works as a kind of a buffer zone between the classrooms, where the kids need to concentrate on the learning process, and the outside, where they play loudly. Currently, because of the missing window shutters, the students are being distracted by the ongoing outdoor activities.

The corridor has large windows towards the courtyard, so that when there is no class, the usual communication of the students between in and out can happen. The openings of the windows are also a bit lower than the current ones, so that they can be eventually used as benches.

The earth-bag building method is quite good for designing curved forms. A round staged classroom could create a kind of a small auditorium, which, on one side, gathers everybody together as a beehive, and on the other, creates different spaces from which the students can choose the spot they feel most comfortable at.

The typical sacred trees Bar and Pipal are a great gathering point, because of the shadow and rain shelter they provide. The entrance of the building is a bit more representative, opening the building towards the tree and welcoming the kids to enter.

The earthquake-proofing elements can be used as support for seating surface, similar to the one in the class rooms in Pipalmadi. In the existing case it emerges because of the thicker lower part of the wall. The niches that will be created underneath can be used to push the furniture (benches and desks) underneath, and clear the space for an open class for games or seating on the floor.

The walls between the class rooms need to be acoustically insulated, preferably by covering them with shelves.

The possibilities to leave the window open is important to allow the ventilating brees to pass through during the summer. On the other, side the problem with noise from the kids playing in the courtyard needs to be solved. Thus, a possible solution to keep the both conditions of the design and construct removable acoustic window shutters.

Interior Of Classroom

suGGestions and remarks

WOODEN PLATFOrM & CUPBOArD FOr SHOES

It is important that the wooden platform is always covered with a carpet. So it is impossible for the students to lose their pencils through the holes. By using a platform in a classroom it is important that it does not divide the room. Otherwise the distance between the teacher and the students will be emphasized and there will be less space for the students.

SOLUTION 1

Cover the entire floor with the platform and also a small part outside. This part can also be used as a cupboard for shoes and a sitting area. If you link the platform with the cupboard, they will understand why they have to take off their shoes.

But the platform and the cupboard cannot be one, if the door reaches the floor. (if so, see solution 2)

SOLUTION 2

If solution 1 is not possible, you can take out a small surface at the entrance. The cupboard can also be incorporated underneath the platform at the entrance.

POSITION OF THE BLACKBOArD

Try to put the blackboard as far as possible from the entrance. So the teacher has to go through the students and he/she will not stay at one side of the room.

It is also important, not to give the teachers the opportunity to sit while they are teaching. So they will move through the classroom.

BOOKCASE & COAT rACK

Put the bookcase out of sight of the students, so they are not distracted during class. The bookcase should also be close to the entrance, so it is easy for the students to put or take their stuff when they enter or leave the classroom.

If the students have their own bookcase to take care of, they will feel responsible and proud. Even by painting every part for the individual student, in different colours, they will feel special and it will be easy for them to recognize their own space.

An extra idea: give the students their own plant/flower to take care of, so they will feel responsible and required to come to school.

Desks

When making the desks, remind not to make them too big or too heavy, so they are easy to move for different activities during class. To create a more pleasant atmosphere in the classroom, you can paint the desks in different colours (for grade 3).

PErSONAL TOUCH

It is important to give a personal touch of the students to the classroom, so they will feel proud about their own classroom. An example is a system to hang their drawings. Every student has his/her own part (with a specific colour), so the students will feel required to hang something of their own.

The more it is visible in the room, the better. If you enter the room, you need to see this first.

ELEMENTS TO CrEATE A NICE ATMOSPHErE

The walls can be covered by bamboo sticks (with different sizes). Thanks to this the room will feel less cool.

Another idea is to have some gunny sacks which are filled with straw or sand. They can use them as a bean-bag during a performance in the class (like a dance act). The parents can be involved to take care of this bags.

EXAMPLE OF FLOOr SETTINg

Another playground design was requested from us by the CEPP team after we got back to Belgium. The site was in the corner of the school grounds, between two buildings, perpendicular to each other. The dimensions were 20m x 15m.

The basic positioning depended on the movement of kids from the buildings towards the playground and from the playground.

The playground design is similar to the one we created in Pipalmadi, using the tested elements of steps, similar platforms, tire wall, tire swings, monkey grap.

In this case the path creates a loop from the stairs on the left through under a small “room”, from where you loop towards its “roof”, which is actually the platform for the slides. In the room you can choose two ways - the shorter but narrower way or the wider but longer way.