As Chhaya (name changed) nears her school, she fishes a plastic cover out of her bag and quietly slips it over her head. She can barely see through it, but that’s her only defence against the overpowering stench that hits her. She trudges through the dirt road —muddied all the more by a recent spell of rain — doing her best not to glance at the growing mound of garbage lining the path. On reaching the school, Chhaya trundles in, up the stairs and past the countless houseflies, holding back the urge to urinate. It’s not yet time ‘to go’. She tries to distract herself by fixing her gaze on a mouldy wall. Her classmates start trickling in, but there’s no sign of her best friend. She must still be ill, Chhaya tells herself, as the class begins. A little later, the stench from the rotting garbage wafts in with a cool breeze. The students cup their noses — some look like they are going to retch — but there’s no pause in lesson.

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