Rudrapur is a remote village belonging to Mangalpur Union of Birol Upazila of Dinajpur.
Before 1999 there was no educational institution in this village. Children of the village used to walk four-five kilometers to the neighboring village to study. In order to remove this suffering and enlighten the children and teenagers of the village with the light of education, a voluntary organization named Deepshikha established a small scale 'Meti School' in Rudrapur village on September 1, 1999. Here students are taught dance, singing, acting, painting, group discussion and English as well as various handicrafts. At present, classes from infant to class 10 are taught.
The aim of this school is to teach through joy, create positive attitude towards learning, develop rational thinking and team learning.
Meti is basically the name of an organization. The full name is Modern Education and Training Institute (METI). Meti is working for the overall development of people by using low cost and accessible materials.
In September 2005, the construction of Meti's state-of-the-art mud school house in Rudrapur village of Biral Upazila was started, with the help of a donor organization named 'Shanti' from Germany. Students from the University of Liège in Austria contributed to the construction of the school. Deepshikha project workers also cooperated. German architects Anna Herringer and AK Rowerk designed the building.
Earth, straw, sand and bamboo, rope, straw, wood, tin, rod, brick and cement are used in the construction of Meti schools. Its walls are made of mud mixed with earth and straw, so that the walls cannot crack. Apart from this, if the rain water hits the wall, it will go down for the straw. After construction of the wall is nicely leveled.
Clay and sand are used for wall plastering. A paste of palm oil and soap is used for floor plaster, which is generally waterproof. The materials are naturally visible as they are not plastered from the outside. Meti School is a two storied mud building with six rooms. The area of this school is eight thousand square feet. 17 lakh rupees were spent on the construction of the building.
But if it was made with bricks and cement, it would have cost about one crore taka. Inside the building there is a system of heating in winter and cooling in summer. Meti School has been built by 10 students from Germany and Austria and 19 specially trained local workers.
In 2008 Meti School was awarded the "Aga Khan Award" along with 13 architectures in the world. Deepshikha was given 13 thousand 700 US dollars as a reward. In addition, Anna Heringer was awarded the 'Curry Stone' design award in 2009 for the design of this building.
The village is now known to many since the construction of this school. Many visitors come every day to see the architecture of this school.
Dipshikha Meti School is located about 15 km from Dinajpur main town. At present there is no need to speed up while visiting the school on the road. The main gate is closed after 5 pm. The path leading to the school passes through green paddy fields on both sides. The fatigue of going through this path did not touch me so much.I didn't realize when I reached the school gate to enjoy the natural beauty by riding a local van taken to Dinajpur Technical Mor Reserve. After entering I stopped for some time. I keep thinking that with soil and bamboo can be such a beautiful construction style! I am really impressed by the architecture of this school. The school buildings are up to three floors. Each floor of the building has a long balcony in front and a beautiful path from top to bottom at the back.
There are wooden stairs leading from the ground floor to the third floor. Along with that, there is a chance to go down and up through the back way. The buildings are not together. One building is placed quite far from another building. There are various flowers and fruit trees in front of each building. There is a pond enclosed by the ghat behind the new building. There are trees around the pond. There is a field in front of every building. The ground has various sports equipment for students including swings, slippers.
But apart from the architecture, I am more fascinated by the free movement of children throughout the school! It is like an open playground for children. Peeking into the class, I saw children sitting, laughing and taking lessons. How easy, smooth everything is going!
A two-story library can be seen a little behind the field. The library is designed to look like a duplex house. I did not get permission to go to the library because I went during school hours.As the school provides various trainings to the students in addition to their studies, many sewing machines were seen in a large room. As soon as you enter through the main door, a magnificent building will impress you.Some teachers from Germany and Austria and some teachers from our country live in this building with their families. No visitors of any kind are allowed in the residential part of the school.
The architectural style of this eco-friendly school is truly charming. The beautiful Deepshikha Meti School seems to have been built in harmony with nature by looking at each building amidst the greenery.
Although photography is permitted in some areas of the school, you must obtain permission from the authorities to take videos. However, no video will be allowed inside the class.
Deepshikha is an educational institution, so visitors should stay there keeping this in mind.
Finally, we have so many beautiful architecture all around us. But we don't look for them. We cannot even feel their beauty. This golden country of mine is full of wonders. So before enjoying the beauty of foreign countries, I want to enjoy this Bengal with my heart.
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