It’s not easy finding a place to study in Mumbai, India’s largest city. Libraries charge entry fees, and 60 percent of residents live in chawls, low-income housing units that tend to be cramped and noisy. That’s why many young people have started doing their homework in quiet public spaces—often on the sidewalk—instead. It’s easier to concentrate there, and the spaces are more to working in groups. Only a few of these sidewalk “study corners” are listed in official city records, but as they grow in popularity, authorities have started adding some touches, such as more lighting or canopies. And it’s likely that the study corners will remain for a while, as they’ve become essential for academic success, students say. “I came here during [my] three years of college, pulling all-nighters during exams,” Kasim Motorwala, 22, told travel website Atlas Obscura. “This is my second home.”