A V E
Issue 25, 2018
Established: 1995
Saturday, November 24th, 2018
We pass it on; small words that form stories and little strokes that make a masterpiece. With each year the fire glows brighter and the traditions stay strong. We strive to constantly adapt and improve ourselves with every passing year. With one rein ending, a new one shall begin bringing with it more stories to tell and moments to capture. -Judah Abujam, Deputy Editor
Illustrator: Pronali Gohain
On Paper
-Tulika Bhargav, Editor-in-Chief The old second-hand bookstore down the street was the precise location of every book in her store. Rue, my reopening or at least that was the word around town. The neighbour and perhaps only friend in town, told me that owner, Ms. Higashi had been a somewhat intolerable lady Ms. Higashi had passed away in her sleep a few months with a cigar in her right hand and a back. Word in a small town could not be walking stick on the other. She contained. had a mean tongue If this was so it would and an exceptionally explain the sudden loud overbearing presence. “closed sign” on the The store was named dusty display window "Tamashi ga ushinawa and why the store had remashita". The phrase been shut for such meant "Souls lost and a long time. In that found." It is said that moment of our daily the human body may afternoon chatter when I fade and turn into dust heard this bit of news, I put but souls simply do not forward a noncommittal, follow that path. They ‘’Um’’ to let Rue carry on travel from one place the one-sided conversation. to another, constantly Rue was like that, someone searching, endlessly who could talk only if she hungry for the purpose of felt like she was being truly truly living and when they listened to. Quite unlike me, do so, they find their way because I conducted most of back, always. Having given my conversations, in silence. it much thought I still I could stare at my ceiling could not understand with its glow-in-the dark as to why such an stickers for hours with a hint unembellished second of Arctic Monkeys playing hand bookstore would in the background. I believe life is always possess such a profound name. better with a background track. Ms. Higashi's place had been unlike a typical book Ms. Higashi and I were never close, in fact, store which contained flawlessly arranged freshly painted we've only had nine short conversations aisles with books sorted according to the genre or the throughout my twenty years of knowing her. That author. Here the books were how Ms. Higashi kept them, afternoon at home, I reached for my hard copy of the classic which was in no particular order. Yet, she was aware of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” placed neatly inside
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Weekly Newsletter of The Assam Valley Express
my bedside drawer. As a child, I had read the title every day after my father had bought it from what he called “the old bookstore.” As an adult, the habit had faded but not the fondness for the book. I flicked through the pages of my childhood and came to the last page where scribbled neatly was the name, ‘Alice’. Next to my name scribbled with equal character and various degrees of enthusiasm read names that at some point during their ownership, had been penned down. It read, ‘Albert’, ‘Jean’, ‘Henry’, ‘Holly’, ‘Kelly’, and ‘Rue’. Just as I finished reading, Rue
hollered at me from across the corridor, "Hey the old second-hand bookstore you love so much has reopened. Let’s go." The circle had come to an end. Years later, I am left unsurprised. I can almost see Ms. Higasaki smiling at me while those mysterious eyes bore into my soul. It is indeed a cycle by which whatever we lose in life, looks for ways to come back to us. Whether they are lost CD’s, books, hair ties or souls. They come back, sometimes assembled but more often, in bits and pieces.
Illustrator: Pronali Gohain
In Shadow
-Pronali Gohain, XII “We have met before. Have you forgotten?” she asked merely a personification of the monsoon winds my mind me. I stared dumfounded at the giant women clad in a seems to tricking me with,” I stated with a fake confidence mekhela Sador who because the vision before me refused to budge. Bordoisila seemed to float over merely smiled at me and I continued to see her as clearly our little town like a as the sun. Her towering frame reached the skies and colossal soft cloud. her long untied hair swept wildly over the trees making I had always loved them stoop in obeisance. The fantasies of a fourthe wind and rain year-old could be ignored as ordinary occurrence and therefore when during childhood but for a seventeen-year-old my mother told me to explain this incident would certainly land to bring in the dry her at the psychiatrists. To a child the universe clothes from the is a fairyland and clothesline strung there the Bordoisila across the rooftop is not a figment of before the wind imagination. blew them all away, Memories of my I didn't mind. Little childhood flashed did I expect to meet by me. A witch on the massive woman a broom that flew however. She was over the moon on the wearing a streak of stroke of midnight, a vermillion drawn talking cat on the tin in a precise circle on roof, a dancing banyan her forehead which tree; I used to see them indicated that she all. To a four-year-old was married. Her me, it was all in the husband lived passing but over the somewhere up years, the young adult north, she informed. in me had long buried She was here to these images under the meet her mother guise of folklore. With after a year of separation and was a sudden whoop and a in a mighty hurry. I was not certain gust of wind Bordoisila what I found more surprising; the fact got up and exclaimed, that I was here with a heap of clothes in my arms “The shadows lengthen speaking to a giant woman or the fact that the and my mother waits. I must leave former had bothered to stop and chat with me. immediately”. “You aren't exactly real are you?” I asked her. “You are A loud thunder made me turn back and notice the dark
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approaching clouds. “The daughter follows her mother. Together they will meet the pining grandmother,” I thought to myself as I saw the heavy monsoon clouds. The playful if moody Borokha picked up her skirt and ran
after her mother. Another flash of lightning accompanied with thunder and the season of monsoon had come. I hurried indoors before it could play riot with the dry clothes, the stories fresh in my mind.
Photo Credits: Social Service League
CAMPUS NEWS
A group of 17 students along with Mrs. Lipika Borah and Miss. Pooja Borah went on a two-day trip to The Moran Blind School on the 28th of September 2018. It was an enlightening trip and the team came back having learnt a splattering of Braille along with the important value of service from the students there. The trip intended to be one of cultural exchange and had both the groups of students performing in a cultural evening along with devoting time to mending infrastructure around the campus, as necessary. They were amazed as to the level of independence the differently abled students enjoyed from being able to distinguish different types of materials to strangers who had now become friends over the two days. It was an enriching experience and the Aviators look forward to more trips to Moran soon.
Illustration: Eloziini Senachena
The Outpost The month begins with the death of Stan Lee the godfather of the Marvel Comic characters at the age of 95 from pneumonia thus marking the end of an era the Avengers could not protect. Meanwhile, the Saffron Wave suffers a blow with Sushma Swaraj, the External Affairs Minister declaring she won’t be contesting the 2019 elections. India celebrates the Big Fat Indian Wedding of power-couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. The week ends with CBI v/s CBI gaining more heat over leaking of confidential details as an annoyed CJI warns the Chief of the Bureau over sincerity and dependability.
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New Kid On The Block:
Hallyu
Illustration: Takhe Tamo Reela
-Yayum Toko, XI A land known for its advancing technologies is now many people across the globe in terms of fashion, food, seeing Hallyu, a wave of Korean Pop culture. makeup, and music. The lyrics have the power to Korean music has many genres but it mainly transcend the barriers of language (there is the concentrates on Pop. The roots of magic of Google translate!) and help fans Korean popular music can be traced get through mundane days. The simple back to 1885 when a missionary act of understanding a favourite named Henry Appenzeller artist’s music compels most began to teach American K-Pop fans around the world to and British folk songs to teach themselves the Korean schoolchildren, replacing language or Hangul. BTS, the original English the leading K-Pop group lyrics with Korean ones was also awarded Order of known as Changga Cultural Merit by the South songs. Over time, Korean government for American pop culture popularizing Hangul. Music became more accepted is a culture one develops by and ‘trot’ music, the connecting over emotions oldest type of Korean that it brews within. Mindsets pop music taken from persist everywhere and the world the Changga songs, started of music is not left unscarred. to take an Americanized form. While K-Pop as a culture may be Girls Generation, PSY, BigBang are questioned and even debated over, there is some of the artists who intensified the no doubt that to a diligent devotee it teaches growth of Hallyu during its early stages. more than mere appreciation of rhythms and The trainee system is a gruelling process where complex choreography. It teaches the joy of language the artists are trained for months and years over vocal, the diversity of culture the appreciation of folk lores and dance, and language classes which also include auditioning, even fashion. training and styling. If music is the wire that draws one closer to divinity, Many restrictions are imposed on their lives and only the would it matter too much if I chose mine to be a Korean best are selected to debut. These artists have influenced over your English idol?
CDT Mural Results: 1st: Bhoroli-Lohit 2nd: Subansiri-Namdang 3rd: Kopili-Dhansiri 4th: Jinari-Manas 4
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BAZINGA -Mrs. Dayita Dutta, Department of History
Native American (Moccasin) French (Mutton) Polynesian (Tattoo) German (Glitch) Turkic(Horde) Nahuatl/Aztec (Tomato) Arabic(Lemon) Spanish (Guerrilla) Chinese(Ketchup) Swedish (Moped) Malay (Gecko) Russian (Intelligentsia) Afrikaans (Trek) Japanese (Tsunami)
Can you match the following commonly used English words with their languages of origin? (Give yourself one point for each correct answer) Glitch Guerrilla Tsunami Tomato Moped Lemon Trek Ketchup Gecko Horde Tattoo Mutton Moccasin Intelligentsia
And if you get this one give yourself 5 points: In 1960, the famous Italian director Frederico Fellini’s classic film “La Doce Vita” included an irritating character – a frequently intrusive photographer. The name of that character has now been adapted for such freelance photographers who make their living photographing celebrities, often invading their privacy. Can you name either the character or the term used for such people? Ans: the character Paparazzo/plural “paparazzi”.
Did you know you were speaking in a foreign language? English owes its worldwide strength to being a language that has absorbed words from a bewildering variety of languages. In fact you may be using certain common words without realizing that they are foreign ‘loan words’.
Marching Magnitudes -Takhe Tamo Reela, IX
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Illustrator: Pronali Gohain
The Final Piece
-Judah Abujam, Deputy Editor The game of chess is something that had piqued my probably end up repeating the same mistakes I made and interest since I was a young boy. I was not particularly I would still cherish each moment of enjoyment, pain, good at it but nonetheless I could not help but be intrigued surprise and pure happiness. At the end of the day I feel by the complexities that are typical to this particular satisfaction when I look at a semblance of my work and game. When I used to play, I never really understood know, “I did good.” We all know that once each of us the importance of a pawn. “Every piece step out of the wrought iron gates of this School, matters” was not something I a n o t h e r batch will come forward to fill in believed in but now that I look the spaces we leave behind. For back I realize that most of us in those who take our places, make this world are just a cluster of peace with the knowledge that pawns trying to reach the other you will never truly be satisfied side of the board with the hopes with yourself or what you do and of perhaps becoming better than to what extent you do it. Let me what we currently are.I had been tell you that it’s alright to feel that one who tried to reach the other way. side at a frantic pace. Now I look Disappointments will come and back at the year that has flown by go like momentary road signs and I wonder if perhaps that was you leave behind when you travel the best thing to do. As I ponder to School. Each time I have felt over these thoughts I realize that completely let down, however, soon I am going to be free of the I find myself stumbling upon a responsibilities I have shouldered little piece of a puzzle that I have over the months and it makes me been collecting my entire life. A feel a little hollow. At the same puzzle that is so vast that each time, it gives me the time and freedom to breathe in deeply piece seems miniscule and unimportant. Pieces to which and look to the sky with absolutely nothing on my mind. you will forget to collect if you are busy racing through But despite this, I know that if I were to be put back in the life. A puzzle that will finally be complete when the pawn same situation I would not react any differently. I would reaches the other side of the chessboard.
Fare-Thee-Well
-Abhijay Hazarika, School Captain “Happy Anniversary”. That is what one of my coTo the School’s success. Individual aspirations and prefects recently told. I was bewildered at first but achievements must never come before the interest of then I realized that it has been a year since we took the Batch or the School. A Prefect must remember our oaths as Prefects of The Assam Valley School. the importance of respect and the necessity of To say the least, it has been quite an experience. showing it to contemporaries. The dedication and There is so much to say, so much to introspect on responsibility that you show your badge is what that to put all of it into a single article is an extremely I expect and hope to see in the newly appointed difficult task. At times, being a Prefect may feel council. The responsibility you shoulder will glamorous; walking down the aisles of the demand integrity and determination. WMH during assemblies with a shiny metal The grace and humility with which badge pinned on the blazer. To the succeeding you shoulder it will mold you for Batch, remember that there is always far more to a better tomorrow. A year may it than what appears. You are a talented lot and seem rather short. That is what have much to give and grow in the process. You everybody will tell you. The secret hold within you the potential to do great things. really is that you will have 365 different memories You must, however, always stay to cherish. Memories that may be happy or sad, grounded. Stay united. Always of successes or of failures; but to uphold your unity as a batch because that experience all of it is the essence will be the most essential ingredient to your success. of the entire adventure.
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Prefectorial Appointments
School Captain: Ngukivi Chishi HeadGirl: Aakangsha Dutta Head Boy: Aaryan Sahu Editor-in-Chief, AVE: Nandini Garodia Electronic Media Captain: Avinash Sarmah Head, Cultural Pursuits: Akansha Baruah Head, Event Management: Rishita Dehlia Deputy Head, Event Management: Keshav Agarwal Sports Captain, Girls: Namrata Baruah Sports Captain, Boys: Abbiso Pul Academics Captain, Girls: Shagun Agarwal Academic Captain, Boys: Pranjit Goswami HOUSE CAPTAIN Bhoroli: Srishti Pegu Lohit: Pratik Pareek Jinari: Trisha Barua Manas: Jian Moji Jini Kopili: Divyana Das Dhansiri: Pratyush Deka Subansiri: Saloni Agarwalla Namdang: Jagrit Kasera
HOUSE PREFECTS Bhoroli: Jirmeen Tok & Orihona Bikash Lohit: Subham Paul & Himangshu Baruah Jinari: Shruti Kathori & Nitya Bhatt Manas: Aniketh Das & Ojas Jyoti Hazarika Kopili: Toko Yayum & Dhreety Haloi Dhansiri: Nilimoy Das & Saptarishi Acharjee Subansiri: Arhata Saikia & Aveneet Kaur Arora Namdang: Nambam Ryan & Rabden Pempahishey EVENT MANAGEMENT PREFECTS Veronica Chowdary Nishika Agarwal Balkirat Kaur Pei Dulom Harsh Agarwal Tarana Lama Krishnav Saraf Toko Jirmin
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Ripple #92 -Judah Abujam, XII
The musician stretched his arms His daily routine had begun He stood on the sidewalks and strummed the guitar “I love my job�
Tongue of Slip!! 1. So I was high noting - Judah Abujam, XII (Duly noted, Dep.) 2. My curly hair gone awary- Tulika Bhargav, XII (R.I.P Hagrid.) 3. The House-Mistress and Mastresses - Sieyina Meru, XI (Your housed in now.) 4. Why do I harper-ventilate? - Pronali Gohain, XII (I feel bad for Harper.) 5. Which family you belongs? - Aakangsha Dutta, XI (Not yours.) 6. She wanted to became School Captain Sempisang Toy, XI (Jealous much?)
Keep It Reel! Clean Streak -Daksha Salam, Batch of ISC 2014
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Editor-in-Chief: Tulika Bhargav Deputy Editor: Judah Abujam Correspondents: Aakangsha, Sieyina, Saziia, Nandini, Jeremy, Eloziini & Sanjana Design & Layout: Jeremy Jahau Illustrator: Pronali Gohain Photographer: Afshin Choudhury Mistress-in-Charge: Ms. Sarmistha Paul Sarkar Publisher: The Assam Valley School, P.O. Balipara, Dist. Sonitpur, Asom-784101, India E-mail: ave@assamvalleyschool.com Telephone: 09678074320/08812009627 Website: www.assamvalleyschool.com Weekly Newsletter of The Assam Valley Express