School live december 2015

L O O H C S

E V LI nd Year E l ia c Spe

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Volume 2| Issue 3 december 2015

Myth Buster Bestselling author Amish Tripathi High on History

Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai

9 Free Websites for students

contributors

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L I V E EDITOR in chief

Richa Aniruddha richa@school-live.com

JITIN CHAWLA

Educationist and career counsellor tells you how to pick the right course

NIVEDITA SINGH

Psychologist-counsellor answers your queries about relationships, family, school and life

EDITOR Teena Baruah teenabaruah@gmail.com Business & Content Development Prerna Jaiswal prernajaiswal@hotmail.com CIRCULATION Kritika Negi DESIGNER Ashish Kumar Mimansa Grafix

For AdvertiSING richa@school-live.com

Rakhee Gupta

Image consultant and etiquette trainer

Kavita Devgan

For subscription editor@school-live.com

C o n ta c t

Nutritionist, weight management specialist and health writer

9810560472

School LIVE : Printed and Published by Richa Aniruddha Printed at Eminent Offset A 61, DDA SHED, OKHLA IND AREA PH II, NEW DELHI Owned by FUTURE READY EDUCATION SERVICES PVT LTD. EDITED BY RICHA ANIRUDDHA

Jaqualine Naik

Engineer by training, she helps connect people and ideas better for School LIVE

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LIVE Year End Special

50

Volume 2| Issue 3 december 2015

Myth Buster Bestselling author Amish Tripathi High on History

Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai

9 Free Websites for students

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Volume 2 | Issue 3| December 2015 | 3

Kucho Nimki Recipe BY Ripa Ghosh

Ingredients: Maida

1 kg

Salt

2 tsp

Sugar

1 tsp

Kalonji

1 tsp

Ajwain

1 tsp

Ghee

250 ml

Baking Powder

1/2 tsp

Goldiee Chat Masala 1 tsp Please send us your recipe at editor@school-live.com.

The best entry will win a Goldiee gift hamper.

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Procedure: In a bowl add maida, salt, sugar, Goldiee Chat Masala, kalonji, ajwain and baking powder together and mix well. Add ghee and mix well with the maida mixture. Add little water to make the dough stiff, but smooth.

Knead the dough to make it even and smooth. Now cover the dough with damp cloth and keep aside for an hour or two. Roll these into even sized balls and make flat, round chapatis.

Cut into small pieces - it can be square, diamond shaped or even a bit longitudinal. Deep fry these small pieces in the oil till they are golden brown in colour. Serve as snacks with tea or with any beverage of your choice!

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ed-note

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L I V E

Hi all!

It’s getting cold. I am sure you all know how fortunate we are to have lots of warm clothes, blankets, room heaters at home to keep us warm. And yes, we have a home. A roof above us, a shelter...

And I am sure you also do know that there are millions, who, leave alone warm clothes, don’t even have clothes on their bodies. Every year, we hear reports of deaths because of cold.

And what could be more unfortunate than to lose small children to the extreme chill of winters.

On Diwali eve, some firecrackers caused a massive fire at the GOONJ centre in Delhi where tons of woollen and warm stuff were kept, ready to be dispatched to the needy. All of that stuff got burnt… ALL of it.

GOONJ has started a collection drive all over again. Please contribute to the drive as freely and generously as you can. Lookout for sweaters, jackets that you don’t intend to wear now or those which don’t fit you anymore… Give them to GOONJ, but please give them in wearable condition.

You can volunteer for them too! Go to Goonj.org for more details.

This winter, let’s gift someone WARMTH and CARE.

Lovingly yours

Richa Aniruddha Like us on Facebook/School-LIVE tweet to me @richaanirudh

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contents

L I V E 5

Editor’s Note

8

School in Spotlight

Cover

12 Exclusive: Interview with author Amish Tripathi 18 Mentor’s Note 21 Career Chat 22 Teen Travel 26 Mind Your Manners 27 Ask Nivedita 28 Fit For Life

W

Quick Edit

hy do we always need to take stock at year end? Why do we need to sit back and analyse about our achievements and follies on New Year’s Eve. Let it be a daily exercise. That’s why we have consciously stayed away from Top Ten lists of everything under the sun. Who reads them anyways? Years should seamlessly blend into one another and the only thing that we should remember about them are the travels we embarked on, the lines that spoke to us from books, the movies that inspired us to push beyond the boundaries.

My favourite in this issue is the incredibly intriguing cover interview with bestselling author Amish Tripathi, conducted by no less than 21 students from different school. Don’t miss it. Turn to the Rap Up section for the useful list of free websites that will help you finish your homework, when help is not at hand.

Happy reading!

30 Positively Positive

Teena Baruah

32 Watch This Space 34 Rap up 38 Blog 39 Call For Action 40 Page 99 42 Slam Poetry

22

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Volume 2 | Issue 3| December 2015 | 7

Jamming with

JNS

O

ne of Mumbai’s leading schools, Jamnabai Narsee School (JNS) has been a much sought after institution all through its 45 years of existence. Located in an upmarket suburb, Juhu, it is well known for its focus on all round development, and not academics alone.

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Sujay Jairaj Thacker, a trustee of Mumbai’s Jamnabai Narsee School (JNS) and Principal Zeenat Bhojabhoy lay bare the bricks, mortar and soul of this historic institution. Rakhee Gupta reports

Tell us about the school’s founders.

Sujay Jairaj Thacker: The Narsee Monjee Educational Trust was founded in the late ’60s by my grandfather Chatrabhuj Narsee and his two brothers Pratap and Dharamshi Narsee in memory of their late father. The school,

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founded in 1971, was named so to honour their mother.

Does the school have a particular educational philosophy?

SJT: Since its inception, the school has followed the principle, “Let learning be a joy and teaching be a pleasure”. JNS has always been a

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In our international IB school, everything is on an Apple platform. Every child has an iPad or MacBook, every teacher has been provided a MacBook, classrooms have 55 inch LED screen with Apple TV. This makes streaming and accessing all information easy. progressive school. It was a rare coeducational school in times when most schools were either boy’s or girl’s schools.

The school building is designed like a honeycomb structure. The classrooms are hexagons, opening on to a common space, called foyer. This gives the children a common place to interact and learn from each other.

What prompted you to introduce the international curricula?

SJT: We have been an ICSE school since 1971. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) was introduced in 2004, for Class XI and XII. Then we brought in the The International General Certificate of Secondary Education programme. Recently in 2015, we introduced a full fledged IB school.

Since we had the space, we constructed a new building to house all of them.

What is the classroom size and student-teacher ratio in your school?

SJT: With so many curricula, the classroom sizes vary. The ICSE classes now have 40 children per class, IGCSE has 30, IB has 16 and the IBDP has 15-17 students per class. We are known for offering too many subject options and have way too many supervisors, support staff,

etc. As a result we have a ratio of 1 teacher for every 15-17 students.

How do you select your teachers?

SJT: The first thing we look for is the basic degree, B.Ed., M.Ed. and the work experience. But far more important are the demo classes.

The proposed recruit has to conduct demo classes, and then a recruitment sheet is filled in by our senior teachers. Someone may have multiple degrees, but delivery in the classroom is what matters. A teacher should be able to connect with children, com-

municate, control, and discipline.

Once the teacher is selected, he/she has to undergo three weeks’ training programme, called TEAM (Teacher Enrichment and Academic Management) programme.

What role does technology play in your school? And how does it support teaching and learning?

SJT: In our international IB school, everything is on an Apple platform.

Every child has an iPad or MacBook, every teacher has been provided a

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MacBook, every classroom has a 55 inch LED screen with Apple TV. This makes streaming and accessing all information very easy. We are trying to use technology at its best. Even the ICSE has now been given a technology upgradation. Teachers have been trained to use this technology.

Investing in technology is easy, the difficult part is training everyone to use it.

Are the children given regular homework?

Zeenat Bhojabhoy: No, we do not promote homework, but we encourage children to practise English language exercises and Math, to make it easier for them. Let them have enough time for reading, playing and other activities, and overall development.

What extra curricular activities, opportunities are available for the students in the school?

ZB: We have a programme called Life Enrichment Centre (LEC), where about 23-27 activities are offered after school hours and we en-

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to many international and national journals, online magazines and newspapers. We also provide library facilities to parents. After all, a wellread parent brings up a well-read child.

There are more than 75,000 books in our three libraries.

We subscribe to many international and national journals, online magazines and newspapers. We also provide library facilities to parents courage children to take them up.

What kind of library resources are available for the students?

There are more than 75,000 books in our three libraries. We subscribe

How do you deal with bullying?

SJT: We have a programme called JAM (Junior Adolescent Mentors), where a committee of students are trained to look out for other students inside the school. A student will be able to talk much better, sometimes, to another student than a teacher.

The training imparted to the JAM members makes them mature to handle various situations as well.

Do you have a programme for students with special needs?

ZB: We have a facility called the Resource Room for children with special needs, handled by nine special educators on board. They align the special timetable with the children’s class time table. For English and Math, the students go to the Resource Room and learn the same content at their pace, in a way that they would understand.

i n

S p o t l i g h t

Do you have an active PTA and what are the activities they conduct?

SJT: We have a very active PTA and it is very helpful. They conduct a fun fair called Anand Mela, that is legendary. They also organise the Navratri Ras Garba. We are regularly in touch with the PTA for feedback, suggestions, etc.

What is your vision for the future?

SJT: We have recently launched the Chatrabhuj Narsee School, in Kandivali. We have also launched Global Pathways, a unique twinning programme for children, who want to go abroad for further studies, but not immediately after class 12. This programme allows them to study for two years in India and then transfer.

It is the first undergraduate US programme in India, approved by the MSA (Middle States Association, the biggest accreditation agency in the US). In the two years here, the students can achieve 60 of the 120 credits needed to graduate. We have tied up with 10 universities in the US to make this process of transfer easier.

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Volume 2 | Issue 3| December 2015 | 11

Fact Fiction E x c l u s i v e

&

We are growing intolerant towards women, not religion, Amish Tripathi, a former banker turned bestselling novelist tells School LIVE reporters. Siddhidatri Mishra and Kunalika Gautam report

T

ell us about your school life, your mischiefs...

I wouldn’t want to tell you people for the fear that you might repeat them.

I am sure we have done much worse…

In our boarding school my brother and I made something known as a cigarette bomb. We attached a lot of firecrackers to a cigarette and since cigarettes burn for a long time this bomb acts like a time bomb. We had put it in a toilet and it blew up (laughs). Don’t ever try this.

Where did you do your schooling?

First, Utkal English School in Odisha, then, Lawrence School in Ooty and Cathedral School in Mumbai and finally, St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai and then IIM (Kolkata).

So which one would you call your best experience?

It would definitely be St. Xavier’s. I met my wife there. She was my girlfriend and we’ve been together ever since. It’s been 28 years now.

Any favorite teachers?

One of my favorite teachers was Mr.

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Amity International School, Gurgaon: Disha Rawal, Damini Mehta, Shipali Ranjan; Genesis Global School: Amogh Sharma; Amity International School, Noida: Anoushka Nair; Sanskriti School: Siddhidatri Mishra, Kunalika Gautam; Step By Step School, Noida: Sashrika Pathak; Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar: Roshan Suresh, Pradyut Ganesh, Saanchi Wadhwa, Sohini Chakrabarti; Ahlcon International School: Nishant Mishra, Hardik Agarwal, Anant Chaturvedi, Varun Gupta; New Era Public School, Mayapuri: Vaibhav Bangia; Shriram Millennium School, Noida: Chitvan Garga, Devina Dimri, Abhivyakti R. Natarajan, APJ Sheikh Sarai: Shashwat Agrawal Lobo. He used to teach physics and that was one of my favorite subjects.

Even today I keep reading books

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on Theoretical Physics. He was my favorite teacher because he used to push his good students even further.

Tell us about your parents.

My father was easy going. He used to spoil us a lot, whereas my mother was very strict. So I think it was an amazing combination between the two. I can tell you two very interesting incidents, which I still remember.

Once when I refused to eat karela, my mom got very angry and she said that whatever is on the plate you have to eat it. In life you’ll have ups and downs and therefore you must have basic discipline in life, she said.

But I refused. So I went to bed without food. Then, for one week, and I am not exaggerating, for every meal karela was made especially for me.

So for one week I ate karela in every meal. After that I never said no for anything that was put on my plate.

The other story is with my father.

He never used to say no for anything, he would always let us do whatever we wished to do. My brother and I had to go out somewhere and dad was not home so we asked mom, and mom said no. We waited for dad to come home and asked him and as expected he said yes. We went out, played and when when we

E x c l u s i v e

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Volume 2 | Issue 3| December 2015 | 13

E x c l u s i v e er creative.

How did you go from being a banker to an author?

I think I have said this before, but if I can be a writer then anyone can be a writer.

It began as a pure discussion 1011 years ago. My family and I were watching TV and we came upon this discovery-in India the gods are called devas and the demons are called asuras. What we discovered was that for the Zoroastrian Persians the gods were called ahuras and the demons were called daivas.

It was the exact opposite. So much came back dad was livid. He slapped us and said, ‘How you dare ask me when mother has already said no?

You are trying to create fights between us? If one of us says no it means that both of us have said no.”

We learned a lesson in that sense that you never play games within the family. You don’t play one parent against the other.

Was being an author your lifelong dream?

I had a relationship with books, but as a reader never as a writer. I had dreams of being an astronaut, doctor or scientist, but never an author.

I had written a few poems in college but they were all terrible.

Do you remember any of your poetry?

No, don’t embarrass me please (laughs). Someday, maybe, when I wish to have a little fun, I might just release them. In college, everyone hated my poems, except my girlfriend, she was just too sweet! I did nothing creative in my school life. I was academically oriented and graduated in Mathematics. I was active in sports, boxing, gymnastics; competitive sports. Even when I was the lead singer for our band in IIM, I never wrote the lyrics. So I was nev-

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E x c l u s i v e so that the chief demons on their side was Indra whereas in India he is the King of Gods and the actual chief demon was this chap called Ahriman and in ancient Vedic times there was this very popular god called Aryaman.

So me and my family started discussing that if the ancient Indians and the ancient Persians had met we’d probably be calling each other evil because my god is your demon and your god is my demon. Who then would be right? When I told my family this, they said write about it.

That’s how my books started.

Consider Gautam Buddha.

My wife is a practicing Buddhist. She benefits from his teachings, but he abandoned his wife and son, Rahul. Do you know Rahul actually means fetters or chains? Lord Buddha felt that his son had tied him down

The growing intolerance today is due to religion. So don’t you think we as Indians should break away from this absolutist hold of religion?

Absolutism does not exist in Hinduism. There is a lovely line in the Rig Veda, which says, “The truth is one, but wise men speak it in different ways. The problem is never with devotion; the problem is when one loses their brain. In Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna says that one must listen to what he says, analyse it and do what you think is right. So, in our

culture, even God is questionable.

Devotion does not mean blind faith.

God has blessed you with a brain, use it.

In your book Scion of Ikshavaku, you describe an incident with Roshini which is similar to the gang-rape that happened in Delhi in 2013. Do you, through your books, try to highlight problems in India today and suggest possible solutions?

Yes, the biggest social problem facing India today is the oppression of women in our society. We keep get-

ting distracted by other social problems. Alarming number of girls get killed in the womb every year. Religious violence doesn’t even come close to this statistic. Our ancient scriptures say that God abandons those lands which do not respect women. So what we are doing goes against our culture. This, for me, is a deeply important issue. In all my books, I try to highlight the severity of this issue. This is not a government problem, it is a societal problem. Our society is oppressing women.

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E x c l u s i v e Even Rama was not a perfect man, but he was a great follower of laws. Why do we worship him?

If you are an ideal follower of laws, the society you create will be very well organised, but you will have serious problems in your personal lives. There are other examples like this, not just Lord Rama. Look at Mahatma Gandhi. We respect him as the Father of the Nation. He did not believe in communal violence and taught us a better way of life.

But he had problems in his personal life. Consider Gautam Buddha. We still respect him. In fact, my wife is a practicing Buddhist. She benefits from his teachings, but he abandoned his wife and son, Rahul. Do you know Rahul actually means fetters or chains? Lord Buddha felt that his son had tied him down. A leader who follows laws is very good for the society but often their families suffer.

Do you think people still have the same kind of love for their families as Lord Shiva had?

It’s difficult to say. I think in some ways our country has developed for the better, in the last forty years or so. The West has taught us to fight for our dreams and that is very good.

However, there is a downside to the individualism as well. We are not as involved with our families as our parent’s generation.

A majority of the children in the US are being brought up by single parents. The parent get busy in office and the child is brought up by strangers in daycare centers. This of Buddhism say that the followers won’t lead to a good society in the don’t believe in God; they actually future. believe in the Universal Law of Karma and Dharma. So, by the modern What do you think will happen definition they were atheists. to India if no concept of religion existed?

You have not shown any of the It has actually happened in some facial features of Shiva on the ways in the past. There was a time cover of books. With your book when a majority of Indians had being adapted into a movie, turned Buddhists. The scriptures who would you like to see play-

I think we are growing intolerant towards women, not on religious issues.

Often, we forget the size of India. We cannot judge 1.25 billion people on the basis of some 15 cases which have caught the fancy of the media

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ing Shiva on the big screen?

I never answer this question because I think it is best left to the producers.

The movie is currently in the scripting stage. Karan Johar’s company has bought the rights to it. The proposed director is Karan Malhotra.

Before writing the Shiva trilogy, did you have a deep interest in archaeology because you have described each place in details.

Thanks for noticing that. I absolutely love history as a subject. In school too, I loved it, despite having absolutely horrible teachers. I had to be practical in choosing my career and history wouldn’t have been a wise decision.

Could you suggest some history books?

Akbar Nama, Babur Nama are fine examples of biographies of the Mu-

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lel universe opens up. I listen to music, any genre of music. The words don’t matter, but the music has to be in sync with the scene I am writing on. I eat a lot of cream biscuits while writing, so I put on a lot of weight.

wards women, not on religious issues.

Often, we forget the size of India. We cannot judge 1.25 billion people on the basis of some 15 cases which have caught the fancy of the media. We need data, not just a few figures.

What do you share with the main characters of your books? ghal period. For books on the Brit- I share admiration for them. They ish period, I would recommend the are characters I would love to meet. books of Dharam Pal. There is this British historian called Graham Who is your favourite character in the Shiva Trilogy?

Hancock who is pretty good as well.

Lord Shiva. He is the ‘dude’ of the What were your favorite books Gods. He dances, he sings, treats his as a child? wife with respect and is charismatic.

I grew up in a small place in Orissa and we didn’t have access to authors When is the next book coming such as Enid Blyton. So, I read many out? books on our mythologies and many It takes me, on an average, 18 were in Hindi. I also read books such months to complete a book. as Amar Chitra Katha.

What are your views on Shahrukh Khan’s statement on InWhat does Amish mean?

It means nishpaap or a person who dia’s growing intolerance? hasn’t committed any sin. I don’t I think we are growing intolerant tothink I have lived up to it.

Would you ever return your award?

My approach to awards is that it’s not the government which gives it to you; it’s the society. When you are returning an award, you are passing judgement on society, not the government. Judgement on the government is passed during voting. It’s better to campaign, to speak out.

While you are writing, what thought process do you have?

How do you write so well?

I just open the laptop and a paral-

Would you ever recommend quitting a high paying job to become a writer?

My suggestion is have a job on the side and try and write on weekends. If the career takes off, then resign. I resigned only after my royalty cheque got fatter than my salary cheque. I call it being pragmatic.

By Kunalika Gautam Class XI Sanskriti School

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By Siddhidatri Mishra Class XI, Sanskriti School

Volume 2 | Issue 3| December 2015 | 17

M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

‘I’m a product of

KV’

M

Rashmi Mishra, Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya Andrews Ganj, talks about a lifetime serving in KVS. Teena Baruah reports

y School Days My early years were in Mount Carmel Convent and Somalwar Higher Secondary school in Nagpur. When my father got transferred to Bhopal, I got into Kendriya Vidyalaya Bhopal. So I am a product of KV. I joined the Science stream, but attended the Science classes for 1

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week as I did not like the Chemistry teacher. I switched over to the Humanities... When I look back at my own life, I realise how teachers can adversely impact a student’s choice of subjects.

Who Am I? I am a happy go lucky sort of person, never very competitive. I loved read-

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M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

Vidyalaya Sangathan was founded.

We recently celebrated our Golden Jubilee. KVS is divided into 25 regions. It has more than 1,100 schools now. So it is a big organisation. Most of our students are children of Central Government transferable personnel. KVS ensures that if parents get transferred in the middle of the session, children do not face any difficulty. The curriculum in these schools is exactly the same everywhere.

In KVS, we get a mixed lot of students. We have children of IAS officers as well as those of support staff.

And now with the joining of the economically weaker students the diversity has increased. This often manifests into cases of kids bullying kids, so we need to be cautious. ing back issues of Reader’s Digest and we had piles of them at home which we gave away with a heavy heart. Since the beginning, I was more inclined towards the creative world. I was good at dancing, debating and languages. I went to the Regional Institute of Bhopal, studied English honours and B.Ed. I love being with kids.

Anatomy of KVS It’s been 50 years since Kendriya

Sometimes I feel the parents have become over enthusiastic and very competitive. They expect a lot from their children. I think the parents need to be counselled more than the children. Let a child be a child

Our USP Lot of KV teachers are extremely gifted and committed to the task of teaching. They have to clear a lot of examinations, attend induction courses and then annual teaching courses. Also, the private schoolchildren and parents are always on the lookout for the study material that we produce in-house for Class XII. These are created by principals with a set of teachers every year and have sample papers, practice work-

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M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

sheets, etc.

My Journey I began by teaching English to senior students in KV Neemuch, continued teaching for 23 years in Indore. In that region, children are not very fluent in English due to lack of exposure. So I urged them to have simple conversations in class, recorded it on my cassette recorder and then played it back to them, correcting accents and English usage. They started with broken sentences and then slowly began speaking more coherently and scoring high in exams. My rapport with the kids improved too, as I gave the naughtiest kids the first chance to perform.

When the KVS transfer policy was introduced and I qualified for a principal’s post in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in 2002 after clearing the principal’s

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I begin my day with meditation, pranayama, stretching and end it with a walk inside the school complex. Sometimes, I use the gym and swimming pool in school. I am fond of reading the Speaking Tree column in The Times of India and carry it along all day till I find time to read it exam. You are never posted to your own state or school in KV, so you have to move out of your comfort zone. So I left my family under my mother in law’s care and moved to Bhubaneswar for two years.

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It was a wonderful period for all of us as my kids grew up to be more self reliant. I came back to Indore after that, worked for four more years and in 2008 got an opportunity to head KV Moscow. My Moscow stint lasted for three years and were perhaps my best years in teaching.

RTE: A Massive Social Experiment With EWS students it’s the unlearning part that is most crucial.

We spend the first few years in correcting the language and habits they unknowingly bring into class. We actively involve parents into this process. And since they are excited about the idea of raising first generation of learners at home, they are most willing to change. I often tell the mothers, ‘don’t scream at the child all the time. You can be heard even when you are soft spoken.’

Fad Food

C a r e e r

C h a t

Career Counsellor Jitin Chawla provides an overview of a career as a Dietician

A

fter passing class XII, a course in Nutrition and Dietetics can offer you an exciting career opportunity. First of all you have to choose one of these: Clinical Dietician: They work in hospitals, nursing homes or clinics with doctors and are aware of a patient’s nutritional needs. They develop and implement nutritional plans and evaluate results of dietary therapy.

Research Nutritionist: They work in managing food service systems and equipment and studying body chemistry in relation to diets.

Dietician, Technician, Food Industry: Many food companies employ nutritionists and dieticians to oversee the nutritional quality of food products, for new product development and for advice on marketing. In the processed food industry laboratories, nutritionists and dieticians develop and improve the products and production process.

Public Health Nutrition: This involves work with large organisations such as FAO, WHO and CARE that are involved in community welfare and distribute food supplements.

Education: Teaching is yet another option and with a B.Ed, you could teach Nutrition and Dietetics in schools that offer Home Science as a subject. To teach in college you require a Master’s degree.

A graduation in Food and Nutrition or Home Science can be undertaken. Thereafter, a PG diploma or Master’s course in dietetics, food and nutrition can be done. As people become more and more health conscious, this sector would really deliver rich dividends.

After completing school, you may get to do a B.Sc degree in Home Science or Food Science from Institute of Home Economics, Lady Irwin College, Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Science for Women, Bhaskarcharya College of Applied Science from Delhi University, SNDT Women’s University, Avinashilingam University of Women, Panjab University – Chandigarh, Mumbai University, MS University of Baroda, JD Birla College Kolkata, Banasthali Vidyapeeth-Rajasthan, University of Calcutta, Ethiraj College for Women – Chennai and Mangalore University. The most popular college is the National Institute of Nutrition,

Hyderabad. This college offers a Master’s degree and Postgraduate Certificate in Nutrition. The college has been acknowledged worldwide for its research on Nutrition.

Employment is available both in the public and private sector companies in the hospitality industry hiring nutrition professionals. Besides these, there are several companies in other industries such as Apollo group of hospitals, AIIMS and other private nursing homes that hire nutritionists and dieticians. Top-end sports clubs and fitness centres also employ these professionals.

For personal consultation with Jitin Chawla call 9810264027.

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T e e n

T r a v e l

Delicious meals, fabulous walks, vibrant monuments, Europe dazzles Disha Kashyap

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he human body functions like clockwork where all the wheels, cogs and chains work together to perform the miracle of life, their only performance. I left a piece of myself in Italy this summer. They call it wanderlust and say that it will pass, but I disagree. The people, the culture, everything, it just felt like a place I belong to. And don’t even get me started on the food, authentic Penne Arrabiata and Spaghetti alla Carbonara, the delicious pizza and the finger licking flavours of gelato were my staple diet. The monuments were a marvel to behold. I have never wished so desperately to have a photographic memory or to have a sponge for a brain because hours and hours of staring at the monuments wasn’t enough, even a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to realise the true beauty and history behind every brick, every door and every flight of stairs. St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square, Musei Vaticani, Cappella Sistina in the Vatican, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo, Pan-

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théon, Fontana di Trevi, Colosseo, Castel Sant’Angelo, Vittorio Emanuele II Monument in Rome, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Torre di Pisa in Pisa, are just a few of the monuments I can recollect visiting. But what has stayed with me forever is the experience. Roaming around cluelessly asking people which way to go, which metro line or bus to take was the best part of the trip because the streets are confusing and so you are bound to get lost every 5 minutes but if the maze is so beautiful and every aspect so wonderful how can you complain?

If you’re a tourist and you have no guide you will probably experience every road and street personally and though you may get lost on the way you will always reach the destination because the people are very kind. And they don’t give you dirty looks when you ask for the same directions the fortieth time. But your

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absolutely breathtaking. Because one usually lacks the distinction to fight the battles worth fighting.

We then took a flight to Switzerland. For those who’ve never been there, think of a beautiful landscape

by Claude Monet, it comes pretty close to what Switzerland looks like. Saying paradise on earth is an understatement. You’re rendered speechless when you see Mt. Titlis or Jungfrau in all their glory because the snowcapped mountains make all your problems seem insignificant. They brave storms fearlessly, they have scars yet they stand, so silent and so strong. And the cool wintery breeze on your back gives you the good kind of goosebumps.

So you see, in my opinion the best things are usually the most inconvenient kind but the joy and the experience makes that discomfort bearable.

Let’s face it, we probably walked miles and miles, going from one monument to the other, but it was truly worth it.

And we had to layer up in five sweatparents do when you tell them that ers and felt like a golf ball, to be able your list still has 10 monuments left. to bear the cold in the mountains but I Venice is poetic. The ground floor is would make the same choices if I ever uninhabited due to the fact that flood- had to again. ing by high tides is pretty imminent.

But when the light falls on the city and By Disha Kashyap you’re looking at the buildings from Class X the water bus, it looks as if the city is Sanskriti School, New Delhi drowning but refusing to fade. And it’s

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Cadet Camping

Back from an action packed cadet training camp in Manesar, Kaustubh Aggarwal of Amity Cadet Corps finds the experience invigourating

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ur journey began on October 11 at 8am sharp when the cadets of Amity Cadet Corps (ACC) boarded the bus with the teachers and instructors. The bus ride was action packed, spiking the journey with jokes, food and high spirit.

Pankaj Tuli briefed us about our new routine.

Post lunch we assembled in the field of Amity University Manesar.

We were 155 ‘cadets’ of the ACC from Amity International School, Noida.

We were divided into four groups or Platoons. Platoon number 1 and 2 had the girl cadets, while number 3 and 4 were for the boy cadets. Each At 1pm we reached our base in Pach- Platoon had two commanders. After gaon, Manesar and were guided to this, we took a short break to play our tents. We were supposed to tag some sports. At 7pm we were back at eight people in a single tent. It was our base for a glass of nimbu-paani. a basic one and had eight mattresses We did a recce of the common calaid out and... that’s it. After setting det washroom, dining hall, mobile up our tents, instructors Solanki and charging area, lounge and canteen,

Day 1

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where we could buy chips and the likes. We were issued a pillow, bedsheet, blanket and utensils which we were supposed to hand over to the store room on the last day. At 9pm we went to sleep.

Day 2

Our day started too early. We woke up at 4am, had a cup of tea and headed to the field for some workout. At 10.30am, we were back in our tents to have breakfast. At 12pm, we set off to march on the parade ground. After a particularly strenuous practice session we were permitted to take a break. In the evening, we headed towards the Aravali hills just beside our base camp to trek.

Our instructors called it ‘night trekking’. Passing through lots of bushes and plenty of thorns, we finally reached our destination in about 45 minutes. Back in camp, we rehydrated ourselves, had rest and went to the seminar hall to meet Col. Ravinder Singh who motivated us with a lecture on how to lead a life in the Defence and showed us short movie clips on the lives of soldiers. We were back at 8.30pm for dinner and much needed sleep.

Day 3

Morning wasn’t as good as expected

In the evening we again headed to the hills for our night trekking, but this time we chose a different route and regretted it, as we had to climb a bit higher and many of us suffered painful injuries. We got pricked by vicious thorns too

Day 5

Practice, practice and practice…

Morning was as usual. We practiced a lot to be the best contingent on the parade ground. A DJ night was hosted where we danced and sung a lot.

We went to sleep hoping to win the prize for the best contingent.

Day 6

Early in the morning we headed to the ground for a final rehearsal.

Later, we went back to our camp to wear the military uniform that made as some boys had played pranks on us feel like we are heading for a war. cadets the night before. Early morn- The ceremony was inaugurated by ing exercise was much more tiring Lt. Gen. BK Bopanna, Director Genthan expected. The rest of the day eral, Amity Indian Military Educawas almost similar. In the evening tion Society. The parade went off we again headed to the hills for our without a hitch. It was followed by night trekking, but this time we a dog show by the Amity Dog Acadchose a different route and regretted emy which showcased canines with it, as we had to climb a bit higher and courage. Platoon number 1 was many of us suffered painful injuries. awarded the first rank followed by We got pricked by vicious thorns too. platoon number 3, 2 and 4.

At 3pm, we bid adieu to our tents and the academy.

We didn’t have the exercise routine and devoted our time to practice for the upcoming oath ceremony on the last day. In the evening, we did paBy Kaustubh Aggarwal ra-sailing, rappelling, rock climbing, Class IX shooting, zorbing and many such Amity International School, Noida adventure activities.

Day 4

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M i n d

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Class Apart Etiquette consultant Rakhee Gupta shares simple tips on classroom conduct

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he classroom is a place where one goes to acquire knowledge with one’s peers under the guidance of an instructor/teacher. It is also the place where friendships are forged, joys are shared and problems are tackled (and not just Math problems). There are some basic rules that you should follow to make your time in the classroom worthwhile, not just for yourself, but your teachers and classmates, as well. � Be punctual. Always be on time for your class. Do not loiter around, while changing classes. There will always be time to catch up with friends after school. � Greet your teacher as soon as he/ she walks in. � Dress appropriately. If you have a designated uniform, please stick to it. � You should always appear neat, clean and pleasant. � Show respect to your teachers and fellow students. � Come to class prepared. Home-

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work should be completed, and assignments should always be submitted on time. It is your duty to do so. � Refrain from talking or whispering with your friends during the class. � Discipline is important, and should be maintained at all times. � Do not eat during a class. It is an insult to the teacher. � If the school policy allows you to carry cell phones to school, put them on silent mode. � Texting, or checking social media in the classroom is unacceptable. � In an emergency, seek the teacher’s permission before leaving the classroom. � Be kind and helpful towards your classmates. � Listen to your teacher attentively, and raise your hand if you want to say something. Await your turn to speak, and do so only after the teacher permits you. � Speak loudly and clearly, so that

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you may be heard and understood by all. � Never ever rag or poke fun at a teacher or a fellow student. Ragging is an offence, punishable by law. � Do not monopolise the teacher’s attention and time. He/she has to teach and attend to the other students as well. � If you do not understand something, or need extra help, request the teacher to help you out after class. � Do not waste the teacher’s or other student’s time by distracting the teacher or causing nuisance in the classroom. � It is not right to scribble on your desk, litter around or damage any school property. � Remember, the classroom is a ‘temple of learning’, and one should behave accordingly.

Write to Rakhee Gupta at guptarakhee@live.com

a s k

N i v e d i t a

No Worries Counsellor Nivedita Singh answers your queries about relationships, family, school and life

Serial Offender

Our biggest challenge is that we are often our own worst enemies, whereby; we lack awareness, or despite having it, get into self-sabotaging behaviors, which undermine our worth and us

undermine our worth and us. Now that you have changed all you have to do is be consistent and in sync with the new you and start giving I’m 14 and have been in and out evidence of it through your conduct. of trouble numerous times in the Have patience and continue to past school years. The teachers, persevere. Goodness gleams through my parents and even the prinand cannot be hidden for too long. cipal have given me multiple People who care for you and want warnings and have asked me to mend my ways. The problem is out of the realm of mistakes and be- to see you overcome your past misthat even though I have changed comes a breach of trust issue. Mis- takes will be forced to acknowledge for the better they don’t seem to takes can be forgiven and/or forgot- that you have changed for the better notice it. Even though I don’t do ten, but trust once lost takes a lot of and that you are not merely going through a phase or putting on an act. anything wrong they always stop hard work and time to earn back.

Take heart, the good part is the For the future, don’t juggle with me and question my actions as if they are looking for ways to scold awareness of past mistakes and the trust again. If you break it too often me or prove me to be a deviant. new found insight of having changed it goes through a Humpty Dumpty for the better. Our biggest challenge effect: gets hard to put it back toHow can I prove myself right?

When a youngster has been in and is that we are often our own worst gether again. out of trouble innumerable times, enemies, whereby; we lack awarewith multiple warnings having fall- ness, or despite having it, get into Write to Nivedita Singh at en on deaf years, the problem moves self-sabotaging behaviors, which niveditasingh2005@gmail.com

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Sugar Attack Cutting down on sugar intake isn’t all that sweet and simple, Nutritionist Kavita Devgan offers helpful tips

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ugar’s only adverse effect is not on our teeth, and the solution to that isn’t as easy as brushing your teeth. It is not as sweet and simple as that. Sweets have more calories, so we just need to ‘cut down’ if we need to lose weight. Sugar is a far bigger devil than that.

And let’s accept it, all of us eat way too much sugar, there is no doubt about that at all. And festive time is when it really gets out of hand.

While I definitely don’t want to spoil the party, but I would still like to ad-

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vice everyone to go easy on sweets and other hidden sources of sugar.

that you add to your tea, coffee, milk, iced tea, lemonade, lassi, cocktails.

The packaged juices, flavoured yoghurts, canned fruits, cereal bars, Sugar is a hidden toxin that we are chocolates, cookies, aerated drinks unwittingly consuming at an as- (a regular can of cola of about 350 toundingly high and unhealthy level. ml has about 40 grams - or ten teaAnd while there is certainly noth- spoons - of sugar), processed foods, ing wrong with having moderate granola, sports drinks, even ketchup amounts of sugar in your diet, what and salad dressings. is damaging is how fast it adds up.

Read the labels carefully. Added sugars include all kinds of sugars and syrups that are put in a product The umpteen teaspoons of sugar during processing to make it taste

Hidden Toxin

Look out for

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better. Look out for raw sugar, glucose, honey, lactose, maltose, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, brown sugar, fructose, fruit juice concentrate or sucrose.

How much to have?

When it comes to sugar, the lesser the better. Ideally limit the intake of sugar to one teaspoon per cup of coffee or tea, not exceeding 2-3 cups per day.

Why is it important to be careful?

That’s because every 5gm of sugar adds an extra 20 calories, and slowly these calories add up and lead to weight gain. So if you are skipping meals to get thin but not putting a lid on how much sugar you are eating, then you are going on the wrong path. Those inches won’t melt.

Too much sugar leads to excess

Sweeteners in fact make the problem worse. They have more side effects than can be listed in one short article. Even natural sweeteners such as xylitol and stevia, keep the sweet craving and taste alive, so are not recommended at all weight, which is a direct risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and even liver problems.

Sugar leads to inflammation in the body, one side effect of which could be bad skin too.

Dental caries and sugar connection is something everyone knows about, so it can come in between you and a 100 watt smile. Bacteria thrive in a sugar and an acid environment. More sugar consumption leads to more acid formation, letting bacteria thrive and multiply.

And when bacteria are more, more acid is produced. It is thus a vicious circle: plaque + sugar = acid + tooth = caries. And yes, adults are equally susceptible too.

Too much sugar also downs the immunity and by upsetting the body’s mineral balance also makes the bones weak.

fects than can be listed in one short article. Even natural sweeteners such as xylitol, manitol and stevia, which although are comparatively better, keep the sweet craving and taste alive, so are not recommended at all.

One final tip

To keep sugar cravings away it is important to keep the blood sugar stable by starting the day with a nutriSweeteners in fact make the prob- tious breakfast and having smaller lem worse. They have more side ef- meals throughout the day.

Stay away from sweeteners

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Show Time S

tep By Step School, Noida, recently celebrated its cultural festival - Jashn and the footfalls that echoed through the school corridors on those two days were deafening. Voices came together in symphonies, movements expressed more than words and unique forms of dance and drama were brought to life. The highlights included street plays, poetry slam, monologues, one act plays, D.I.Y (do it yourself) choreography and music ensemble by the treasured SBS choir. The two-day long festivity also featured a rock show by Parikrama!

Jashn, besides being a cherished memory, served as a profitable fundraiser. Apart from the students and the teachers, a huge back stage team pitched in to make every bit of it a success. Reporters of the school magazine managed to cover day to day episodes and update us with an extensive reportage published on the school website.

Jashn 2015 was a truly memorable celebration!

By Suramya Pathak Class IX Step By Step School, Noida

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FunTimes T

he recent Fortunites Funtastic Fete 2015 was all about food, games, fashion, fun, frolic, music and dance. The chief attractions of the fete, besides the dances and talks, were mother-child fashion show, fancy dress competition, painting competition, magic show, puppet show, tattoo stalls, games stalls, horse riding, bouncy and much more. The food stalls were set up by well known Bittu Tikki Wala from Delhi. The food stall even had an ice-cream corner by famous Baskin-Robbins.

In her welcome speech, Principal Papri Chakraborty welcomed the guests and panel of judges, saying, the fete was a small endeavour made by the Fortune family to make the Children’s Day a special memorable momentous day for all of us. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” she said.

Mohan Goel, Chairman Fortune World School, also appreciated the students and teachers for their hard work and for making the event a success. All participants were presented with special gifts.

Be A Sport

Fortune World School, Noida

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ealthy competitions are an integral part of the school education. Sports meet aims at imparting lessons on sportsman spirit and camaraderie to children. Delhi Public School, Indira Nagar organised the Annual Sports Meet 2015 recently at AMC Stadium to uphold this aspect of sporting events. The glittering opening ceremony commenced with the arrival of the Chief Guest Brigadier Pradeep Srivastava, while Pro Vice Chairman Mukhtarul Amin and Director of

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now

Delhi Public School, Indira Nagar, Luck

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DPS Nausheen Shadab graced the occasion. Principal Ghazala Afsar inaugurated the event and the performance was a fusion dance presented by the students of classes VI to XI. The younger students performed the sunflower drill. The bevy of events of the day included, 60m, 100m race (girls/boys) and a race by the students of Shiksha Kendra. Finally, the day ended with the grand finale performed by the students of classes IX-XI who performed a well synchronised army drill.

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Hotel Transylvania 2

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

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otel Transy lvania 1 was one of my favou- the second part is focused more on their child Denrite anima ted films when it was release d nis and whether he is a human or a vampire. Obviin 2012. It was by the same man who gave ously Count Dracul a wants the child to be a vampire us anima ted televis ion series Samur ai Jack and as to contin ue his family’s blood-thirsty lineage, but Dexter ’s Labora tory. So this guy knew the way to Mavis would be happy if he was either one of them. my heart. But even then I though t that one movie This leads to further shenanigans which I shall was enough to explore the world of Count Dracula rather not spoil. and his wonde rful hotel called, well you guesse d This movie is an absolute joy to watch, especially it, Transy lvania . So I was a little sceptic al when for the childre n, who were continuously laughing at the news of a sequel came out. But to my pleasa nt the screeni ng. The jokes come fast and with a fierce surpri se, this movie is as good as its predec essor. tenacity. This, along with its visuals vastly helps the The sequel continues the story of Count Dracula movie to plod along at a very healthy pace even if the and his daughter Mavis. While the first part focused story gets a bit dragged down by its underlying meson Mavis and her marriage to Jonathan, a human, sage at the end.

T Munni ka School

by Sushma Bhandari

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hese books gave me an insight of two completely different mindsets.

Betiyaan was a story about how five daughters’ presence was overshadowed by the importance of the only ‘son’ of the house. How the son was pampered beyond limits and grew up to bring shame to the family. And how the same parents had everyone but their son beside them in their worst times.

Munni ka School talks about how with her parents’ support and immense sacrifice, Sunita, a poor village girl becomes a successful teacher in the city school. All the

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Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Director: Sooraj Barjatya

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rem Ratan Dhan Payo is directe d by Sooraj Barjat ya and stars Salma n Khan in a dual role, one as a prince , soon to be crown ed as a king and engage d to a prince ss (Sonam Kapoo r) while the other is a happy go lucky stage actor who travels to the kingdo m to meet the prince ss. Needless to say, some obliga tory backst abbing stuff happe ns and Salma n the King (does his name really matter ) is in ICU while Salma n the stage actor is picked up by the king’s bodygu ard to act as body double and make sure the weddin g procee dings go smoot hly.

This is the kind of movie which is best enjoyed with your parents and your siblings, as the film is splattered with tons of family values (staple of any Barjatya film). The sets are meticulously designed and

the scale of the film is just something to behold (also a staple of Barjatya film) However, this film is the perfect example of how a film can crumble despite being critically evaluated (also a staple of any Barjatya film). Many decisions taken in the film just don’t feel like something that a rational man would make. The story, while presented beautifully and with finesse, is still pretty by-thenumber when you think about it.

This is not to say that the film is bad. PRDP is a film which deserves to be seen on the big screen, if only for its spectacle. Please see this film with your By parents for enhanced Amlaan Kumar enjoyment.

Class XII Amity International School Noida

other village girls look up to her. What I realised that, it’s not that impoverished families don’t want to educate their girls; they just don’t have enough resources to do so.

So these short stories by NBT India, offer a quick glance at different mindsets. Each book is priced at only Rs 15 each. Sometimes little inspirations don’t cost you much!

By Ayesha Thatte Class X, Step By Step School, Noida

Betiyaan

By Kamlesh Vyas ‘Kamal’

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Top 9 Online R A P

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Tools for Students

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ith the widespread practice of referring to the internet for every doubt and growing applications with a mobile based usage, students turn towards technology and their screens for almost every project, homework and research. Here is a list of the most used and most popular websites visited by young learners.

the site, in “long-lasting, open formats� that can be used on almost any computer. A great place for downloading any required reading material, or just the book on your to-read list.

Khanacademy.org

the thing for you.

Rememberthemilk.com

Started in 2004, Remember the Milk offers apps for a number of operating systems. As the name suggests, it provides users with a place to list all their to-dos, as well as set reminders. A great way to stay organised and hopefully, to submit homework on time.

Probably one of the most well known online education supplements out there, Khan Academy provides users with a comprehensive understandExtension of a project started way ing of otherwise hard-to-understand back in 1971, gutenberg.org offers concepts. Whether you’re a begin- With a number of quizzes on an asover 50,000 ebooks. Works by a va- ner struggling with algebra or an art sortment of subjects, this website riety of authors, like Agatha Christie enthusiast wishing to expand your provides students a platform to test and Shakespeare, can be found on knowledge, Khan Academy is just their knowledge on a range of topics.

Gutenberg.org

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Funtrivia.com

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What it lacks in user interface, the site more than makes up for with its overwhelming array of questions.

Dictionary.reference.com

An obvious tool, but still largely underused, Dictionary offers reliable access to millions of English definitions, spellings, audio pronunciations, example sentences, and word origins. With a website as well as mobile apps, Dictionary is probably the most valuable tool available to students.

Meritnation.com

It has millions of forums for you to browse through, to clear all your doubts, it also has answers of all NCERT questions. Easy to use and intuitive, Meritnation will surely help you improve your academic skills. Some features might be behind a paywall, but most of the features are free and helpful.

ExamFear.com

Are you scared of exams? With thousands of instructional videos available, ExamFear can help you improve your performance in Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Maths.

The website features content for Class VIII and above, and is updated regularly. In all videos, real world examples are used to help students understand concepts better. ExamFear is completely free, and they even have a youtube channel which is uploaded regularly.

like a knowledge mine waiting for you to explore.

Coursera.org

MIT OpenCourseware

ing on the promise of open sharing of knowledge. These courses not only explain everything beautifully but also encourage one to think An amazing website full of courses MIT OpenCourseware (ocw.mit. outside the box, think of the real from top universities, like Stan- edu) makes the materials used in world applications and persuade ford, MIT and Princeton, Coursera the teaching of almost all of MIT’s one to learn more. So, if you’re inis completely free, easy to use, and subjects available on the Web, free terested in learning about amazing intuitive. With Coursera you can in- of charge. With more than 2,200 new things, MIT OpenCourseware teract with teachers across the globe. courses available, OCW is deliver- is the place to go to.

Coursera has several courses on Arts and Humanities, Business, ComBy By puter Science, Data Science, Life Shreyash Nigam Devyani Goel Class X Sciences, Math and logic, Personal Class X Step By Step School, Noida.

Developments, Physical Science and Amity international School, Saket Engineering and Social Sciences. It’s

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B l o g

Whistle Blower Jay Gandhi on The Shri Ram School’s Project Rape Whistle

(L-R) Ananya Mittal, Aditya Raj Jain and Kairavi Bharat Ram

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n December 16, 2012, a determined trio comprising Kairavi Bharat Ram, Ananya Mittal and Aditya Raj Jain decided to do their bit to ensure a safer Delhi for girls and founded Sari (She’s Against Rape) Project in The Shri Ram School.

It aims at distributing a rape whistle to every woman in Delhi, free of cost.

They wanted the sound of this whistle and of their movement to echo in every corner of the city. They want to give this whistle to women to empower them and to give them a way to protect themselves. To relieve them of their restrictions and to give them the freedom they truly deserve in their city.

The rape whistle is a small handheld device that emits a shrill sound of over 120 decibels when the front

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button of the whistle is pressed. The alarm only stops when a button, located at the back of the whistle, is switched off. The whistle is also equipped with a conventional ‘blowable’ whistle, incase the battery runs out or the siren fails to get activated.

The whistle has been modified to fit comfortably in the palm of your hands with the buttons positioned for easy access. There is a large round speaker in front of the whistle, which amplifies the siren and distracts a person who is not aware of the whistle’s design. This, along with the position of the off button (at the back) confuses the attacker, allowing the siren to play for a longer period of time.

The whistle is battery operated

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Photograph: Prithvir Bhalla and runs on LR-44 batteries, or button cells. There are three screws at the back, which need to be removed to replace the batteries. The battery life of the whistle varies according to usage. All the user instructions are listed at the back of the whistle box along with our contact information.

If you have any further questions or would like to get your own whistle, please contact contact@shesagainstrape.org. So if you feel threatened, don’t hold back. Shout. Tweet (@shesagainstrape). Fight. Blow the whistle.

By Jay Gandhi Shri Ram School.

Class XII Shri Ram School Moulsari

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Goodwill Gutted!

Diwali crackers burn down NGO Goonj’s priceless winter relief stock. Founder Anshu Gupta takes stock

terial, 3,000 sq.ft of area, where ere I was asking you we all had put in our days and to spread the message nights turned into ash! Nothing against crackers and there much to say... anger on this insane, a cracker did this to Goonj’s center menace, vulgarity called crackers! in Delhi. Seven hours of unman- Will share more as we fight back ageable fire, 10 fire brigades till but certainly it’s one of the saddest 2am on Diwali night. Tons of ma- moments for the team and lakhs of

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people who are a part of Goonj’s larger family. Particularly sad as blankets to woollens, clothes to whatever is needed much more, in the days to come! Response on a few things from our Delhi office might be slow as the team is fighting back with this huge loss of material, money and space!!

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P a g e

9 9 WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO TEST A NOVEL BEFORE YOU READ IT? OPEN THE BOOK TO PAGE 99 AND THE QUALITY OF THE WHOLE WILL BE REVEALED TO YOU. SCHOOL LIVE TRIES OUT THIS EXPERIMENT ON LATEST RELEASES.

Mom & Me A coming-of-age story by Rainbow Rowell that explores relationship changes, as you move on in life

“C

ath . . .” The way her dad said it made her heart sink. “Sit down, okay?

There’s something I need to tell you real quick.” “Why do I have to sit down? I don’t want to have to sit down.” “Just” – he motioned toward the dining room table – “please.”

Cath sat at the table, trying not to lean on his papers or breathe them into disorder. “I didn’t mean to save this . . . ,” he said.

“Just say it,” Cath said. “You’re making me nervous.” Worse than nervous; her stomach was twisted up to her trachea. “I’ve been talking to your mom.” “What?” Cath would have been less shocked if he told her he’d been talking to a ghost. Or a yeti. “Why? What?” “Not for me,” he said quickly, like he knew that the two of them getting back together was a horrifying prospect. “About you.”

“Me?” “You and Wren.” “Stop,” she said. “Don’t talk to her about us.” “Cath . . . she’s your mother.”

“There is no evidence to support

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that.” “Just listen, Cath, you don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

Cath was starting to cry. “I don’t care what you’re going to say.” Her dad decided to just keep talking. “She’d like to see you. She’d like to know you a little better.”“No.” “Honey, she’s been through a lot.” “No,” Cath said. “She’s been through nothing.” It was true. You name it, Cath’s mom wasn’t there for it. “Why are we talking about her?” Cath could hear her dad’s keys banging against his leg again, hitting the bottom of the table. They needed Wren here now. Wren didn’t twitch.

Or cry. Wren wouldn’t let him keep talking about this.

“She’s your mother,” he said.

“And I think you should give her a chance.” “We did. When we were born. I’m done talking about this.”

Cath stood up too quickly, and a pile of papers fluttered off the table.

“Maybe we can talk about it more at Thanksgiving,” he said. “Maybe we can not talk about it at Thanksgiving, so that we don’t ruin Thanksgiv-

SCHOOL LIVE

ing – are you going to tell Wren?”

“I already did. I sent her an email.” “What did she say?” “Not much. She said she’d think about it.” “Well, I’m not thinking about it,” Cath said. “I can’t even think about this.” She got up from the table and started gathering her things; she needed something to hang on to. He shouldn’t have talked to them about this separately. He shouldn’t have talked to them about it at all.

Excerpted from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl (Rs 399/480 pages), with permission from publisher, Pan Macmillan India.

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S l a m

P o e t r y

Imagine A young boy on an overcrowded boat Lost at sea, trying to find a place to call home Imagine the vessel starting to crack, capsizing slowly Imagine the dim, distant moonlight, the night sky, filled with fireflies, fading away The last moment of a three-year’s life Imagine A young boy washed up on the Turkish shore His soft cheeks rubbing against the rough gravel The boy’s father opening his mouth to find silence, unable to believe what he sees Imagine the boy’s mother and brother, resting, still, at the bottom of the seas Imagine Aylan was just one of many on that boat For all we know, there may be millions of children drowning right now We just saw what was veiled from us, and we started ranting and raving about it all What will become of this world if we carry on like this?

How will these incidents even matter?

Because we say that we care, and we do, for a week But then this story gets buried under TV, Youtube videos, books, and our Facebook newsfeed And Aylan is forgotten in the distractions of the modern world Children are dying, caught in the crossfire; Imagine This is our society, our day, our night Bloodshed everywhere, it’s a global trend We cannot escape violence, no matter where we go Don’t you ever feel like ending it?

Leaving this excuse of a world?

Do you have any desire left, desire to live on this godforsaken planet?

Do you want to end this nightmare?

Or do you want to stop this madness Fix the world for generations to come?

We can change the world if we want We can move mountains We are the society We’re modern gods, you and I While erasing violence, we’re the eraser While pulling the trigger to end inhumanity, we are the finger While rebuilding this society, we’re the mortar

42 | | Volume 2 | Issue 3 | December 2015

SCHOOL LIVE

We’re the medicine for this world, not it’s virus We couldn’t save Aylan, but we can make sure there are no more like him Imagine a world with no boundaries, no disputes, no genocides, and no more children washed up on beaches Imagine (I wrote this poem because the death of the young boy named Aylan moved me beyond words. His death highlighted the need for the Syrian genocide to end; the need for these ‘immigrants’ in Syria to be recognised for the refugees they really are.)

By Imran Batra Class IX Step By Step School, Noida

STEP TOWARDS A BETTER WORLD

USK Foundation

An NGO dedicated to wellbeing of children

U

SK Foundation works for health and education of children from the underprivileged sector.

On the occasion of Children’s Day (November 14) USK Foundation organised programme which was the best combination of information & entertainment.

It had a magic show by international artist magician Hanif. Children enjoyed all the magic by him a lot. Same time Hanif educated kids about environment, global warming, water & energy conservation, cleanliness & hygiene.

Essay writing competition held amongst kids on water & Life was a genuine effort to start the thought process on saving water. About 280 kids participated in the competition.

Children were crazy about tattoo making. So team of artist designed tattoo on hand of each kid. All the above sessions were interactive and the participation of kids was good.

SCHOOLLIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 3| December 2015 | 43