School LIVE April 2016

L O O H C S

E V LI Volume 2 | Issue 7 aprIl 2016

Young!

Start(Up)

Eyes of an Entrepreneur Anshul Tewari

Gandhi Yatra

Travelling through History

Youngest CEOs in India at the age of 10 and 12.

Kaanji

Recipe BY Sunita thatte IngredIents: carrots cut into long pieces 3 beetroot

1

tablespoons mustard seeds 4 Goldiee cumin powder

½ tsp

salt

1 tsp

Goldiee red chilli powder

½ tsp

litre water

1

please send us your recipe at editor@school-live.com. the best entry will win a Goldiee gift hamper.

Procedure:

Dry the mustard seeds Mix all ingredients together in water Leave the mixture for 2 days in a glass utensil Kaanji is ready on the 3rd day

contributors

S C H O O L

LIVE EDITOR in chief

Richa aniruddha richa@school-live.com

NIVEDITA SINGH

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

EDITOR Mansi tikoo mansitikoo@gmail.com

ANSHul TEwArI

COnTEnT DEvElOpmEnT prerna, nishtha, tanima

Founder and Editor-inChief of Youth Ki Awaaz (YKA), Ashoka Fellow

BusInEss DEvElOpmEnT Stockbay partners DEsIGnER ashish Kumar Mimansa Grafix For AdvertiSiNG richa@school-live.com

For SubScriptioN editor@school-live.com

TEENA BAruAH

Consulting Editor

C o n ta c t

SAurABH SHArmA

Entrepreneur, avid-reader, perpetual scribbler of ideas.

Kritika negi 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

S C H O O L

LIVE Volume 2 | Issue 7 aprIl 2016

Young!

Start(Up)

Eyes of an Entrepreneur Anshul Tewari

Youngest CEOs in India at the age of 10 and 12.

Gandhi Yatra

Travelling through History

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Volume 2 | Issue 7 | April 2016 | 3

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ed-note

S C H O O L

LIVE

hi!

Lately I have started this habit of greeting, saying a “namaste” or starting a little conversation with every guard, housekeeping staff at malls, cinema halls or security staff at airport or a cab driver or a child working at a shop, a waiter at the restaurant. I have realized that it’s a beautiful experience if you listen to them. sometimes they give you wisdom, sometimes a touching experience… recently at a mall, I saw a lady guard, who seemed to be tired or sad or unwell. I said— Namaste, Kaisi hain ap? (Hello, How are you?) . She said - Theek hun madam (I am fine madam). I insisted - Ap theek lag nahi rahi. Kya hua, Thak gayi kya? ( You don’t seem to be fine. Are you tired?) . And she had tears in her eyes. She said- Pata hai, subah se main bahut pareshan hun, ro rahi hun. (You know, I am very sad since morning and have been crying) And then she said- Ap pehli ho, jisne mujhse theek se baat ki aur mujhe achcha feel karaya (You are the first person since morning who spoke well to me and made me feel better). she looked Bengali to me and my guess was right. so I continued speaking to her in my tooti-phooti Bengali (which I picked up in 2001-2002 while working for sitar Maestro Pt ravi shankar). In 5 minutes, she looked much better than before. I gave her a hug and told her that I don’t know why she was crying but ALL will be WELL soon J As we parted ways with a smile on her face as well as mine…..I wondered, how much time of my life did this whole conversation take? 5 minutes! But it did so much good to both of us.

Wasn’t it worth it?

Let’s lift up our heads from our mobile phones, iPads, tabs, laptops and look at people around us, smile at a stranger, greet someone who is there at our service but is usually ignored by us, be nice to them….It won’t cost us anything but will give us a lot in return.. Most importantly, a good Karma!

Wishing you all happy karma :)

Lovingly yours

Richa Aniruddha Like us on Facebook/school-LIVe tweet to me @richaanirudh

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Volume 2 | Issue 7 | April 2016 | 5

P o e t r y

S l a m

Stutterer i never forgot the day you embarrassed me the worst Speaking with your usual hitches, stammering at every single word. how in front of all those teachers, parents and friends, you were miserably slow. how your speech went unnoticed, but your weakness showed. it didn’t bother me, if it broke your heart, seeing my disgust at your first attempt. all that worried me was why my mother had to be one, who could never fit in.

Who couldn’t speak without pauses and gaps and too many gulps.

Whose hands would shake uncontrollably before stepping up in the front.

Years after i left you to drown in your loneliness, i rose to fame and won my most awaited award. after hours of thinking of whether or to not, i invited you for the function celebrating my success. i made the best possible arrangements, to hide you from the elite ones.

For i didn’t want to face that embarrassment because of you again.

You walked towards me, smiling, while i talked to my senior officials.

You came with the shabbiest outfit and the dirtiest shoes to the event.

Your eyes gleamed at me with pride, mine stared at you with pure embarrassment.

Signalling the security to quietly drag you away i cared only about how i would be judged, with a stutterer sticking around me. i cared about nothing but my image, my position, my status. how my image would go down because of your inability.

You walked away, quietly, with a little note crumpled between your fingers. i pretended to ignore that pain in your once proud eyes. the slouch in your once confident shoulders. till one fine day, i received your letter.

Where you sent that same crumpled note you carried to my function. it shattered me, to realise that on that day, never were you walking towards me.

You were walking to the stage despite your fear, Ready for a little speech only for me.

By ayesha thatte Class X Step by Step School, Noida

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S C H O O L

contents

LIVE 5

Editor’s Note

6

Poetry Slam

8

School in Spotlight

11

Shorts!

12

Exclusive: The Boys behind

F

rom the time one is in school, one wonders if this time of the year is the probably the best time to be. What could be better than the exams being over? Or is the excitement of the new academic session already setting in? Our very own work at the magazine saw deadline crunches as reporters worked through exams, and still came out with splendid work! Taking a cue from our magazine, we have focussed on the early bird entrepreneurs in this edition. Not only the success stories, but stories which take us through their learning curves. And while we try to figure out important start up decisions, when has the oscar and it's fever ever been a damper!

Cover

GoDimensions 17

Fit For Life

20

Worthy Opponent

22

High-on-Lights

25

Timeline

26

Teen Travel

29

Ask Nivedita

30

Watch This Space

32

Mentor’s Note

36

Rap up

40

Holi-daying!

42

Page 99

Quick Edit

As I embark on a new beginning with this edition, I hope you guys have a delightful time exploring it.

As Teena says best, “Happy Reading!”

Mansi Tikoo

40

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SS cc hh oo oo l l i i nn SS pp oo tt l l i i gg hh tt

Cultivating values

Tagore International school, vasant vihar prides itself on the intellectual workings and the social initiatives of its students and staff. mansi Tikoo in conversation with madhulika sen, the principal; mallika preman, Senior School headmistress; preeti Chadha, Junior School headmistress and n saroj, Dean- academics.

H

ow did it all start?

MS: the school was established by Mrs. Hari sen. she had done her Masters and Ph.d in education, from Berkley university, USA. She had gone there on a scholarship with a pledge to come back to India and contribute to the field of education. She came to Delhi in 1964 and that’s when she started the school, in a residential premise in defence colony, which was later shifted to another house in Lajpat Nagar. While the school was running over there, this current land was allotted to them in 1971. While the

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building was being built, the school ran in a residential house across the road. With ten small classrooms on the ground floor, the school started in 1972.

Does the school abide by a particular educational philosophy?

PC: We still abide by Mrs. Sen’s vision of creating an intelligent group with an equilibrium between modernity and tradition. For instance, the students are in the habit of touching the teacher’s feet every morning, which sometimes shocks parents as well, but this is how we encourage

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them to not drift away from their roots.

MS: disrespect towards the teachers is unheard of in our school. Furthermore, we strive to strengthen the moral fibre of the students and so we give utmost importance to honesty and respect for elders.

PC: Honesty is appreciated and rewarded in the school. We have seen students returning large sums of money, which they found, even our support staff does the same. this might seem surprising to some, we honour our support staff every year.

At our graduation ceremony, valedic-

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S p o t l i g h t

upheld. We trained our students to talk about the misconceptions and help with self acceptance. our students have been interacting with the members of the LgBtQI community for the past three years now.

Another achievement of this initiative was the launch of the e-maga-

Emotional Intelligence classes are another unique feature of Tagore International. The senior students guide them about dealing with puberty, parental pressure, emotional distress and other such problems. torians from each section invariably thank someone or the other from our support staff.

What are some of the cultural activities that the school has taken up?

MP: our social service Programme is one of our dearest projects, wherein we take up one social cause per year and work upon it for an entire year and sustain it further. We started the LGBTQI Awareness programme, something which has never been done by any school in India.

MS: the idea was pitched to us by one of our teachers and we agreed to it because, keeping in mind the

present scenario, it is of utmost importance to build awareness about the LgBtQI community and dispel myths about the same. Bullying of LgBtQI kids starts at the school level, so we had to build an awareness about that. We initially started the programme for the students of class 10, 11 and 12; surprisingly enough none of the parents had any objections to our initiative, rather they encouraged their kids to participate on the weekends as well. the main idea behind the initiative was to bring awareness about the community and act as a reminder of the fact that even they are human beings and their rights should be

zine, thrive, the only e-magazine in the world, about the LgBtQI community, and we at tagore International are the proud founders of it.

What are some of the other social causes that the school has taken up?

MP: Last year, we launched a programme called, Flawless Flaws for the acid attack survivors. We collaborated with ASFI (Acid Survivors Foundation India) and they trained our students to give presentations and create awareness. our students did nukkad nataks at dilli Haat and in various slums to create awareness about acid attacks. We are looking forward to the end of March, when our students will be doing around eleven presentations, at different locations including the governor’s house, in Kolkata.

What are some of the advancements in the field of education that the school seeks to adopt?

MS: We have already introduced Flip classrooms in our school last year; right from class 1. our teachers

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provide the students with the course syllabus and study materials along with some relevant websites and students then prepare themselves for the lectures ahead of time.

MP: We also stress upon inculcating life skills through the curriculum. We take utmost pride in the fact that every year, in the month of June, our school hosts Mun, solely organized by the students. our students also organize and host the Leadership summit, every year, where the Head Boy and Head girls of different schools are invited. they take care of everything, right from the budgeting to invites to sponsorship; all that we have to do is show up at the event.

PC: emotional Intelligence classes are another unique feature of tagore International. We train our senior students to be peer mentors to the students of class 5, 6 and 7. the senior students guide them about dealing with puberty, parental pressure, emotional distress and other such problems.

Tell us something about your Distance learning programme.

PC: In our distance Learning Programme, we have been conducting virtual classes with our partner

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Our Social Service Programme is one of our dearest projects, wherein we take up one social cause per year and work upon it for an entire year and sustain it further. school in Shanghai, since 2008. We have one hour classes where our teachers teach Yoga, Kathak and Indian Arts to the Chinese students while their teachers teach tai chi, calligraphy and chinese painting, to our students. In recognition of that, our students are invited there, every year, for cultural and technological events. In 2010, the then Premier of People’s Republic of China, Wen Jiabao, visited our school.

MS: on the 150th birth anniversary of tagore, 36 of our students, along with 12 girls from china, performed a dance drama of tagore. the credit of this feat goes to our teachers, who over a period of six months trained

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the students.

You have a very unique way of dealing with defaulters. Please tell us about that.

MS: decision making is another life skill that we focus upon. our students are aware of the fact that the school does not tolerate cheating, bunking, use of abusive language, physical violence and disrespect to the teachers. now, if the student makes a conscious decision to commit one of the above acts, they must prepare themselves for the consequences as well.

MP: When we suspend a student, they are required to put in, a few hours every day, of social service. they can serve at a gurdwara or work at an Old Age Home or Orphanage and bring back a certificate, only then are they allowed to attend the classes again. We are very grateful to the parents as well for supporting our decision and encouraging their children to bear the consequences of their actions and learn through their mistakes.

Is the school an inclusive one?

PC: Yes, we have about 54 students with learning disability, 3 students with physical disability, 3 students in the Autism spectrum and a visually impaired student. We have special educators who cater to the needs of such students but we do not isolate them from the rest of our lot. We are very happy that our special needs students are doing extremely well.

Anything else that you would like to say about the school and its students?

MS: We have always been told that our students are very confident, outspoken and well behaved and the credit goes to our teachers. they are enthusiastic and motivated and this translates in their students as well. We have also been often told that the school has a very happy and calm environment, which is one of the reasons why our students enjoy the learning process.

S h o r t s !

Fairytale come true? in a truly fantastical turn of events, we witness the rise of an underdog at Barclays premier League. shreyash nigam writes

L

ast year, if someone told you that Leicester city were going to finish top 4, you would've laughed at them, called them stupid.

For a team that were at the bottom of the league for a good part of last season and barely escaped relegation, even finishing 10th this season would've been an achievement. But the foxes, as they're lovingly called by their own fans, stunned the entire world, with their amazing 201516 season.

First some context. Leicester city is a small football club based in Leicester, england that plays in the first tier of English football - Barclays Premier League. their 2014-15 season was nothing short of a disaster.

At the start of this season, everyone thought that Leicester were doomed for relegation. Almost everyone predicted them to finish in the bottom 3. Most bet that their manager, clau-

dio Raineri, would be the first one to be sacked. their chances of winning the league were 5,000 to 1.

But every once in a while, miracles happen and one did happen for Leicester. Here is a team, with almost 1/10th the budget of the big teams. A team full of rejects, players who were deemed surplus for these bigger teams. A team whose season would've been considered a resounding success if they'd even finished mid-table but as of the writing of this article (16th March, 2016) this team is at the top of the league, with a five point cushion. since 1995, the Premier League title has been shared between 4 teams only, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester united and Manchester city. Big clubs, with huge amounts of money capable of spending hundreds of millions of Pounds to acquire the best players in the world.

so for another team to challenge the premier league title, let alone a club as small as Leicester, was something nobody could've predicted. to just understand how amazing this feat is, take this statistic into considerationLeicester city’s entire squad value is £50.6 million. that’s £2.4 million less than Kevin de Bruyne’s value, for whom Manchester city paid £54 million and almost £240 million less than the value of the squad of the current title holders, chelsea.

Astonishing, no?

At the start of the season, we all thought that all of this was just luck and that they would return to the bottom of the table soon. But they haven’t. Less than 8 games are remaining and Jamie Vardy along with the whole city of Leicester is still having a party! A 1-0 win against tottenham Hotspur, 2-0 against Liverpool, and 2-1 against chelsea are all testament to this. not to mention, the 3-1away win against Manchester city. the richest club in the land and they tore them apart on their own patch!

I do not know whether they will actually win the league. But the way things are going, it would be no surprise if Leicester snatch the title and honestly, I hope that they do because after all, who doesn't love an underdog story?

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By Shreyash nigam Class X Step by Step School, Noida

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E x c l u s i v e

Young

turks!

identified as the youngest Mobile application programmers in india and one of the youngest in the World, Shravan (15) and Sanjay (13) Kumaran have been making apps for both android and iOS applications since 2012. they held crowds to their seats while speaking at teDx, eximus, iiMB and cii chandigarh. School Live in conversation with the brothers.

W

hat was your inspiration behind starting ‘Go Dimensions’?

We both always wanted to start our own company which can create cool and new innovative ideas.

We also wanted a place where our

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ideas could become actual products which people use in their day to day life. this inspired us to start our own company.

This idea took shape when we finished developing our first app and were about to deploy it on the Apple

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AppStore. We had a choice whether to name ourselves as individuals who developed the app or as a company. My dad said “Let’s click individual developer and submit the app”.But we had a different idea. We used this opportunity to create our

E x c l u s i v e

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E x c l u s i v e

Farrhad Acidwalla at a young age of 12, Farrhad started an online aviation community with a small sum of $10 that he got from his parents. Several months later, he sold the community to a fan for $1200. in 2009, he took $400 from the sale of his online community and started Rockstah Media, an international, award-winning agency that focuses on branding, marketing and web development. in 2011, cnn Money featured Farrhad 5th on the list of young entrepreneurs to watch. he has twice been a teDx speaker and the youngest guest lecturer at iit Kharagpur’s annual entrepreneurship summit.

Ayaan chawla ayaan’s journey of entrepreneurship began in 2011 at the age of 13, with the founding of asian Fox Developments with the investment of inR 10,000 from his mother Ms. Kunjam D. chawla and a comprehensible vision of best-in-class services at affordable prices. after struggling for years, currently asian Fox Developments is a group of companies serving above 100+ it, Web & Marketing products and services to over 1,00,000+ customer & users across multiple geographies.

early Starters! ritesh Agarwal

Harsh Songra

at the age of nine harsh was diagnosed with dyspraxia, a developmental coordination disorder (DcD). Learning from the problems his parents faced in identifying the symptoms, and general lack of knowledge; he developed an app which allows parents to know about their child’s mental health. My child app brings together technology and basic medical knowledge to empower parents in timely diagnosing their child with different disorders. the app has been enrolled in the FBStart program.

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Ritesh started working at 13, at 18 he was building OYO Rooms. having left his home in Odisha, his own experience of looking for budgeted, decent rooms to stay, lead him down this road. he felt that discoverability wasn’t the problem with a lot of bread-and-breakfast hotels, but rather standardization. and that is what he set out to do with his team: provide a product which fulfilled certain standards for its customers. he was selected for the 20 under 20 thiel Fellowship, which makes him one of the very few indians to have been shortlisted.

E x c l u s i v e own company. then we developed a website and registered our company then submitted the App. What was your parents initial reaction to your ideas? our parents were always supportive of our idea. they never disparaged us. they always adulated our ideas and liked our way of thinking.

How does it feel when somebody says to you, the youngest CEOs in India?

It sounds so cool when someone comes and says to us “the Youngest ceo’s in India” . some people in a restaurant once noticed we were the youngest ceo’s and took photographs with us which was a really amazing moment which we will always cherish.

Tell us something about your school life. The subjects you like, the activities you enjoy?

We love School. It is really vivacious and jolly. We love Computers and Maths. the activities which we enjoy are Badminton, Cricket, Watching Football. shravan loves Messi and sanjay is a fan of ronaldo.

Has school life changed at all post starting your enterprise?

Well not really, we still go to school, do the activities which we regularly we used to do. Which is to to study and have fun.

So as regular teenagers, what do you guys enjoy doing when not studying or working on apps?

When we are not studying or programming we usually spend time with our friends or play some sport.

What do you have in mind for your future endeavours?

We would like to pursue Engineering in college. then continue developing apps and other hardware products with our company.

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E x c l u s i v e

Starting Young, Failing Fast

the man behind Youth ki awaaz, Anshul Tewari, shares with us his experience of having an early head start.

t

ruth be told, I was never the brightest student in my class of 50 students. I barely managed to be an average student and our education was very restrictive in 2007. the idea of entrepreneurship did not even exist. right before my 12th board examinations when I was starting a blog, I had no idea that I’d be embarking on a journey that would define not just what I do for the next 8 years but for the rest of my life.

8 years hence, Youth Ki Awaaz has become one of India’s largest online platforms for young people to speak up on issues of importance with a strong sustainable business around it, but these 8 years have brought along lessons that no education or degree could have taught me. today, I feel that the best decision I made ences a lot more. education becomes was to startup at the age of 17, while a lot more purposeful and you know I was in school, and here’s why: exactly what you want to learn from it. But at the same time, it helps to i learned that starting young and fail- be a bit foolish, a bit crazy and tread ing fast was important: our society the rarely traveled path. After all, it is puts us in boxes - of career options the crazy ones who change the world. and choices and the kind of education we can purse. As a culture, we A lot is at stake, including friendare rarely told to take a stand on ships: one of the toughest moments matters that concern us or to take in my life was when I realised that risks and fail. there is enough taboo my friends did not connect with my attached to the idea of failing, but hardships as an entrepreneur and failure for me was the best and most that it was unfair on my part to eximportant learning curve in my jour- pect them to. In fact, they had started ney. While building Youth Ki Awaaz to dislike me because of my constant I failed many times - had many tri- unavailability and diversion towards als and errors - but having age on my startup. It reached a point where my side, I made sure that I learned I got bullied by many who I thought from each of my failure and moved were friends. overcoming that also fast ahead. made me value the ones who stuck by a lot more. I discovered that in the being young and foolish is important: toughest of times only a few people It makes you see the world in a dif- stand with you - and they are the ferent light, and value your experi- best allies you can ever have. More-

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over, when we’re young, we should value our challenges and turn them into our strengths. so years on, today, what I learned about creating allies is a part of the company culture at Youth Ki Awaaz. profit is the reward of bearing risks: Be it in entrepreneurship, your job, or your hobby - it is risk taking that defines how you grow. You need to believe that the dots will connect in the future and persevere. entrepreneurship comes with its own baggage and its own set of pressures. If you’re getting into it, don’t quit so easily.

But don’t take risks for the heck of it either.

Nothing matches the joy of building something meaningful: this one’s self explanatory. If you do decide to take the plunge, remember - build something that solves a real problem - and the rest will fall in place.

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A Startup trail

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saurabh sharma on why his first startup failed and what he learnt on that journey.

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e were like every other undergraduate student. We were motivated to build a business while still in college and even skipped our college placements.

People say, “startup is like jumping off the cliff and then building a parachute before you hit the ground.” In our case, we did jump off the cliff but didn’t bring the tools to build the parachute.

Let me quickly take you through my journey from early motivation to the demise of my startup.

building my own company; it gave me goosebumps! ‘something Pvt. Ltd.’ owned by two guys who are still in college! ‘An entrepreneur’ – became my life goal the next morning.

Fast Forward: March 2014

the year 2013 was great. I started learning to programme with only one motive in mind: to build a website for my future startup. I read books like rework, Purple cow, startup Playbook, crossing the chasm, and plenty more to feed my insatiable hunger to learn about building startups.

I gained the skills to build a webMotivation: April 2013 site and a tiny bit of knowledge to I still remember that night when build a startup. It was the end of my friend and I strolled around our March and an idea started to dawn university discussing how great com- on me. A network for students in colpanies were built. I loved the idea of lege where then can collaborate, help,

train, and connect with their alumni.

I named it ‘scholarnet’. I got in touch with some professional web developers and they asked Rs five to eight lakh to build it. I would have paid that money but thankfully my monthly allowance of rs 5,000 didn’t let me.

ideation: July 2014

I had to trim down my project so that I could build it on my own. I laid down my idea on a sheet of paper and looked for a starting point.

I came across ‘training’. that’s it!

A website where you can find all the vocational training courses in your city and get reviews from fellow students as well (you can say udacity for offline courses). I did a quick research

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and found that nobody was doing this in my city. I fell in love with my idea and shared it with my friend. He was also excited about it and I brought him on-board as a co-founder.

It took us just four days to refine our idea and find a domain name for it. We started working on it on the fifth day.

the product: August 2014

It was a complex website and took nearly a month to build. our website allowed students to know which institutes offered a particular course, read reviews of the course, watch demo lectures, view photos of the institute, and find its location via Google Maps.

With one click they could easily apply to the institute and avail maximum discount on the course fees. We were really proud of what we created. so far we had an idea and a minimum viable product (MVP) with no market validation or a customer.

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We decided to pitch our product to success and approached 12 -14 more an institute. We fixed a meeting with institutes in the coming months and one of the most reputed institutes and 10 of them signed up on the spot! It showed them our product. they loved was as if our product was the solution it! they were ready to pay rs15,000 to all their suffering. We took feedin cash on the spot! We were excited, back from the institutes and modified spellbound, and it felt really great. our product to their liking.

And then: September – oc- Further: November – detober 2014 cember 2014 We were on cloud nine after our first

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the work was manageable till now but

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it was bound to go out of our hands.

We approached two of our friends and brought them on board. this was the time when our focus shifted from creating a great product to generating large revenues. so far we had validation from institutes but zero validation from our end users- the students.

the ‘launch’: January 2015

We had decided to ‘launch’ our startup on January 19, 2015. We had it all: courses from best institutes, discounts, and a free resume builder. We believed it was destined to be a hit.

It was not a hit. It was an all-round flop show. We demonstrated our product to hundreds of students and

no one seemed to care about it. It was February – March 2015 the first time we ever demonstrated It was that time of the year when our product to our end users. the big- our college fest was going on. We gest mistake. got ourselves free space to promote our start up. We became popular and our website traffic grew by 300 percent but no one opted for the course from our website. students were enrolling, but plan and validate – Don’t start something because you ‘feel’ it’s right. Go not through us. out. Get your hands dirty. Do some market research. Find out the problem that your customer segment is facing and if your solution really can alleviate the problem. Get the demise: April – May 2015 your idea validated. during this period when students Find a great co-founder – it’s certain that you cannot possess all the opt for vocational training we were knowledge of the world. it’s wise to start with a co-founder, but don’t start with any hoping to show a stellar perforco-founder; your best friend may not be your best co-founder. mance. We had pumped up our ‘advertising’ and offered extra disdon’t fall in love with your prototype – it’s a prototype. Get counts, on our part, for training over it. prototypes are meant to be changed. courses applied through us. sadly, we received a mere 11 applicants. define your end user – Our end users were students but we built the We found out later that students reproduct that was great for institutes. We took feedback from institutes and built the ceived hefty group discounts (more product to their liking. We ‘assumed’ that the students will love this product, they than ours), and some of them joined didn’t. vocational training at a government institute. It all made sense now. don’t run after revenue – Revenue should always be a by-product of your startup and not a primary goal. Build your product so that your end users love the end: June 2015 it, ‘like’ is not an option.

We officially shut down our startup and the team parted ways.

Advertising is a bad option – We did it. We failed. Word of mouth is all that you need. if your product is amazing, don’t worry about ‘advertising’, your end users will spread the news for you. they will do anything to tell their peers how By awesome your product is. ask these questions before you advertise- ‘what is wrong Saurabh Sharma with our product?’ and ‘why there is no word of mouth?’.

Originally published on 5th March 2016, at YourStory.com.

Ask, why are we doing this? – Your why should be larger than your. url: http://yourstory.com/2016/03/collegeif it isn’t, you will lose interest and your startup will fail. startup-fail-entrepreneur/

What did i learn?

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W o r t h y

O p p o n e n t

AN equAl FootiNG

o

ne of the most debated topics in Indian history is that of reservations and if you have been living in India for a considerable length of time, you have been dragged at least once in a debate of the similar sort. I have been in similar situations and mostly I hear people complain about how it is unfair and does not provide for an equal footing. But I have a different view.

Let’s imagine this as a race, if you will. A race to get admissions and jobs. now, imagine further that not every competitor is not equally endowed or advantaged. Would it not be fair to give such persons a head start? the whole issue of reservations is this race. everybody wants to get admission in the most prestigious college and everybody wants to bag that really good job. But then again,

not everybody has those opportunities and that environment that would enable them to do so. For this very reason, reservations for certain backward categories and classes have been provided for. I feel that a person who has the potential for a particular job or position but does not have the access to the means to achieve it, should be given some form of help. It’s as simple as that.

An equal footing or a level playing field can only be provided when everybody has equal opportunities and means to reach it. And reservations are an attempt in the earnest to do just that.

By Lavanya Singh Class XII Sanskriti School, New Delhi

To Reserve or

Not to reserve?

While india witnessed massive protests and violence in haryana for reservations, School LIVE reporters discuss if india should do away with reservations. ‘reForM’ iS tHe Word

I

n recent years the existing reservation system in public institutions has come under intense scrutiny. Misuse of the system by politicians for vote banks has given this scrutiny impetus. But the question still remains in, “can India simply do away with reservation?”.

In this article I aim at trying to

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resolve this question by providing a middle ground. I being by making two admissions, the first being that the reservation system has helped India in its goal of “sabka saath ,sabka Vikas” and the second being that this system has placed birth above merit, which has created a huge uproar amongst those in the general category. What I propose is the current reservation system remains,

W o r t h y

O p p o n e n t

A uSeleSS StrAiN

I

but is modified so that it is not obsolete in today’s day and age. some necessary changes areremoval of caste as a the basis of availing the reservation rather the economic status of the person be the parameter for being eligible for reservation. reduction of the maximum cap on reservation from 50% to only 25%.

If one person has availed reservation then all the people in the immediate family should not be eligible for reservation. As the fundamental purpose of reservation is upliftment

sn’t it rather odd that in the 69th year of our independence from the harsh British regime, we still battle the prejudices of the caste system? Without any doubt, there still exists a mentality in the country that places one community above another. the reservation Policy in India came about to be a temporary measure for the upliftment of the backward classes. the fact that we still have to continue with this policy after 69 years, speaks volumes of the inefficiency of the policy. the reservations aim for the betterment of the entire backward community however the benefits of the policy are enjoyed by a small section of the community. Large sections of the backward communities, who probably need the most upliftment, still dwell in the predicament of the Indian society.

Ever since the first 5-year plan, our goals have been growth and equity then why is it that we need a special provision for some? If we have programs like Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan that promise to provide a substantial education to all, then why should we have to discriminate on the basis of of the underprivileged, as they have sc, st, oBc and general category? been provided with opportunities this unfair distribution of privileges for themselves and their family. comes at the cost of depriving someA periodic review of the reserva- one who might actually need the tion system so as to optimise its privilege. functioning in fulfilling its purpose Furthermore, this has resulted of providing support to the under- to be an additional constraint on a privileged. general category child’s future if the In conclusion I would like to say peaking cutoffs weren’t enough. that the India today is different In conclusion, the reservation policy from the India in 1947, the reserva- has not been effective in either giving tion system proposed in 1947 might the ones in need what they deserve or not stand valid in its practice, but its causing any betterment in the overall principal is still valid. social strata of the country.

By Shambhav tewari Class X Step by Step School, Noida

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By Khushi Singh Class XII Sanskriti School, New Delhi

Volume 2 | Issue 7 | April 2016 | 21

H i g h - o n - L i g h t s

A Trip Down Oscar Lane T

he year 2016 witnessed the Academy Awards or the Oscars in its 88th year. And for us viewers, it possibly couldn’t get better. But who knows? The much awaited and celebrated Oscar Awards have unfailingly managed to give us jaw dropping incidents ever since they were first televised back in 1953. This year thus, as a token to these magnificent awards which manage to applaud each and every aspect of filmmaking; here is a list of the most unforgettable moments from the past decade. Pre- obvious when his best friends, directors Fransenting to you: THE OSCARS: 2006-2016 cis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), George Lucas (Star Wars) and Steven Spielberg (E.T.) took the stage to announce the winner. Scorsese scored Will Ferrell + Steve Carell= No his first Oscar nomination in 1981, and was nomineed for laughing gas to get a good laugh nated Best Director another four times for "Raging Bull,” "The Last Temptation of Christ," "Goodfellas" and "Gangs of New York” before finally for receiving the well-deserved statuette at the the 79th Annual Academy Awards.

2006:

2008: The Serenade

When Will Ferrell and Steve Carell took on the stage to present the awards for the best makeup design wearing make-up, it surely ticked my box for one of best moments on Oscar history and they sure looked good.

2007: Martin Scorsese wins Best Director for ‘The Departed’

It wasn’t a shock to see everyone sigh with relief when Scorsese finally got his golden statuette. It was all pretty

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Will Ferrell gives us one more reason to love him. This time however it was with Jack Black while presenting the award for Best Song. Together, the

H i g h - o n - L i g h t s duo sang “Get off the Stage” and least to say, the audience was thrilled and so were the viewers.

2009: Slumdog Millionaire

2009 was the year every Indian felt proud about. A.R Rahman won Best Original Score for Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (Jai Ho) while the film itself won the Best Picture for that year, giving India its first ever recognition in the Academy Awards. Needless to say this did top the charts for the most unforgettable 2009 Oscars Moment.

2010: Ben Stiller in his most loved

was competing against James Franco for 127 Hours and Jesse Eisenberg for the Social Network; I personally felt that 2011 was Firth’s year for his performance was unmatched as the stuttering English monarch.

2012: The Moment You'll Most Remember

‘Avatar’

Here we have the award for Best Make Up giving us rib tickling laughter once again. Ben Stiller, who came to present this award dressed up as one of the characters in the unforgettable movie of the year — Avatar.

Without a qualm of doubt there wasn’t a single a person who didn’t have a good time.

2011: Colin Firth’s breathtaking ‘Speech’

In case someone failed to understand the reference, Colin Firth won the best actor for his phenomenal performance in the King’s Speech which also won the best picture.

While some of us were shocked as he

When Meryl Streep won her third Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role, everyone knew her speech was going to be funny, and touching, and totally off the cuff.

None the less like her applause worthy performance in the Iron Lady (for which she won the award); she didn't disappoint us viewers. ''When they called my name, I had this feeling that I could hear half of America going, Ohhh, no, not her'' she said. ''But you know, whatever.''

She predicted she'd never be up there again, and if she's correct, she left us with a beautiful memory. ''I look out here and I see my life before my eyes, my old friends, my

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H i g h - o n - L i g h t s new friends,'' she said. ''Thank you, all of you, departed and here.'' By all means, an appreciation well deserved!

2015: The Theory of Winning

2013: A Musical Medley

Powerhouses such as Aaron Tveit, Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries), Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia), Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Jackman (The X-men), Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind), Jennifer Hudson and Catherine Zeta- Jones (The Mask of Zorro) bought us all to our feet with their musical medley performance from Les Misérables, Chicago and Dreamgirls as part of a salute to movie musicals of the past decade. The performance moved the audience and viewers alike, making everyone stand on their feet and applaud for the performance.

Let’s take a moment and appreciate Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in the Theory of Everything. While Stephen Hawking gave Science a new direction, Eddie Redmayne gave a new direction to acting, through his performance in this movie. This left the Academy with no choice but to give him the award he truly deserves.

2016: Lady Gaga spinning us all off our feet

2014: The million dollar SELFIE!!

Lady Gaga’s tribute to victims of sexual assault via her performance of her Oscar nominated song ‘Til It Happens To You’ from the movie The Hunting Ground as received praises lesser than it truly deserved. Never in the history of Oscars has such an emotional tribute been made to survivors of the incidents, blasphemous in nature. It did well up tears in the audience for this was by all means a powerful performance.

Imagine having famous actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Channing Tatum, Ellen DeGeneres, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong’O, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep ALL IN ONE FRAME? Our dreams truly did come true and this took the prize away.

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By Tapakshi Magan Class- XII Scottish High International School, Gurgaon

T i m e l i n e

Leonardo DiCaprio 1988: Following the footsteps of his

older stepbrother Adam Farrar, Leo did his first commercial for Matchbox at the age of 14.

Robert De Niro.

1993:

2006:

DiCaprio earned his third Academy Award nomination for Blood Diamond.

DiCaprio starred opposite Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. The film became a critical Leonardo starred in The Wolf Leo got his first breakthrough success resulting in many accolades Of Wall Street. The film was based on role in a short-lived tv series based on for DiCaprio. He was awarded with the life of the stockbroker Jordan Belthe movie Parenthood. After Parent- National Board of Review Award. He fort. The role earned him his fourth hood, DiCaprio had bit parts in vari- also earned nominations in that year's Academy Award Nomination and A ous tv shows including the daily soap Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Santa Barbara. His involvement in in a Musical or Comedy.

Parenthood and the daily soap earned Leonardo starred in James him a nomination at the Young Artist Cameron's Titanic. Against the film's DiCaprio starred in The RevAwards for Best Young Actor. expectations, it went ahead to become enant , directed by Alejandro González one of the most highest-grossing films Iñárritu.

DiCaprio's debut film role was of all times. in a comedic sci-fi horror movie named Leonardo won his first ever Critters 3. Soon after he became a DiCaprio starred in a biopic Academy Award for Best Actor for The regular recurring cast member in an of the eccentric and obsessive Ameri- Revenant.

ABC sitcom, Growing Pains. can film director and aviation pioneer, Howard Hughes in The Aviator. Leo Leo made his big silver received rave reviews for his perforBy screen breakthrough in the film This mance but earned himself a Golden Ananya Mohanty Class IX Boy's Life. He was handpicked out Globe Award for Best Actor and his Amity International School Noida of 400 young boys to star opposite second Academy Award nomination.

2013:

1990:

1997:

1991:

2004:

2015:

2016:

1992:

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Retracing

Historical Steps Kaushik Lakshman, Shreyas Supe, Sumant Vij from GEMS Academy tell us about their Gandhi Yatra.

100

years after Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi returned to India from South Africa, to fight for this nation, a delegation of students, teachers and professionals decided to go on a Gandhi Yatra and walk the path he followed in his transforma-

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tional journey.

Palam Vihar; who were finally given The delegation included 3 young a chance to see and understand what impressionable students from the made Gandhiji the selfless and nonGEMS Education family, namely: violent leader that millions adored.

Sumant Vij from GEMS Cambridge R. Kaushik Lakshman recounts the International School, Hoshiarpur; R. team’s experiences retracing GandhiKaushik Lakshman and Shreyas Supe, ji’s steps and their personal Gandhi from GEMS International School, Yatra:

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rating the courage he showed. On the platform is a stone of granite on which was carved the happenings of that fateful day - 7th June 1893.

Day 3: The day began with a walk

At the airport we were greeted by Mr. Munir who was Rizuvan Sir’s cousin ternational airport otherwise known and we also met Vijaylakshmi (Viji) as Kwa-Zulu Natal airport at around ma’am who would be our guide dur6:15 pm Durban time. Accompany- ing our stay in Durban. We stayed at ing me were Shreyas, Sumant, V the Garden Court South Beach Hotel Krishna Kumar Sir and Rizuvan Sir. on the beachfront.

Day 1: We arrived at the Durban in-

Day 2: The day dawned bright and

our first stop was the Phoenix Settlement where we met Gandhiji’s granddaughter Ela Gandhi. A wonderful and sweet human being, she spoke to us extensively about her grandfather, stuff that Google can never tell us! She took us around the house he lived in and we even got to see some of Gandhiji’s personal belongings which she has in her possession. We also met her son who showed us the settlement set up by Gandhiji as an example of community living and is spread over 3 acres now from a sprawling 100 acres. We also met Nomandla, one of the heads of the Gandhi Development Trust there.

We then made a mad dash to Pietermaritzburg where Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off the train because he was of color and despite that had acquired a first class ticket.

At Pietermaritzburg station’s waiting room there is a framed photograph of Gandhiji and a board commemo-

on the beachfront after which we left for Ms. Ela Gandhi’s apartment.

We had the rare honour of having breakfast with her and she personally served us samosas and upma.

We then talked about Gandhiji and she let us hear the one and only poem than Mahatma Gandhi wrote himself! She inspired us to inculcate and follow in the footsteps of her grandfather as she believed it was the best way to promote peace and harmony in the world.

After that we headed to the Consulate where we met the Consul General of India Mr. Raghunathan and Mr. Santosh Rawat. Two brilliant men who have worked hard to restore the memories of Gandhiji. We then proceeded to the station where Gandhiji had booked his first train ticket from Durban to Pretoria and it was on this journey that he was thrown out at the Pietermaritz-

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burg station. Here there is a statue of the Mahatma. From the station we left for the Old Court House museum where Gandhiji was told to remove his turban and one of the places he frequently visited during his tenure in S Africa.

Day 4:

We woke up at day break again to catch a flight from Durban to Johannesburg. The first place we visited in Johannesburg was the Consulate where we met the Consul General Mr. Randhir Jaiswal. He spoke to us about their work in the city and also how they worked relentlessly to keep the spirit of Gandhiji alive in modern times. It was he who advised us to visit Constitution Hill museum where Gandhiji was imprisoned. He was gracious enough to ensure that the facility was kept open for us beyond visiting hours as it was a last minute addition to our itinerary and we managed to get a great tour inside. We all saw the cell (No 4) where Gandhiji was imprisoned and we also saw the uniforms the inmates had to wear while confined there.

The building had Gandhiji’s uniform, shoes and his bed where he used to sleep. The prison was originally constructed to hold 50 people but Gandhiji was forced to live there

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with 150 other prisoners. The handcuffs that were put on prisoners have been preserved in their original state.

It was quite enlightening to see the hardships he endured and it left quite an impression on all of us.

And after returning to India we were felicitated by the school management and we were able to recount our experiences in front of our friends and family. The last leg of our Gandhi Yatra included a trip to Gandhi Smriti where Gandhiji lived for close to 140 days before being killed by Nathuram Godse.

It was incredibly touching to see Gandhiji’s few belongings in that wonderfully preserved monument to

SCHOOL LIVE

him and his teachings. From there we proceeded to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

We met Mr Venu Rajamony, the Press Secretary to the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee who spoke to us and even allowed us to share our S African experience.

We had the honour of having the official photographer of the President accompanying us around the Rashtrapati Bhavan and its grounds clicking our pictures. The day and the entire trip was very exciting but it was time to say goodbye to our mentor Krishna Kumar sir- a great teacher and a really proud Gandhian who took us on this wonderful and unique journey of a lifetime.

a s k

N i v e d i t a

ALL ACCEpTING Counsellor Nivedita Singh answers your queries about relationships, family, school and life Body Shaming

“Recently due to exam stress I gained 4-5 kilos and after that the way I felt about my body changed. I became too conscious while wearing the clothes that I normally would. I felt very awkward; I started feeling that all of my friends are secretly judging my weight. How do I get my confidence back and remove the Body shaming that I am inflicting upon myself?”

“I’m too fat … not tall enough … I don’t like my hair … my nose is too long … if only my legs were longer and arms slimmer …”!! Does this sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. As a teenager, you’re going through lots of changes in your body, and, as your body changes, so does your image of yourself.

Add to this the stress and pressure of preparing for exams. Lifestyle becomes more sedentary and calorie intake goes up. Hormone, anxiety, less sleep and low exercise are the hallmarks of students’ life today.

Stress hormones are programmed to store fat in us. While studying, we tend to reach out for comfort food to address stress, which make us sluggish, slows down our metabolism, affects our memory, thereby causing further stress. This becomes a selfperpetuating cycle. An important disclaimer here is, that contrary to popular belief, sleep deficit does not make us burn calories but is a powerful factor influencing weight gain.

Students and teens across the globe are experiencing most of what you have shared. A few things for you to flag and remember are as follows.

Body shaming, whether inflicted by self or others is a form of abuse. You have got to stop engaging in it. Allowing your confidence levels and self-esteem to ride on your physical attributes is extremely common, but again, not to be indulged in. Yes, it can and does hurt when friends make fun or pass snide remarks, but it helps to remember that overcoming it is in your hands. Self-esteem comes from doing things that are challenging for us. Now that exams are over, take charge of yourself. Decrease sugary beverages, do portion control, limit fast food, make healthier food choices, increase physical activity and decrease screen time. Aerobic exercise will decrease the stress hormone (cortisol) and trigger release of chemicals that not only speed up metabolism but will also improve mood.

A word of caution.

Look around you, all human beings (even the most perfect-seeming celebrity) are imperfect. It’s what makes each of us unique and original! Everyone has things that they can’t change and need to accept. If there are things about yourself that you want to change and can, do this by making realistic and achievable goals for yourself. One sees today’s youth stuck into a food and body preoccupation, repeated cycles of weight loss and regain, distraction from other personal health goals and obsessive dieting and/ or exercising. It’s a trap you need to be aware of and not get sucked into. Learn mindful eating. Eat with awareness. Engage in lifestyle modification with regular and consistent exercise. Be optimistic but also rational and realistic.

Write to Nivedita Singh at niveditasingh2005@yahoo.com

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W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

dcW AcHieveMeNt AWArd The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2016, conveyed its gratitude to Apeejay School, sheikh sarai, new delhi - established in 1975 - in the recognition of its efforts towards spearheading the cause of women. the prestigious DCW Achievement Award was bestowed upon the school by the honourable chief Minister of delhi, shri Arvind Kejriwal, and was received by Mr AP Sharma, Principal, Apeejay school, sheikh sarai. other eminent guests present on the occasion in-

cluded Mrs. Maneka gandhi, Indian Union Cabinet Minister for Women & child development; Justice Leila Seth; Richard Verma, US Ambassador; Mr. Manish sisodia, deputy chief Minister of delhi; Ms Barkha dutt, famous Indian television journalist & columnist and Mr deepak Misra, special commissioner of Police, among others.

Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, under the aegis of Apeejay Education Society, carries forth the Apeejay stya legacy of over 48 years of excellence in education. Apeejay Educa-

tion society, headed by Mrs. sushma Paul Berlia, has been an exemplary figure & has championed the cause of women empowerment. Mrs. Berlia became the President of the PHd chamber of commerce & Industry in 2005-06, making her the first-ever woman to head a multi-state apex chamber in a century.

Much ahead of time, around four years back, Apeejay School, Sheikh sarai took up a social cause dedicated towards eradicating exploitation of the school’s girl students and addressing the issue of the misuse of

SHri ANvetioN ed enthusiastically. A panel discussion amongst eminent scientists on the spirit of inventions & discoveries was the highlight of the event. the message conveyed by the renowned guests left a deep impact on each and every student and staff member. Dr. A.S. Pillai shared an interesting presentation with students of middle school on inventions made by Indians. He patiently responded to questions from the students and also gave them an insight into Dr.Abdul Kalaam’s life and achievement with whom he had the privilege to work very closely.

Shri Anvetion is our first collaborative event with the parents of the school, said the Principal Ms. sudha santhanam. she was full of praise The Shri Ram Police Public School hosted Shri Anvetion, for the tireless efforts of the teachers, support staff, stua festival of inventions and discoveries, on 19th and 20th dents and their parents working towards the event over February, 2016. Dr. A Sivathanu Pillai, known as ‘Father the last couple of months. the two day fest ended with of Brahmos’, was the chief guest for the event. children a fashion show where children walked the ramp dressed displayed working models showcasing their innovation in unique futuristic designs. Ms. shilpa, one of the judgor an improvisation of an existing technology. A variety es mentioned that fashion designers are looking at using of interesting competitions like a spell bee, a quiz, po- sustainable material and she was really impressed to see etry writing & JAM added to the flavor of the festival in that young students were so much in tune with the need which children from schools across gurgaon participat- of the hour.

The Shri Ram Police Public School

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W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

social media platforms. As part of its devoted efforts, the school primarily focuses on social media monitoring and restricting the Facebook friends of each student to about 50. the school has also elected ‘gender champions’ who try to keep a vigil over various such issues. Many culprits have been nabbed and are under prosecution. on this momentous occasion, Mr. AP Sharma, Principal, Apeejay school, sheikh sarai, opined, “the onus is primarily on us being in the education field that we ensure our boys imbibe human values including respect for women and our girls to be aware of the threats of social media & society.”

Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai

SHoobH tHeMe uNveiliNG 3rd of February 2016 was a red letter day for Ahlcon International school as eminent personalities from the world of fine arts graced the most unique event, Unveiling of shoobh theme for the year 2016. shoobh group Welfare Society is a nonprofit community based organization led by Mr. Bharat guaba and is working in the field of education and human welfare. In all of shOObh group projects different art forms are used to convey the message of peace and harmony. the school auditorium was enriched with the 1000 and more beautiful paintings made by students from different part of the country. the program began with the lamp lighting done by internationally renowned Padmashree

r Vihar Phase-1

Ahlcon International School, Mayu

awardees, Ms. Anjolie Ela Menon and Ms. Shovana Narayan, along with other lead artists and dignitaries. this was followed by the most cherished event , the unveiling of shoobh theme of the year ‘ganga’ which was done

by Ms. Anjolie Ela Menon and Ms. Shovana Narayan, Founder of Film city noida Mr. sandeep Marwah, exponent of Indian classical dance- Ms. Jyoti Srivastava, renowned artist Ms.shruti chandra gupta, advisor unesCO- Dr. Zahid Husain Khan, Ms Sheila Chamariya and the school principal, Mr. Ashok Kumar Pandey. the leading contemporary artist Ms. Menon addressed the gathering of art lovers and shared her concerns about the art being taught in the schools. the outstanding kathak dancer, guru shovana narayan blessed the school and the organization for their contribution to society. Mr. sandeep Marwah enthralled the audience with his powerful speech sprinkled with poetry. A dance recital was put up by the Primary children which received warm applause from the audience. Ms. Jyoti srivastava depicted the shoobh theme of the year-GANGA through her sublime dance movements. A heartfelt vote of thanks was proposed by the Principal, Mr. Ashok K. Pandey to shoobh organization for the noble work and service to the world of art.

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M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

Training education

Since 1990, Hariharan Balagopal has extended strategy solutions for an array of establishments, though the focus has always been on service to education sector. mansi Tikoo in conversation with the man behind eduGate.

H

ow and when did you feel that education was your calling?

I always related with the child audience and enjoyed having a lot of children around, both within the large family I come from, and the children’s friends from neighborhood and other places . I would tell them stories, play chess , scrabble and other board games with them and try to teach them whatever I could irrespective of where they came from .that also helped me gain an instinct to identify talent at early stages. some of the children whom I trained in Chess and Martial Arts in later years of my college , have turned out to be champions , and that has been highly motivating. As I gained a foothold professionally, I realized that I wanted to ‘impart’ knowledge, though the idea was to be a trainer rather than a teacher as in common parlance. I wanted to be part of the educational value-delivery sequence. education is a broad-spectrum term and there is space for anyone with a passion for sharing and transferring knowledge of any kind, and I believe knowledge shared is never a waste.

As I converted my passion for education to a profession, I have found working with educational initiatives and interacting with students from all walks of life rewarding. I guess I must have had it in me right from my school days. I just converted this at professional levels to work with educational initiatives.

Q. What was the thought behind

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including Chess into the learning process?

In the delivery of strategic solutions to businesses, I have found my thinking well supplemented by a lifetime’s dedication to chess both as a player and as an enthusiast. As an analysisbased brain-sport, it is an excellent addition to any child’s educationspectrum. More than simply a sport, chess is complementary to studies.

Highly effective in improving concentration, mental agility and critical aptitude, it helps children develop a way of disciplined thinking that may not necessarily be reinforced

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by school curriculum. I have helped several schools develop and nurture talent in chess,and the results have been heartening. training in chess is easily and equally accessible and not prohibitively expensive, and as a game it is highly beneficial even while being a good stress-buster. chessplaying improves self-esteem and self-reliance, and there exist several new lucrative opportunities today to make chess a rewarding profession too. Being an inexpensive sport, numerous opportunities at the local, national and international level have helped in inclusion and recognition

M e n t o r ’ s

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of children from all walks of life into this much rewarding brain-sport, unlike more popular but monetarily demanding pursuits in sports.

Q. According to you, what are some of the challenges we face today in the education sector? digitization of resources is both a blessing and a disadvantage. And digitization of education is both a threat and an advantage. even as educational resources become more accessible, whether the process of imparting knowledge has become more effective is debatable. streamlined delivery, greater transparency and constant exposure to everything the world has to offer is at each student’s fingertips. This dependence on curated knowledge reduces the struggle in the search for well-rounded knowledge, and in my opinion this habit may prove to be dangerous in the future. Questioning and seeking are vital to study, and what we have gained through accessibility is little more than information overload that is limiting critical thinking. gadgets such as E-readers are scientifically proven to provide a reading experience where less is retained, than simply reading a physical newspaper and books. dependence on gadgets as source of knowledge and entertainment is increasing , and on books and other print sources waning which I view as a threat . What used to be a compulsive habit just a generation before in an average household , newspaperreading is not even a hobby in the present . Advantage, because tools of delivery of education definitely stand improved and comprehension in general is made easier than before .

Major challenge is in balancing both . secondly, in the educational context of our country, the state of higher education demands urgent revamp and attention. The inflation of marks, lack of high teaching quality, and a higher demand than supply of good college education, is discourag-

Chess is highly effective in improving concentration, mental agility and critical aptitude, it helps children develop a way of disciplined thinking that may not necessarily be reinforced by school curriculum

tage, the positive associations for further study are being heavily diluted. Many ill-equipped higher education initiatives that have mushroomed to make a kill in the melee are a danger to the academic intent of students.

Q. Kindly share with us some memorable moments from the different initiatives you have undertaken over the years.

I tried to include Ramayana in school education for its values and roped in Arun Govil too in the projing, deplorable and unforgivable. An ect. That it did not find a mark in the assessment system designed to dis- first attempt emphasized the need courage comparative grading, and even more. children did not relate then resulting in enforcing the notion with the concept of Ramayana at all that a student with 97% is deserv- as it is normally presented, and that ing of opportunities that a student was quite an eye-opener for me. We with 95% is not, should be abolished. decided to re-work on it and present Perhaps being graded on a curve is a it as a gaming module, supplementvalid alternative, and we may do well ing it with picture books, and initial to learn from the examples set by top feedback from the same set of stuuniversities abroad. the sanctity of dents is extremely encouraging. It merit must be retained, and remain dawned on me that today, the need a valid, rewarding goal for hard work. is to present and impart education even as cold, unethical businesses the way the ‘ learning ‘ like it and disguised as private colleges crop up not the way the ‘learned’ want it ; all over the country to take advan- the content being the same . I have

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Dependence on curated knowledge reduces the struggle in the search for well-rounded knowledge.

Questioning and seeking are vital to study.

experimented with several similar workshops on teamwork and camaraderie in various schools and each one is memorable. one of my greatest moments has also been when an extremely grateful parent came to me along with a 15 year old International chess Master, and reminded me that I had lifted the same boy 10 years before in my arms on the stage at the Prize distribution ceremony of an international chess event, and had predicted that the child would become an International Master one day. I guess he motivated me more than he gave me credit for motivating him that day.

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portance of the right teachers cannot be stressed enough. In my opinion education is primarily well-timed encouragement, and in part , intelligently enforced structure for life.

Q. What is your personal philosophy for education? education is for life, and should be taught to be a long-term measure rather than a short-term means to an end. education should be undertaken for the sake of educating oneself, and valued in its own merit. It is a relationship with personal strengths and weaknesses, an exploration of growth and potential. It is the development of mental faculty rather than a set of fixed skills. Children are to be treated equal, but their different talents should be nurtured with special attention and flexibility. The im-

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Q. A message that you like to share with our readers.

As partners responsible for intellectual growth of a child the school and the parents need to work in a symbiotic relationship with age-specific , age-appropriate and substanceoriented solutions , and address agespecific problems with timely and gentle treatment. sharing knowledge is a sacred bond between the learned and the learning. If the knowledge one has acquired and shared, helps making a difference to even one deserving or deprived child in a lifetime, your life is well lived.

Khushiyon ka recycle TM

An initiative by Goonj..

Ensure your unused *school material reaches us.. for thousands of children in far flung village schools for their learning, dignity and Happiness. *Contribute: Stationary, uniforms,

general clothing, school bags, water bottles, story books, games, toys, lunch boxes and one side used paper.

Visit www.goonj.org to know more about our nationwide initiative, School to School (S2S)

*We do not accept dirty/soiled/broken/expired material

H.O: J-93, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi-76 011-26972351 / 41401216 mail@goonj.org @goonj www.goonj.org goonj.org +goonj

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JAi GANGAAJAl

Director: prakash Jha starring: priyanka Chopra, prakash Jha, manav Kaul

P

riyanka Chopra in ‘Jai Gangaajal’ plays SP Abha Mathur who is a vibrant, righteous, and lawabiding police officer. She is the first female superintendent of Bankepur district, where people underrate the importance of police and judiciary. corrupt politicians vandalize public properties and harass the common man. SP Abha is supercilious and fights against the plutocratic corrupt politicians. The film also has director Prakash Jha making a welcome debut. He is Bhola nath singh, a corrupt police officer who neglects his duty in order to help the nefarious politicians. Priyanka is more than good in her action sequences and portrays her character admirably.

At the end she is able to redeem Bankepur from rampant hooliganism and violence. the music and back-

After the success of the Shiva trilogy, Amish returns with the Ram Chandra Series. As done before, Amish explores the life of shri ram in his own unique style. He starts the story with the Apharan or Kidnapping of Maa sita and then narrates the story through a flashback returning to the first scene on the last page, perhaps hinting at the continuous and eternal circle that life represents. What makes the book,

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ground score of the film is just lame and vitiates the film much. Mr. Jha is a master, an actor, a good story writer and a determined director. He does everything for his film including acting. But I have many grouses to him regarding his film as of today. His film had a lot of expectations from the audiences and the critics.

But he fails to entertain the viewers because of the plot. He ameliorates the impact by repetitive references to political themes. As a result, though much was anticipated but Jha fails to gratify. After some time it may strike Jha that recurring violence in story may increase the adrenaline rush but lose its impact.

Prakash Jha’s ‘Jai Gangaajal’ is an average political film, a weal for all his fans who share a passion for his films. I am giving it 2 deserving stars.

possibly a little more engaging than the original ramayana is the unexpected twists and the fact that Amish makes the gods a little more human.

For example many of us who would have heard or seen the ramayana would wonder why ram, the god would listen to a dhobi and make his own wife go through Agni Pariksha, however, one might not wonder the same thing for ram, the human; for a human Scion of ikshvaku by amish tripathi Westland

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KApoor ANd SoNS

Director: shakun Batra starring: sidharth malhotra, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt

K

apoor and sons (since 1921) is about two broth- is conversant with his archaic look. He is a jubilant ers Arjun (Siddharth Malhotra) and Rahul grandfather who speaks in innuendos. the mom and (Fawad Khan), their dreadful life which is filled dad too suffice their characters. The film flies like a with problems-family problems. In the film Alia (Tia) plane soaring in the 1st half. But precariously loses is a girl who falls in love partially with both. But later the grip and becomes dull in the later half. direction it is shown that Arjun makes a place in her heart. And is fairly apprec iable and enough for a good family we get to know that rahul is homophobic and does movie to watch. dharma productions’ ‘Kapoor and not loves tia. the music lends extravagant cheerful- sons’ is a good hearted grandiose family entertainness to the film. Though Alia looks much like a teen- ment. While the plot is akin ager, she dazzles at her performance. Fawad and sid- to that of ‘dil dhadakne dharth are impressive rather than just pretty. While do’, it is a By take on modern the duo fails to maintain the brothers trust and ca- family squabb aniket parihar les and an maraderie, their characters are well made and have intricate unders Class X tanding of The Scindia School, appropriate quality to them. old man rishi Kapoor them. I am giving it 3 stars.

Gwalior

is allowed to make mistakes. It is Amish’s this very quality that makes his characters more lovable. even though one has known ram all their life, heard about him and even celebrated his homecoming, this book is a completely new introduction to him. this book is not only entertaining, but I believe, if read carefully it provides answers to many of the problems faced by India and the world today via very enlightening discus-

sions between guru Vashishtha and his students.

However, I found the book to be a slight disappointment if compared to the ‘Immortals of Meluha’. the book, if read after the Meluhan series feels almost like a repetition although with a different god and slight background and timeline change. After a while of reading, Amish’s writing style has a tendency of becoming quite repetitive, one can almost predict what comes

next. nevertheless I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone who loves reading and wishes a light, yet intriguing read.

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By Kunalika Gautam Class XII Sanskriti School

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War of the buns! “this is God, speaking to us in food” -Marshall erikson, how i Met Your Mother

a burger that was better than any of the other places, which specialized in burgers, that we had been to. It was truly an unexpected treasure.

2. Johnny rockets’

Johnny Rockets’ is an American fast food chain which is known worldwide. not only does it feature interesting twists on the traditional burger and a unique type of service. When one enters the restaurant, they are greeted with a loud welcome from the entire staff. the seating area is large and widespread and consists of traditional pairs of table and chair and separate booths. the menu is extensive with interesting items on he popular sitcom How I Met and the verdict on each: display such as oreo milkshakes and Your Mother was acclaimed burgers which the customer can cusdue to the fact that each of it’s’ tomise. their burgers are quite large episode delivered a storyline which While walking in to Dunkin’ Do- and come with fries or onion rings was unique, gripping and relatable. nuts to ask for a burger, we felt a When an episode dedicated solely little odd. the place has donuts in to the gang’s search of the perfect its name, why would you go there for burger in new York came out, it was a burger? so, we ordered a double hailed as one of the best episodes of smoked chicken Burger from an that particular season. the acclaim overly enthusiastic employee at was due to many reasons but I feel the joint. the burger looked of a that it was also because many of us good size, bigger than what we have found ourselves in that particu- had received at Mcdonalds or lar situation; searching for the per- Burger King. When we took the fect burger or cupcake or a pizza. first bite, a gush of flavors filled A few days ago, Khushi and I went our mouths. there was the coron a similar journey. We decided to rect amount of everything- spice, search for the most delicious burger salt, sour- just perfect. I could in connaught Place; one which would taste the smokiness of the thick keep drawing us back. though one of chicken patty which added the most enjoyable journeys, it was to the overall taste. What a nerve wracking to choose only one relishing mouthful of corburger which could fulfil our expec- rectly seasoned meat with tations as well as Marshall eriksen’s. the perfect burger buns and Below are our top 5 burger eateries sauce! We were surprised to find

t

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1. dunkin’ donuts

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though, the burger itself was crying for some food. It tasted better than it looked but was not filling at all. Well, it was just for 50 bucks, we probably were expecting too much but what is a burger if it cannot leave you with the heavenly feeling of feeling satisfied and wanting more?

5. burger King

and the buns are toasted to perfection. the burger I ordered, route 66, did not have a traditional chicken patty but rather a chicken breast cooked and seasoned to sublimity. the service was fast and the waiters were courteous and extremely helpful. the burgers were priced quite high but seeing the size of the burger, the prices were perfectly reasonable.

Johnny Rockets’ completely lives up to its hype and I would love to go there again but with my parents so that I can order many more things!

3. burger Singh

Burger singh is the new kid on the block. With an interesting idea of indianizing an American item of food, it seems the restaurant has unlocked the secret of the burger that will appeal to the Indian masses. the restaurant is set up in a cozy corner of connaught Place with its glass doors giving a view of the interiors to all. there are two floors to the eatery and the ground floor gives a direct view of the kitchen. their menu is quite interesting to look at as all the burgers have quirky names such as nani’s rajma burger and Bihari Gosht Burger. We ordered a Jatt putt chicken burger and

Burger King is a chain well known for its delicious burgers and quick service. When the US based fast food chain finally decided to open a branch in India, the residents were nothing less than ecstatic. We expected burgers of the same acclaimed quality. We have been proven wrong. On entering the restaurant, one is met by the familiar glow of the menu of Burger King. But that is where the familiarity ends. The floors were dirty and the queues not orderly at all. the cashiers did not have enough change a united states of Punjab chicken and one of them even gave me the Burger. the burgers came in unique wrong balance back! All would have boxes which had clever dialogues been forgiven had the burger tasted written all over them. the box served good. But Burger King did not deliver as a plate for the burger as well. Both on this account either. the size of the of the burgers were quite huge but burger was small and it looked like a that is where the similarity ended. sorry mess on a large tray. We had orThe Jatt Putt burger had a delectable dered a burger. the jalapeños did not mint sauce which elevated the fla- belong in there and the chicken patty vour of the chicken patty. the unit- was tough and chewy. the buns had ed states of Punjab chicken burger become soggy and were not toasted tasted like butter chicken in the form to the level of crispiness one expects of a burger. I know it sounds bizarre from a good burger. I had expected but it was delicious. the service was the burger to be as good as the one fast and waiters quite friendly. I give the branches of the same food chain Burger singh a big thumbs up and serve in singapore and London. It hope to visit it again to try some seems that Burger King needs to pay other burgers. more attention to the branch in India or it could start losing clientele.

And now, thanks to writing this After eating burgers from the not so piece of review and the reminiscence popular joints, we came upon the one of these burgers, we shall go hunt our that is probably the most frequent kitchens for some food. answer to the question “Where would you like to eat?-Mcdonalds. Being an old favorite, we knew just what to By order. We ordered a classic ‘Chicken Siddhidatri Mishra Mcgrill’ for rs. 44. However, what & Khushi Singh came was a rather sad looking burger Class XI Sanskriti School with a negligible patty. It looked as

Our reporters at School Live set out on a quest to find the most delicious burger, and their findings startled a few others.

4. Mcdonalds

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H o l i - D a y i n g !

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H o l i - D a y i n g !

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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.

the man with such vast experiences and myriad lessons, takes us on his entrepreneurial journey

Infinite dreams

t

he more I introspect about the past two decades of experiencing and witnessing business, the more I attribute much of our success to our ability to stay the course.

In an honest moment, I would also chalk up a few of my biggest failures to my unwillingness at the time to persevere—our dive into home shopping being the best example. entertainment and media can be a sexy, seductive industry. But the energy and passion that lures entrepreneurs in the first place to the glitz and glamour of the media only carries them so far, before a lack of expertise and the law of averages catch up. utV was founded in 1990. statistically, the majority of entrepreneurs in the media have a seven-year life cycle. that means our twenty-plus-years run puts us close to the right side of the longevity curve. our move into Bollywood and broadcasting changed our profile and took UTV to the next level.

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difficult situations—whether these are with teachers, rivals, competitors, friends or parents—is to never show that they bother you. Level your gaze beyond the horizon. Life is too short to allow others to make you feel inadequate. that sort of determination often predicts success and begins with a focused, committed thought process. do what needs doing. Figure out what went wrong and fix it. Look out for the truck that’s about to run you down and sidestep it. Plan for success and insist on survival. the very worst thing that can happen to you as an entrepreneur is that you will go out of business and back to base camp.

To survive is to give yourself a fighting chance to succeed.

even though we were strangers in a strange land in every way when we arrived in the late 1990s, we went in eyes wide open. the secret to working through

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this excerpt from Dream With Your Eyes Open by ronnie screwvala is reprinted by permission of rupa Publications India. copyright© ronnie Screwvala. All rights reserved.