School live feb 2018

ToTal pages: 60

Volume 03 | Issue 07 february 2018

Dear exams

I am Ready

What to eat? Food for Exams To be or Not To be? The Boards What is the fuss? Talking Bitcoins Need a stress buster? Some Pet Love

contributors

S C H O O L

L I V E Board Of Directors

Harun Robert, a.k.a, Rob

An arts & crafts wizard, and an award-winning designer.

Richa Aniruddha

Urvashi Malik

Sanjay Dua Hariharan Balagopal

Founder & Managing Director of CollegeCore with over fifteen years of experience in guiding and aiding students.

EDITOR Mansi Tikoo mansitikoo@gmail.com DESIGNER Ashish Kumar

For AdvertiSING M.G Ramachandran Mo. 9953593081 advertising@school-live.com

Sandhya Awasthi

Bina Nangia

Pioneer in the field of Special Education and Dyslexia, Director - Academics, DPS Associated with the NGO, Society, and Former Principal Hope Ek Asha

Amit Dubey Neera Chopra

Crime Investigator and expert on ethical hacking.

Education Analyst, and Former Principal Naval School

For subscription editor@school-live.com

C o n ta c t Kritika Negi 9810560472

School LIVE : Printed and Published by Richa Aniruddha fromPlot No. 202/2E-23, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055 Printed at Rolleract Press Services A-83, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi-110028 Owned by FUTURE READY EDUCATION SERVICES PVT LTD. EDITED BY RICHA ANIRUDDHA

Connect with us at: www.school-live.com Twitter: @schoolLIVE_mag Facebook: School LIVE ToTal pages: 60

Volume 03 | Issue 07 february 2018

Dear exams

I am Ready

Manjeet Hirani

Senior commander and trainer with Air India. Also an influencer and a speaker across various platforms.

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What to eat? Food for Exams To be or Not To be? The Boards What is the fuss? Talking Bitcoins Need a stress buster? Some Pet Love

Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 3

Know for Sure Quiz

2 4 6 8 10

Which former Indian Prime Minister received Pakistan’s highest civilian honour, Nishan-ePakistan?

• • • •

Gulzarilal Nanda Lal Bahadur Shastri Morarji Desai Indira Gandhi

Jallikattu is a traditional bull taming sport being held since centuries in Tamil Nadu. It is organized as part of celebrations of which festival?

• • • •

Pongal Onam Baisakhi Uttaran

Named after independent India’s first law minister, this app was launched to make India cashless by PM Narendra Modi. Name the app.

• • • •

BHIM UPI Aadhar Rupay

With which person would you connect the movies - Kai Po Che, 3 Idiots and Hello?

Amish Tripathi Rajkumar Hirani Chetan Bhagat Aamir Khan

Snakes & Ladders BHIM FIFA U-17 World Cup Chetan Bhagat Jantar Mantar

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6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

• • • •

• • • •

Bangladesh Pakistan Myanmar Bhutan

Doklam area was the centre of a dispute between which two countries?

• • • •

India and Pakistan India and China India and Bangladesh Pakistan and China

This board game is said to have been created by the 13th century saint poet, Gyandev, to use it as a teaching tool to learn the effects of committing good deeds (virtues) and sins (vices). How does the world know this game today?

• Chess • Scrabble

• Snakes & Ladders • Ludo

By defeating Spain by 5-2 in the final, England became the champion of what World Cup held in India in October 2017?

• • • •

FIFA U-20 World Cup FIFA U-17 World Cup FIFA U-23 World Cup ICC U-19 World Cup

Maharaja Jai Singh II constructed (between 172435) five observatories at different locations with the largest in Jaipur. What are these observatories called?

• • • •

Qutub Minar Birla Temple ISRO Jantar Mantar

Answers

Indore Gwalior Bhopal Nagpur

Nagpur Bangladesh Morarji Desai India and China Pongal

• • • •

Rabindranath Tagore has written national anthems for two countries. One is India, name the second country?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1 3 5 7 9

When the state of Madhya Pradesh was created after independence, what was its capital?

ed-note

S C H O O L

L I V E

Hi All! That dreadful time of the year once again. And it seems to be getting worse every year. For students, teachers and parents. What to do? Look at the competition all around us. All of us are under tremendous pressure to perform, deliver and excel.

There is no denying that it’s important to give our best to all that we do, not only exams but EVERYTHING. Giving it our 100% . Do not make excuses, do not be lazy, do not try to compromise on hard work.

BUT, once you have given it all, given your 100%, then please don’t feel stressed about it.

The fear of exams and then their results is creating a lot of tension and stress in our young children and this stress is completely unwanted and avoidable. Aren’t we good without the tensions?

They say, a little tension or stress is good for us because it helps us perform better. To some extent I agree. If I don’t worry about an assignment, I end up compromising on its quality.

But I strongly feel that every individual is the best judge on how much stress he/she can take in a given situation and no one else should force him/her to exceed that limit. Because, then it becomes dangerous.

It is for all parents to understand that your child is unique, his/her capability to take stress is also limited. Do not push your child beyond their capabilities.

It is for every child to know that they are unique. If we only had brilliant academicians in this world, imagine a life without beautiful paintings, melodious music, extraordinary dance movements, brilliance of sport and what not.

Parents and Children, please remember, if you have a stress-free environment at home, one that encourages studies, good performance without unreasonable expectations, there is no power in the outside world, strong enough to give stress to the child. And right now, in these testing times, this is what is most important- reducing the stress our children are going through.

Let’s raise happier, mentally healthier children who grow up to be good human beings…not stressed, tired, and sad people.. Exams are not everything in life.

So chill!

Lovingly yours

Richa Aniruddha tweet to me @richaanirudh

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 5

5

CROSSWORD NO. 138 1

6

7 9

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ACROSS: 12 11 5. False claimant (9) 8. Sorcerer (4) 9.15 Slight amount (8) 10. The United _____ of America (6) 11. Of the18spine (6) 13. Adheres (6) 15. Stationary (6) 16. Opposite (8) 18. Sacred water-bird (4) 19. Systematizes (9)

DOWN 1. O 2. Cr 3. Lo 4. Pe 6. Di 7. Li 12. vis 14. St in 15. En 17. In

ACROSS: DOWN: LEARNING THROUGH PUZZLES! 5. False claimant (9) 1. Of art or artists (8) ACROSS: A. The Right Orbit DOWN: 8.(9)Sorcerer (4)art or artists (8) 2. Crushes underfoot (6) a.

5. False claimant 1. Of (8) 8. Sorcerer (4) 9. Slight amount 2. Crushes underfoot (6) 3. Loud exhalations (6) 9. Slight amount10.

(8) The United 3. Loud exhalations _____ of (6) 4. Persian fairy (4) c. b.

10. The United _____ America of 4. (6) Persian fairy (4) 6. Division (9) America (6) 6. Division (9) (6) another (9) Bharatiya Amrita Bharati, 11. Of the spine 11.

(6) Of the spine 7. Living off another (9) 7. Living©off 12. visualises (8) 13. Adheres (6) 13. Adheres 12. (6) visualises (8) 15. Stationary (6)15. Stationary 14. Story (6) appearing in regular 14. Story appearing in regular B. Saved from Extinction ANSWERS: 16. Opposite (8) 16. Opposite instalments.

(6) (8) instalments. (6) 18. Sacred water-bird (4) 15. Enter (4,2) 18.

Sacred (4) (4) ACROSS: 15. Enter (4,2) 19. Systematizes (9) 17.water-bird In a high degree 19. Systematizes (9) In a high 5.17.

Pretender 8. degree Magi 9.(4) Marginal 10. S State the kind of satellite orbit suggested by the clues given below: a. A circular orbit in which the satellite remains above the same point on the Earth’s surface, at an altitude of 35,786 km b. This orbit is away from the operational ones, and is used to place crafts at the end of their operational life c. An orbit in which a satellite travels over a point on the earth’s surface at the same local solar time

In the early 1900s, in the eastern USA, a fungus spread that nearly killed off an entire species of tree. The fungus later spread to other parts of the world too; in all, it destroyed three to four billion trees! The blighted tree was big, with spreading branches and dome-shaped appearance, and was known for the strength of the furniture made from its wood. A lot of care and attention is being given to the few thousand of these trees that still survive in the USA. What tree are we talking about?

14/ © Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017

B. The American Chestnut Answers: A. a. Geostationary; b. Graveyard; c.Sun-synchronous

Prakash got really nervous when he read these terms, but the doctor reassured him that there was nothing seriously wrong with him. So, what did the terms in the report stand for?

Answers

DOWN: 1. Artistic 2. Stamps 3. Snorts 4. Peri 6 12. Imagines 14. Serial 15. Step in 17.

ACROSS: 5. Pretender 8. Magi 9. Marginal 10. States 11. Spinal 13. Sticks 15. Static 16. Converse 18. Ibis 19. Organises

Prakash went to the doctor, who did a thorough check-up of him. Then he wrote a repor t in which he mentioned that Prakash suffered from these things: a. furuncle b. horripilation c. sternutation

13. Sticks 15. Static 16. Converse 18.

DOWN: 1. Artistic 2. Stamps 3. Snorts 4. Peri 6. Partition 7. Parasitic 12. Imagines 14. Serial 15. Step in 17. Very

C. a. furuncle is a boil; b. horripilation is the medical term for goose bumps; c. sternutation means sneezing So Prakash had a boil, some goose bumps and a bout of sneezing.

C. The Report

© Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017 / 13

CROSS: Pretender 8. Magi 9. Marginal 10. States 11. Spinal

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017 / 13 © Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017 / 13

© Amrita Bharati, 6 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 SCHOOLLIVE

ANSWERS:

ANSWERS:

S C H O O L

contents

L I V E 4 Indiannica Learning 5 Editor’s Note 8 School in Spotlight 13 Slam Poetry

COVER 14 Exclusive:

M

Quick Edit

y favorite memory of my board exams is practising maths, while I was supposed to be studying for a physics paper.

Well, didn’t I get an earful from my parents. I loved maths growing up, but to be honest, I don’t have any idea today of what most of it looked like. I probably can’t go beyond adding simple numbers.

But that’s what it is. We may feel we are bound to something when we are younger, but eventually, as we grow up, we realize some other areas interest us. I definitely wish I had started reading earlier in life, and not done so much maths! I make this point only to stress that don’t stop exploring, exams or not, stress or not, don’t feel limited by the options right in front of you. Look around, there is plenty knowledge to be gained and that never ceases being exciting! Our younger reporter Zara Javed had such an interesting take on exams too.

Khushi Singh wrote an open letter for our beloved exams, which never stop coming at us from everywhere. In other news, also plan to keep you on the edge of your seats with a story by our first time writer, Aryan Sinha. We hope reading this issue helps you in some way to relax and use the time and pressure wisely.

With every issue, we try to put in as much diverse content as we can for you in an issue, and if you feel we are missing the mark somewhere or if you want to submit your own writings, do remember to write to us at editor@school-live.com. We would love to hear from you.

How-To Guide: Exam Edition 20 Positively Paww-sitive 22 A Novel Tale 24 Fit for Life 25 Open Letter 26 Study Guide 28 Worthy Opponent 32 Expert Expression 34 Photo Walk 37 Fun Side: Adventures of Maya 38 Storytelling 40 Teen Travels 42 Cyber Safe 45 In The News 46 DIY: Wall Text Lamp 48 Rap Up 50 Watch this Space 51 The Untold

“Happy Reading!”

Juniors 54 The Reading List 56 Blog 57 Slam Poetry 58 Art Attack

Mansi Tikoo

20 46

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 7

The Bounce Back In a riot-ridden city that virtually demanded rebuilding from the scratch for two years, DPS Rohtak has not only fought its own battles but has also emerged a winner in public domain. Selected for the Atal Tinkering Lab Yojana and also as the Sports Nursery for Haryana, the school is on its way to regaining its lost glory.

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S c h o o l

i n

S p o t l i g h t

Nikita Hooda

“Education of the Girl Child is a priority at DPS Rohtak. ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ underlines educational and social consciousness promulgated by the school.”

scampering for cover with their precious possessions, boarders of the schools from the other cities scaredoff never to return, and apprehension hovering and fear lingering for a long time to come.

But then, Rohtak has always been a fighter-city, and a cradle of talent and achievement. Literally and figuratively, the Phogat sisters from nearby Bhiwani district merit citing here. For hange in management of a those who have witnessed the riots school, with the next-gen com- and its aftermath, what is seen toing into the picture can pose its day is no less than a wonder. Rome challenges. Add to that a picture of may not have been built in one day, parents taking to warpath even with but Rohtak seems to have defied the the most trivial of reasons, besides adage. The city is back to its buzzing protests against fee hike more as a ways and the shops that burnt not too matter of habit than on sound rea- long ago are back to brisk business, soning. Add again to that a scenario burying the scars. of a city burning as the epicenter of The school celebrates its students senseless riots and looting. You have who have braved it all and have suca picture of a war-zone with everyone ceeded in their walk of life.

C

One daughter of DPS Rohtak, Nikita Hooda is leading the nation in Indian Army as Lieutenant in Army Medical Corps, Lucknow.

Another former student, Geetanjali serves the Indian Air Force as Flying Officer.

Rupankan Sharma, an alumni of the school, suffered multiple bullet injuries in an encounter with militants while serving in the Indian Army and now has been proudly posted with Indian Secret Services.

The school has a history of producing

Rupankan Sharma outstanding players who have brought laurels to the school by performing at State, National and International Level.

An alumni of the school, Rahul Tewatia is a well-known face in the Indian Premier League circuit, currently playing for Delhi Daredevils.

The cradles too have returned. DPS Rohtak recently was entrusted with the responsibility of nurturing young talent

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 9

S c h o o l

i n

S p o t l i g h t

in sports by the Haryana Government.

As one of the few Sports Nurseries, DPS Rohtak owes its pride of place to its record of churning out talent at Domestic and Global levels.

In order to develop Haryana as a leading Sports Powerhouse of the country, Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt. of Haryana came up with a wonderful scheme of establishing 400 Golden Jubilee Sports Nurseries among the govt. and private educational institutions of the state. Under this ambitious project, 10 Nurseries for Boys and 10 Nurseries for Girls were to be allotted in every district of

“DPS Rohtak is set to scale greater heights.

The results over the last two years have shown an upward swing. The school has been spruced up on all fronts.”

Mukesh Arya ( Pro Vice Chairman)

Best Prize Winning Republic Tableau 2018, designed and fabricated

by B&B Studios - Also a Consulting Arm to DPS Rohtak

Salient Features of Khelo India Programme:

Up until now, other schemes have focussed on honouring the meritorious players and for developing the infrastructure for sport, but this scheme finally brings back the focus on honing and developing the game, as well as young and talented players. A budget of Rs1,756 crore has been allocated for the programme between 2017-18 and 2019-20. Here are the salient features of the programme.

• A pan-India sports scholarship scheme, which would cover 1,000 most talented young athletes each year across select sports disciplines.

• Each athlete selected under the scheme shall receive an annual scholarship worth Rs.5 lakh for 8 consecutive years.

• The Programme aims to promote 20 universities across the country as hubs of sporting excellence, which would enable talented sports persons to pursue the dual pathway of education and competitive sports.

• The Programme would cover about 200 million children in the age group of 10-18 under a massive national physical fitness drive.

The programme hopes to create healthy competition amongst the players, at both the school as well as college levels. The scheme also hopes to make healthy lifestyle a staple for everyone.

10 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

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Haryana in the following disciplines. Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Football, Hockey, Handball, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Swimming, Volleyball and Wrestling. The aim of the scheme is to nurture players from the very beginning and produce potential Olympic Medalists.

DPS Rohtak was selected for setting up the Sports Nurseries for swimming for boys and girls, and hockey for girls from the session 2018.

DPS Rohtak is synonyms with excellent infrastructure of Sports having an Olympic Size Swimming Pool, lush green Cricket and Football grounds on International Specifications and stan-

S c h o o l SPORTS GEMS OF DPS ROHTAK: S.No. Name of Player

Sports

Level

1

Mansi Kaushik

Cricket

Selected in SGFI (National)

2

Sahil Hooda

Cricket

National

3

Payal Hooda

Skating

Inter National

4

Nikhil Hooda

Skating

Inter National

5

Geetanjali Tiwari

Gymnastics

National

6

Nandini Sharma

Gymnastics

National

7

Ashish Punia

Cricket

National

8

Amit

Horse Riding

National

9

Yogesh Kaliraman

Lawn Tennis

National

10

Kiran

Table Tennis

National

i n

S p o t l i g h t

“The DPS Society, unlike many of the new age schools, lives up to its own philosophy, of “Service before Self”. DPS Rohtak is one among over 220 schools in the DPS network. The Chairman of the DPS Society, Mr. V.K. Shunglu who has been the CAG of India, leads from the front to make every school a shining star on the education horizon.” Hariharan Balagopal, Consultant and Member Management

Hector Ravinder Dutt, Dean of Academics & Development

Meenu Chawala, Officiating Principal dard size Skating Rink, Basketball and Lawn-Tennis courts with a modern Gymnasium.

The focus on sports by the school is interesting in light of the launching of the “Khelo India” scheme by the government. With the Sports Minister all set to drive India to the international level of sports infrastructure, it is only a matter of time before sports becomes the long- term career development option for a child.

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Tinkering the

Young Minds

January 2018 marked a significant beginning in the history of DPS Rohtak as the school was selected for setting up the prestigious Atal Tinkering Laboratory as part of Union Government’s Atal Innovation Mission initiative under NITI Aayog. DPS Rohtak is one of the 36 Delhi Public Schools across the nation to receive this prestigious lab which aims at ‘Cultivating one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’. Overall 2500 schools in India have been selected for setting up ATL in their schools. The school will be getting a financial aid of Rs. 20 lakhs from Niti Aayog for setting up, operating and maintaining this Innovative Lab in the school which will be fully operational from April 2018.

May 2016 was a significant day for schools in India as the Govt of India came out with 3 special schemes by Niti Aayog, under the title of “Atal Innovation Mission” after the name of our former prime minister Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It allows the eligible schools and organizations to apply for (a) establishing tinkering laboratories in schools (b) establishing new incubation centres and (c) scalingup established incubation centres. Initially it was decided that only 500 eligible schools across the country will be allotted ATL but now approximately 2500 schools across the country have been selected for this highly prestigious scheme.

W

ith a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India. The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, and physical computation.

The Government of India has set up the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog. Realizing the need to create scientific temper and cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation among young minds, AIM proposes to support the establishment of a network of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL).

ATL is a workspace where young

12 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

minds can give shape to their ideas through hands-on do-it-yourself mode and learn innovation skills. AIM proposes to support the establishment of a network of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL). ATL is an approach of Central government of India to create an environment of scientific temperament, innovation, creativity amongst Indian Students. It is a step towards a new India.

Since the last few decades, our education system has seen a paradigm shift. Today, with this approach of inculcating hands-on methodology in the current education scenario, we have resolved the need of the hour.

ATL lab would teach students essential 21st-century skills which will help them in developing their professional and personal skills. Skilled India is the

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need of the hour and each step taken in realizing this dream should be welcomed and we should work towards it together for a better India.

Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand what, how and why aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). ATL would contain educational and “do it yourself” kits and equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open source microcontroller boards, sensors and 3D printers etc.

In order to foster inventiveness among students, ATL can conduct different activities ranging from regional and national level competitions, exhibitions, workshops on problem solving, designing and fabrication of products, lecture series etc. at periodic intervals.

S l a m

P o e t r y

RISE UPÂ GLASS SHARKS Why do you dive into The Crystal Sea And surf over its diamond waves When you know that they only wait to break Upon the bay where glass sharks wait?

It seems the question has confused my companion For he never thought of pain The view over the world with cool bliss below Was all he sought to gain Never crossed his mind any doubt When he sat upon the sand And nor did my words lead him astray Once again, he swept himself into the fray There, I realized As I watched him dive under luminous water Freeing his soul in The Crystal Sea There were no glass sharks The glass sharks were me

I have risen From the burning fires of agony My roars have far too much desire to be your symphony I flow like the river I sing like a bird The chants of my salvation will now be heard The earth beneath me will shudder with fear For, There are galaxies running through my veins They have been for years And the stars reside in the valor of my eyes A spark too bright for your undeserved pride I am a woman There were many before me I am the voice of the girl you killed in the womb I am the breath of the woman buried in her husband’s tomb The broken reigns of your kingdom I will rule This war of vengeance I will fight till my very last breath The very fire I rose from Is the fire in which I shall burn For , From this burning body a new warrior shall yearn

By Pramit Kumar Das Class-IX Tagore International School, East of Kailash

By Arsheeya Bajwa Class X Delhi Public School, Gurgaon, Sec-45

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E x c l u s i v e

How-To Guide:

Exam Edition

‘Exam’: the word that strikes instant fear in the hearts and minds of anyone and everyone, be it the student or parents or teachers! It is one process in which everyone gets so entrenched, that over a course of time, it has almost become synonymous with stress! We wish we could take away the exams, but that not being the case, we have our expert, Dr. Bina Nangia put together a helpful guide for dealing with these stressful times!

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E x c l u s i v e

Exam Preparation: Ten Study Tips

1

Give yourself enough time to study: Last minute cramming doesn’t help. If the memory is overloaded and the memory system will crash.

Recall during exams gets difficult and stress increases.

So make a realistic timetable to study and revise keeping in mind the exam dates and schedules. Some subjects may need more time to study and revise than others. It is helpful to have difficult subjects to study with easier ones in between.

studying have never helped retain information or recall.

Even people preparing for marathons don’t practise running for 24 hours. Get some sunshine which gives vitamin D to the brain for better storing and recalling information.

8

Snack on brain food: Exam stress makes you want to eat junk food.

Sugars give temporary energy boost but there is a slump after some time. It is better to snack on nuts, fruits, berries and fish. This improves concentration and attention span for exam study.

9

Plan your exam day: It is important to visit the exam centre few days Organise your study space: ahead. Check the routes and time taken to arrive at A cluttered study room and table is a motivator for exam centre. Add a little extra time for travel on exam some while others can learn in a decluttered en- day. Don’t take unknown shortcuts and get stressed vironment. Some may want light music in background if caught in traffic jams or snarls. This is important while others need total silence. Choose what suits you as whatever is learnt has to be recalled by a calm and best. peaceful mind. If you plan to go with friends make sure they are the punctual kinds.

Use flow sheets and diagrams: Revisions are better with visual aids and mind Drink plenty of water: maps. These can be short pictures or diagrams to A hydrated brain learns and recalls better. explain long answers. Keeping them short and simple Stay away from aerated drinks. Also try avoidare more useful for revision. Use of mnemonics and ac- ing tea and coffee as they really don’t allow the brain to ronyms for remembering is a good tool. function at its optimum level.

2

3

10

4

Practise old papers: Look at the old versions of exams papers to get an Exam Morning and Here’s What you idea of the style, markings and presentation of pa- Need to Know! pers. This helps one to be informed and no paper can • Prepare Things the Night Before. • Warm Up Your Brain. come as a complete surprise. This also helps in manag- • Wake Up Your Mind and Body. • Bring Effective “Snacks” ing time allotment for study and revision for exams.

• Wear Appropriate Attire.

• Allow Ample Time to Arrive.

• Eat a Smart Breakfast.

Explain to others: Younger siblings and parents can help by listening 8 Tips to Help You WIN the EXAM! to your answers, as this allows for quick revision • Use your moments wisely • Use the space available and helps recall. This also helps to get a clear idea of • Eat a great meal • Don’t drink water, where you maybe lacking and you can accordingly allot • Laugh coffee, tea too much more time for revision.

• Make sure you wake up in time! • Do what works for you • Know when to stop Organise study groups with friends: Discussions with friends can help revise. Try not How To Improve Memory For Learning to use this time for gossip, to be on the internet or • Walk before an exam. It’s been proven that exercise can boost phones. Stay focussed on topics and meet with friends your memory and brain power. who would want to focus on serious exam revisions. • Speak out aloud instead of simply reading.

Group study for exams has never helped.

• Reward yourself with a treat when learning happens.

• Practise teaching what you have learned.

Take regular breaks: • Create mental associations.

It is important to take short breaks between study • Draw diagrams. time. Give yourself permission to either listen to • Times New Roman is the fastest font to read. music or take short walk. Long hours of continuous • Use Apps to block distracting sites.

5 6

7

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 15

E x c l u s i v e

The Role to Play:

PARENT & EXAMS!

The journey through exams, starting with preparing, revising, taking exams is not only stressful for students but for the entire family. This is true for everyone including differently- abled students. The months of winter are for revising and exam preparations. It is a stressful time since the weather is not conducive to sit and study. Even getting out of bed is difficult, let alone studying and burning the midnight oil. But with family support and determination difficult times pass away far easily. Dr Bina Nangia on what is most significant.

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E x c l u s i v e

I

t is that time of the year when students often feel depressed and need complete support. Since parents have a greater one-on-one opportunity with children, they can use it to deal with exam stress better. They can help children handle exam stress at home and make sure that they don’t crumble under the pressure. What are the different things that parents can do to make things better for their children?

BE AVAILABLE: It is advised that parents take time off from their commitments during child’s exams. Being physically present reassures the child. Make sure there is no nagging about success and failures.

Positive visualisation of the entire exam process helps reassure children with special needs. It helps if parents can monitor TV and phone times and support the kids in their attempt to stay away from distractions during exams preparation times.

TAKE CARE OF DIET AND REST: Provide a high-protein, healthy, low-sugar breakfast for your child. Kids learn better on full stomachs, but if their stomachs are full of sugary, heavy foods that will make them sleepy or slightly queasy. A light wholesome breakfast before exams is a must. Allow for short breaks and physical movement. Even short walks and jogging is advised. This releases stress and makes learning better.

Be most regular with supplements and medications of special kids. Don’t skip these amidst exam anxiety.

Maintaining a routine for breakfast, lunch and dinner helps the biorhythm to function effectively.

HAVE DINNER TOGETHER:

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND EXAMS Every child is an individual and children with special educational needs are as different from each other as any other children, perhaps even more so.

Exams and stress related issues will differ with individual needs. With special educational needs, exams of special children have always been challenging.

What can schools and parents do to face these challenges and help special children reach their desired goals?

EVALUATION IN SCHOOLS: WAYS TO ASSESS STRUGGLING STUDENTS • • • • • • •

•

•

•

Simpler test papers Lenient checking of exam papers Oral exams Scribes, who can write for dyslexic students Extra time during exams Marking for content Look for small changes, in confidence, social, and communication skills Compare previous IEPs (individual education plans) to evaluate relatively Share small achievements with the school and child Reward overall progress and not only evaluation

DON’T DISCUSS A ‘BAD’ PAPER: This creates stress and can affect the rest of the exams.

Appreciate effort put in by all, especially differentlyabled students.

Make dinnertime fun, relaxed with no discussion about exams or incomplete syllabus. Let there be light, casual conversations.

Special kids may require more motivational inputs. ENCOURAGE THE CHILD If the kids need to share their anxieties about the com- POSITIVELY: ing exams give a patient hearing without judgements or criticism.

While some amount of encouragement to do good in the exam is positive, it will not do to try forcing the child into studying more or better. In fact, negative pressure from KEEP TV VOLUME LOW: parents does not help deal with exam stress, it adds to it.

It is not necessary to have a “curfew” while exams are on. Parents who want to help children handle exam stress This distracts children more, use your entertainment need to learn how to encourage them right. Just gentle, units in another room at low volume. not overt support would be good. Be strong, positive and It is soothing for special kids to have soft music while supportive in your body language and spirit. preparing for their exams. The secret is to be normal, natural and take exam preparation in your stride.

Remember to say “We are in it together and will make it”

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 17

EP xa gc el u Hs ei va ed

Managing the Clock:

The First Step towards Success

There never seems to be enough time to finish ALL of the syllabus, nor enough time to revise it all. But time is indeed of the most critical essence, and our expert, Neera Chopra is here to give us important aspects of time management!

“M

y favourite things Steve Jobs in life don’t cost any money. It’s really Time management is a key clear that the most precious to academic success. Students resource we all have is time.” ~ around the world learn this sooner

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or later. The best students are not necessarily those who look smart, but those who use their time effectively. When you plan your days and weeks in advance, time can be your

E x c l u s i v e friend rather than your enemy.

Organize your time Life improves when you decide to do things differently. In this case, the goal is to gain control over time, rather than letting it control you. It is about taking ownership of time, which is the essence of your life. The main objective of time management is for you to have a clear picture of your upcoming days, weeks, and months. It is a way for you to discover what time you have available to devote to study, recreation, or other activities.

Assess your time Many students genuinely believe that they study a lot. Some even protest that they study all the time!

In reality, this is far from the truth.

Keep track of everything you do for an entire week, from the time you wake up to the time you fall asleep.

That means recording every single detail.

At the end of the week, add up the totals. Balance your schedule. Start eliminating the time bands by making small adjustments in your habits and behavior in order to get better control of your precious time.

Make a schedule After establishing your priorities, set up a schedule which respects your priorities. Add in study time.

Block off large sections of your day, reserved for studying alone, as well as shorter review periods. Organize your peak study times to coincide with the times of day when you are most awake and alert.

It’s okay if you don’t know everything from the syllabus, but don’t forget what you have already studied.

Prepare Graphic Organizers or use colour codes to prepare key-words list.

Prioritize the chapters, topics, sections, course materials, etc. on the basis of weightage This is the basic essence of studying smartly. There is no use in working hard for hours together if you have missed the 20% of the syllabus that is likely to carry 80% weightage.

Finish off those chapters or sections first which carry more weightage in the exam.

can rest and refresh your mind and body. This will enable you to study more effectively. A good night’s sleep is essential to make sure your body and mind is rested and fresh for the next day. It can be hard to concentrate if you didn’t get 7 to 8 hours of sleep in the night before. Manage your time better by including sleep in the schedule. Get enough sleep as well. A sleep-deprived student is not going to be able to perform at his or her best.

bathroom mirror, etc. Frequent repetition and review is one of the keys to remembering information easily and effectively.

Plan activities logically Get to know your bodily cycle; then, schedule activities around it as much as possible. If you always feel sleepy after lunch, for example, use the time to get in your daily walk, instead of fighting to keep your eyes open over a history book.

Every day, set small targets and make sure you achieve them by the end of the day. It is very important to break the overall syllabus into smaller sections and subsections and then make targets to complete each section on a particular day.

Small goals should be set each day.

Use a checklist A checklist is a great way to ensure you stay on task, by listing your tasks and checking them off one by one once completed. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment to tick off tasks when completed.

Focus on one topic at a time Be well versed with all the terms, concepts, important aspects, formulas (if any), numerical(s) (if any) of that chapter

Use a calendar Jot down all the important due dates, Revise, Revise and Revise! deadlines, exams, etc so they are in After learning read the textbook. front of you as a visual reminder. Keep reading till you can recall on This will make you more aware of which page a key-word is listed. important dates and allow you to adjust or rearrange plans if you are Do not procrastinate behind schedule.

Procrastination is considered to be the biggest problem pertaining to Use review cards exam preparation. There is nothing Mark in other non-study ac- Always keep some review cards with magical about tomorrow. If you protivities you to read over when you are wait- crastinate today, you will avoid comThese are the important but lower ing for something else to happen. pleting the part of study tomorrow priority items, such as exercise, This could include when you are as well and this will go on. recreational classes, or socializing, traveling or waiting in line at the bus Do not waste time when you are which you will fit in when possible. stop and so on. You could also place supposed to finish something. review cards in common locations Plan some down time. which you pass frequently in your Follow these tips and see how fast Schedule some time to relax so you house, such as on the fridge door, the exam pressure reduces.

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 19

P o s i t i v e l y

P a w w - s i t i v e

Fetching the

Stress Away

Most of us would probably understand what it means to have an animal change our lives, change us! The kind of unconditional love that a dog shows, nothing on the planet could possibly match that commitment.

When Manjeet Hirani penned down her book How to be Human… Life lessons from Buddy Hirani, little did she realize the impact that Buddy had already left on her son, Vir’s life.

O

ur dog, Buddy arrived at our house when he was six weeks old. I never had a pet in my childhood and the truth is I was very very scared of dogs. I would never go to any one’s house if they had one. If I had to go, I made sure the dog was tied up or was kept elsewhere. How-

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ever, I welcomed Buddy when he arrived, he was a baby and he came as a gift for my son Vir, who was 14 at the time. For me, it was motherhood revisited.

Though Vir promised to take all the responsibility but in reality, besides playing with him, he couldn’t

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do much. Studying in an International school, Vir had a long day at school. Besides studying, he had opted for film making as a subject which was time consuming and then playing football after school hours.

He would come home exhausted.

When Buddy wasn’t there Vir would come home and watch Television or play PSP. With Buddy’s arrival, his watching T.V. and playing PSP completely stopped. Buddy would receive him at door step on his arrival and be Vir’s tail. Both of them would spend time together in Vir’s room playing. Vir started playing the guitar for Buddy and he became his loyal audience (Only if Buddy could talk!). Buddy enjoys soothing and soft music and goes to sleep and gets up with a jolt with jarring music.

There are few qualities in Buddy which I adore and want Vir to imbibe. I love the way Buddy greets us. He comes with full energy and gusto and jumps with joy. He shows so much excitement on seeing us, while on the other hand we have to request Vir to come and meet us and give a hug.

Buddy can get very rebellious too.

P o s i t i v e l y

There are moments when he refuses to take commands and becomes very stubborn. When there are guests at home and some of them are very scared of dogs and some just can’t stand pets around them. It becomes an ordeal to ask Buddy to leave. He becomes like a stone and refuses to budge. He can become very ferocious too and it’s a task convincing him. But poor guy gets lured by a chicken stick or a treat. He leaves the place unwillingly. But the beauty is when he returns back to you, he comes with the same vigour and excitement. He forgets everything and holds no grudges. That’s one quality of his I am trying very hard to imbibe in me.

Buddy is not only Vir’s companion, he is also a stress buster for him especially during exams. Vir would study at odd hours and would have late nights. Buddy always gave

Vir would study at odd hours and would have late nights. Buddy always gave him company and would follow his schedule. He sleeps with Vir and licks him at any given time, which Vir thoroughly enjoys. him company and would follow his schedule. He sleeps with Vir and licks him at any given time, which Vir thoroughly enjoys. Both of them share a strong bond and Buddy is very protective about him.

Buddy is like a child in the house and gets the maximum attention.

P a w w - s i t i v e

His veterinary visits are more often than Vir’s doctor’s visits. With Vir, we try home remedies, but with Buddy we don’t take any chances!

As I look back, with the coming of Buddy, Vir became more responsible, caring and compassionate. By taking care of someone else, you learn to take care of yourself and your academics, too. For me, I started observing more and drawing parallels between him and we humans.

Buddy is the closest connection to the natural world that I observed, and there is so much to learn from him. The inherent intelligence they have, the mindfulness, quality of giving, fitness regime, attachment, understanding of astrology and law of karma. And a lot more. Staying with him I understood many things and have a clarity of many emotional upheavals too. I could not begin to thank Buddy enough.

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 21

A

N o v e l

T a l e

Where Is Rakesh Kumar Sinha ?

Part I

I

do not know what brought us close. All I remember is that we were best of friends, and always were seen hanging out together in school.

Rakesh Kumar Sinha was from Bihar, and spoke excellent English. That may have been a connect, as we both were voracious readers. We could probably speak for hours together on some common topics of interest such as David Copperfield and Count of Monte Christo, and in English, not very common a practice in those days among students of aided schools. I owed it to my elder siblings who were all good students and always read out their lessons loudly to memorise, which by default became familiar to me as well. Rakesh Kumar Sinha on the other hand, had a public school background before he joined our school, and was genuinely well-read.

I was from a middle class Tamilian family staying in a Government colony in South Delhi. I was the youngest of four brothers, and sixth of seven siblings. Rakesh Kumar Sinha too was perhaps from a family of a government officer, staying in a nearby government colony too, a little more upscale than ours, as his father I presumed, was in a senior government post. He always had an affluent look about him and also wore a wrist watch regularly to school. His affluence may also have been because he was probably the only child to his parents, as I did not know of any of his siblings studying in our school.

My father probably had to feed more

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mouths than his father had to, and hence it reflected adversely on our clothes and general upkeep against his well-groomed personality. He was a smart boy and a great friend who always shared his geometry box with me. We also used to sit on our favorite window sill in the classroom to have lunch together while watching other children play on the playground on the other side. I often carried toasted bread patties, essentially closed sandwiches, stuffed with some vegetables, which he had named as ‘tasty-toasts’ and was particularly fond of them. He would get lovely Chappatis and Paneer and I was equally fond of them, rather much more than my own tasty toasts.

Government colonies, for some reason were always infested with a variety of insects. I learnt recently

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that they are even now, though in those days in the 80’s, the insects were much more in number and variety. Cockroaches in particular were rampant, in all sizes and shapes.

Black ants somehow always found their way into the tin boxes of white sugar, however tightly and carefully closed. Sparrows, were aplenty and would often fly into the ceiling fans of the school and die or fall grievously injured. Those sparrows, now almost extinct in Delhi, enjoyed a sort of camaraderie with children and everyone co-existed peacefully.

Butterflies fluttered in scores in the prime season.

The eagles however were a different story. They looked much bigger than they look now, and in the present day, they too seem to have dwindled in numbers.

A Well, the eagles somehow always knew of the lunch hour as accurately as the time-keeper of the school, and start hovering around, over the playground, to swoop down often on the lunch boxes of unsuspecting students carrying their grub to the playground.

Some children were known to have lost their lunch boxes too, along with their tiffins, so affectionately packed by their mothers. I remember having cried bitterly once, not so much for having lost my lunch to an eagle, but because I always related emotionally with the lunch packed so carefully by my mother. It must have been the same with other students as well. I never lost any lunch boxes as I my mother always packed my tiffins in a Modern Bread Wrapper, a sort of butter paper of the then famous brand Modern Bread, that used to air a famous radio jingle ‘Mummy , Mummy! Modern Bread‘. The jingle somehow carried an extremely strong emotional appeal, as much as the lunch packed by the mothers for their school going children did. Well, after losing my lunch to an eagle on that otherwise ordinary day, I had retreated to the window of my classroom considering it a safer and a better place to have lunch on, and with Rakesh Kumar Sinha for company soon after. The window ledge also served as a brilliant surface to spread our lunch on, between the two of us. We also enjoyed dangling our legs sitting on the window ledge as we were not yet tall enough for our feet to touch the ground in the middle school. One leg could just about touch the floor, when sitting sideways, with the other raised and folded on the ledge. Rakesh Kumar Sinha, more often than not, carried a fancy lunch box, with two sections, one for the rotis and another for the accompaniment, neatly compartmentalized.

It was just another day, when I and Rakesh Kumar Sinha opened our respective lunch packets sitting on the window ledge. We were both happy as we both had scored a ‘per-

He was a smart boy and a great friend who always shared his geometry box with me.

We also used to sit on our favorite window sill in the classroom to have lunch together while watching other children play on the playground on the other side. fect ten’ in the previous period, in an assignment. A little more charged up than usual we started gleefully on our lunch, with Sinha grabbing a tasty toast sandwich from my packet, while I eagerly took a generous bite of his parantha.

It was into his second or third bite when I noticed something was amiss.

He had become suddenly quiet with a bit of a confused expression. I had noticed the expression, and the fact that he had suddenly stopped munching, as I reached for another bite of his lunch. I held myself too, and asked him what happened. Kya hua?

‘Nothing , Nothing ’ he hastily replied, at the same time quickly taking something out of the half-bitten sandwich he was eating and throwing it behind him with all the effort to keep me distracted from that action. In a quick follow-up he also took another bite off the sandwich and continued as if nothing happened. The confusion in his face had cleared by now, and an embarrassed and yet confident expression had taken its place. I had not missed a thing that he tried his best to hide. Unable to suppress my curiosity to see what he had picked out of my sandwich, I got off the window ledge and went around to the spot where he had thrown something. I must have turned absolutely red with embarrassment and shame when I saw it was a small little obviously dead cockroach he had picked out of my sandwich, and he had continued to eat never-

N o v e l

T a l e

theless, not wanting to embarrass me or let it be known to me.

Shocked and embarrassed beyond words as I was, I had not failed to notice that he had continued to eat the same sandwich, and finished it by the time I looked into his eyes. ‘Why did you have to eat it?’ I asked almost driven to tears. I had obviously lost all appetite by then, and had just wanted to run away from there, when I felt his friendly hand on my shoulder.

‘It can happen to anyone you see’ he said, trying to assure me that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

He also helped me with another bite of his parantha, with both of us clearly not wanting to eat the one remaining sandwich, putting it aside as if it were some kind of a bomb. We never really finished that lunch and even his parantha was put back into his lunchbox, just as the bell rang for the next period much to my own relief and reprieve. I stayed embarrassed throughout the afternoon session of the school and did not speak much with Rakesh Kumar Sinha that day. I do not remember having carried the so called ‘tasty toasts’ for lunch ever after. Rather, I had started avoiding taking lunch to school and by the time I reached Grade XII, taking lunch to school much to the chagrin of my mother, was a forgotten habit. But then, Rakesh Kumar Sinha was also not there with me in the years after grade VIII when the sandwich incident had happened.

It was the final exams that year, that actually sealed the fate of our friendship. While we had never spoken about the sandwich incident after it happened, there was always an element of discomfort in my relationship with him. There was no animosity, and we both continued to do well in class and also had lunch together at times, mostly his.

to be continued…

Excerpted with permission from the author from Short Stories for School Children by Hariharan Balagopal

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 23

Exam Foods F i t

f o r

L i f e

It is important to eat a thinking diet all of February to ensure that you do better in your exams. That’s because learning, your concentration levels and even your memory is definitely affected by what you eat. Our expert Kavita Devgan on eating right during the exam time.

O

ne big myth is that carbohydrates lead to weight gain or make a person sleepy. It is very important to eat the carbohydrates every day and especially, during exam time, as our brain is a carbocraver. Yet, please also understand that it’s a smart hog and is extremely selective about the type of sugars it craves and how it processes them. So, while it is important to give it a nice steady supply ensure that it chugs along smoothly at a steady pace, it is all important to choose the right kind of sugars and carbohydrates to eat.

Some carbohydrates calm behavior (the unrefined kinds), and others excite it. It is best to avoid excess of the highly refined, highly processed “junk sugars” found in candy, icings, syrups, packaged baked goods, and

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oatmeal and wheat are the best, spaghetti and rice come next. Corn flakes and sugar-coated cereals have higher G.I so they need to be avoided. Most vegetables are okay to have. As salads contain mostly foods with a low glycemic index, they are an excellent school lunch, contributing to maximum mental performance.

Another important thing to remember is that eating too much at any meal, regardless of the carbohydrate or protein content, seems to diminish mental performance. So stick to small, but filling meals. Huge and high-fat meals divert the blood supply away from the brain to the digestive tract and cause sluggishness and fatigue. Ideally, keep all meals table sugar. These sugars lead to low-calorie, high-protein, that also a high and low blood sugar roller- contains complex carbohydrates to coaster, which affects moods and stay alert and active through the day.

Also keep grazing at regular inconcentration negatively.

It is also important to eat the carbs tervals. When there are huge gaps which rate low on the glycemic index between meals, children simply run (GI). The rate at which sugar from a out of fuel and when blood-sugar levparticular food enters brain cells and els go down, stress hormones kick in other cells of the body is called the to raise it up again, and concentra“glycemic index” (GI) of a particular tion gets negatively affected. Banana, food. Foods with a high glycemic roasted channa, carrots, fruits, roastindex lead to mood swings. Foods ed chivda, yoghurt, boiled egg, nuts with the best brain sugars include and seeds are all good snack options. the following: fruits; apples, cher- Avoid fried foods though, as they will ries, oranges, and grapes have a low make you feel drowsy and lethargic.

Finally, it is also important to hyglycemic index. Even banana releases sugar slowly in the body and is a good drate your body enough. Besides a choice. Fruits have a lower G.I than minimum 8 glasses of water, also eat fruit juices, because the fiber in the enough water rich foods like fruits fruit slows the absorption of the fruit and vegetables, soups and broths, and sugar. Amongst cereals and grains: make sure you sip enough water!

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O p e n

L e t t e r

Dear Exams

H

ello! I guess we’re pretty well acquainted with each other.

For you are all that has been running through my head all these past 3 months. You sure are familiar to each tenth grader around. Apparently, in a frenzy of excitement, the school decided to gift us a full three course meal of you. With the same syllabus. Kind of like mastication, isn’t it? Makes me feel like I’m cattle.

You have deteriorated to tedious repetition of chew the syllabus, vomit it out. Chew and vomit some more on the next cycle…and more, and more and more. In December, for starters, we had the docile second semester version of you. In January, we were treated to the tricky pre-board version of you, which also doubled our stream allotment. Hardly had a couple of days passed, that our practicals commenced. And now, we await the main course. The boards version of you. The “future- decid-

our textbooks, and, more importantly to procure them at the right time?

Why should any child’s entire future be tied to a few scrawled lines on a bunch of sheets of paper?

Helen Keller was of the opinion that you exist solely for the confusion of those who truly seek knowledge and I do happen to agree with her. Walking on the path of knowledge and wisdom, you rise up from the earth and tower above us all like ing” “fate – changing” version, with an impassable barrier. And when we all kinds of weird rules and regula- finish the hard climb to the crest and tions. But I wanted to ask you a few the bumpy ride back down on the questions. Ironical, right? But yeah, other side, we are only greeted with a I never really understood what you taller and more forbidding version of hope to achieve. How can you judge you, with more questions and more the intelligence level of millions of weightage than ever before. students, specializing and interested in millions of different fields, from By their answers to the same question?

Khushi Singh How do expect us children to rememClass X Khaitan School, Noida ber the thousands of bits of information that you force us to mug up from

Apparently, in a frenzy of excitement, the school decided to gift us a full three course meal of you.

With the same syllabus.

Kind of like mastication, isn’t it? Makes me feel like I’m cattle.

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 25

S t u d y

G u i d e

Dealing with Deferrals:

A Different kind of Love Letter It’s February! With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air and students are studying for exams. With Valentine’s Day come love letters (or love emails), but for our applicants applying to colleges abroad, we want to cover a different kind of letter, the Deferral Update Letter. Our expert, Urvashi Malik to the rescue!

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or Early applicants (Early Action or Early Decision) the deferral can feel heartbreaking. For a lot of high-performing applicants it’s the first time they’ve felt

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a form of rejection and the instinct is to react, as “whyyyyyy” rather like the love-struck, heartbroken lead of a romantic comedy but, resist the urge.

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First of all, a Deferral is NOT a Rejection. There are steps you can take to make your profile stronger and convert the deferral into an acceptance. We will continue with the

S t u d y Love Letter analogy we started with as we examine what to do, and what not to do. And so, treat the letter like a Love Letter, written carefully, with passion, showing your best self to win over the college.

Do Be Yourself: You don’t want

the college to fall in love with some phantom version of you. Be the excited, incredible person who applied during the early round. Thank them for the opportunity to still be evaluated. Tell them that you’re excited about the college and if possible, tell them why – “My conversation with Maya, Class of 2021, over the holidays gave me the same sense of excitement about University College as the school website. She showed me pictures of the quad covered in twinkling lights and I could imagine myself there, walking back from Art History class or to the Model UN meeting. Living up to the motto of Veritas by looking for my own truths that motivate me.” That is what

Don’t overdo the letter by sending too many things.

Don’t send them a new essay unless they ask you.

Don’t attach a massive project, they won’t read it.

G u i d e

– tell them about it. Remember though, we specified NEW. Don’t repeat what you already told them.

They read that already and it wasn’t enough at this stage.

Write a Letter, not a Novel: We

said this when it came to the application, the admissions committee has a motto “the thicker the file, the quicker it sinks.” Don’t overdo the letter by sending too many things.

Don’t send them a new essay unless moves the admissions team to ac- they ask you. Don’t attach a massive cept you. project, they won’t read it. Honestly, put yourself in their shoes. Would Give Them NEW Reasons to you rather read a short, 1-2 page Love You: Early deadline is a ways document or a novel once you’ve away and in those few months since spend all day working? Likely the they received your application you concise document! may have more news for them.

There may be a new achievement Don’t Be a Stalker: Don’t send mulor recognition – the book you were tiple letters, or god help you, a letter working on getting published made every week. In real life, stalker-ish it to print, you won the champion- behavior like sending unwanted letship game and won the MVP award, ters, calling all the time, showing up you have better grades to show them when they told you not to, would get you a restraining order. Same rule applies here. Moreover, don’t beg in your letter. You don’t love someone who begs. You may pity them. But colleges don’t give out pity acceptances.

Do Remember There Are other Fish in the Sea: College may not

seem like a fish, but the analogy applies. There is more to life than just one college. You (hopefully) sent in more than just a single application.

Remember to evaluate all the colleges fairly and don’t just get hung up on one college. It may not seem like it now, but people attend other colleges, sometimes those colleges weren’t their first choice, yet they all graduate as successful people who have let go and moved on.

Deferrals and waitlists are difficult and we all know that. Reach out to us at CollegeCore if you have questions on how to convert the College or University’s maybe into a yes.

Find us at www.collegecore.in

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W o r t h y

O p p o n e n t

Can We Have

The Final Call?

Year after year, this time around takes on a different, ghastly turn. No matter how we look at it, exams instil a general air of panic all around us. So we asked our student reporters what they thought of exams, and if they should be there at all.

Do we have Horse Blinders On?

If there is something that is interesting, compelling, useful, or otherwise favourable to the development t is true. We have become more of a student’s understanding of the competitive than ever before. To world, but which is not going to be choose the “BEST” amongst a huge on the standardised test, then there population is to answer a list of ques- really isn’t any incentive to cover tions with a particular set of answers, that material. If young adults don’t where critical thinking or analytical understand their surrounding and skills are of no use because that is not the political and economic aspects what we are looking for. You might be of it then how do we expect them an amazing orator or a great dancer to contribute to the development of but solving a math paper in three the country. With the 10th and 12th hours is what will define you accord- boards approaching, we would see ing to our education system. the list of achievers, but at the same Teenagers are often subjected to time, we fail to notice the shattered undue pressure to succeed in tests dreams of those who were not able and not all are able to cope with to match up to the “best” standards the failure of not performing well of our education system. enough, and that affects their psyche I would like to conclude by saying to a great extent. Those who are not that each and everyone of us is wonable to keep up with the rest when it comes to performing well in standard examinations, start considering themselves inferior to everyone else, even though they might be talented in their very own way. We call the youth the change makers and the future of the society when we are literally constricting what they should learn.

School is seen as a stepping stone where the child learns to face the world but do we really teach them any practical life skill? So much emphasis is placed on standardised tests, teachers spend more and more time teaching just for the test.

I

Almanya Singh Class XI Sanskriti School, Delhi

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derful in our very own way and we should always hold on to our true potential no matter what.The change is within us and to see our country reach great heights, we need the skills of each and everyone as they are unique and no examination should define who you are.

Choose to See the Good

H

ow do you measure effort?

How do you measure hard work? How do you quantify subjective skills that every child should have, within a limited time range? As people have realized over the years, it’s practically impossible. But that doesn’t justify not doing it at all either. After all, the point of the education system is to inculcate these values into children, and to teach them to survive in a hyper competitive, survival-of-thefittest world.

Which brings us to the realization that standardized tests are the best way to do that. They provide a fair means for students to compete, and to teach them to make the effort to pass that examination. Now, the arguments against standardized testing have always been that the tests are on things a child doesn’t even need to know for life, with the age old line of “where will I use trigonometry?” almost inevitably coming

W o r t h y

Advait Mani Class XI DPS Sushant Lok up. However, the fact is, till school level, where standardized testing is very common, the syllabus is very basic. The 10th grade board exams do not test students on advanced mathematics, or even advanced history. They simply put forth a baseline level of the subject as an exam.

Further, it is not about where students apply that knowledge, but that they learn how to understand concepts in general. Because, let’s face it, somewhere along the way, in life, they are going to have to learn something new, and if at that time, they are not able to put in the effort to understand and practice that concept, it leads to much bigger issues than doing badly on a standardized test.

The problem is that people think learning is easy. It is a skill to be able to sit down, and persistently keep chipping away at it to understand it.

It is a skill to be able to memorize key facts and numbers. It is a skill to be able to apply different methods of solving questions depending on the situation. And all of this, is taught to us at a very young age, by something we antagonize, standardized tests.

Now, another argument against standardized tests is the suicide statistics. However, people don’t commit suicide because of standardized tests, they commit suicide due to the toxic environment surrounding

them. They commit suicide because it becomes a matter of “If I don’t do well, I have failed in life.”

This is not something standardized tests promote. This is a matter of how a child approaches a test in the first place. If you take it as a humbling experience, and understand that you should work harder next time, it makes you a stronger person. Essentially, if parents and society and children were to treat standardized tests and preparing for them as an experience (as they are meant to be), it would be hugely beneficial for everyone.

Humans, as a species, tend to be lazy. If you didn’t have to get to school, you wouldn’t get out of bed till 9. The discipline that standardized tests impose in you, to be regular, to revise, is a gift. These standardized tests teach us life skills, and we do not even realize how often we use those skills. They teach us the value of perseverance, to keep going at a problem till we solve it. They teach us humility, and expose us to the reality of how many people are smarter or as smart as us. They teach us to do things we don’t like, for a greater reward. Most importantly, they teach us to grit our teeth and get on with it, something that aids us forever.

Learning…or Mastering?

R

emember the time you performed exceptionally in the exams? I’m sure you do.

Now remember what you learnt, or I should say memorized, before that superb exam? I’m sure you don’t (At least 95% of it).

Today, we are living in a society where scoring is the only key to success. And what comes next, is forgetting everything which helped you score. We are living in a time where our report card defines who we are.

But why? Why is each 15-year old’s report card based on the same as-

O p p o n e n t

sessment, when we are different individuals? THAT is a question, which needs to be answered.

Each of us have a set of skills which is distinct. Yet, we are made to study the same things at the same pace. Why? Because we are of the same age! The idea itself, is rather illogical, from my perspective. Learn what you are taught, give a test, get marks which tell you how well you have learnt and move on to the next topic. Where is that stage where we correct and ‘learn’ from our mistakes so that they aren’t repeated in the future?

The education system today, definitely teaches us vast things, but not mastery. It is purely based on how much we can memorize and how much of it can we retain till the test, after which we are going to forget each and every word of what we

Chitralekha Makhija Class X Delhi Public School, Sec-45, Gurgaon learnt. Now this isn’t going to get us anywhere, because we know a lot of things, remember a little less of them, but aren’t experts not even in one of them.

Instead of this traditional way of learning, why not a system where slowly, each student gets to master the concept and then move on to the next one and like this, grasp the concept so well that they can’t score less than 100%? In this age of development, we have the resources and the technology to develop the education system as well. So, why only learn, when you can master?

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 29

E x p e r t

E x p r e s s i o n

It’s Time to

Broaden the Horizon

We know for a fact that the class X boards are set to make a comeback in this year.

We have over a period of time, had different takes on the issue. Be it students, teachers or other stakeholders from the education sector. But that has given us little clarity about the system that was CCE, and what the reintroduction of the boards means for the students. We have an expert in the field, Sandhya Awasthi give us her critical opinion and analysis of the entire issue.

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hat are the objectives of education to the current generation of students?

Do we aim to prepare our students for 21st century and to develop core skills like Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Creativity and Imagination, Communication and Collaboration, Digital Literacy, Student leadership and Personal development and Citizenship ; imbuing them with capacities that would lead them to be empathetic and capable professionals with sound knowledge and deep skills? Or are we aiming to prepare paper tigers low on skills that lead them towards personal and professional success? It is a question that must lead our educational reforms and free our system of knee jerk and hasty decisions.

The recently released ASER Report throws an interesting light on the state of the Indian Education

32 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

scenario. It highlights that about 1 in every 10 Indians is between 14 and 18 years old. Even though many complete elementary school, but lack foundational skills. Over the years, the proportion of youth acquiring even foundational skills has been worryingly low.

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In this scenario it is important to understand how students learn and enable educators and schools adopt pedagogies that address this need.

Shift to student centric learning, i.e., independent learning, differential learning, personalised and differentiated learning, building critical and creative thinking; skill building is the need of the hour. Enhancement, Enterprise and Innovation must fuel our strategies. Providing meaningful education that address both lives and livelihoods are important. We must engage in Curriculum Reform using Assessment for Learning before Assessment of Learning and a refocus from teaching to learning must guide our schools.

Assessment and Evaluation is an integral part of education system.

While assessment refers to the wide variety of methods

E x p e r t

or tools that educators use to measure and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition or educational needs of students, Evaluation is the act of passing judgment based on set of standards.

Keeping this in mind CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation) was introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education in India for students of sixth to tenth grades. The main aim of CCE was to evaluate every aspect of the child during their presence at the school.

In my opinion, CCE system was indeed a wonderful system as it gives a student the opportunity to learn, reflect, improve and finally succeed. It needed further fine tuning, research and reform as all systems do. Teachers needed ongoing training so that they learnt to handle the system to the best advantage of their students.

There was a lot more to be evolved and explored and this was work in progress. It is true that its introduction and acceptance had teething problem but we abandoned a sound

E x p r e s s i o n

ing. Board Examinations!!! It is a constant thought on the young impressionable minds of children. A thought that weighs so heavy on the minds of some, that all else is lost. The pursuit of marks that are publicly declared becomes a watershed event. The pursuit becomes of scoring, anyhow – cramming, remembering and memorising –all is fair in this challenge. System breeds competition. Schools are compared in newspapers, top scorers feted and celebrated; learning becomes a circus!

In developed countries such as Finland, there are no mandated standardized tests, apart from one exam at the end of students’ senior year in high school. There are no rankings, no comparisons or comsystem midway without exploring petition between students, schools its full potential and without study- or regions.

For India to progress we must ading its full impact.

With the reintroduction of Board dress the Learning Needs of the 1 in exams in class X, focus will once every 10 Indian who is between 14 again be on memorising the content and 18 years, it will come through instead of comprehensive knowl- a reformed Assessment system that edge of concepts or deep learn- frees itself from the cobwebs of time.

The pursuit of marks that are publicly declared becomes a watershed event. The pursuit becomes of scoring, anyhow – cramming, remembering and memorising –all is fair in this challenge. System breeds competition.

Schools are compared in newspapers, top scorers feted and celebrated; learning becomes a circus!

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 33

P h o t o

W a l k

Nature and its

34 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

Hues

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P h o t o

W a l k

By Vedanshi Menghani Class IX Birla Vidya Niketan, Pushp Vihar

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 35

OH!

IT’S GHANTAKARNA!

WAIT!

THERE MUST BE SOME EXPLANATION FOR THIS BELL TOO! THERE’S NO MONSTER!!

I THOUGHT I MUST PROTECT YOU FROM THOSE VILLAGERS! AS I TOLD YOU I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT MY GUESTS. DADA GIRI HAD HEARD OF THE LEGEND OF GHANTAKARNA, AND FORTUNATELY WE HAD A BELL WITH US, SO… I AM NOT YOUR GUEST!

LET’S FIND OUT WHO’S RINGING THAT BELL, BANGLE!

GRRRR… GRRRRRR…

THE SOUND IS COMING FROM THAT MANGO GROVE THERE!

AND I DON’T WANT ANY PROTECTION FROM YOU’RE YOU! PLEASE DON’T A FOREIGNER HERE, KEEP FOLLOWING AND YOU DON’T KNOW ME! WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU! DADA GIRI AND I WILL BE VERY OFFENDED IF YOU REFUSE TO COME WITH US, WON’T WE, DADA?

DADA MIGHT EVEN DO… ER… THINGS TO YOUR DOG! HIS FAVOURITE FOOD IS DOGS’ EARS!

WHAT!

WOOF! WOOF!!

58

57

NO, PLEASE, DON’T HURT BANGLE! WE’LL COME WITH YOU!!

BUT-�

GOOD, GOOD! I KNEW YOU WERE A SENSIBLE GIRL! NOW LET’S GET INTO THE CART.

FASTER, BANGLE! WOOF!

I DON’T THINK THE QUEEN’S SOLDIERS WILL ALLOW ME TO DO THAT!

WHAT?

LET’S SEE IF WE CAN SHAKE THEM OFF, BANGLE!

DRAT! IT'S THOSE SOLDIERS!

YOU’VE GIVEN US A LOT OF TROUBLE, MISS! A LOT OF TROUBLE!

I HAVE HALF A MIND TO TIE YOU UP! IN FACT, I’LL DO THAT IF YOU TRY TO ESCAPE AGAIN! NOW GET IN!

60

59

TO be Continued...

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Volume 03 | Issue 06 | January 2018 | 37

S t o r y t e l l i n g

1

THE TOWN GRAVEYARD Blackville was village far-away from any other township. It had rudimental amenities. A clinic run by the government, a police station, a post office, some shops, a school and about fifty houses. It also had a cemetery which was built by the first dwellers of Blackville.

One night, a group of teenagers were walking home, each of them staring down at their shoes, not really paying much attention to anything. The fact was, they lived in a small town and it had been just another boring day in this boring town.

Things had gotten so bad that they didn’t even talk that much anymore because there wasn’t anything new to talk about.

That is, until they happened to pass the town graveyard.

The ringleader of their little group saw an opportunity for something interesting to happen (finally), so he made a sudden turn down the dirt road that lead into the graveyard.

The rest of them followed, half reluctantly and half excitedly. The graveyard had been established by the mysterious first settlers of the town and was an old, spooky place full of crooked tombstones and moss covered trees. It was definitely terrifying to be there after dark, but at least it wasn’t boring.

2

THE DARE AND THE KNIFE

As they passed the cemetery gate the twisted trees started to block out most of the moonlight and it gave the air a thick, eerie look.

“Oooooooo,” said the boy who was the ringleader, in a fake ghost voice and waving his hands in the air, “whoooooo’s scared? I bet you are… VICTORIA!” He yelled the last

38 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

The Girl who

Loved Grave word and jumped out at a girl who had been looking around nervously.

She screamed and the rest of the group laughed (mostly because they were happy it wasn’t them that got scared). If it wasn’t so dark out they would have seen her face turning bright red in embarrassment. “Oh stop being so stupid,” she said trying to compose herself so everyone would stop laughing.

“Who’s stupid?” said the boy smirking, “at least, I’m not afraid of some old piles of dirt.”

“I’m not afraid!” she said a bit too loudly and made a point of walking near a grave.

“I wouldn’t get too close,” said the boy, “if you stand on a grave after dark a hand will come up from the dirt and grab… YOUR FOOT!” he yelled and pointed at her left foot.

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Of course, she screamed and jumped away from the grave instantly. The whole group around her burst out into hysterical laughter.

This was too much for Victoria to bear. “You’re full of it,” she said, gathering up her courage and walking over to the grave. She made herself stand on top of it, “See, nothing.

Who’s the stupid one now?”

“Oh no, you did not,” said the boy, between paroxysms of laughter, “you wouldn’t be so brave if we weren’t all here to save you if something took hold of your foot.” He then handed her something and said “Here.”

“A knife?” she said, “Oh so what, I’m supposed to be stabbing zombies now?”

“No. We,” said the boy pointing to himself and the rest of the group, “are going to finish walking home.

S t o r y t e l l i n g stories,” said Victoria and she made a big point of folding her arms and sitting down on the grave.

She listened to the footsteps going away from her and was hoping that her friend would come back to drag her off, but she had no such luck. Soon the footsteps completely faded away, leaving her with only the faint rustling of the dry grass.

Victoria sat there shivering on the grave, the hair on the back of her neck standing up as she became extra sensitive to every little noise around her.

How long would she need to stay there to prove she wasn’t afraid?

leg free, but it only tripped her up and made her fall down onto the grave. She thrashed and screamed but it was of no use, something was holding her foot. Then everything went dead silent.

4

THE DEATH

The next day at school word got around that Victoria hadn’t come home the night before. The kids from the group all looked at each other guiltily, then snuck out of class as soon as they got the chance.

They headed to the graveyard, once again not talking, but this time for a different reason. Each one of them was thinking about what they might find there.

As they walked up to the grave their worst fears were realized.

There she was in front of the tombstone, dead but with eyes open and a horror struck look on her face.

Down by her right foot was the knife, still sticking through the corner of her jeans and into the ground.

In her hurry to get away, Victoria had stabbed the knife right through And if you’re not too chicken then Every second that passed seemed the corner of her jeans by her foot you can stand on the grave properly, to make her heart beat harder and and into the dirt. It wasn’t something from the grave that had gotten by yourself, and then stick that knife harder. a hold of her, it was only the knife. in the grave to prove that you actuShe heard a thud from someThe group stared in horror and, ally did it.” where behind her and practically after they retained their senses, they “Fine, whatever,” said Victoria. She jumped out of her skin, and at that ran to their families to tell them had meant to sound tough but as usu- she decided she couldn’t wait any al it just came out weak. She watched longer. Plus …had the ground be- what had happened. The families as the group turned around and neath her moved a bit? Just thinking went to the graveyard with a guard. walked down the dirt path towards about the ground moving made her The mother of Victoria broke-down the gate, they were all giggling. heart practically pound out of her while her husband tried to console chest and she could barely breathe. her but he himself was heartbroken.

The group apologized over and With shaking hands she unfolded the knife as fast as she could manage over again but the damage was done. and then stabbed the blade straight They swore to never go to that graveHEART BEATING FAST into the dirt below. yard ever again.

“Victoria!” whispered somebody But when she got up to walk off from the back of the group, “Just she realized with a sickening sense By forget it and come on.” It was a girl’s of horror that she couldn’t walk.

Aryan Sinha voice, so it was probably her friend Something had held her left foot!

Class IX Tagore International School, Rakisha.

“Help! Help it’s got me!” she yelled East Of Kailash “No, I’m tired of him and his fake while desperately trying to pull her

eyards

“I wouldn’t get too close,” said the boy, “if you stand on a grave after dark a hand will come up from the dirt and grab… YOUR FOOT!” he yelled and pointed at her left foot.

3

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 39

T e e n

T r a v e l s

Tilting the Globe South T

ime seemed to have come to a standstill. “Just one more week, six days, five…” the countdown began. We could hardly wait! In a week, we would be in Australia!

Finally it dawned, the big day. We were up and at it extra early, too excited to sleep and too eager to catch the flight. Soon, we landed in Melbourne amidst icy showers which didn’t deter us in the least. We caught a bus at the airport and were off. We jumped from tram to tram in the free tram zone, splashed about in the rain, watched ducks wade about and had an amazing time.

When we returned to the airport,

40 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

we boarded a flight to Hobart. We took a guided tour of Hobart, and took a leisurely drive to Geeveston (a pretty Australian timber town with awesome wood carvings). We paid a visit to the stunning Hastings caves that were shrouded with stalactites and stalagmites and on its slopes I had an amazing time, pelting my brother and parents with snowballs and trying to dodge their shots.

On the second day, we visited Bruny Island (after Bruni d’Entrecasteau). We boarded a boat and explored the Entrecasteaux bay, spotting seals sunning themselves and wonders such as the sneezing

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T e e n rock.

Day three was the best day of the trip. That is, if you are an animal lover like me. We visited the Bonorong national park. We spotted Tasmanian devils, quolls, wombats, koalas, snakes, parakeets, kookaburras and hundreds upon hundreds of kangaroos. The kangaroos roamed free and were so tame that they accepted kangaroo feed right out of my hand.

I really didn’t want to leave and almost had to be dragged out for we had to catch our next flight, to Sydney!

Sydney was similar to most other metropolitan cities in the traf-

fic, noise, hustle-bustle and flurry of never-ending activity. We spent one of our three days in Sydney for sightseeing. We had a horrible experience with our travelling passes for trams but when we finally reached the majestic opera house, our worries were forgotten. I ran up the stairs at full tilt and oh, the views!

Our day eight was a full powered blast of indigenous Australian culture. We spent a day with the aboriginal natives at Tjapukai. We were taught the traditional hunting methods, using a boomerang to shoot flocks of birds, throwing spears at wild animals etc.

We also got our faces painted in colorful tribal masks, what fun! Post the cultural blast, we took a ropeway cable car ride along the Bar-

ron Gorge National Park. We saw breathtaking aerial views of the forest and we rode alongside the majestic Barron falls.

We visited Green Island, via a boat.

Here we experienced the gorgeous picture perfect beaches and caught a glimpse of the beautiful great barrier reef. We coaxed our grandparents into paragliding which they enjoyed, though it did give them a jolt! We took a tour on a glass bottomed boat and finally embarked for an undersea voyage. Beautiful shoals of fish

T r a v e l s

drifted around right in front of our eyes! One of the most magical, not to mention expensive, days of the trip, right out of a fairy tale!!

Next, we left for the gold coast, which was a child’s paradise. We visited Seaworld, a full day of watery fun. We watched a play featuring the seal detective (who was a real seal)!

After that?

THE MOVIE WORLD!!!!! We met Shaggy, Scooby-doo, Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Marylin Monroe and so many other characters that I can hardly name them.

There was a movie hall showcasing a 3D episode of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner! We, or actually I, rode on amazing rides at super speeds. What a thrill!

Our last stop was Brisbane where we lodged with

college friends of my granddad. It was a beautiful city, relatively quiet and picturesque. There were a lot of tourist attractions around. All too soon, it was time to return to the heat of the northern hemisphere and we had to bid goodbye to the thrill of adventure, as well as to the continent down under.

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By Khushi Singh Class X Khaitan School, Noida

Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 41

C y b e r S a f e

Much Ado and Why?

Understanding Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Bitcoins and cryptocurrency are the new buzzwords. There was news recently of some people making millions in just one or two years by smartly investing in bitcoins. To such an extent that even some top Indian minds are contemplating creating a digital currency of their own. It definitely creates a curious atmosphere for others; but is it really safe or legal to invest in bitcoins or is it just a bubble like any other investment schemes? Our expert, Amit Dubey explain the latest fad

W

ith the market cap of more than $270 billion, the bitcoin gained momentum when its price touched whopping a $16,500 last year. Bitcoin is not really a new concept as it has existed since 2009 and was traded at a very low value initially. Its growth was

42 | Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018

also linear for a few years but then it picked up at an exponential rate.

It had been trading around $500 in the year 2015 and touched $1000 by 2016. It then went on to break all the records in year 2017 when a single bitcoin came to be valued at $16500.

It was quite fluctuating in beginning

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of 2018 and its current value could be around $14000.

Interestingly, if you had invested just $100 in Bitcoin in 2009, you would now be richer to the tune of $3.67 million.

Bitcoin is not the only digital currency, there are other alternatives

C y b e r S a f e

like Ethereum, Ripple, Dash, Litecoin, and NEO. So what are the basics of a digital currency?

Bitcoin is a digital currency built on top of the blockchain technology.

It is also known as virtual currency or cryptocurrency. Technically, it’s just a sequence of 0s and 1s, stored in some remote computers around the world. It is virtual so you can’t print or store it.

Bitcoin works over blockchain technology. Blockchain is considered as one of the most safe technologies to store data in a distributed manner. This distributed way of managing these ledgers makes it not only anonymous but also hack proof to a great extent. Blockchains store and manage digital transactions that are public, secure, and distributed.

Bitcoin was first introduced in 2009 by an unknown individual/ group named “Satoshi Nakamoto”.

The mystery still remains as there has been no clue about real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Bitcoin was invented as an interesting way to pay for transactions without a third-party like a bank. It handles peer to peer transactions

Bitcoin was first introduced in 2009 by an unknown individual/ group named “Satoshi Nakamoto”. The mystery still remains as there has been no clue about real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. without any middlemen.

Just like an email address, you create a bitcoin wallet account and then that address becomes your identity to be used for every transaction. However, there is no transaction fees involved.

Some experts predict that Bitcoin or Cryptocurrency is the future of money and it will eventually replace all other currencies in future. Today, many tech-savvy online retailers accept bitcoins. You can order services like web-hosting, buy merchandise, and even a coffee. Many online ecommerce portals accept bitcoins along with other cryptocurrencies like LiteCoin, and Dogecoin.

The users for Bitcoin are also increasing day by day. Many of the popular retail brands have started accepting payments in bitcoins, like Virgin Galactic, Dish Network, Expedia, Microsoft, Zynga, Starbucks, and Subway etc.

You might be thinking: Why do I need bitcoins if I already have a credit card and can buy anything using that too?

Bitcoin is a new form of currency and is enjoying an exponential growth. Some people believe that the value of bitcoins will keep on growing over time because more and more people and businesses will start using it. People buy bitcoins as an investment vehicle. As a matter of fact, the value of 1 bitcoin has increased from $1000 to $16,000 in one year.

When you make any payment through Bitcoins, nobody would ever get to know about such a transaction or who the actual owner of the money is. Because of which a lots of criminals use bitcoins for their dubious activities.

There are several cryptocurrency marketplaces (online websites or apps) called “cryptocurrency ex-

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Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 43

C y b e r S a f e

changes” that allow people to buy or sell bitcoins using different currencies. You can buy bitcoins using your local currency and start buying and selling bitcoins like any stock trade.

When you open an account, you get a digital address and that address is your identity to buy, sell, or pay in bitcoins. You can find some popular cryptocurrency exchanges like, Coinone, Bitthumb, Bitfinex, Quoine, Bittrex, HitBTC, Poloniex, Kraken etc.

Bitcoins are managed through your online digital accounts just like your online bank account, called a “digital wallet”. You can buy or sell bitcoins through your digital wallets.

Bitcoin is a virtual currency and has no tangible value. You can’t hide it like the real cash with the hope to use it in difficult times. Not everybody accept the bitcoins. Bitcoin value fluctuates a lot. Even though the value of bitcoin is rising, it doesn’t mean it will not go down. There may be a day, when bitcoin can go down 50% in just matter of hours. Some experts have even predicted that Bitcoin is a bubble.

As bitcoins are stored in digital wallets, more and more hackers will eventually target bitcoins if the val-

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Even though the value of bitcoin is rising, it doesn’t mean it will not go down. There may be a day, when bitcoin can go down 50% in just matter of hours. Some experts have even predicted that Bitcoin is a bubble. ue continues to grows. There have been many hacks into these wallets and bitcoins have been stolen in the past.

Bitcoin is not owned by a country, group, or person. Bitcoin is owned solely by its users. Initially, new bitcoins have to be mined and the miners get some bitcoins, those later can be sold to other people.

But what does mining of bitcoins even mean?

Bitcoin mining is the process of creating new bitcoins and the person creating new bitcoins are called bitcoin miners.

However, there is a limit on total number of bitcoins, which can be produced. There are only 21 million

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Bitcoins that can be mined in total, out of which 16 million bitcoins have already been mined.

Bitcoin mining is the process of adding transaction records to Bitcoin public ledger of past transactions or blockchain. Blockchain are the digital records of all past transactions. These blockchain are the important key records as they ensure the authenticity and execution of such transactions.

A successful miner who finds a new block is rewarded with newly created bitcoins and transaction fees.

Today, many large institutions and crypto leaders have invested heavily in Bitcoin. As a matter of fact, 4% of people own 96% of bitcoins.

Bitcoin is not regulated or backed by any country or government. It is private peer-to-peer transaction. All parties in bitcoin transactions are anonymous. Bitcoin is not illegal but it has been regulated in some countries.

I personally feel that all these digital currencies will have a quick growth initially for three to four years but then they all will reach some equilibrium in sometime and, then they will play a key role to democratize the world economics.

I n

T h e

N e w s

‘I’ for Intolerance

What the ‘i’ in the – now “Padmaavat” – “Padmavati” stands for, Maria Javed writes

S

o unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve most probably heard about the mayhem that has broken out in the form of nationwide protests against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic period drama, “Padmaavat”. Mired in controversy for its alleged “misrepresentations” and “indecent portrayal of the Rajput queen Padmini” ever since it was being shot and amidst calls for its ban resonating across several states in the country, the release of this much-awaited, while at the same time much-hated (but for no rational reason) film has witnessed mindless vandalism and violent protests in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and even in parts of Madhya Pradesh & Jammu and Kashmir. Hundreds of supporters of fringe groups like the Karni Sena have been creating a ruckus over this supposedly ‘history-distorting’ movie in the name of protecting their cultural heritage and community pride. Meanwhile the political parties, which are in power in the three states that tried to ban the film, have stood by as the Karni Sena goons have vandalized movie halls, threatened cinema owners and terrorized the public. The situation got out of hand to a point where in Gurgaon, adjacent to the national capital of Delhi, a group of angry protesters pelted stones at a school bus carrying children, teachers and staff members. Petrified children crouched on the floor, some clamping their mouth in fear, as they found themselves surrounded by protesters brandishing sticks, rods, stones and bricks. And appallingly, and even more frustratingly, these miscreants received no kind of confrontation by any authority whatsoever for what can be called a fairly long time. So much for being unprejudiced.

The truth is that there is absolutely no basis for the mass hysteria that we are witnessing today. In an era when the world is evolving tremendously with diverse avenues for creative expression and endeavour, we as a nation are undoubtedly regressing to an utterly intolerant environment that stifles and quashes creative and artistic freedom, which signifies the strangling of our very basic right to freedom of expression. We cannot allow the arbitrariness of certain uninformed individuals to control our lives. Just because these people – who, by their own admission, have not even watched the film – have decided to act on impulse, fabricate a ridiculous story about a movie, which has been certified by the CBFC and a panel of historians, portraying historical facts “inaccurately” and generate controversy out of nothing, they should be allowed to go around making downright offensive and derogatory comments about the various actors and the director, openly issuing death threats to an actress who has expended a colossal effort to depict the Rajput queen in earnest and with absolute honesty and demanding that their heads or noses or whatever be chopped off? What a ridiculous joke!

Moreover, what an absolute mockery of the law and order of our democratic nation. Once the highest court in the land has cleared the film for screening throughout the country, there is no reason for anyone to protest the way the publicity-crazy goons have been.

It’s about time that we started not only questioning but also acting to put an end to these habitual outbursts of aggression and hostility at almost any and everything under the sun as well as the hurling of baseless allegations and accusations, thus victimizing certain groups or individuals while attempting to terrorize all others. Being a teenager, this is all it boils down to: My parents disallowed me from going to watch the film in question. Not because of any personal prejudice, no.

But they were afraid that their 15 year old daughter might lose her life due to the crazed protesters potentially attacking the movie theatre and possibly burning it down.

Is this really what we’ve come down to?

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By Maria Javed Class IX Modern School, Barakhamba Road

Volume 03 | Issue 07 | February 2018 | 45

D I Y

Wall Text Lamp Amidst all the exam chaos, let us not lose track of what is important in life! The people we adore. Find a few moments to take your mind off books? Create a personalized gift that will always stay with people. Here is a simple DIY for creating something special and personal

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D I Y

You will require: • • • • • • • •

Cardboard Sheet Pencil Cutter Permanent Marker Plastic Sheet Fairy Lights Glue Gun Print of the Word You Wish to Use

Now follow these steps: • Take a print out of the word you would like to use • Take a plastic sheet, and using a permanent marker, draw a rough outline of the word on it • Now flip the sheet and notice the mirror image of the word • Take a cardboard sheet, and using the flip word as the reference, transfer it out onto the cardboard sheet • Use a pencil to copy the word onto

the cardboard sheet • With the help of an X-Acto knife/cutter, cut out the word cleanly • Once you take the word cut out, and flip it, you will notice the word has come out cleanly • Flip it back, and on the mirrored text, we are going to stick fairy lights • You can use a glue gun or sticky tape to stick the lights in place • You can place the Text Lamp on a shelf or tie a string and hang on the wall To watch video, look for “Wall Text Lamp | Mad Stuff With Rob” on YouTube Follow Rob and share your DIYs with him @: Facebook.com/MadStuffWithRob Twitter.com/MadStuffWithRob Instagram.com//MadStuffWithRob

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R A P

U P

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali Starring: Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor

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fter crossing the great oceans of protests and violence, the world got to see the much anticipated, Padmaavat. Let me begin by appreciating Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ability to play with characters like they are on his fingertips. Padmaavat is the confluence of enigmatic music, excellent cinematography, brave acting and subtle direction.

The movie is based on a poem of the 14th century poet, Malik Muhammad Jayasi, which talks about the Rajput Queen Padmaavati who performed jauhar or self immolation to conquer enslavement by the ruthless Sultan of Dilli. A Rajput emperor,

role of Maharawal Ratan Singh, was valiant in his acting and was an equal counterpart to Deepika. Surprisingly, Jim Sarbh who plays Malik Kafur, Khilji’s personal manservant and his oldest friend, is extremely ardent in his performance. Now we come to the backbone of the film, Ranveer Singh.

History tells us Alauddin Khilji was a ruthless ruler and a person whom everyone feared. Ranveer Singh does exactly that. He is successful in making the audience hate his character which is also his achievement as an actor. The expressions , the persona, the attitude, the wrath, was dynamiMaharawal Ratan Singh marries the cally excellent. He rules the first half princess of Singhal (present day Sri of the film like an actual Sultan who’s Lanka), Padmaavati and brings her hungry for power. Aditi Rao Hydari to his kingdom, Chittor. After an en- who plays the Khilji’s oppres sed wife counter with the family priest, the looks beautiful in the film and has also emperor orders for a desh nikala shown immense talent in her role. for the priest. The priest, plotting to All in all, Padmaavat is an absoavenge the emperor lands in Dilli, lute Sanjay Leela Bhansali classic the arena of a Sultan. Enter Alauddin with an extremely intens e climax Khilji, who heard about the beauty of scene, amazing music, courag eous the Rajput Queen. Khilji, hungry for perfor mance s and excitin g war every precious thing which existed, scenes. The only drawback is that starts on his journey of conquering the first half comes out to be a bit Padmaavati. lengthy and feels like a bit of a drag.

Deepika Padukone who plays Pad- Rest everything is wonderful.

I give maavati does complete justice to the Padmaavat 4/5 stars. role and looks every form of regal.

The climax was probably her best By scene and the longest screen time Ananya Mohanty she’s gotten. Her performance in Class XI that shot was courageous and brave.

Amity International School, Shahid Kapoor who plays the pivotal Noida

“But it turned out that Goldie was kind of original.

Because Goldie didn’t die.”

Cheating time. Reversing senescence (aka the process of aging). Sounds like something out of a science fiction. Or ‘sciencyfiction’ in the words of Jennifer L. Holm.

Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses everything from her old best friend to her thirteenth unlucky gold-

fish. Then one day, her 76-yearold grandfather comes home. He is what one can call a mad scientist and he found out how to reverse aging. And he looks like a thirteen-year-old teenager.

With a carefree touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm explores the amazing world of science and fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.

The Fourteenth Goldfish

By Jennifer L. Holm

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R A P

3 Generations

Director: Gaby Dellal Starring: Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning, Susan Sarandon

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lesbian unmarried grandmother and her girlfriend (who just CANNOT act). A single mother who chose to copulate with two brothers 17 years ago.

And our presumed “protagonist”, a transgender boy, Ray. This eccentric background provided for the characters was sure to be the magnet for the unnecessary drama surrounded by clichés, and it seems like the director and script

This wonderful book is about finding one’s place in the world and broadening your horizons. It’s about growing up, facing change, and making decisions. It’s also about perseverance, imagination, and making friends, and above all; moving on.

Winner of innumerable laurels, you must not miss out on reading the book!

Believe in The Impossible Possible

writers did nothing to prevent that from happening. They let it happen, and the interest fizzled out by each passing minute. Extra unrelated details and shifting the focus constantly; director Gaby Dellal surely did a terrible job.

The dysphoria experienced and panic attacks by the character were hardly given any coverage; rather, they chose to entirely focus on the stubbornness of the father and the

U P

ever so conflicted mother.The saving grace was the humorously sassy Susan Sarandon, who kept me engaged as I waited for the one and a half hours to come to an end.

The climax came about way too late, and wasn’t stitched up well together. The ending was unclear for it was abrupt, but they managed to have a happy ending.

The coward Hollywood filmmakers - they didn’t want a gory, melancholic, tear-soaked film and chose to conveniently use transgender people, apparently the current ‘trend’, as a promotional tool for a film which really didn’t explore the topic, and they were successful.

Honest tip - watch only the last 15 minutes if you want the good parts, because the whole flow of events is terrible. Even the trailer might suffice, because that majorly covers all you might find interesting.

I wish it was as stirring and moving as certain reviews describe it; it’s disappointing to watch a film promoted as trans-positive but contains no real, bulky content related to the main theme.

Don’t watch it.

By Yatharth Vohra Class XI DPS, R K Puram

By Naayaa Mehta Class VII The Shri Ram School, Moulsari

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W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

RADDI BLOOMS

C

are for the environment and concern about the apathy of the people have motivated the students of Apeejay International school to come up with novel ideas to contribute towards the environment.

Each year these students distribute lakhs of winter saplings free of cost to anyone who is keen on having flowers bloom in their gardens or in their pots on the terrace. Almost thirty varieties of winter flowers such as Verbena, Calendula, Petunias etc. have brought joy to homes, residential societies, institutions and offices.

The farthest place that these saplings have been taken to is an upcoming university on Sohna Road beyond Gurugram. It has been a delight to see the smiles on the faces of the donors as well as the recipients as they hand over these saplings.

To commemorate their graduation from the Kindergarten to the Primary level of studies, the graduating students plant an Ashoka, on the school premises. These majestic trees have not only contributed to the environment but have also enhanced the beauty of the campus and have given an added sense of ownership to the students of the school.

These environment-warriors have reached out to the community too – with the help of the Horticulture Department of the GNIDA, they have

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Noida Apeejay International School, Greater

conducted tree plantation drives in the city and have also contributed to the U.P. government setting a Guinness World Record of planting one lakh trees in 10 sites within 24 hours – the students of this school planted over 6000 trees themselves.

This year, the students have come up with the most novel project of all called “Raddi Blooms” where they have asked people to deposit only 5 kgs of waste newspaper with them and take away a potted plant – ever-

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green or seasonal – in lieu.

The residents of the city have been enthusiastic participants in the project as they come to the school every day to deposit their stock of waste in exchange of a plant.

When asked what they would do with all the newspaper collected, Aman Guman, the student-head of the club said, “convert it to potted plants again”. The saplings flourish in the nursery made by the students and the pots are planted in the workarea marked for the project.

Ms Rekha Goel, the staff-incharge of the club tells us that this is a small way of encouraging the people to really care. “Clean up your room and take home a bloom’ is the motto of this project”, she informs us.

They call themselves “the environment warriors” and this they truly are.

In a world where the depleting greenery and degrading environment has now taken epic proportions and is of global concern, these young minds are a ray of hope.

t h e

The Story of

U n t o l d

Five Golden Arrows

We bring to you stories from Indian mythology which are little known to most readers, yet hold fascinating aspects of the epic narrative.

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s Kauravas were losing the battle of Mahabharata, Duryodhana approached Bheeshma one night and accused him of not fighting the war of Mahabharata to his full strength because of his affection for the Pandavas. Bheeshma greatly angered, immediately picked up five golden arrows and chanted mantras declaring that tomorrow he will kill the five Pandavas with the five golden arrows.

Duryodhana not having faith in his words asked Bheeshma to give over the custody of five golden arrows, saying that he will keep them and will return them the next morning.

set him free. Duryodhana was ashamed but being a Kshatriya, told Arjuna to ask for a boon. Arjuna replied he would ask for the honour gift later when he needed it. ***

It was during that night of Mahabharata war, when Krishna reminded Arjuna of his unfulfilled boon and told him to go to Duryodhana and ask for five golden arrows.

When Arjuna asked for the arrows Duryodhana was shocked but being a Kshatriya and bound by his promise he had to honour his words. He asked Arjuna how did he know about the golden arrows, *** to which Arjuna replied who else but Lord Krishna.

A FLASHBACK: Duryodhana again went to Long before the Mahabharata war, Panda- Bheeshma and requested vas were living in exile in a forest. Duryod- and requested for anothhana camped on the opposite side of the er five golden arrows. To pond where Pandavas were staying. Once which Bheeshma laughed while Duryodhana was taking bath in and replied this is that pond, the heavenly prince Gandhar- not possible. vas also came down. Duryodhana picked a fight with them only to be defeated and captured. Arjuna saved Duryodhana and

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“Emotions and Art makes mankind different from Animals - Anonymous.” Our expert at Camlin, Chandra Shekhar Ojha elaborates and explains different Arts in a series of articles!

Design (Industrial, Interior, Textile, Fashion, Jewellery, Accessory, Shoe etc.)

Art, contrary to popular belief, is not a high-brow elite thing displayed in galleries, which can seem impossible to understand. Art is all around us.

The house in which we live is a piece of art, so is the furniture and décor in the house, a saree or a dress one wears is a work of art, the idol of one’s favourite deity is a piece of art. The rangoli that decorates our homes is also a kind of art passed on from generations to generations. Decorating the salad or the table or thali is also an art. Hence, we need to stop fearing the arts, and see them coming closer to us.

There is another aspect which makes people stay away from art and that is the attempt at understanding it and then giving up if one is unable to do so. Do we deconstruct and try to understand everything we like? Do we wonder why Mogra is so intoxicating?

As they say, beauty is to be appreciated New Mediums like installation etc. and not always deconstructed, hence, RT is the very nature of a human Applied art is an interesting field. one does not need to understand evbeing. ART can easily be divided Whereas in fine art, art is for the sake ery work of art. Sometimes one has to into three categories, i.e., Perof art; in applied art, it has got a defi- only try and appreciate it. Art is highly forming Art, Fine Art and Applied Art. nite application.

Though, aesthetics subjective, so you may like some work Performing art include activities like are very important in case of applied of art very much and may not like the music, dance, drama, puppetry etc. art too, but the application of the art is other at all and your friend might have Whereas Fine art or plastic art, as supreme.

Though, one can argue that an exactly opposite opinion. The fun some academicians like to call it, can in India applied art is not as respected here is that both of you are right. So be further divided in branches, as the fine art, it demands of its creator just enjoy the ones you like and ignore Sculpture, to focus not only on aesthetics but has the ones you don’t!

Studio Pottery Drawing, to consider and ensure the application Painting, conveniences. The notable applied art Stay tuned for more artsy stuff in future issues, and for any queries, Printmaking, forms are: contact c.ojha@camlin.com.

Calligraphy, and Architecture

Art Appreciation A

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T h e

R e a d i n g

L i s t

ALL THE MUST!

With our partners at Puffin Books, we came up with a unique list of must read titles for young readers. And they had such beautiful covers to go with that!

How I Taught My Grandmother How To Read and other stories Sudha Murty What do you do when your grandmother asks you to teach her the alphabet? Or the President of India takes you on a train ride with him? Or your teacher gives you more marks than you deserve?

These are just some of the questions you will find answered in this delightful collection of stories recounting real-life incidents from the life of Sudha Murty—teacher, social worker and bestselling writer. There is the engaging story about one of her students who played truant from school. The account of how her mother’s advice to save money came in handy when she wanted to help her husband start a software company, and the heart-warming tale of the promise she made—and fulfilled— to her grandfather, to ensure that her little village library would always be well supplied with books. Funny, spirited and inspiring, each of these stories teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of doing what you believe is right and having the courage to realize your dreams.

Letters from a Father to His Daughter Jawaharlal Nehru A priceless collection of letters from one legendary leader to another When Indira Gandhi was a little girl of ten, she spent the summer in Mus-

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soorie, while her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was in Allahabad.

Over the summer, Nehru wrote her a series of letters in which he told her the story of how and when the earth was made, how human and animal life began, and how civilizations and societies evolved all over the world.

Written in 1928, these letters remain fresh and vibrant, and capture Nehru’s love for people and for nature, whose story was for him ‘more interesting than any other story or novel that you may have read’.

Malgudi Schooldays R. K. Narayan ‘It was Monday morning.

Swaminathan was reluctant to open his eyes . . . He shuddered at the very thought of school . . .’

R.K. Narayan’s classic stories about the adventures of Swami and his friends Rajam and Mani, in a sleepy and picturesque south Indian town called Malgudi, have regaled both young and old for years. Malgudi Schooldays is a slightly abridged version of Narayan’s celebrated novel Swami and Friends, and includes two additional stories featuring Swami. A delightfully funny account of the life of a harum-scarum schoolboy by one

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of the greatest English-language writers of our time, Malgudi Schooldays enchants and captivates all those who step into its world.

My India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Wisdom and inspiration from India’s bestloved president My India: Ideas for the Future is a collection of excerpts from Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s speeches in his post-presidency years. Drawn from Dr Kalam’s addresses to parliaments, universities, schools and other institutions in India and abroad, they include his ideas on science, nation-building, poverty, compassion and self-confidence.

Dr Kalam draws on the lives of stalwarts such as Marie Curie and Dr Vikram Sarabhai to encourage and inspire his young readers. Through these speeches, he shares many valuable lessons in humility, resilience and determination, and leads children to think, grow and evolve.

A project very close to his heart, Dr Kalam’s last book for children is a road map for every child to pursue their dreams, to be the best they can be, leading to the realization of a better India.

Pashu Devdutt Pattanaik A fish saves the world.

A horse flies across the sky.

A king discovers that his beloved wife is actually a frog.

T h e Hindu mythology is full of tales in which animals play important roles.

Some animals are looked upon with dread, while some are worshipped along with the gods. Some shape the fate of the world, others form everlasting bonds with humans.

Where did the animals come from?

From Vishnu’s avatars or Shiva’s asanas? How was a deer responsible for the events of the Ramayana? Why is Garuda the sworn enemy of the nagas?

How did a mongoose teach Yudhisthira the true meaning of sacrifice?

Devdutt Pattanaik answers all these questions and more in this exquisitely illustrated book, retelling numerous animal stories from ancient texts, with his trademark charm and wit.

The Adventures of Rusty Ruskin Bond Rusty, the boy whose stories have charmed and entertained children for years, brings together his best adventures in one volume!

From the time he was a boy living with his grandparents in Dehra, surrounded by an assortment of odd animals, people and relatives, to when he gets sent away to school, then makes his way to London and becomes a writer, Rusty’s had more adventures than we can count.

This omnibus edition contains his best, funniest, most exciting escapades.

In these pages, there’s Toto, the monkey that travelled in a bag on a train; an encounter with a leopard; life as a young writer in faraway London; and the return home to roots that were always

loved and never forgotten.

An evergreen classic of children’s writing in India, The Adventures of Rusty will be enjoyed like never before.

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L i s t

Retold by bestselling author Anita Nair, these magical stories from all over the world come alive with a freshness and exuberance that is sure to delight and captivate readers of all ages.

The Incredible History of India’s Geography Sanjeev Sanyal Could you be related to a blonde Lithuanian?

Did you know that India is the only country that has both lions and tigers?

Who found out how tall Mt Everest is?

If you’ve ever wanted to know the answers to questions like these, this is the book for you. In here you will find various things you never expected, such as the fact that we still greet each other like the Harappans did and that people used to think India was full of one-eyed giants. And, sneakily, you’ll also know more about India’s history and geography by the end of it.

Full of quirky pictures and crazy trivia, this book takes you on a fantastic journey through the incredible history of India’s geography.

The Puffin History of India Volume 1 Roshen Dalal The perfect introduction to India’s past This book traces the fascinating story of the social, political, cultural and economic development across the high points of Indian history—from the earliest times to the British conquest, the Nationalist movement and, finally, the triumph of Independence.

The informal, engaging style and the colourful descriptions of people, events and cultures provide a comprehensive picture of what life was like in India up to 1947.

Informative, well researched and containing a host of illustrations and maps, this amazing reference guide helps bring the past to life for students and young readers like never before.

The Puffin Book of World Myths and Legends Anita Nair Timeless stories told anew Find out how the world was created, why the sun and the moon never meet each other though they live in the same sky, how clouds appeared to save mankind from the sun’s scorching rays and why living creatures shed tears when they are in pain.

The Village by the Sea Anita Desai An awardwinning story about a family’s survival in a small fishing village in India With their mother ill and their father permanently drunk, Hari and Lila have to earn the money to keep house and look after their two young sisters.

In desperation, Hari runs away to Bombay, and Lila is left to cope alone.

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J u n i o r

B l o g

Examination

Phobia

In times when examinations are taken as the last and final assessment of a child, we have also stopped questioning the very basics of how they impact a child. What we adults forget, the younger ones will always remind us by their questioning. Zara Javed has one such important take.

E

ducation means learning and not just rote memorization because of the fear of exams. But today it’s not learning anymore. Children start shivering at the thought of ‘EXAMS’. Why are we so scared of exams? Why has our education system become the enemy of students?

Today, in India, being intelligent means getting 99.9% in board exams. We are judged according to the marks on our mark sheet and not by our intelligence. In today’s time, if a child wants to score well in the board exams, he or she has to study day and night without a break. When books should be the children’s best friends, they have become the children’s greatest horror.

Pressure, anxiety and fear – when the children should be enjoying their childhood, they face all this because of the fear “WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DON’T GET FULL MARKS???” We should try our best to score well in exams, but if we don’t, we should learn from our mistakes and not get scared or lose focus. Scoring full marks in exams and gaining no knowledge is of no good. My own sister is in the ninth standard and all she does is study the whole day. I get scared at the thought of studying this much. I want to become a singer when I grow up but academics is a priority and will always be. If we, the future of this world will just study then who will be the next Virat Kohli, who

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If we, the future of this world will just study then who will be the next Virat Kohli, who will be the next Shreya Ghoshal and who will be the next Sundar Pichai? Who will be the next first Indian to achieve something which no one else has?

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will be the next Shreya Ghoshal and who will be the next Sundar Pichai?

Who will be the next first Indian to achieve something which no one else has? So wake up because studying is not about being lost in the textbooks, it’s about knowledge, creativity and above all excellence.

By Zara Javed Class IV Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School

J u n i o r

S l a m

When I Fell into My Favourite Book Who turned out to be a snitch Wiggled out of her clutches Straight into a den of a slumbering tiger and it’s cubs ten Tiptoed out and found a snake Farancia erytrogramma Family - Dipsadidae Suborder – Give me a Break!

??????

That’s what I said when I saw The topic of this year’s lit fest What rubbish! A favourite book?

Someone’s idea of a jest How can anyone choose?

Between the sky and the sea Between a mermaid and a fairy?

Between all that you can imagine And all that you can see But anyway, then I got all my books out And realised this was going to be one absurd journey I had too many books and too many stories!

Books, books everywhere But not the one whose journey I wanted to share Not The One calling out to me It was like 20000 leagues under the sea But I had to start somewhere So, I launched myself with a prayer I skipped a little and fell into a hole Came out looking like a hideous mole Blundered into a tree trunk `and then into a horrible witch

I looked left and looked right The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips Or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Maybe, it’s The Fault in Our Stars Or shall it be The Garden of the Gods Choosing one, I surely was against fearful odds I lumbered on without a glance Through forest and marshes like under a trance Books were countless and there was no dearth It was turning out to be a journey to the centre of the earth I ran out of time and had to conclude There shall never be a winner Of this blood feud So, I’ve penned down my ramblings And pray thee, them thy include

By Naayaa Mehta Class VII The Shri Ram School, Moulsari

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A r t

A t t a c k

India’s Victory

As she painted Gandhiji marching India to its freedom, the two birds fluttering in the backdrop of the Indian Flag signify freedom peace and harmony for an Independent India. Even one person can make a big difference just like Mahatma Gandhi....One Man..... made a difference for all of us Indians !

By Ailina Sarna Class III Vasant Valley School, New Delhi

DL. No.- DL(C)-14/1404/2017-2019 | Date of Publication- 01-02-2018 | Date of Posting-07th-10th | Posting Office-Srt Nagar Po. New Delhi-110055