School live january 2016

L O O H C S

E V LI Volume 2 | Issue 4 January 2016

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Not For Kids?

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Happy Wavrikita in nataraj

r Tips from autho

Big Ta l k TeD n ia d In t s e g n u yo yal t a K a it h Is r e k a spe

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contributors

S C H O O L

L I V E EDITOR in chief

Richa Aniruddha richa@school-live.com

JITIN CHAWLA

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

NIVEDITA SINGH

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

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

For AdvertiSING richa@school-live.com

Rakhee Gupta

Image consultant and etiquette trainer

Kavita Devgan

For subscription editor@school-live.com

C o n ta c t

Nutritionist, weight management specialist and health writer

9810560472

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

Malavika Nataraj

Author, reviewer and Japanese-English translator

Jaqualine Naik

S C H O O L

LIVE Volume 2 | Issue 4 January 2016

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

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Not For Kids?

Happy Writa ing! nataraj

Tips from author

malavik

Big Ta lk n TeD youngest India al speaker Ishita Katy

Photo courtesy: Ishita Katyal

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 3

Amla Sabzi

Recipe BY Savita Chaudhary Ingredients:

Amla Garlic (chopped) Green Chillies (chopped) Saunf (ground) Goldiee Coriander Powder Goldiee Turmeric Powder Methi seeds (ground) Goldiee Kasuri Methi Salt Mustard Oil

500 gm 5-6 cloves 3 1 Tsp 1 Tsp 1 Tsp 1 Tsp For garnish To taste 2 Tbsp

Procedure:

Cut the amla into single flakes and remove the seeds. In a deep vessel heat the oil and then add the garlic, saunf, methi seeds, and coriander and turmeric powder. Add the green chillies and amla.

Add salt and cover and cook on medium heat till the amla is cooked. You can sprinkle some water at regular intervals. Once cooked, sprinkle some kasuri methi and serve as a pickle or vegetable.

Please send us your recipe at editor@school-live.com.

The best entry will win a Goldiee gift hamper.

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ed-note

S C H O O L

L I V E

Hey!

So, yet another year comes to an end… with lots of memories, loads of stories of struggles, victories, heartbreaks, new found love… and several MBs of selfies added to our life.

Happened to hear famous lyricists, poets Prasoon Joshi and Javed Akhtar Ji in conversations at the Delhi Poetry Festival held between December 18 and 20, 2015.

In both the conversations -- I moderated the talk with Prasoon -- an important issue came up: How to save you, our children, the next generation, from the bad influence of meaningless or abusive songs being served by so-called rappers of Bollywood.

Prasoon said that we can only stop this bad influence with a total rejection by the society. Javed Saab put the onus on the parents who need to ensure that their children get to hear good music, be introduced to culture, arts and traditions...

I agree with both of them. As elders, we need to protect our children from the dangerous influence of singers like Honey Singh… But what YOU all can certainly do is to try and reject songs in which the lyrics are abusive, derogatory to girls, or encourage alcohol or drug abuse. Don’t forget that such singers just use fast beats and stupid lyrics to make quick money. They are least concerned about the song’s influence on innocent minds...

A 4-year-old child singing and dancing to Chaar bottle vodka Kaam mera roz ka has no idea about vodka or the effects of having four bottles a day… But parents and older kids do!

Hope we can socially, mass-reject the songs that pollute innocent minds...

Wishing you all a very Happy 2016!

Lovingly yours

Music

MY ‘IT’ LIST

rat to Nus TributeAli Khan at Fateh eekender NH7 w

Watched

uty Musical Bea by st ea B e Th and a Disney Indi

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

Ate

Makke ki roti, Sarson ka saag and Jaggery

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 5

S C H O O L

contents

L I V E 5

Editor’s Note

8

School in Spotlight

Cover 12

Exclusive: TED speaker Ishita Katyal

18

Worthy Opponent

20

Dateline

21

Career Chat

22

Teen Travel

24

DIY

26

Watch This Space

28

Fit For Life

30

Positively Positive

32

Mind Your Manners

34

Rap up

38

Blog

40

Page 99

41

Ask Nivedita

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Slam Poetry

W

Quick Edit

ho is a prodigy? How do we spot them in a crowd? Our cover girl, Ishita Katyal, who is the youngest Indian TED speaker at 10 years tells us that all you need to have is the ‘I Can’ attitude and a stack of Post-Its. She gets up an hour early every day to plan her day meticulously, so she can effortlessly move from school to doing her homework, watching DIY videos on YouTube, reading storybooks, and playing dabba ice-pice with friends. Her room has a collection of motley coloured Post-It stickers that prompt her on to the next task. Read the cover story and do try it at home!

Next, I’d recommend you to read Kunalika Gautam’s Khajuraho travel diary where she marvels over temples that were built to bring men back into the folds of domesticity. Weight-watchers do not miss Kavita Devgan’s story questioning the relevance of BMI test to gauge a child’s fitness. Find many more interesting views, reviews and interviews here.

Happy reading!

Teena Baruah

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Aziz Akhtar, Chief Academic Officer, GEMS Education, on how GEMS schools have shaped the lives of millions of children.

Nishtha Yadav reports

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t GEMS Education, we are educators first, driven by a single purpose of putting a quality education within the reach of every student. Reaching out to over 1,40,000 students from 160 nationalities and employing over 13,000 education professionals, specialists and staff from over 115 nationalities. From Middle East to Asia we operate leading international schools in six regions globally, namely Middle East & North Africa, Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific and South Asia.

As the world’s largest private K-12 education provider, GEMS has been preparing students with unique curricular practices from across the globe.

Over the last four years alone, GEMS students have been accepted into 860 universities in 49 countries, including 12 out of the top 15 universities in the world and 37 out of the top 50 universities in the US. In India, GEMS Education currently has two schools in Gurgaon, namely GEMS International School (GIS) in Palam Vihar which has been operational for 4 years now and GEMS Modern Academy (GMA) in South City II which began operations this academic year (April 2015). The company also has 8 schools in cities like Anantnag, Patiala, Haldwani, Bhatinda, Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Guntur, under the GEMS Public School branding. GEMS Education also has four new schools coming up in Karnal, Chennai, Trivandrum and Kochi.

Q. GEMS Education is currently present in many countries. How

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Gem of a

School

did this journey start?

GEMS Education is present in 14 countries currently. It has its roots in a family tutoring business in Dubai started by Indian-born teachers KS and Mariama Varkey in 1959. The discovery of oil in Dubai in 1966 brought in many foreign workers to the undeveloped emirate, including many from the Indian subcontinent. With the increased demand for an English-language education for the children of Indian expatriates, the Varkeys founded Our Own English High School in Dubai in 1968.

When in 1980 local authorities insisted that Our Own English High School be housed in a purpose-built facility, Mariama’s son Sunny Varkey took over the operation of the school, which taught less than 400 students at

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the time. He soon expanded the school, and added new schools as well. The education situation in Dubai was ripe for expansion, since local schools were only for native Arabs, and the children of the ever-increasing number of expats needed education of their own. Under his umbrella business organisation the Varkey Group, Sunny Varkey opened Indian, Pakistani, and British schools, and offered education under the different curricula: Indian (CBSE and ICSE), U.S., British, and later International Baccalaureate, French, and dual and local curricula.

After creating a strong network of schools in the Gulf Arab states, in 2000 Varkey established Global Education Management Systems (GEMS), an advisory and educational management

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firm, in advance of his worldwide overseas expansion. In 2004, the GEMS group opened its first schools in India.

Q. What do you think sets GEMS schools apart from other schools?

We believe that the diversity of our students and our schools is one of our greatest strengths. Our diversity gives our students the unique opportunity to study and experience other cultures, other languages and other belief systems through social interaction and exciting, global GEMS initiatives. This cultural richness instills a unique international understanding in our pupils just what they need to succeed in an increasingly globalised world.

Differentiation is built in through task/ outcome/ questions/ product

and multi-sensorial strategies cater to all learner profiles at the levels of SEN, gifted and talented children as well as across various learning styles. Students are encouraged to question, come up with their own explanations and think differently. All learning is strongly contextualized to real-life.

When your child joins a GEMS school, they will become an important part of our global network of awarding winning educational establishments. Our network is made up of over 1,42,000 students from 151 countries, studying in schools in 16 countries around the world.

Q. A part of your mission statement says, ‘Our aspiration is that, for every child enrolled at a GEMS

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school, we impact the lives of 100 underprivileged children in our world’. Could you tell us more about the application of this concept?

GEMS Education along with its nonprofit arm The Varkey Foundation, has been striving consistently to improve the standards of education for underprivileged children throughout the world.

Our mission is that every child should have a good teacher. We do this through building teacher capacity, advocacy campaigns to promote excellence in teaching practice at the highest levels of policy making and providing grants to partner organisations that offer innovative solutions in support of our mission.

World over the girl child is facing challenges in acquiring and accessing education. GEMS Education & The Varkey Foundation have taken the lead and worked on girl empowerment projects across the globe.

One of the interesting projects spearheaded by The Varkey Foundation was creating Ghana’s first interactive distance-learning project which will impact more than 4,000 marginalised girls (aged 9-14 years) in 72 schools, within two regions in Ghana (Volta and Greater Accra) and offer them an enhanced quality of education to improve their lives and transform their future.

In addition to the in-school classes, the project will deliver for two hours per day an after-school girls’ club called Wonder Women to up to 50 margin-

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alised girls, per school. This will also include out-of-school girls. Wonder Women engages the girls in topics such as early pregnancy, early marriage, girl’s rights, and financial literacy, as well as introducing them to different adult female role models. The goal is to empower them, raise their self-esteem, and enable them to catch up on lost learning and to stay in school.

Q. In India, schools are affiliated to a particular education board and the syllabus is concrete. How do you manage to teach students beyond the prescribed curriculum?

A GEMS school offers a challenging, well rounded, holistic, futuristic curriculum that educates the whole child.

GEMS students need to acquire literacy, numeracy and technology skills and become lifelong learners. In addition, students need to learn to think critically, solve problems, be creative and work collaboratively. They need to become responsible active members of society who are grounded in their own culture and learn to celebrate diversity.

Teaching & learning is woven into an integrated approach to provide meaningful learning experiences and establish cross-curricular links. At GEMS schools, learning is planned across these domains: Cognitive Affective Psychomotor This will lead to acquiring skills in language arts, science, mathematics, social studies, art forms, music, physical education and health. In addition to this dance, and theatre in education also strengthens language acquisition and enhances cognitive skills.

The curriculum is the complete experience students have. This includes the formal classroom environment, the school experience, as well as all the other aspects of school life. It includes the syllabus, the instructional strategies, the assessment process, the values and ethics, the books, resources and technology, the structures and policies of

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the school organisation etc.

GEMS curriculum empowers students to take control of their own learning. GEMS schools are committed to academic excellence, so the school curriculum provides challenge and rigour for every child in all aspects. The curriculum is mapped to developmental milestones at various stages of child development and is differentiated and inclusive.

Q. How important is the contribution of parents to the development of GEMS schools?

The GEMS Parental Engagement Programme was launched in 2009 with the goal of improving student achievement.

A priority in every GEMS school, this initiative requires strategic and ongoing support of parents to help further student progress. Demand for the programme is evident by the tens of thousands of parents who participate in Parental Engagement events and activities in our schools.

Each GEMS school is unique and develops Parental Engagement activities tailored to meet the needs of their community, but certain elements are expected from every school. These may include: Recognition of parents as central to the teaching and learning process 2-Way Communication informing

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parents of study programmes in advance so that they can support, and opportunities for parents to report feedback or concerns Tools, resources and guidance for parents to support their children’s learning Consultation or face to face contact opportunities for teachers, students and parents to discuss progress, set targets and explore how parents can support further progress A Parents’ Association which will help promote the ‘3-a-day’ approach and best home learning practices to other parents Opportunities for parents to attend school events including sports, prize days, and cultural fairs, to interact with the staff, students and community Opportunities for parents to join a class to better understand modern teaching and learning Expert speakers to help parents understand learning and child development Parent workshops or meetings (coffee hours, focus groups, info sessions, etc.) on helping children to learn and succeed Guidance for students to engage their parents in learning at home and in the community through “talk, share, encourage”

· · · · · · · ·

I CAN Awards 2015 Design For Change honours the Superheroes of Change

Design For Change (DFC) is a global movement that helps children in 30+ countries drive change in their communities. Powered by Parle-G, world’s largest selling biscuit brand, it asks children to look for a problem that really bothers them, imagine a solution, implement it and tell others about their story of change.

This is the simple framework of Feel, Imagine, Do and Share, or FIDS For KIDS.

O

n the December 5 and 6, Design for Change, India hosted the second edition of the “I CAN” Awards, aiming to bring together and honour the 100 most inspiring stories of change and vigilant education-leaders from across the country.

The I CAN Awards was a two-daylong event, an exciting and fruitful engagement that included fun and educative workshops for children and adults; and served as a space for intimate interactions with inspiring personalities hailing from different backgrounds.

Some of the esteemed guests included Manish Paul (TV Anchor), Vidyut Jamwal (Model, Actor), Geet Sethi (Billiards Champion) and Irfaan Pathan (Cricketer).

The I Can Awards ceremony was stories were submitted by schools a culmination to the I CAN School across India. These were the stories of Challenge, as part of which 2512 change led by children, to solve issues

from their communities using Design For Change’s 4 step process of FeelImagine-Do-Share. After a rigorous selection process, a jury consisting of leading design minds from all over India selected the top 100, and then the top 20 stories of change. These stories share the audacious and bold attempts of children who believe they are agents of change.

Embraced by 36 countries, Design for Change has been running successfully and continuing to inspire and empower change-makers of the world for the past 7 years, reaching out to more than 200,000 children all over the world.

Join the Design For Change movement by participating in the DFC I CAN! School Challenge 2016! Visit www.designforchangeindia.com to download the toolkits!

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E x c l u s i v e

Dream

Catcher All of 10, youngest Indian TED speaker Ishita Katyal shares her ideas on the ‘importance of now’ with Nishtha Yadav

Q. You were the youngest speaker from India at the TED Youth conference, New York. How was the experience?

My experience was amazing. I loved meeting so many people and interacting with them. Yes, I was a little bit nervous, but that was only when my name was announced. When I came up to the stage I realised that the audience was really supportive and spoke to them thinking that I was talking to my friends. It went well.

Q. What is the best memory you cherish from the talk?

My best memory from TED Youth is when I got to meet Adora Svitak (a child prodigy, activist and writer whose TED speech, ‘What adults can learn from kids’ is most inspiring) and Chris Anderson (curator of TED). Also, I made good friends with two speakers, Marta Botet Borras and Chelsea Ha. I had a great time interacting and learning new things from them.

Q. At the age of eight children are learning to write long sentences, but you have authored a children’s book called Simran’s Diary. What motivated you to do it?

Definitely my parents. They’ve always supported me in what I wanted to do. I am a voracious reader and my role models are mostly great authors.

Last summer vacation, I told my parents that I wanted to write a book and they encouraged me to go ahead and this helped me complete my book.

Q. What is your typical day like? How do you balance your academics and extracurricular activities?

Earlier, it was hard, but now I get up a bit early. This gives me an hour to look at the important to-dos for the day. I love using post-it notes of different colours and designs to note down things like homework, revision work, books to read, playing a new game, and watching DIY videos on art and craft on YouTube. When I wake up, I look at this list and I

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I love using post-it notes of different colours and designs to make a to-do list or to note down my homework, revision work, books to read, games to try, and DIY YouTube videos to watch at leisure

My Book

My Family

come to know what I am supposed to complete. On most days, I go down to play badminton, basketball or dabba ice-pice with my friends.

Q. You have achieved fame at a young age. Are you comfortable with this attention?

Most of the people are supportive.

They are cool about my success.

Sometimes adults, like my teachers, give me a lot of attention. I don’t like that at times. I think anyone can do what I have done. All they need is en-

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E x c l u s i v e couragement from their parents and elders to let them follow their passion.

I like the attention from people when I am giving a talk in a conference or writing my book, as that motivates me to do it well and makes me feel special that people are interested in what I am doing. However, I don’t focus only on the attention part and try to spend time doing what I like.

Q. You are a confident speaker, but there are people who are anxious when it comes to public speaking. What advice would you like to give them?

My Journey

If you want to be a public speaker, you should practice speaking in front of the mirror or in front of your parents and family members, as positive encouragement from them will build your confidence. You should make notes of the flow of what you are going to talk. Also, YouTube has some good videos of young achievers and TED talks that children can watch, learn and get inspiration from.

Q. What role your parents and teachers have played in your success?

My parents are very supportive. If I go to them with a problem or question, they hear me out. We discuss and agree on a solution. I can disagree with them and they are cool about that. This gives me confidence to keep trying different things. I like my teachers as I get to learn so many things from them. My favourite friend is in my school, so I like going to school.

Q. Apart from writing and public speaking, what other activities do you enjoy?

I enjoy dancing, reading, writing, drawing, playing basketball with my friends. I like to experiment with DIY videos and create stuff with waste material.

Q. Do you agree that indulging in extracurricular activities helps in reducing stress and lets chil-

Sometimes adults, like my teachers, give me a lot of attention. I don’t like that.

I like to get attention from people when I am giving a talk or writing my book, as it motivates me to do it well dren discover their strengths and weaknesses?

I totally agree with that. Extracurricular activities helps us in building our creative side and getting to know ourselves better.

Q. What do you aspire to be when you grow up? Any plans to write another book?

I aspire to be a motivational speaker

and write books. Yes, I am working on my next book on how children can be more creative in everything they do by using simple things like Post-its, writing songs and maintaining a diary to make notes of interesting things.

Q. You are lucky to have discovered your passion early in life.

What advice would you give to children who are struggling to identify their likes and dislikes?

Just observe yourself. Do what you like doing and identify things that you would like to do now. And start doing them. Follow your dreams and passion because any age is good to follow your dreams. Age is just a number.

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E x c l u s i v e

Walk the Talk: “W

My pet projects

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hat do you want to be when you grow up?”

As a child how many of you remember having been asked this question by an adult? I think maybe this question is a way to get to know the child better. But I feel this question has an inherent problem: It tells young people that it is ok to wait till they grow up to do what they want to do. It diminishes what a young person is capable of doing today.

Try and think of your childhood days. If you’re like me, I am sure you would’ve had many dreams. I am sure there were days when you would have aspired to be a film star or a doctor or if you are a cricket fan, then may be a cricketer like Dhoni.

So many dreams and things to do, but often children follow their dreams and inspirations only to a point like in school project work. After which

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E x c l u s i v e

My Show

TED Youth, New York they are told to wait till they grow up.

Why? It is as if following your dreams is some kind of an adult thing.

I think age is just a number. I believe anyone is capable of great actions and can touch the lives of other people, regardless of his or her age.

I wonder what Abraham Maslow would think of my idea. You may be familiar with Maslow’s famous theory that certain needs must be met before others. It looks like this.

Once your need for food and water is fulfilled, you move up to your next set of needs: security, and then the next. As a child our parents take care of the bottom two blocks - our safety, care, comfort, security and warmth.

But the needs in the top two blocks, which are esteem needs and self-actualising needs, are usually left to be met as the child grows up. However, we young people have an equal right

to realise our full potential and reach the top of the pyramid at an early age.

Why not?

Well a bit about myself. I just love talking and writing. During my summer vacations instead of doing nothing during my free time and watching TV, I decided to do something which would fulfil my dream to be like one of my role models. My role models were all the great authors I had read and I also wanted to be one. I started writing my story in a note book. My parents saw my work and inspired me to write further. I went ahead to write a book Simran’s Diary.

I would like to believe that my long experience of life which has been ten years up until today is long enough for me to break the paradigm of the phrase, “when I grow up I want to be”.

Many other kids are already thinking this way. Let’s look at Lalita Sri-

pada, a girl from Odisha. At the age of 13, she took her interest in science further by inventing a unique lowcost water purifier that cleans waste water by flowing it through different layers of corn cobs. She won many awards for that.

Standing here today I would like to request you all that next time you talk to a young person, instead of asking what they want to do when they grow up, please ask them what they want to do now. Ask them their vision for a better world. Ask them the real life problems they are solving. Ask them what they are doing to change this world. The future will take care of itself.

Yes we need your support to celebrate every milestone. That would allow you all to empower our new generation to go faster than any generation ever has.

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W o r t h y

O p p o n e n t

India Connected Digital India campaign: a government folly or a revolutionary thought?

A Premature Campaign

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rime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest offering, Digital India, aims to connect rural areas with highspeed internet networks. The campaign, though a pro bono initiative, is poorly timed. Let us face the bitter facts. The latest census reports that in the 90 crore strong rural Indian population, 51% households’ main source of income is via manual casual labour, and 30% via cultivation. Of the 90 crore, 36% are illiterate, and only a meagre 3.5 % have completed graduation/higher studies. The harsh truth is that our country’s rural socio-economic footing is very loose. Families struggle to meet daily food requirements. Healthcare facilities for them are no good either. Rural Bihar boasts of 1 physician for every 29,000 population. Major states fail to provide power to villages for hours on end, sometimes even days. What use are electronic devices without power? Also, the vast majority of the web is in English, a language alien to the masses.

The argument that foreign investment will create infrastructure and jobs in the country is inherently flawed.

Socio-economic change comes from the grassroots, not from FII’s. This is said keeping in mind the fact that the government created roughly 2.75 lakh jobs in the second half of 2014. To sum up I’d say, sort out the bigger problems and then focus on the luxuries.

By Shikhar Mishra Class XII, DPS, Indiranagar, Lucknow

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Enabling Rapid, Effective & Efficient Communication

“C

an’t connect the world, without connecting India,” Mark Zuckerberg had said, while addressing an event at IIT Delhi. I feel this quote summarises the essence of the Digital India campaign.

As of now no government programme can create a system of communication more rapid, effective and efficient than the internet.

If the Digital India campaign’s goals are fulfilled, then, education shall improve as the internet is a sea of information. True, a vast majority of the internet is in English, but we can always create websites like Khan Academy that are in vernacular languages. The increasing popularity of digital devices in the remotest parts of India shall benefit India in numerous ways: e-governance, information broadcasting, etc. People will be more aware of government schemes and will be able to participate in indirect politics, like campaigns, petitions, etc. Exploitation of people by bureaucrats shall be a thing of the past.

Thus, the choice is between, spending money to remain in a conservative society where the government spoon feeds the masses or investing money so that people can access the truth. The choice is yours.

By Shambhav Tewari Class X Step By Step School, Noida

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W o r t h y

Digital India Aiming At Making India Numero Uno

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rime Minister Narendra Modi launched digital India on July 1, 2015 as tool for e-governance and to transform India into a digitally empowered society. All big Internet giants like Google and Facebook whose motives may not be wholly altruistic came in support of this venture. But back home a lot of people raised a question that shouldn’t a country like India which still has 23.5% of its population in grip of poverty and chronic starvation focus on growth at a fundamental level rather than providing faster Internet access?

To them I say that Internet isn’t just about Whatsapp, FB or watching YouTube videos and downloading movies, it’s a tool that can be used to learn, govern and grow.

It’s like clay and in the hands of an expert sculptor it can be used to create wonders. For almost 68 years we’ve been beating the drums to that same, “Bijli, Pani, Sadak” tagline and I doubt that we are going to keep doing that for 68 more years. It’s time we did something different with an eye towards future. The future no doubt is digital, but the question is whether India is part of it? Will we be left behind like always? Or for once, India would be number 1 in something.

By Ransher Vikram Singh Class XII, DPS, Indira Nagar, Lucknow

O p p o n e n t

Digital India To Go The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Way

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overnment is starting a digital India campaign which aims to provide internet services to 2.5 lakh villages. But do we have enough resources to start such an ambitious project and sustain it for over a period of time?

In villages, people are still battling with child marriage, female infanticide, and girls are being compelled to drop out of schools. There aren’t even enough schools in villages. So, my question is, even if the government sets up this project, will the conservative mindset of Indians accept the change so fast?

To make the roots of my argument stronger, let me add another dimension to this debate. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched in 2014 and had hugely impacted the mind of the people then. But look around you now. Does your surrounding look clean? So, if the government cannot even execute one mission properly, how can it start another one and expect it to be a success?

Also, scientists claim that Wi-Fi rays are cancerous.

So making Wi-Fi free and available at every corner will also increase health problems and cybercrime. These situations will pull India back into a vicious cycle.

By Vanshika Sharma Class X, Ahlcon International School, New Delhi

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D a t e l i n e

Wacky Traditions Bizarre Christmas traditions from around the world Japan

webs to bring good luck and fortune On Christmas eve, Japanese families in their homes. eat at KFC. It’s such a popular tradition that orders have to be placed two months in advance to meet the Unmarried women stand facing the demand. door and throw a shoe over their shoulder. When it lands, if the toe points towards the door it is believed Streets are closed down on Christ- that the woman will get married mas morning and parishioners go to within a year. the Mass on roller skates.

Czech Republic

Venezuela

opened and replied to as well.

Italy

Italian children await the arrival of Bafana, a friendly witch who gives away sweets and presents on January 5.

Spain

People of Barcelona include a figure of the Caganer, a small figure of a defecating man, in their nativity scene.

According to an old tradition, each Recently, the tradition has gained so German children leave a shoe out- member of the family is required to much popularity that famous men side their house from December 5, stir the Christmas pudding in clock- like Barack Obama and members of filled with sweets, overnight until wise direction before it’s cooked, the Spanish royal family are included the Christmas Eve. Naughty children making a wish while they do so. as Caganer figurines. wake up only to find a branch in their shoe.

Children and adults alike write their By Christmas wish and post it addressed Riya Arora Spider webs are no more a thing of to Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, Class XII the Halloween. Ukrainians deco- HOHOHO. The post recognises this Amity International School, rate their Christmas tree with spider address and any letter bearing this is Vasundhara 6

Germany

Ukraine

20 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

Great Britain

Canada

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Shelf Life

C a r e e r

C h a t

Career Counsellor Jitin Chawla provides an overview of a career in Retail Management, Marketing

B

ig Bazaar, Shopper’s Stop, Food Bazaar, Spencer’s – Malls have sprung all around us. Huge investments have been made by Tatas, RPG, Piramal Group in the retail sector while a number of other companies are rushing in for a slice of this sector.

Retail organisations need people in diverse areas, like sourcing, merchandising, product development, supply chain management, store operations, marketing, finance, human resource and IT to support service delivery. A large number of jobs are available in customer service and marketing. For entry level jobs, a Class XII qualified student with the requisite aptitude is fine, but for managerial jobs, you should have higher qualification.

Vishal Solanki, manager at a high profile store says that the indus-

Personal Traits

• Strong customer orientation • People skills • Outgoing personality

Institutes

• FDDI, Noida • PG Institute of Retail Management, Chennai • Birla Institute of Technology, Noida • MICA, Ahmedabad • NMIMS, Mumbai • XLRI, Jamshedpur • National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi • Symbiosis, Pune • Pearl Academy, Delhi • College of Vocation Studies (Marketing and Retail Business), Delhi University

try is in boom these day offering ample job opportunities. With the entry of multinationals, this sector would witness a huge jump in salaries too. There is a need for creative people (read designers), salespersons, showroom managers, marketing guys and finance professionals.

Despite its glamorous appeal, the retail industry is not for everyone.

Long hours are a norm and are spent mostly on feet. Customers might also talk angrily or pester you, so patience is needed.

Diploma courses are available after Class XII. BBA/BBS or MBA can also lead one to retail jobs. Focused retail management and marketing courses are also available. So move ahead and join the retail bandwagon.

For personal consultation with Jitin Chawla call 9810264027.

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 21

T e e n

T r a v e l

A

world heritage site, Khajuraho is ‘infamous’ for its erotic sculptures. Recently, I visited these temples that stand magnificent, surrounded by a swarm of admiring tourists from every inch of the world.

Khajuraho is a simple sweet village really. There is one highway that leads to it and out of it, the town consists of temple complexes and 2-3 bazaars.

Over a visit of only four and half days, out of which one and a half were spent within the hotel, if one was to leave me anywhere inside Khajuraho I would be able to find my way back!

TRun emple

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Day 1, 2: We visited the Western group of temples, which is the largest set of temples in entire Khajuraho, with over 7-8 temples within that one complex.

One was dedicated to Lord Lakshman, one to Lord Vishnu, one to Lord Shiva

Khajuraho isn’t just about erotic sculptures, Kunalika Gautam marvels over a temple that was built to bring men back to the folds of domesticity and so on. Within the same complex of Hindu Temples, my mother and I were surprised to find a structure which resembled a mosque.

Being curious, we tried peeping through its wooden doors, but were disappointed as it was dark inside the dome. Later, we went around asking guides and locals, but no

T e e n

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h We visited the Western group of temples, whicho, jura Kha re is the largest set of temples in enti with over 7-8 temples within that one complex.

One was dedicated to Lord Lakshman, one to Lord Vishnu, one to Lord Shiva and so on.

Within this complex, my mother and I were a surprised to find a structure which resembled mosque. bacy and marriage to knowledge and faith in God; and as this vow became important, more and more men began taking it up. Soon in this small region there were very few men left who would enter the stage of Grihasta and one knew anything about this mys- to tour Khajuraho. However, an extra that is when the king sanctioned unterious temple-mosque and thus we day or two always adds to the entire known sculptors to build these temples, experience. On day 4, my mother and for what better place of learning than returned to our hotel.

After this, we visited the other three I went shopping and we visited each temples for Brahmacharyas, and what sets of temples, each set is quite similar and every market that was present in better way of bringing people back into and yet unique. In fact, if one was to this small place, we returned rather the fold of Grihasta than the temples judge these only on the basis of the broke, but satisfied, with our purchases. of Khajuraho!

Now I can take no responsibility pictures that are available online, these would seem all alike. However, that is Day 5: On our last day, we simply for the accuracy of this story (it was a not the case. Notice carefully and each enjoyed the hotel grounds. I realised local auto rickshaw driver who said it), one would seem distinct. Covering all sometimes the hotel is an experience however, it is the most legit one that I’ve heard. Whatever the reason maybe, four sets of temples takes two days, if in itself, especially if it’s the Taj. My mother and I were curious to I am glad that someone sanctioned the done at leisure. know why these temples were built in building of such magnificent temples Day 3: We went to Raneh falls and the the first place. We encountered many and glad that those unknown sculptors Panna Tiger Reserve. Raneh falls are stories, but came away with this one had such an extraordinary imagination simply stunning. They are symbolic (the only one that made sense): In Hin- and the support of public behind them. of the irony of life, sharp-edged, hard duism, the life of a man is traditionally If such a thing were sanctioned today, and tanned rock moulded by the deep, divided into four stages, the first being we might have to shift countries to dark, clear blue waters. In one picture Brahmacharya (the innocent and pure escape the repercussion of the unrest frame you capture both the harsh and life of a student), Grihasta (settling into ensuing it! soft side of nature. Although there are domestic life), Vanaprastha (taking no tigers in the tiger reserve, another retirement from household responsiirony, the tour itself was pretty relaxing, bilities and being a recluse in forests) By especially the crocodile viewing point. and the last Sanyasa (renunciation).

Kunalika Gautam Over time, Brahmacharya also came Class XI, Day 4: A 3-day trip is rather sufficient to be associated with the vow of celiSanskriti School, New Delhi

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 23

Sweet D I Y

hort&

A short story is not an essay or a novel. It’s somewhere in-between. But you still have to tell a complete story. So how do you do that in not so many words? Author Malavika Nataraj offers handy tips

B

efore you even begin, the first thing to do is take the pressure off of yourself. Don’t aim to write a story that is ‘perfect’. Because there isn’t one. Instead, think through your idea and roughly work out what you want to say, in your head. Who’s going to be the main character? What is the situation? How will the main character react in that situation?

Who are the characters surrounding the main character? Where do you want your story to go?

So, what’s it about?

When you are happy with what you have, try to write down the essence of your story in one or two lines. For example, try applying this simple formula: Main character + other characters + situation + outcome. This will help you understand, clearly, what your story is all about. It is important to do this because, remember, you need to tell your story as quickly, clearly and as interestingly as possible. Also, you don’t want to wander too far away from what you actually wanted to say in the first place - you’ll

24 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

Photo credits: Maya Sohonie

The aim is to keep the reader interested throughout the story, so it’s great if something happens every few lines. However, make sure that the events occurring throughout are only adding to your storyline

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be surprised at how often this happens - so the two-line summary will keep you on track.

Don’t distract

Once you’ve started writing your story, you’ll need to make every sentence count. Keep the story and plot clear and the language as impactful as possible. The aim is to keep the reader interested

D I Y

Once you have written out the whole story, take a break, then come back to it and re-read it. Check which parts don’t flow well; which lines you think need to be changed and which bits are not convincing at all. completely normal. The thing to do is edit. Once you have written out the whole story, take a break, then come back to it and re-read it from top to bottom. Check which parts don’t flow well; which lines you think need to be changed and which bits are not convincing at all.

Do you think the story you have so far is interesting? Meaning, is it something you would pick up and read if someone else had written it? If you can honestly answer “yes” to those questions, you know you have a pretty good story.

Pick a title

Malavika Nataraj’s book Suraya’s Gift was recently launched by Puffin India throughout the story, so it’s great if something happens every few lines. However, make sure that the events occurring throughout are only adding to your storyline by helping to move it along – and not distracting the reader from the

After you are generally happy with how your story turned out, you will need to think of the title. It’s good to do this right at the end, because by now, you’ve got a really good understanding of your story and its message. However, the title is the first thing the reader will see and a strong one always sets the mood for the whole short story, so it’s really important. And you know what will help you the most when you are picking a title? The one or two line summary I talked about before.

And finally...

core story.

And when you think you are done, edit!

Of course, you might not get all of it right the first time – and this is

Don’t over think the story....or the title. Keep it simple, enjoy writing it - and don’t worry about making mistakes. Remember - you can always edit.

Happy writing!

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 25

W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

Annual Concert Round the year Blue Bells Public School, Jhansi, remains busy with academics, but at this time of the year it buzzes with ample opportunities to allow students to showcase their talents. The school concert is a popular platform. This year senior school students put up a show called, A Family Holiday Reloaded for chief guest Subhash Chandra Dubey (S.S.P. Jhansi) and the Guest of Honour Richa Aniruddha (Publisher, School

Blue Bells Public School, Jhansi LIVE and Anchor, IBN7).

A Family Holiday Reloaded was a musical comedy that had brilliant props and crew and was very entertaining with hilarious dialogues that were met with roars of laughter.

A choir was also planned, but unfortunately it had to be cancelled due to a heavy and untimely downpour. Wonderful performance was presented by Sufiyan Ahmed, Harshit Jeswani, Akash Agarwal, Priyanshi Bana and many more. Principal Nitin A. Williams presided over the show.

Grandparents’ Day

pur led the day with the grandparents participating in various entertaining fun races like, Piggy bank of Shreeyan, Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, Fish-o- Prize, Natkhat Gyanshree School, Noida, recently celebrated the spe- Panghat and Daawat-e- Mehak, along with the Shreeycial bond between children and their grandparents with ans. A few grandparents shared memories of their own the ‘Just Dial Bachpan: Moments That Matter’ celebra- childhood and lauded the school’s effort for reviving tion. This programme was held to honour the Shree moral values in today’s world. grandparents, in the presence of Chairman of Gyanshree School, Manohar Lal Agarwal; Special guests SSP Noida Kiran S., Pradeep Srivastava, Retd.

DGP-Chandigarh and Asha Goyal, who won IBM’s ‘Technologist of the Year’ award. The School Principal Vandana Midha felicitated the honourable guests with bouquets and Shreeyans proudly sang the school anthem and welcomed the special guests of the day.

Director Education Rita Ka-

Gyanshree School, Noida

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W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

Mock Safety Drill Mock Safety Drill

ment, to be able to manage and work effectively at the time of any disaster. Keeping this in mind DIS Edge recently organised a mock drill in the Lately, earthquake has become frequent world over and school Atrium. The officers from DDMA (Delhi Disaster hence the safety of the children needs to be ensured Management Authority) conducted mock drills to crewith frequent safety drills. At Delhi International School ate awareness among staff and students and instructed Edge, Dwarka, it is imperative for the children and about safety measures to be adopted in case of an earthteachers to get a first hand training in disaster manage- quake.

Microsoft Educator Meet The Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert Meet 201516 was recently held at Microsoft office, Epitome Building, Gurgaon and The Oberoi, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi The objective of Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert Meet was to support MIEEs in their professional development, enable them to learn from each other and work with us in building their plan of action for approximately next one year till November 2016, expose them to new Microsoft tools and technologies and how they can be used in the classroom: Office 2016, Office 365, OneNote, Office Mix, Online Influence & Yammer Minecraft, KODU, Skype in the Classroom & Mystery Skype Sway, TPACK, Windows 10 and Types of Devices in Education.

MIEs were also

briefed about the Leadership Activity on how to prioritise the Balance between work & life.

The Day 1 started with Dr Vinnie Jauhari’s, Director Education Advocacy, Microsoft Corporation India Pvt Ltd, welcome address. She congratulated all the MIEEs and shared with them the vision of Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator Program. The student ambassadors had a session on Technology and Opportunities: What the future holds following which presentations were made by the Student Ambassadors from Genesis Global School. Next, Anthony Salcito, who is the Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector Education, Microsoft Corp. took one to one sessions with the student ambassadors and the principals of schools.

Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert

Meet 2015-16

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 27

F i t

F o r

L i f e

B For BMI Is it important to know your child’s Basal Metabolic Index (BMI)? Nutritionist Kavita Devgan thinks otherwise

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o figure out whether you are scale friendly or overweight relying on height weight charts are now passé. Most doctors and nutritionists rely on a simple scientific formula that calculates Basal Metabolic Index (BMI).

It’s a simple formula - BMI =

28 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

Weight in kilograms divided by (Height in meters) square.

Supposing your weight is 54 kg and height is 5 feet (1.524 meters).

Your BMI would be 54 divided by 1.524 x 1.524 = 23.2.

Compare: now compare it to the BMI categories (Underweight = less

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than 18.5, Normal weight = 18.5 24.9, Overweight = 25 - 29.9, Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater).

Sitting at 23.2, you’d be perfect according to all big weight loss experts and some serious decades spanning research. But in case the answer is say 16, then you need to pump some

F i t

F o r

L i f e

iron and eat smartly to gain some muscle mass, and if it is way above say 27 or around that then some weight correction measures need to be put in place right away!

So with BMI one can know where one stands and take corrective action if the answer is way off the mark.

And stop fretting if you stand in between the right range.

It’s different for children But while BMI is an important index for adults, in the case of children it doesn’t really work as simply as that.

New research finds the BMI approach very limiting, particularly in the case of children.

And there is growing consensus now that for children it is imperative to shift the focus to health instead of just weight. In children the health parameters (how active he is, etc) should be the focal point and not appearance. In a 2013 study published in the journal Childhood Obesity researcher Maria Kolotourou and a team of authors involved in the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition… Do It! (MEND) trial from University of London, University College London gathered data from a group of obese children before they participated in the MEND childhood obesity intervention and then again at 6and 12-month follow-up intervals.

They measured BMI, degree of change in BMI, waist circumference, cardiovascular fitness, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and self-esteem. And at the end of the study they reported improvements, in several of the parameters measured, independent of whether a child’s BMI decreased, increased, or remained the same.

The study clearly shows that the efforts taken to combat childhood obesity can have beneficial effects on other health outcomes, such as cardiovascular fitness, regardless

If a child is physically active and is able to play two-three games without taking a break; or run for 100 metres without feeling breathless, these are better measures and indicators for his health

peers opinion about them).

Measure health, not just weight

The health of a child must be measured in term of his physical and mental well being. It is extremely difficult to expose children to interventional procedures like blood tests routinely to assess health. If a child is able to play active sports and his self esteem is intact (and he is of the change they bring about in not depressed) then routine school the BMI - which today experts feel health examination is enough. In simple terms if a child is physically are far more important.

In the case of children the tar- active, manages to play squash, tenget should always be health above nis etc, or is part of a football/badappearance. So while overweight minton team and is able to play twochildren (BMI between 25 to 29.9) three games without taking a break; must lose weight to target correct or run for 100 metres without feeling BMI (18.5 to 24.9), improvements breathless - these are better (even if in other health parameters should indirect) measures and indicators for his health. But even if a child’s be targeted equally actively too.

But sadly that is not often the BMI is in the normal range but he case. Most parents are not worried gets breathless with one flight of about their child’s health, but fo- stairs there is reason to worry. Don’t cused more on how the children look just depend on the BMI to assess and how others perceive them (their whether the child is fit or not.

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 29

P o s i t i v e l y

P o s i t i v e

One World Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar’s Gay-Straight Alliance club confronts homophobia By Abhinav Gandhi Class XI Tagore International School Vasant Vihar, New Delhi

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P o s i t i v e l y

I

n 2013, students of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, decided to confront outdated taboos and break some barriers by launching India’s first Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at the school level through an LGBT awareness, rights and sensitisation campaign called Breaking Barriers.

As the first school-level GSA in India, Breaking Barriers is strongly committed to the cause of LGBTQI awareness, sensitisation and rights. The aim of this campaign is to create an environment that is inclusive of those of alternative genders, sexualities and lifestyles by sensitising students and teachers in as many educational institutions as possible. The campaign strives to remove the stigma of

‘abnormality’ faced by LGBT individuals.

The students envision a society that nurtures and promotes spaces where all individuals can perform and succeed, without any shame, fear, harassment or bullying.

Breaking Barriers is a project founded upon the pillars of equality, inclusivity and nonjudgment, and encompasses more than activism for LGBT+ rights. It stands for celebrating differences and fostering diversity. It stands for the boundless spirit that each of us embody and the freedom that we deserve. It stands for loving one’s own self and living unafraid.

For this purpose, our students have conducted presentations and workshops for schools, col-

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leges and universities in India and abroad, conducted documentary screening for Classes IX to XII focusing on LGBTQI rights and issues and installed an informative notice board in the school, updated every month with pivotal LGBTQI news. They have also attended Pride Parades as protest marches against Section 377 and conducted a signature campaign against Section 377.

The work of the students has received an encouraging response.

They have not only won leadership competitions, but have also been featured in some of the leading newspapers. To share news about their work the project maintains an active presence on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 31

Phone Ethics M i n d

Y o u r

M a n n e r s

Etiquette consultant Rakhee Gupta shares simple tips on telephone etiquette

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et us follow some simple rules to make the telephone an effective tool of communication.

� Avoid calling others before 9 am on weekdays and 10 am on weekends.

Similarly, refrain from calling anyone after 9 pm on any day. � You should also avoid calling anyone during lunch or dinner hours. � When you are speaking on the telephone speak clearly.

� It is the responsibility of the person who makes the call to hang up first.

� � When you are on the telephone you should only be talking to the person on the other end – not watching television, reading, or eating. � � Greet the person, who answers the telephone, by name if you know him/her. Identify yourself immediately and then ask for the person � you would like to speak with. � It is thoughtful and courteous to ask if the person you have called � has time to talk. If he/she is busy, you may offer to call back at a convenient time or ask them to call you back at a mutually convenient time. � � When ending a call, place your finger on the disconnect button before putting the receiver down. That can sound like banging the phone down. � Smile when speaking. It will make you sound friendlier and pleasant.

32 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

�

Do not reveal your name, telephone number or any other information to strangers over the telephone.

home, you should offer to take a message. Include the name and telephone number of the caller and the date and time of the call.

� Turn your mobile phone off when in company or in public places like Have a pen or pencil and notepad a restaurant, theatre or place of at hand, next to the landline teleworship. phone in the house, so that messages can be noted down properly. � If you need to use your mobile phone in public, be discreet by If you answer the telephone and the keeping your voice down and move call is for another person ask: “May out, so that your conversation does I tell him/her who is calling please?” not have to be heard by everyone in the vicinity.

If the person is at home, you should imply that you will pass the tele- � If you are in company and expectphone, say “bye” and pass the teleing a call, set the mobile phone to phone over. vibrate mode as this is more discreet and of less disturbance to If the person they are calling for is anyone else. not nearby, ask the caller to hold the line while you go and get them. � If you need to speak to someone Do not scream out for that person, and know they may be in a public instead go find the person and ask place, send a text message instead. him/he to attend to the call.

Write to Rakhee Gupta at guptaraIf the person called for is not at khee@live.com

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R A P

U P

Spectre Director: Sam Mendes

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here is something special about the newer breed of Bond films starring Daniel Craig. They are almost relatable. Even the villains are not the hellbent-on-doomsday clichés of the vintage films. These baddies are menacing, cold, but, grounded in reality.

Spectre sees Bond trying to uncover a secret organisation involved in several global terror attacks. It lacks in action and thrills, but makes up with a brilliant story.

Spectre, with the same creative team as Skyfall, tries to deepen the legend of England’s famed spy but somehow, falls short of its predecessor. In all its glorious spectacles of mind-blowing action and its plot, it loses its identity as an all new Bond film and slowly becomes a less-than-able Skyfall. The villain, played

by Christoph Waltz, tries hard to be Raoul Silva (Skyfall’s villain), but fails miserably. The main Bond girl

S

et in Istanbul in the late 1590s, an age of mystics and royalty, the Sultan wills a book to be written which celebrates his life and his empire and strikes fear and awe in the Frankish Lands. In one sense, this book is about a war of colours between the West and the East with the looming presence of religion and questions one’s faith.

The story starts with the murder of one of the miniaturists involved with the commission

34 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

in the film, while played efficiently by Lea Seydoux, seems to be a mere substitute for Vesper Lynd (Bond girl from Casino Royale). But the old guard still stands tall, with excellent performances from M, Q (Ben Whishaw), Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and of course, Daniel Craig.

This is not to say that the film is bad in any way.

The action sequences, particularly in the opening scene, probably makes for the best opening in Bond history. Even with all the criticisms levied against the story, the ending is perfect, and perfectly concludes By Amlaan Kumar the era of Daniel Class XII Craig’s Bond.

Amity International School Noida

of this book. In the outskirts of the city, the man’s head is smashed and is left to die in the bottom of an unused well. The book is a project of complete secrecy and delves into life laid bare to the intentions of fellow brethren and to the passive judgement of the one above.

As we move further into the story, the character of Black Effendi is introduced. As the word ‘Black’

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My Name is Red

By Orhan Pamuk

R A P

U P

Tamasha Director: Imtiaz Ali

I

mtiaz Ali is known to bring his different and philosophical movies to the big screen. Yet again, he has proved what a versatile director he is by making a ‘different’ love story, Tamasha!

This movie starts with a clown and a robot talking about ‘dil and duniya,’ about ‘love-hate’ and the monotony of an average man’s life.

The movie is about a man, Ved Vardhan Sahni (Ranbir Kapoor), a lone, middle-class man on his monotonous road meets a companion (Deepika Padukone) who is completely different from him, in Corsica, France. They decide that they won’t tell each other anything about themselves and never meet each other when they get back. They call each other Don and Mona Darling, explore Corsica and invent corny jokes and pick up lines along the way.

suggests, this man had a past, but no future in Istanbul. He is called by his relative to fill in for the poor soul in the well. The reason this book is controversial is because it seems to portray a hatred for the Venetian/ Frankish style of depicting art. The Islamist Miniaturists art, on the other hand, is what is seen through the eyes of Allah and therefore one must paint as the old masters of Herat.

This book delves on how in the pursuit of creativity, one attracts

Soon, when it is time to return, she realises that she just can’t let him go, but does. Four years later, Tara moves to Delhi in search of Ved and finds out what a different man he is. Instead of the fun loving Don, he lives a repetitive and monotonous life. Tara prods him about his behaviour repeatedly and she leaves him, thinking that he’d never change. Thus starts Ved’s journey of self-discovery! Tamasha is a brilliant work of art by Imtiaz Ali, a little philosophical, but it is a must watch for Ranbir and Deepika’s exceptional acting.

By Anoushka Nair IX Amity International School Noida

the attention of misguided forces who with their misconstrued beliefs attack whatever they deem is a hindrance in their straight path.

The book is not an ordinary account of historic times but delves on how various aspects of society condition people to play out their roles in the public life. Through this book Orhan implies that all is connected and every single action has its aftermath.

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By Bikramjit Sarcar Class XI Sanskriti School, New Delhi

Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 35

Quantico

T

wenty one recruits arrive at the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, to be trained to join the world’s most efficient police force. They all have their own motives behind joining this academy.

They are trained rigorously for nine months and eventually become FBI agents. One of the recruits, Alex Parrish played by Priyanka Chopra, is suspected to have orchestrated a deadly armed attack in the US. All evidences go against her and she has

little time, resources and people who can help her to prove her innocence.

While many people may term the casting a bit too predictable, with an ex-Marine, a rich girl whose parents died in 9/11, two Muslim twin sisters who are pretending to be one; their sole purposes of joining the academy cannot be determined by these basic introductions. It is for this reason that one can term the plot of this show as ‘intimidating’ and ‘gripping’.

Incidentally, this is actor Pri-

A Wet Summer Day

A

n unostentatious and endearing book, Ek Bheega Sa Garm Din is a must read for teenagers, as well as adults. Outlining the working of the joint-family systems in India, Ada Bhansali has cleverly interwoven the sharp contrast between people of different social status, cultures, and genders, with the naive and straightforward perspectives of six young children.

The plot of the book is based on the daily lives of six cousins and siblings who live under the same roof and share a healthy sibling rivalry, as well as affection and loyalty. Each and every issue that crops up in the story gets resolved eventually and there’s a moral at the end for readers to mull upon. By listing experiences

36 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

Ek Bheega Sa Garm Din

by Ada Bhansali

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yanka Chopra’s first debut in the international TV show arena. She has definitely proven her mettle and acting skill in the show. She makes the show all the more entertaining. So those who haven’t seen it must give it a shot.

By Tapakshi Magan Class XII Scottish High International School Gurgaon

like making new friends from different strata of society, discovering new solutions to every problem, and expressing concern and care for the needy, the book conveys the message that no matter what the complication is, it is the mindsets which create a divide in the society, and amongst people. And projecting this through a child’s eyes was a clever ploy to convince the readers.

By Mahika Khanduri Class X, Step By Step School, Noida

R A P

NH7 Weekender

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he weekender was a series of concerts organised in Dwarka, where a lot of popular bands and artistes set the stages on fire, with rock, fusion and instrumentals. The concert featured famous DJ from London Mark Ronson, Indian violinist L Subramaniam, and each of them had a different kind of crowd and atmosphere.

The highlights of the Weekender festival were the last performances of both days, AR Rahman on the first and Vishal Dadlani along with other Bollywood singers on the second day.

Stuck in the middle of the HUGE crowd at Rahman’s was insane. We could hardly breathe, standing on our toes for a tiny glimpse of the artistes, with people pushing in from all sides. Majority of the people, however, missed the actual performance because they only wanted to capture it all on their phones. Rahman mesmerised the audience with his best numbers from Tamasha, and set the mood with his slow ones from Rockstar.

On the second day, Vishal Dadlani, Richa Sharma and Harshdeep Kaur presented a tribute to

Picsart

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icsart is the perfect photo editing app with a wide range of tools that can enhance the photo quality of the picture. It also offers many stickers, free of cost, to add colour to your frame. You can use these cute stickers to express your mood. One of my favourite features in this app is the ‘draw’ tool which can be used to merge two or more pictures; one of the pictures should have reduced opacity so as to create the ‘merging effect’. You can also add texts to the picture and write whatever you have in your mind.

The texts can be in varied styles,

colours and fonts. You can even create a collage of several pictures, be it a collage of food, clothes, friends, beautiful places you’ve visited.

On the homepage of ‘Picsart’ there are daily inspiration photos, you can have a look at these photos and their editing tips to get started. If you are fond of photography, you can be a

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Nusrat Fateh Ali khan, the king of Sufi. I also got to meet a few of them personally, thanks to mom!

Everyone danced along the peppy beats and tried to stay away from the dangerously drunk youngsters. There was a lot of head-banging and hands waving in the air too. Overall, the event was well organised, and it was a crazy weekend out with friends.

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

part of the ‘Picsart’ community and even get featured as one of the best photographers on the homepage of ‘Picsart’.

Once you have edited the pictures, you can directly share the pictures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

And voila! People will start commenting and liking your pictures instantly. So, download the app from Playstore and you won’t be disappointed.

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By Bhargavi Kouli Class XI Sanskriti School, New Delhi

Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 37

B l o g

Is India’s culture of diversity and debate now under vicious assault? Rhitik Jassar agrees to disagree

sue where the cycle repeats itself.

There is no denying that killing in Dadri does re-sensitise us towards communal violence nor am I criticising the media for fulfilling its civic duty, however it is important to remember within that parameter is the idea of responsible journalism, knowing and keeping in mind the consequences of a story, and how it is being presented to the masses, who too, share the myopic lenses of

Age of Intolerance T

his debate has reached a level of becoming ad nauseam, with the new fad called ‘social media polarisation’, if we didn’t have quite a few mediums for expressing that phenomenon already.

A string of prominent individuals had come out with a position stating that there was a growing climate of intolerance. Parties with vested interests had tried to hurl this originally “apolitical charge” at each other, politicising a ideologically and morally inclined debate into a BJP vs. The Opposition battle, and the opportunistic media joined in, and that became the root cause of the problem, due to a media bubble on intolerance and communally motivated incidents it seems that the average Indian has become relatively more intolerant, while some

38 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

are linking this to the regime change at centre.

I, however, believe it is the media that is creating this sense of insecurity by overemphasising upon the issue; it seems to have an extremely myopic set of lenses that oscillates between issues, at one point the glare being on rape and now intolerance, these are phases, or bubbles that burst with which discourse on the subject disappears with no concrete action being taken for redressal, but for the time the bubble lasts there is a creation of a sponsored polarised environment – protests and counter-protests take place, till we reach a point of distortion (where the genesis and core of issue is forgotten) from which the issue begins to fade and the media bubble bursts, only to reform around another is-

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the media.

For me, the average Indian remains as intolerant or tolerant as he has been, tolerance and intolerance are ideas, not defined in a time-frame of a media bubble, but rather they are defined in individualistic and collective capacities and no patriot or turncoat can influence those. Therefore, making sweeping generalisations is dangerous. Whether we are tolerant or intolerant is a question we must all answer for ourselves, and understanding that unlike our CBSE/IB boards there is no right answer, only a relative one.

By Rhitik Jassar Class XII, Genesis Global School, Noida

S C H O O L L I V E Volume 1| Issue 11| August 2015 | 21

P a g e

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

Paro Anand writes about 20 young people who stand on the precipice of choices and dilemmas

Win Over

‘N

ow, I’m going into the common room and I’ll wait five minutes. If you think we can talk like sensible human beings, you can come right in. If not . . .’ she shrugged, leaving her sentence hanging in mid-air.

She went into the empty room and shut the door behind her. Here she closed her eyes and ran a hand over her face. She was surprised to find that her head hurt. She wanted so much to be able to open the door to this child’s mind and let some fresh air in. She had so much promise, but was also ever ready to press the selfdestruct button in panic. Was there something that she, as a teacher, an older woman, a mother, could do?

The door opened, creaking, unwillingly, just a crack. The teacher couldn’t see for sure who it was. ‘Come on in, Fatima,’ she said in a voice that exuded more confidence than she felt.

And then she was there. Standing there, glowering. ‘Well?’ she demanded, standing in the open doorway, arms akimbo, ‘what is it that we need

40 | | Volume 2 | Issue 4 | January 2016

to talk about?’

‘Why don’t you shut the door and come sit down?’ the teacher said. But the girl shook her head, holding the door ajar, ready to bolt, ‘No, there’s no need. This isn’t going to take long.’

‘As you like. Fatima, I was wondering, would you like to take special javelin lessons? Say in the evenings?’

‘Why?’ The older woman smiled, ‘Why—what?’ ‘Why should I want special sessions?’ Fatima said as though ‘special’ was a dirty, forbidden word.

‘Well, two reasons, I think. One, I believe you could be very good at it.’ ‘And number two?’ Margaret suppressed her smile; there was something so sweet in Fatima’s belligerence. ‘For reasons best known to yourself, Fatima; you don’t seem to get on with the other children. Anyway, that’s not my concern, really, but maybe you’d prefer to practise on your own, er . . . with me, of course, if you don’t mind . . .’ and she laughed out aloud. She saw the brief look of pleasure that flickered across the child’s face, although she was silent.

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‘All right, that’s settled then. I’ll meet you this evening at five.’ The teacher was almost out of the door before she heard it. ‘Thank you,’ said a tiny voice. Mrs Whitbread turned and smiled a little smile in silent acknowledgement — perhaps of a new bond.

Later that night, at home with her husband and sons, Mrs Whitbread talked of young Fatima. It was one of the few times that she discussed the orphanage children with her family.

They, too, now sensed that it was with special feeling that she spoke of this girl. And they were to hear a lot more of her.

Fatima trained hard under her mentor’s tutelage. She never complained of being tired. She never lost focus or enthusiasm. Day by day, Mrs Whitbread came to realize that she had a very special athlete in her care.

Excerpted from Paro Anand’s Like Smoke: 20 teens 20 stories (Rs 250/ 217 pages), Penguin Books India.

a s k

N i v e d i t a

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

Am I Worth It?

Self-esteem is a dynamic construct and people develop self-esteem by doing things that are hard for am a 15-year-old girl and have them to accomplish and not merely self esteem problem. Whenever through having ‘special talents’. offered an opportunity, I decline Where self-esteem related inand thus have grown to have no spe- adequacies are concerned, you are cial talents. How do I break this vi- not alone in this. An adolescent’s cious cycle? self-esteem today is not a constant Self esteem or a sense of self worth commodity, as it is constantly being is based on your ability to deal with tested by the new challenges thrown people, problems and challenges in their direction. Every day in a in life. Depending on how well you child’s life, there are new opportunimanage this, your self-esteem grows, ties and new tasks to deal with. Evdiminishes or stays underdeveloped. ery other day their parents, teachers

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or peer are doing an evaluative assessment of how well they ‘measure up’ to others, thereby putting them on an emotional roller coaster vis a vis their sense of adequacy.

You have insight into your problem, you have the desire to better your lot, so just open yourself up to experiences/learnings and make the most of what the world has to offer.

It is never too late no matter what age you are at.

Write to Nivedita Singh at niveditasingh2005@gmail.com

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Volume 2 | Issue 4| January 2016 | 41

ST il ma em l iP no ee t r y

CARGO SHIPS Well, my dear one, can you not see?

What have these days, become of me?

I’ve looked for my daughter, wherever I’ve known, the ribbons in her hair, how her green eyes shone.

The thing I most fear, the thing I most dread, Is I hope she knows her father, and hope she won’t forget.

For I was the one, who had held her in the arm, when she was of length, from my elbow to my palm.

I miss her hearty laughs and her high pitched voice, but father won’t be there, for father has no choice.

For father has to work today, among the cargo ships, he has to go a long way, and take up long trips.

The sweat on his brow, the grease on his hands, when I stay away, my love for you expands.

But I promise one day, when they’ll give me a break, come running to you, a holiday I’ll take.

I’ll give you a kiss, and hold you tight, but I’m afraid my dear, that won’t be tonight.

By Nandika Mogha Class IX Amity International School, Noida

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