School live march 2016

L O O H C S

E V LI Volume 2 | Issue 6 march 2016

The Shero

Maria Toorpakai Wazir The Girl who squashed Taliban

Let Us Be

Nivedita Singh against 24x7 parental cyber surveillance

Raise The Bar

Ishwak Singh Barmi on top of mount Kilimanjaro

GEMS DELIGHT

Recipe BY Saroj Ambekar Ingredients: Flour

100 gm

Baking Powder

Âź tsp

Butter

100 gm

Sugar

65 gm

Cold Milk with Kesar

1 tbsp

Vanilla Essence

2 drops

Egg 1 Nuts (Cashew, almond, etc) 75 gm Goldiee Jam

50 gm

Gems

As required

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

The best entry will win a Goldiee gift hamper.

Procedure:

Sieve flour with baking powder and chopped nuts. Cream butter and sugar until light and floppy, gradually add egg yolk.

Add kesar milk, flour and mix. Form equal portion balls. Beat egg white slightly, dip the balls in and roll in nuts. Place on greased baking tray and bake at 170-180 degree C for about 5 minutes. Press your thumb into the balls, return to oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and fill the centre with jam and multi-coloured gems.

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

CONSULTING EDITOR Teena Baruah teenabaruah@gmail.com Editorial Team Mansi Tikoo Nishtha Content Development Prerna Jaiswal Business Development Stockbay Partners DESIGNER Ashish Kumar Mimansa Grafix

Rakhee Gupta

Image consultant and etiquette trainer

Jaqualine Naik

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

Kavita Devgan

Nutritionist, weight management specialist and health writer

For AdvertiSING richa@school-live.com For subscription editor@school-live.com

C o n ta c t Kritika Negi 9810560472 School LIVE : Printed and Published by Richa Aniruddha Printed at Eminent Offset A 61, DDA SHED, OKHLA IND AREA PH II, NEW DELHI Owned by FUTURE READY EDUCATION SERVICES PVT LTD. EDITED BY RICHA ANIRUDDHA

Saskia Raode Haas

World renowned cellist and Founder-Director of Sangeet4All

S C H O O L

LIVE Volume 2 | Issue 6 march 2016

The Shero

Maria Toorpakai Wazir The Girl who squashed Taliban

Let Us Be

Nivedita Singh against 24x7 parental cyber surveillance

Raise The Bar

Ishwak Singh Barmi on top of mount Kilimanjaro

Cover Photo courtesy: Hasnain Dattu (head) and Clee Images (figure) SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 3

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ed-note

S C H O O L

L I V E

Hi!

Recently I was invited to talk at the Failure Lab. The idea was to talk about a failure of yours and then let the audience discuss the outcomes.

When I got the invite, I wondered, how many times have I failed? And the answer was NONE. Does that mean, I NEVER encountered failures? No. That means, when I look back today, all those incidents, that seemed to be my biggest failures at that point of time, are today mere experiences here and there.

Often, we take little hurdles, obstacles, ‘failures’, difficulties, too seriously.

I remember getting depressed when I couldn’t clear my PMT and some of my friends did. I thought to myself that I was the biggest failure around because I couldn’t become a doctor. Today, I THANK GOD that I didn’t become a doctor, not for any other reason, but I would have been a terrible one, if I had cleared the PMT at that time.

You all are appearing for your exams right now. Remember, work hard, give it your very best, but don’t let your grades label you either a success or a failure.

There is nothing called failure… There are good and bad experiences. Enjoy the good ones and learn from the bad ones…

All the very best for your exams.

Lovingly yours

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

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p a s s i n g

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Give

&Take

French students Vivien Sainte Fare Garnot and Victor Schmidt embark on an unique multicultural student exchange project in their gap year. Read on

W

e are postgraduate engineering students from Paris, currently taking a gap year. Before finishing our curriculum, we wanted to take up a project that excites us.

Education is a topic that we both cherish. It is a wonderful tool of progress. We also share a passion for travelling. We love the idea of encountering different cultures, different histories, different ways of thinking and we are convinced that travelling is an excellent form of education. So the idea of our project is to travel through Asia and implement exchanges between schools in Asia and France through a series of documentary films.

We spent several months preparing for it and arrived in New Delhi in the second week of February. Before

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We do not want to encourage any sort of comparison, neither do we want the exchange to be a contest on who has the better education system

mary school in New Delhi and shot another movie to capture the everyday life of Indian children in school.

And then, the exchange was ready to take off.

Through these videos, we tried to show in the most objective way, how leaving France we shot a small film children are educated on both sides. in a school of Paris, which shows the We do not want to encourage any everyday life of children of first and sort of comparison, neither do we fifth grade. In Delhi, we went to Bal- want the exchange to be a contest on vantray Mehta Vidya Bhawan pri- who has the better education system.

Rather, we want it to be an opportunity to question ideas on schooling that children could take for granted.

Our time in Delhi will soon be over and we will be on the road again to facilitate exchanges in Nepal and Burma. We’ll travel with two heads full of memorable experiences and two hearts warmed up by children’s smiles.

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S C H O O L

contents

L I V E 5 Editor’s Note 7 Passing By 8

School in Spotlight

H

Cover

ow we study hasn’t changed a bit since the day I was a little girl, almost three decades ago. Studying for finals is still a lonely, mind-numbing, back-breaking exercise and the world of information available online has not crept into our learning process. The sleep-eat-study-repeat routine isn’t broken by the advent of the social media. Laptops, communication gadgets lie silent at the bottom drawer, as if on strict detention. Why can’t exam studies be fun? Tell us your suggestions. Meanwhile, read the story of 11-yearold mountaineer Ishwak Singh Barmi recounting his heroic climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. Ananya Mohanty talks about her visit to Spain’s largest stadium, Camp Nou, home to FC Barcelona. I have packed lot more fun stories for you here, just to compensate for your drudgery at the study table. Good Luck!

12 Exclusive: Story of

Maria Toorpakai Wazir

16

Fit For Life

18 DIY 20

Teen Travel

24 Timeline 25

Blog

26 Call For Action 28

Quick Edit

Watch This Space

Happy reading!

30 Expert Expression 32

Teena Baruah

Rap up

36 Career Chat 37 Storytelling 38

Worthy Opponent

39 Mind Your Manners 40 Page 99 41 Ask Nivedita 42

Slam Poetry

30

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New Age

Learning Pragyan: A Mission

Pragyan School is a day boarding school in Greater Noida. The school is affiliated to CBSE and at the Senior Secondary level it offers three streams: Science, Commerce and Humanities. It believes in providing holistic education to children. If doing well in studies is important, personality development and character building is equally important.

Therefore, it offers an array of activities for children from where they can choose the stream they are passionate about. They are proud of the

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fact that while they have toppers studying in the best of academic institutions across the world, they also have national level skating champions, tennis and football players.

They also run a full-fledged sports academy here, which is well-aligned with their belief that children must go out and get dirty.

The life-long learners

They believe that each child has potential and a special talent which makes her/him stand out. They strive towards helping the child dis-

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Pragyan School in Greater Noida stresses on holistic education. Anu Singh Choudhary reports cover that potential, and then hone it well. They are working towards creating an environment where humility, compassion and happiness remain at the core of their values, while hard work and desire to excel is what drives their children towards these values. Each child is special for them, and is therefore encouraged to pursue his or her choices with earnest zeal and enthusiasm.

The school is the springboard for them from where they take the flight of relentless pursuit of knowledge.

For them, ‘knowledge’ does not

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mean only degrees and qualifications. By knowledge, they mean knowing oneself well too. Again, while they are encouraging their children to be in pursuit of that knowledge, they as teachers are also learning a great deal with them.

Their students, for them, are their greatest teachers. With all the parameters of quality education fully catered for in the school, coupled with their firm belief that all children have potential, the going is bound to be good, pleasurable and rewarding.

Each child is encouraged to deal with complexities with earnest zeal, zest, enthusiasm and exuberance.

Why Day Boarding?

The school believes that Day Boarding is the need of the hour. An education system is holistic only when it allows academic and co-curricular activities go hand in hand. At Pragyan, they facilitate an environment where a child is engaged in allied

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The total thrust in the school is to create an environment where success, howsoever big, does not inflate children, and failure, however daunting, does not deflate them

activities along with academics through the day. They are learning with their peer group in an environment which is familiar and safe for them. Unfortunately in this fastpaced world, giving children adequate time is what is lacking the most. Though parents have the resources and money to buy them the best of all gadgets, they have very little time for conversations. Because kids are spending their entire day with the teachers at school, they get to know them better and have a

much deeper bond with them. The teachers especially reach out to shy and hesitant students, and make sure that each child learns to express and take responsibilities. It is pleasantly surprising that at the annual day functions every single student participates. It is possible only because the faculty is spending longer hours with them, teachers know which child is good at what, and also because they have consciously kept the student-teacher ratio well within limits. The ideal teacher student ratio of 1:12 individualises the teaching-learning process and the self study periods foster independence.

Thereby removing the ill effects of

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the private tuition system prevailing in the society. Competition with one’s own self is the objective of these periods. Homework is completed by the students in the school itself in the primary classes, under the supervision of subject teachers.

At the end of the day, thus, they have happy students going home to have healthy interactions with their parents or pursuing their interests further.

The ideal teacher student ratio of 1:12 individualises the teaching-learning process and the self study periods foster independence

Unity in heterogeneity

The school has children from extremely diverse backgrounds. While this kind of heterogeneity is extremely helpful for the school environment, there are instances that it has posed a challenge as well. In Pragyan, the senior-junior culture is sacrosanct. Juniors are supposed to respect seniors, no matter what. It does two things: a) fills the seniors with a deep sense of responsibility and b) reminds the younger ones of the lines they are not supposed to cross.

Learning to take responsibilities The students here are educated in such a manner that they are shaped

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into fine human beings rather than mere academic wizards. With these ethos, under the aegis of the British Council, they have been participating in the ISA ProgramInternational School Award Programme, and are the recipient of the coveted International School Award for the session 2015-18, second time in a row. Aiming at nurturing and developing younger generation and letting them lead by example, has enthused them to appreciate and undertake various projects of experiential learning. The school has recently introduced a module where senior students (from Class IX onwards) take a few classes of the ju-

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nior students. This module solves multi-pronged purposes. It is a kind of a reinforcement of what students had learnt when they were younger.

It teaches them the importance of prepping up well before a class or an event. It also allows them the space to explore the subject they love, and helps them build a very strong bond with their juniors. Basically, the idea is to inculcate a habit of taking responsibilities wherever possible.

If the students at the school come to the faculty with a complaint, they are asked to suggest a solution too and then are involved in the execution of it. Whether it is the food menu to be prepared for the month or overall discipline within the school premises, students are at the helm of every affair. With the help of the teachers and Interact Club, the students closely work with several voluntary organisations.

Leading by example

Since it is a day boarding school, the teachers work for long hours and are like foster mothers to their students.

The school is a gentle environment, where they try to nurture a culture of open communication. A happy individual will create a happy en-

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vironment, as their environment is a reflection of nothing else but the school itself. Which is why at the end of every working day, the principal stands in the foyer to see off the students and teachers. One look at their faces is enough to make her realize how the children have spent their day. If they bid a warm good bye and smile back, one knows they have had a good day. If they look quiet and withdrawn, one knows that something is amiss and that the faculty must reach out. It is an established fact that learning transcends into an effective experience when facts are etched in our mental frame through real life situations. Making the students tough from within, ready to face the ravages of life, is the idea behind organizing annual trek where students learn to live without gadgets, interacting with human beings.

Other than the trek, the annual trips that each class undertakes to a different Indian destination, although brings in a lot of logistical challenges, yet is a great opportunity for the class teachers to get to know their students. Along with these are the bimonthly educational trips which are interwoven with the curriculum.

Each outing ensures that students

Making the students tough from within, ready to face the ravages of life, is the idea behind organizing annual trek where students learn to live without gadgets, interacting with human beings learn interpersonal skills and are more responsible.

The school isn’t only graduating batches from our school, they are sending out warm, compassionate and kind human beings in the society who care for each-other and respect each other. That comes from everyday practice that the community follows at Pragyan. Happiness is the key to this practice.

The open-door culture

At Pragyan, they believe in an open dialogue. The door to the principal’s office is open all day long for students and teachers. Managing Trustee Ram Chand always wel-

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comes new ideas and feedback on the day-to-day functioning of the school. They strongly believe that they are a team at work and the team not only includes our children, teachers and support staff, but also parents. The school invites the parents to dine in the dining area with the students, so that they are aware of how the children eat together and follow table etiquettes. Their suggestions and feedback on all aspects of academic and non-academic activities are taken very seriously.

About the principal

The principal, Ruchika Sharma, was born and brought up in Delhi.

Her education too is from Delhi.

After her graduation in Chemistry (Hons) from Ramjas College, she did her Masters in English. She was a gold medalist both in B.Ed (from Jamia Milia Islamia) and in Diploma in Advertising and Public Relations from YMCA, Delhi. With around twenty two years of working in various schools, her understanding and love for students increased. It also taught her that schools should constantly be in a state of flux - changing, expanding, adapting to the growing needs of the future.

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E x c l u s i v e

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About A Girl E x c l u s i v e

Pakistan’s Maria Toorpakai Wazir had to live as a boy to play squash under the Taliban rule. Now, she is one of the top female squash players in the world. School LIVE offers an exclusive peek into her exceptional life story

I

did know exactly where my mother kept the box of matches and a full bottle of kerosene―in a small cabinet by the shelves where we stored tins of food. It was summertime, and we cooked outdoors in a deep fire pit dug in the soft umbrella shade of tall acacia tree that grew behind our house. I was four years old, and at home alone, my long black hair tied up with colorful silk ribbons. My mother had put me in a new dress heavily embroidered with bright threads and ornate constellations of crystal beads.

The heavy and rough fabric confined me head-to-toe like a coffin. From an open window, I watched the boys from our village play in the dry dirt field some distance from my house.

I sat there leaning against the mud sill, chin cupped in my hand observing their free movements and feeling my skin grow hot. The gleeful shouting and back-and-forth dance of the rubber ball between the boys’ nimble bare feet tormented me. Every now and then, a boy would glance over in my direction and we’d look at each other. On that day, I didn’t put much emotion into what I did next. A strange new rush of adrenaline and raw instinct propelled me into the fateful act that would define my entire future.

When I lit the pile of silken kerosene-soaked dresses in the pit, they went up in a wall of flames that made loud cracking sounds like the

gunshots fired in celebration of the birth of a new tribal son. The many ribbon adornments came loose and fluttered up with the sudden rush of air and embers. The burning heap of dresses themselves looked like small female bodies stacked lifeless on a pyre after the passing of a fatal judgment. In another minute, I took a knife to my long hair, tossing the thick tangled clumps into the fire. I left everything to burn and put on my brother’s shirt and pants and ran as though possessed around the flames raging under the tree.

My father entered the garden as the last tongues of smoke raced up

to the bright sky, bits of fabric disintegrating into the hot blue air. He was stunned but not angry; I saw in his face just then a recognition of the very thing he always hoped I would harness―pure Wazir courage. Then he stepped up to me and the two of us stood together in the softly descending ashes watching the smoke travel toward the horizon like a prophecy.

He laughed as he bid farewell to his second daughter and welcomed into his arms his fifth son...

Almost fifteen years later, desperate and alone, I shivered at the curb at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada, waiting for Jonathon Power—the greatest squash player in the world, and the man who’d rescued me from the crosshairs of the Taliban. He’d brought me there, sight unseen. I watched in stunned silence as he walked up to me smiling, and threw my one pathetic sports bag over his shoulder.

In that moment, I realized that every single possession I owned in the world, even my threadbare dreams, rested on his back.

As I sat next to Jonathon in the front seat and we started out on the road, into the great unknown I had been trying to reach with thousands of desperate emails—all unanswered, except for Jonathon’s promise of work papers and a one-way plane ticket—it started to snow. The white flakes swirled around the windshield like the ashes of my childhood bon-

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fire. Over the hum of the car I could hear the echoes of my father’s roaring laughter and feel the warm skin of his calloused hand take mine as he had so many years ago. Back then, neither one of us could have known how long and arduous my journey would be, from a little girl’s wild wish to play out in the Waziri countryside all the way to this Canadian metropolis—through gunfights, the taunts of rapists, car

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bombings and Taliban death threats.

Somehow it had all led me to that moment on a cold Canadian highway, so far from home, a fugitive all over again, but in a land spanning two oceans and under the wing of a legend.

Hands gripping the steering wheel, Jonathon Power turned to me: “So, Maria, you ready to become a world champion?” “Inshallah,” I said. God willing...

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Born in a Pashtun family in South Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, the only way Maria could play sport as a woman was to disguise herself as a boy. When her gender was revealed in order for her to train professionally in squash, Maria and her family received death and kidnap threats as her actions were perceived as ‘un-Islamic’. The Pakistani national squash federation provided security for her home and training venue, however Maria decided it was a safer option to seek an opportunity to train internationally. Maria now lives and trains in Toronto, Canada, under former professional squash player Jonathon Power.

N

ot long after I arrived in Toronto, still somewhat disheveled, Jonathon took a turn on Skype with my father, Shams.

Settling into my seat, they spoke for a long time, laughing together in no

time, as though they were long-lost friends meeting again, eight hundred kilometers of earth between them. Before saying goodbye and closing his screen, my father looked out through the darkness, a single light shining over his tired face, and

told Jonathon: My precious daughter is now your daughter. Our job here is done. I thought my new coach, mercurial legend that he was, would be taken aback by the statement. It was a heightened responsibility he might not want. After all, he and I were just squash players—a master and a protégé.

Unflinchingly, Jonathon only smiled. I could see him in the periphery, his skin tinged blue before the screen, and he lowered his head, nodding. Manana—thank you. Right then, more than at any other time, I knew I was all right. And I was overcome with gratitude.

After that, becoming world champion meant more than winning at a game—that ambition transmuted into a new way of life. Within weeks Jonathon and I founded the Only One Girl Foundation, to raise money and awareness and educate girls in countries like mine, where they are still oppressed. Soon, I started making speeches, getting my feet wet in small local venues. At first, standing up on stage under the hot glare of spotlights was terrifying, and I wasn’t sure that what I had to say would matter to a soul. Then, the more I met with people from around North America, and saw my story unfold through their eyes, I began to realize that my journey, and all its minute details, wasn’t singular at all. I was only one girl with a racquet, and a lot of luck.

The night I won the Liberty Bell tournament, the last thing my father said to me before we signed off of Skype has become the mantra through which I map my every day and entire future.

Behind you, waiting alone in the dark, are one thousand Marias.

My dreams are for them.

Excerpted from A Different Kind of Daughter: The Girl Who Hid from The Taliban in Plain Sight (Rs 599) with permission from publisher Pan Macmillan India.

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Food Good

Nutritionist Kavita Devgan discusses the importance of eating right in teens

W

e all eat, but do we eat enough? And here I don’t mean quantity and calories, rather I am asking if the food we eat on a daily basis delivers the necessary nutrients in the right amounts.

Sadly I feel for a lot many of us

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it doesn’t. Because very often in our pursuit of weight loss and also due to the daily grind (stresses and strains) and also incorrect information we all end up following very poor eating habits. And unfortunately because of that our bodies end

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Kavita Devgan’s debut book Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaico) is available now.

F i t up being deficient in multiple essential nutrients. And adolescents in particular are most vulnerable to this.

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If you feel the need for a salty snack, try a small handful of nuts.

Eat breakfast every day. An eggs breakfast is ideal as they are a great source of nutrients and vitamins, inSo what’s missing? cluding lutein and other eye-healthy Good quality protein is very often nutrients. missing from most diets, as the foAvoid fried foods. Try more cus tends to be on processed and healthy alternatives, including junk foods that tends to be low on grilled lean meats and cottage protein and high on refined carbs cheese. and fat. Most teens also tend to be Also, get plenty of sleep to help deficient in vitamins A, D, E and K count which begins adding up right your body recharge, recover and be (found in green vegetables), calcium from now… Gaps in these impor- ready for a new day! and magnesium. Why? Answer to tant nutrients can have implications this is a no brainer actually. What throughout the body, may even af- Finally… happens is that at this stage teens fect attentiveness and academic perYou’ll be surprised, but your get exposed to the multiple choices formance, and physical factors like weight too depends on whether you on offer and begin making more eye and vision health, height gain are ingesting enough nutrients or independent food choices. Unfor- etc. in the long term. not. For example deficiency of iron, tunately though due to marketing To make sure children are getting vitamin D and even calcium has a dipressure (who can resist the burgers the nutrition they need for healthy rect relationship with how much you when you see them being streamed bodies, good vision and optimal per- weigh. So if for nothing else, make on the TV screens all the time) and formance both in and outside the sure you eat a high ‘quality’ diet for lack of information, often end up classroom, they must follow these the sake of staying thin. Read more eating a lot of junk, thus leading to healthy eating habits: about it in my book. inadequate ‘quality’ of food. Just Avoid or cut back on sugary soft compare the quality of nutrients in drinks and energy drinks. Drink Kavita Devgan’s debut book Don’t a dal-roti-subzi meal with a burger more water instead. For flavor, add Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaiand you’ll know what I mean. a slice of lemon, lime or orange. co) is available now.

Fruits and veggies are your So what happens? friends. Snack on these instead of This can be particularly challeng- high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food. ing for adolescents as this is the Don’t add extra salt to your food. time of accelerated physical growth and missing key nutrients can create serious problems for future. It is like a nutrients debt ac-

Deficiency of iron, vitamin D and even calcium has a direct relationship with how much you weigh. So make sure you eat a high ‘quality’ diet for the sake of staying thin

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D I Y

Twitter Trail

After the winter migration of birds ends, the months of March and April are the best time in India to trace a variety of birds. Shivam Gopal Periwal shares some handy tips for this craft.

WHAT YOU NEED? If you think I would ask you to buy good binoculars, a DSLR, or those canon like telephoto lenses and other equipments, you are wrong.

All you need is attentive and keen eyes, patience and some time to spend. If you wish to do bird photography, then you would surely need a camera with high zoom.

These days lots of cameras with 20x+ zoom are available in the market.

Bra hm iny My na

Ind ian Silv er

WHICH PLACE TO CHOOSE? Well, birds don’t live in national parks and bird sanctuaries only. We can commonly see birds near our homes. Start

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checklist. Such books list names of various species along with pictures. It is quite handy to use them.

2. You may post pictures of the bird on various SNS groups. There are plenty of good groups on Facebook dedicated to bird photography.

3.

You can search about common birds in your area on the internet. Try to identify your bird using given pictures.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PICTURE? The key focus point in a bird’s body is eyes. So try to focus on it. Other than this, beautiful perch with a nice backdrop looks very pleasing. Don’t try to capture aerial shots since very beginning. Move step by step. Start with capturing stable ones and then move to next step once you are comfortable with it.

Spo tte d

Lit tle Cor mo ran t

SOME DOs & DON’Ts: 1. Don’t wear bright or neon colored clothes. Birds hate it. Wear dull Ow let clothes instead. Brown and green colour are best. They will help in camouflaging and going close to birds. with your balcony, ter- 2. Don’t create noise. Birds will feel race or garden. Idenscared and fly away. tify how many spe- 3. Do carry a water bottle to hydrate cies visit your home. I yourself. have identified around 4. Do keep water in earthen pots 20 species near my in your garden/terrace. This will home. You can also give you a good opportunity to get visit any place in your friendly with birds. city which has a lot 5. Don’t litter environment. of greenery. Birds, of course, like trees. So, grab your camera and watch for There are many eco- birds :) tourism parks too, in Follow my work on Facebook at every city. Visit them. SGP Photography HOW TO IDENTIFY BIRDS? There are various alternatives for this.

1. You may buy a bird

SCHOOL LIVE

By Shivam Gopal Periwal Class XII Gwalior Glory High School, Gwalior

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 19

Cliff Hanger 11-year-old mountaineer Ishwak Singh Barmi recounts his heroic climb up Mount Kilimanjaro

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n December 8, 2015, when I reached the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro (approximately 20,000 feet!), the highest peak in Africa, I felt like I was on my way to becoming a hero, the kind I saw on television – the ones who would do all those fancy unmatched feats. I was the youngest climber, full of energy, out of the team of 75 members that started the climb. The climber closest to my age was a 25-year-old.

That, on its own, was very encouraging for a young boy like me.

much, much more.

The initial cardio requirement was 60%, set to go up to 85% gradually, which was extremely tough.

Buying my new climbing gear was the exciting part, but it was quite a task to find it all under one roof. The most important were my waterproof hiking boots, windbreaker pants, snow gutters and my snow jacket to protect me under -20 degree C temperature. The three essential keys to a smooth and successful climb were: drink adequate water even when not thirsty, to walk at a very slow and My Journey cautious speed (as slow as an old The Rotary Club of Nairobi man walking backwards), and sleep planned a fundraising initiative for well. a Guinness World Record Climb to I was excited and nervous the Mount Kilimanjaro from December night before my travel to Tanzania, 4-10, 2015. I had made up my mind as it was my first international travel to go for this climb. We were told 6 alone, without my family or anyone months prior to the expedition that I knew. My parents too were filled we needed to prepare for the physi- with a sense of nervous thrill, as this cal training, as the goal was to attain was my very first expedition. the physical and mental strength to I had done the pre-expedition deal with the climb. The basic rou- routine religiously and had thought tine for 6 months was good nutrition, that I had not missed any detail. cardio, treks, walking, and eventu- However, little did I know that ally walking with elevation, cycling, nothing was enough to prepare me swimming, yoga, meditation and for what I was going to face in the

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coming days. It involved waking up at 4am, assembling for training at 5am, followed by a hectic schedule for the entire day, filled with lecture sessions, long treks and tent pitch training. We all woke up sleep deprived, but the freshness of the air kept our adrenaline running. It was the first time I was experiencing something like this.

Expedition Itinerary We took the Marangu route, aka, ‘Coca-Cola’, which is the oldest and most established route on the mountain. It is a gradual route that allows one to enjoy going through five different climatic zones to the summit.

Ascent and descent is done on the same path.

On Day 1, December 3, the team members met at Nairobi meeting point and headed south to Loitokitok border. On Day 2, after getting clearance from the border, we embarked on our trek of approximately 15 kms through the Tropical Montane Forest and reached Mandara Huts. We rested for a while and got our breaths back. The sky seemed a brilliant hue of blue, almost like an

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everlasting ocean. I had never seen something so surreal.

On Day 3, we trekked for around 7 hours along a path through open grassy moorland to reach Horombo Hut. It was great fun exploring the mountain side and talking to the various companions on board. Horombo Hut was a place bustling with hikers, guides and porters, with a brilliant atmosphere of adventure and excitement. After spending the night at Horombo Hut, on Day 4, we continued ascending past the ‘last water point’ traversing the saddle between Kibo and Mawenzi to Kibo Hut (altitude 4700m) which took 5 to 7 hours. Everyone was tired, but

happy. There was a keen sense of humbleness between all of us, to help each other out in whatever way we could. It was the small gestures that mattered the most. At Horombo Hut, acclimatisation was the main aim, because if we didn’t get acclimatised it would lead us to problems like altitude sickness and hypothermia.

The physical and emotional stress I was experiencing everyday was building up with every step on the way. I was looking inside me to gauge how much energy I had, and was grateful for the results. The temperature was dropping gradually to -20 degree Celsius, my endurance had reached its peak. However, I was determined not to give up, getting my sense of resilience from my parents. I had a visual of reaching the peak and unfurling the Indian flag. This filled my heart with immense pride, joy and determination.

We topped every now and then to binge a bit and quieten our growling stomachs.

The most unique part of this phase was climbing the awesome rocks, especially the awesome zebra

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rocks. We survived the cold, ice and the freezing nights, and eventually on Day 5 we started the climb to the Uhuru Peak (20,000 feet), the Summit. To reach the peak, we started at 1am and it was important to keep awake, since the body requires more oxygen when it is sleeping. As we go higher in altitude the air gets less dense. However, I was disheartened seeing more than 70% of my group members going back to the base camp due to ill health and fatigue. But I remembered that I must keep going, slow and steady, and visualised reaching the top. My thoughts refocused on what I had come from India to accomplish and it gave me the strength to move on... And then, I was at my final destination: the PEAK! I proudly took out the Indian Flag and unfurled it. My bestest success till date!

SCHOOL LIVE

By Ishwak Singh Barmi Class VII, Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 21

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T r a v e l

Football

Mania

Football fanatic, Ananya Mohanty had an opportunity to visit Spain’s largest stadium, Camp Nou, which is home to FC Barcelona.

She writes about her adventurous and surreal trip to the stadium

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nly a true fan would know how it feels like when you’re standing on the ground of legendary Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Camp Nou is the home ground to FC Barcelona and boy, it is breathtaking.

Having a capacity of 99,000 people, Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Spain. Other than the matches, the faculty holds a daily tour of the grounds.

Thousands of people come just to catch a glimpse of the grounds.

The Camp Nou tour retraces the steps of players that have made history, and visitors can feel the true Barca passion by visiting the most emblematic areas of The Camp Nou, including the visitor’s changing room and the tunnel onto the pitch where a panoramic view of the whole stadium can be enjoyed.

My visit started with a tour of the model dressing room of the players. It’s a large and spacious room with compartments allotted to different players.

Obviously, most of the girls in the crowd flocked towards the compartments of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. The conference/press room was also part of the tour. The multimedia area was my favourite part. A large number of headphones are left suspended from the ceiling which play the anthem of the team making you feel like you’re sitting in the stadium and watching the game.

Several screens, hanging overhead, showed the legendary goals and moments of the previous matches.

The tour ends with the museum where the trophies won by the team are displayed. The stadium is one of the most amazing highlights of Barcelona and is definitely one of the most amazing stadiums in the whole wide world.

Camp Nou fulfills the dreams of a true fan and is a treat to the senses indeed.

By Ananya Mohanty Class IX Amity International School, Noida SCHOOL LIVE

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T i m e l i n e

Facebook

Timeline of Facebook that turned 12 this year February 2004: Mark Zuckerberg

started Facebook as a sophomore at Harvard University.

of Facebook’s most popular features.

April 2008: Facebook introduced March 2004: Facebook began al- Chat.

duced Timeline, a new version of the profile page. It’s meant to show lowing people from other colleges highlights from a person’s entire life and universities to join.

February 2009: Facebook intro- rather than recent posts. duced ‘Like’, allowing people to enSeptember 2004: Facebook intro- dorse other people’s posts.

January 2014: Facebook started to duced the Wall, which allows people roll out ‘trending topics’, showing to write personal musings and other August 2011: Facebook introduced users the most popular topics at any tidbits on profile pages.

‘Messenger’. An independent app for given moment in the world.

Facebook users to chat with their September 2006: Facebook began friends. In September 2015, Faceletting anyone over 13 years of age to book claimed that Messenger had By join. It also introduced News Feed, reached almost 600 million users.

Ananya Mohanty which collects friends’ Wall posts in Class IX one place. News Feed became one September 2011: Facebook introAmity International School, Noida.

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B l o g

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n a m o w r e p u S i

Ba

Stop leafing through the comic books, my Superwoman is our housemaid, manifesting extraordinary powers to accomplish ordinary tasks.

Ishana Bhardwaj blogs

ave you ever pondered over your problems day in day out? Have you ever thought aloud to people that your life is miserable? Well, I know a person who never complains about life and smiles even when no one’s looking. This wonderful person is named Jyoti.

She is our househelp. She thinks Saif Ali Khan is Bobby Deol and Rani Mukherjee is Raveena Tandon. She thinks that her son, who was born in 2006, is 13 years old. She is a happy-golucky woman. She thinks life can be lived without pondering over your problems.

(This one goes out to all you people who are afraid of reptiles.)

This once, a cobra decided to visit our house, it was coiled around the balcony railing, black hood raised. It tried to bite our other househelp, Bhola uncle. The day I narrated this to Jyoti, she said there are cobras living around her house, literally.

(This one goes out to all you people who complain that their house is smaller than a rat’s hideout.) Jyoti’s house walls are mere plastic sheets and a tin roof shelters them from nature’s fury. Her whole family sleeps on charpoys.

(This last one goes out to all you fashionable ladies.) She does not wear fashionable kurtas, nor have I ever seen even a smidgen of lip balm on her lips.

She can talk for hours and laugh for hours and always manages to bring a smile on my face with her silly and innocent mistakes.

She is my SUPERWOMAN. wordglutton.wordpress.com

SCHOOL LIVE

By Ishana Bhardwaj Class VI Janki Devi Public School, Mumbai

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 25

The Lost City C a l l

F o r

A c t i o n

Stuti Sengupta’s RTI petition probes into the unfulfilled promises around Rakhigarhi, the biggest excavation site of Harappan civilisation in Haryana

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o a casual onlooker Rakhigarhi seems to represent nothing of its 5000-year-old history. Strewn among buffalo dung and discarded heroin injections, lies the biggest site of the Indus Valley Civilization with a thriving village and notorious drug hub - now a part of it, in the Hisar district of Haryana.

My RTI filed on the October 31, 2015 revealed nothing but the glorious misdemeanors of the public offices so far, in turning a blind eye towards this enormous source

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The RTI posed basic questions on the nature of excavations carried on so far, the budget allocated for the same, site security and foreign collaboration.

Answers to each point were evasive and unsatisfactory to say the least

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of cultural history and for the sake modern times – tourism revenue.

The Archaeological Survey of India started excavating the site in 1977 with assistance over the years from Dr Amarendra Nath and Dr Shinde of the Deccan College of Pune, the last project undertaken was in the winter of 2014 – and all of these projects so undertaken failed to bring the attention of the nation’s representatives to this open wound in Indian cultural antiquity.

The RTI posed basic questions on

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the nature of excavations carried on so far, the budget allocated for the same, site security and foreign collaboration. Answers to each point were evasive and unsatisfactory to say the least.

According to the present government, a sum of approximately Rs 17 lakh under the 2015-16 Budget has been appropriated for a site, which fails to boast of even a single signboard claiming its epic identity.

Also among the answers received was a an apparent ‘security team’ of an astonishing three individuals, including a ‘miscellaneous’ labourer, on duty at the site – comprising a total area of more than 350 hectares.

Our government deems three unarmed individuals surprisingly fit to provide adequate security for it.

While similarly important sites around the world have scientists thronging globally to be able to excavate and reveal the contents buried within them, the biggest and

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inhabitants of the Rakhishahpur village have no knowledge of the gold mine they reside on – because at the right price, you will be offered 5,000 year old artifacts for sale in every household, discovered while ploughing fields; along with a long story of unfulfilled promises to build a ‘museum’ on the 5 acres donated by them to the ASI back in 2002. If all of this was not enough, currently the excavation project is under an official halt due to CBI investigations on the ASI with regards to misappropriation of funds.

To say that History often dies with time is incorrect. Looking at Rakhigarhi, it can safely be assumed that History is often murdered by blind possible nucleus site of the Harap- men in power. pan Civilization has a team of 34 individuals from a local college excaBy vating it – to a degree of faults which Stuti Sengupta allows DNA samples retrieved to be Class XII, damaged whilst in storage.

Amity International School Saket, It will be wrong to assume that New Delhi

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Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 27

W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

Science Fair Students of GEMS Modern Academy (GMA) held a Science Fair for parents. From the youngest to the oldest, all the children pitched in to make it an interesting day for the crowd. Aptly titled ‘Little Einsteins at Work’ - students from Pre KG to Class VI were at their best in displaying their scientific enquiry.

The group from KG1 – our 4 year olds – explained the concept of 5 senses, how sound differs when created using different kind of vessels. KG2 explained the concept of water pollution, and how plants absorb water and soil erosion. Students of Grade 1 displayed a model of the solar system, which the children had created themselves! The team from Grade 2 had created a large composting pit and explained how different types of waste decompose. Grade 3 children spoke about air pollution, the causes and effects of the same; the need for car-pooling and other forms of public transport to combat pollution. The team from Grade 4 explained the different types of rocks and why birds have different types of beaks. Grade 5 took it up a notch and had projects that showed how a magnet works, what static energy can do to different materials and also created their version of a hovercraft using a balloon and a

Children’s Festival The 14th International Children’s Festival of Performing Arts (ICFPA) was hosted by Ryan International Group at Shri Shanmukhananda Auditorium, Sion; St. Andrew’s Auditorium, Bandra and Ryan Global School, Andheri in Mumbai. The festival hosted participants from 17 countries, including Bangladesh, Denmark, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Iran, Latvia, Morocco, Nepal, Russia, Slovenia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Zambia in an attempt to build a global platform for various performing art genres.

The opening ceremony was presided over by the Governor of Maharashtra C Vidyasagar Rao as Chief Guest. The governor applauded and congratulated Dr AF Pinto, Chairman and Grace Pinto, MD, Ryan Group.

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GEMS Modern Academy, South City II,

Gurgaon

CD. And finally, Grade 6 showcased the volcano and the erupting lava using baking soda and water.

The children were confident of their models and were geared up to handle the questions posed to them by the audience. It was heartening to see their thorough understanding of the basic concepts of science given their hands-on training and learning process.

Over the last 14 years, ICFPA has been growing every year embracing several nations, cultures and many more performances. The festival also had events such as White T-Shirt Ceremony and World Village that celebrated the cultural diversities. Grace Pinto, MD, Ryan Group, said, “This festival is a great platform to bring together different countries and cultures and teach children the values of harmony, tolerance and peace.”

Ryan International Group

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Wharton Competition Students from Amity International School Saket, Noida and Pushp Vihar made a clean sweep by winning all the first, second and third positions in the prestigious Wharton Investment Competition South Asia and Middle East Region Finale, organised by Knowledge @ Wharton High School. The competition, in sync with the vision of Dr Amita Chauhan, Chairperson Amity Group of Schools and coordinated by Amity Educational Resource Centre, aimed at spreading financial literacy and learning of sound investment decision making. As part of the competition spanning over 12 weeks, each team was given a portfolio of $100,000 in virtual cash and had to develop an investment strategy and test it on an Online Trade & Investment Stimulator (OTIS) provided by KWHS. It was then judged by the Founders and CEO’s of reputed companies. The three winning teams shall now participate in

Amity International School the final round of the competition to be held on April 30 at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where they shall present the details of their strategy along with the selected teams from the Global Regions.

Junior World Quizzing Championship 2016

out of the top 10 from Delhi (NCR), including the overall winner Gaurav Jena.

The Junior World Quizzing Championship was a solo written event, where young quizzers answered 120 questions spread over 8 papers of 15 questions each, in two time slots of 45 minutes. The final score is the score This was the first time the event was organised world- achieved in the best 7 subjects, with the lowest score out wide by the International Quizzing Association (IQA) of 8 subjects not included. on January 30. The The participatDelhi event was oring institutions ganised by Kutub included, College Quizzers, an active of Business Studquiz group in the city. ies, DU; Modern The event was hosted School Barakhamin Delhi at the Army ba Road; Delhi Public School, ShanPublic School RK kar Vihar. The young Puram; Army Pubquizzers were in the lic School, Noida; age group 12-18. It is BML Munjal Unia matter of pride that versity; Army Pubas many as 4 out of lic School, Dhaula the top 5, and 8 out Kuan; and Army of the top 10 winners Public School, are from India, with 6 Shankar Vihar.

Kutub Quizzers

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Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 29

Tune In E x p e r t

E x p r e s s i o n

Cellist Saskia Rao-de Haas on music being the best brain workout I would teach children music, physics and philosophy, but most importantly music, for the patterns in music are the keys to learning — Plato

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lato had already understood the importance of music for our overall development. But perhaps even he would have been surprised by the findings of neurologists in the last 15 years who claim that music is the ‘best brain workout available to humankind’. When you read, ‘this is your brain on music’ by Daniel J. Levitin or ‘Musicolophilia’ by the late Oliver Sachs, you will be amazed by what music does to our brains. Why is that? Because playing or even listening to music activates multiple areas of the brain. You might be aware that the right side of the brain is in charge of creative, social, visual skills and intuition, while the left sides takes over with sequencing, language, math, and rational thoughts.

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Music is unique in that it activates areas in both the left and the right side of the brain. It even activates the connecting part of the two sides, the corpus callosum. The

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patterns we learn in music can easily be applied to learning languages, mathematics and science. Research in the US and UK has shown that children who participate actively in a good music education program score higher academically, are more focused, social and more disciplined.

We literally build new brain muscles when we are learning music.

As a musician, I see the effect of music on people every day. People are, of course, not aware while listening to music that they are doing a brain workout, but they are enjoying the experience that makes the fine arts essential to all of us; the experience that transports you to another world, without ever leaving your chair. Music is different from other arts in that it is abstract but still conveys meaning and emotions.

Maybe you have experienced that

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certain music, even without lyrics, makes you feel sad, or happy or energetic. Even by remembering this experience you might know how powerful your entire mind and body responds to music. This is because we all are musical beings. Our heart beats in rhythm and our voices sound in a melody. Try to talk without melody; you will sound like a robot.

Even children who are deaf can still experience the vibrations of music. They do this by touching the music producing instrument or be very near to it: that is how deaf musician Evelyn Glennie performs and experiences her music. She is a professional marimba player performing all over the world and is praised

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ner self, each other and our cultural heritage.

Is all music equal? Different music makes you experience different emotions and gives different energy.

When you get together with your friends or go to a party, you want music that resonates with a celebrating energy. When you reflect or are alone, try classical music. Research has shown, that different words, sounds and music affect all living beings differently. An experiment showed that plants could benefit most from classical music, especially Indian classical music, while certain other styles have direct negative effects on the growth. Within Indian classical music research is on about how the various Ragas affect our bodies and minds directly.

Slowly, people are starting to understand the scientific reasons that show the immense power that music has over us. These are findings that most of us would have already intuitively grasped. But it makes one sad to see that many schools still cannot offer classical music to their students. This has perhaps to do with the perception of classical music. It is often perceived as too difficult or only for the very talented children who grew up in musical environments. Others are not actively included in the experience and learning process of classical music. It doesn’t have to be like that.

When we look at other parts of the world, we see that classical music can be inclusive and for all children. In Venezuela, over 300,000 children from poor backgrounds, are learning Western classical music through the El Sistema program. This effort is replicated in many countries and even in India we are making an effort to bring classical music to all children so for her excellent musicianship. Her that all children can enjoy the story helps us understand how we benefits of having music in their experience music even more than lives and we can share the pride in actually hearing it. Music helps us our musical heritage and enjoy all all to feel and to connect to our in- forms of music.

In Venezuela, over 300,000 children from poor backgrounds, are learning Western classical music through the El Sistema program. Even in India we are making an effort to bring classical music to all children

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Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 31

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Airlift

Director: Raja Krishna Menon Starring: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Taranjit Kaur

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irlift is an intricate anecdote based on the biggest evacuation saga of Indians in Kuwait during the Iraq Kuwait war. The story is about Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar), a business tycoon in Kuwait who saves the lives of 1,70,000 Indians and repatriates them to India in the invasion which took place between Iraq and Kuwait in 1990.

Akshay Kumar is irreproachable as Ranjit Katyal, he easily manages to captivate the interest of the audience and has a personable appearance. Other actors are fairly good in playing out their parts. The

music was of a tremendous quality. The song Dil Cheez Tujhe Dedi was beautifully choreographed and deserves a solid 4 stars from me. Soch Na Sake was enjoyable too.

Raja Krishna Menon did a phenomenal job at direction, he not only presented a good screenplay, but was also able to enthral the audience. In the oeuvre of Akshay Kumar, Airlift is one of his salient and perspicuous work. The second half is more substantive than the first one but still it remains aesthetic and a startling spine chiller.

Ne tfl ix Finally! After years of waiting, Netflix has finally decided to make its streaming service available in India. They come here with the promise of delivering new and fresh entertainment right at our fingertips, but does it really deliver on that?

First of all, to watch Netflix, you need to make a Netflix account. To make an account you need to enter your debit/credit card details. But don’t worry be-

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cause Netflix won’t charge you flix on any internet connected anything right away, the first device. However, you can watch month is free, however remem- your entertainment in HD only ber to remove your card details if you don’t want to continue after the first month, otherwise you’ll be charged.

There are three types of subscription plans: Basic, Standard and Premium. All three allow you to watch Net-

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neerja

Director: Ram Madhvani Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Parth Akerkar, Bobby Arora

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here is a lot of craze in today’s generation for quent in her dialogu e delivery. The music and backbiopics or stories based on real-life events. ground score of the film create the appropriate imMovies like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Manjhi pact on the viewer s as a biopic should. Director Ram have inspired a lot of people. And have also bagged Madhvani’s creation is well made, has a good screenmany nominations and awards. play and is replete with instances of heroic bravery.

Neerja, starring Sonam Kapoor, is a biopic on His direction and the good work done by his team is Neerja Bhanot, a flight purser who saved 359 people much apprec iated. on Pan Am 73 flight, which was hijacked in Pakistan ‘Neerja’ is an amazing real-life story to watch on a in 1986. She became the youngest recipient of the big screen.

Sonam Kapoor Ashok Chakra. gives a startling perforSonam Kapoor plays the protagonist with great mance. And By she is already panache and finesse, she emotes extremely well. She on a great Aniket Parihar stride after has a pretty face and an expressive body language. ‘Prem Ratan Class X Dhan Payo’.

The Scindia School, Shabana Azmi does justice to her role and is very elo- It’s a must watch.

Gwalior

with the standard and premium plan, and Ultra HD is only available with the premium plan. On top of that, if you go with the premium plan, you can watch Netflix on 4 screens at the same time. This number decreases to 2 with the standard plan, and 1 with the basic plan. The prices are also different. The Basic plan will cost you Rs 500 per month, Standard will come at Rs 650 per month and it is a hefty Rs 800 per month for the premium plan.

Now for the experience. In the amount of time that I spent on Net-

flix, I never found myself bored or with no content to watch. There was always something. Of course, there are some notable omissions, such as House of Cards, which is missing from the Indian version of the streaming service. Not to mention, that it is a little bit light on the local content side, with there not being many Hindi movies to choose from.

But what is there, is not only sufficient, but also highly entertaining.

Quality of the video is also good, and not even once did I encounter the dreaded buffering logo. Though,

these things will vary, depending on your internet speed.

Overall, while Netflix has made an impressive debut in the Indian market, the lack of local content and steep pricing may deter some potential watchers from subscribing to the service.

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By Shreyash Nigam Class X Step By Step School, Noida

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 33

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Examfear

topics are explained well with real life examples. The second step is asking questions. ExamFear encourages you to ask question, they even have a service dedicated to asking questions. This helps in squashing any doubts that the student might have to ensure that he or she understands the topic.

Third step is to refer to notes.

Currently this feature is still being worked on, and notes for most chapters are not available. But once rolled out, this feature will allow students to revise concepts quickly and check whether they remember everything. The last step is to he motto of ExamFear is, “No to have an idea about how to prepare take a test. Tests help students more fear from exam” and that themselves. The centre of the screen assess themselves and realise is exactly what your mindset has a simple search bar, enabling one their strengths and weaknesses. Exwill be, after using this wonderful to search the site on any topic one amFear has MCQ tests for all topand powerful website for students of wishes to study. The bottom of the ics, for this sole purpose. In the end, classes 6 and up. ExamFear, through screen has some quick links, making ExamFear succeeds in its mission of it’s wonderful and easy to understand navigation easier. providing a complete study experience. instructional videos, creates a learnExamFear works as a comprehenOverall, ExamFear is an amazing ing environment which not only yields sive study resource which aims to im- tool that empowers students. And it good results but also makes studying prove the student’s studying style. This, is completely free! fun. it does in a 4 step process. First, Video The site homepage is simple. An lessons. ExamFear has a plethora of By image on top showcases the 4 step instructional videos on all topics covShreyash Nigam learning process (watch video lessons, ering physics, biology, chemistry and Class X ask questions, refer notes, take a test; maths from classes VI to XII. The Step By Step School, Noida more on this later) allowing students videos are easy to understand and all

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et in the 1980s with CD players and cassettes as sources of music and ‘X-Men’ comics as a source of entertainment for school going teenagers; Eleanor and Park is an enlightening story of two teenagers, with completely distinct backgrounds and family histories, coming together in a bond of trust, friendship and harmony.

Park is the son of a war veteran who met his mother during the infamous Vietnam War. He has a younger brother with an overbearing personality and loving grandparents with inspirational personalities. Eleanor on the other hand is currently enduring a rough patch in her life as she has to

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Eleanor and park

by Rainbow Rowell, Hachette

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adjust to the grim reality of her father dumping her mother and her, along with her three younger siblings, leaving them with no choice but to handle a shrewd stepfather with a sheer lack of self-respect and dignity.

It is due to this setting that Rowell’s creation is best suited for readers aged between 16-18 years as it is infused with a sense of maturity and teaches the young readers how they can become capable of handling the various vagaries of life with a bold face.

In a language amicable with readers of all kind, Rowell shows during the course of the book how Eleanor and Park come over their apprehensions for one another. From reading

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IISuperwomanII

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illy Singh, known as “IISuperwomanII” is a YouTube sensation. Acting, ranting and sometimes even dressing up as her parents for the camera, she never fails to tickle your funny bone in her videos.

Keeping it REAL, Superwoman gives you a picture of what it is like to be in unicorn island, which in her words is “wherever you want it to be, whenever you want it there.

It’s a place where it’s okay to be silly, dance in public, laugh out loud and hug strangers. It’s where our imaginations go to play and for that reason, anything is possible on this Island. Hate, ignorance and negativity don’t exist here. I mean, with the Cotton Candy bushes, Skittles Waterfall and Mushroom iPod Speakers, there’s just no room for anything crummy..” A sprinkle of exaggeration blended with reality; she portrays a situation you can relate to. From the stuck-up popular children of your school to your clingy friends, she describes every single person around you.

Not only does she make you laugh, she also inspires you. She

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reach and speak up against an issue I’d love to see go away and that’s girl-on-girl hate... the sad reality is that girl-on-girl hate is such a big issue in schools, at work or online. And it never made any sense to me because as women, we know how awesome other women can be.”

Lilly is definitely a mastermind when it comes to highlighting various topics, making you laugh disseminates a lot of educational till your stomach aches and messages through her videos. laying down some seriApart from these, she is also the ously motivating topics creator of #GirlLove, using her in her videos. Devoted YouTube following for social good, fans look forward to her Singh launched her #GirlLove videos which she posts challenge on the video platform, twice a week. Her videncouraging fans and fellow celeb- eos sure can make you smile rities to end girl-on-girl hate, and even on a depressing day. You in complimenting other women for can check out her Youtube chanusing the hashtag. All the income nel at: https://www.youtube. from that video was donated to the com/user/IISuperwomanII Malala Fund, which supports girl’s education around the world.

According to Singh, about 84% By of her fan-base is female — over 6 Chhavi Pathak Class IX million women strong.

Delhi Public School, RK Puram She said in the video, “This holiNew Delhi day season I decided to use that

comics together to sharing music CDs to having late night conversations, their friendship blossoms into something much more.

Rowell then takes a sharp turn in guiding the plot and giving a strong climax which for moment does disappoint the readers, crushing their hopes with Eleanor and Park. However the true essence of the story is seen the way the two protagonists handle the situation. Rowell then wraps up the story in a very beautiful and subtle manner which makes up for the earlier crushed hopes of the reader.

To never judge a person on the basis of the façade they put up and

the hardships they endure are the key lessons readers absorb from this book; which makes it all the more imperative for young minds to give it a try.

(Oops! In January edition, the TV review of Quantico carried the wrong photo for Tapakshi Magan. We regret the error.)

SCHOOL LIVE

By Tapakshi Magan Class XII Scottish High International School, Gurgaon

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 35

C a r e e r

C h a t

Sound Choice

Career Counsellor Jitin Chawla provides an overview of a career in Audio Engineering

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udio engineering deals with the basic principles of sound and voices. It is a very vast and interesting field as it deals with music, movies and theatre. Audio engineering consists of equipments to record, capture, mix, and reproduce the sound and voices using mechanical devices. Audio engineering which is also termed as sound engineering is being divided into several parts such as acoustics, electronics and designers; and people can choose their career according to the field of their interest. There are many opportunities for those who are well qualified in theoretical and practical applications, software aspects and technical knowledge of sound. Films, Video production, Sound broadcasting and advertising are some of the fields which have immense opportunity for audio engineers to grow and build their career in. It is one of the rewarding fields and after experience a person can make a good career out of it.

After Class XII (PCM), one can go in for PG Diploma in Sound Engineering from The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It offers a three-year full time postgraduate diploma course in sound recording and sound design.

The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, an autonomous institution under the Union Government, conducts a three-year full time residential postgraduate diploma course in cinema audiography. Film & Television Institute of Tamil NaduChennai, College of Applied Science

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Audio engineering, also termed as sound engineering, is being divided into several parts such as acoustics, electronics and designers; and people can choose their career according to the field of their interest Vadakkencherry-Kerala, SAE- Bangalore/Mumbai/Chennai, Whistling Woods International Institute for Film and Television-Mumbai, Film Actor Mohan Lal’s Vismaya StudioThiruvananthapuram, the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT), Thiruvananthapuram, also conduct programs. After B.Tech in (Electrical/ Electronics/ Instrumentation/ IT and Computer

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Science Engineering), you can do M.Tech in Media & Sound Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur.

Professionally trained sound/audio engineers or sound recordists can seek employment in recording studios; film and television studios; film and multimedia organisations postproduction units and so on, as studio sound recordists or live sound engineer, location recordist, sound designer, sound effects editor, mastering engineer, music and dialogue editor, sound mixing engineer, studio manager and so on. Job opportunities for audio engineers and technicians are available in various fields of the entertainment industry such as film, television, multimedia design, animation and CD production units, FM radio stations etc.

Private TV channels and advertising firms also recruit sound engineers.

For personal consultation with Jitin Chawla call 9810264027.

Play Time

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

School LIVE conducted a storytelling competition at the World Book Fair 2016, where students were asked to begin their stories with the phrase, ‘And mom said no’. Here is final part of the story written by Gauri Lekshmi M.

“W

h- What about a play? Right here, inside the library.” Megha’s soft voice squeaked. Everyone stared at her, thinking about it.

“A play, Yes!” Asha shrieked in joy, “ It’s perfect, we can create a play about the importance of saving the Children’s Library!

That will show everyone!”

Asha looked around her, at the adults.

Megha, Karan, Anil and Gayathri seemed to be on board, but Jay Bhaiya and Preeti Didi still looked unconvinced.

“Come on guys,” said Jay, skeptically, “you really think this is going to work?”

“It’s definitely worth a try Jay,” responded Karan, smiling at Asha. “What have we got to lose?”

It took a bit more of arguing, but by the end of the day, the library staff plus Asha had begun preparing for their play to save the Children’s Library.

Asha rushed home and immediately began working on writing the play. She emerged from her room only five hours later with six copies of the script. Asha handed out the copies to the staff the next day, awaiting their approval.

They sat quietly in a circle, flipping over the pages, then Gayathri Didi said, “This is brilliant, Asha! I love it!”, and all the others nodded their approval. Asha could hardly contain her excitement.

The team began working right away. Karan, Anil, and Jay began to convert the hall to a stage. Gayathri organised the props and costumes and Megha worked on posters and put them up all over town.

Asha and Preeti went around helping everyone with their dialogues.

Even at home, Asha was busy with preparations. She called up all her friends, schoolmates and cousins and invited them to the play. Her parents went to work arms laden with pamphlets to be distributed at the hospital.

When the big day finally arrived, the hall was packed with hundreds of visitors. Asha peeped through the curtains excitedly, before turning back to her actors, who looked hilarious in their costumes. An initial sense of nervousness was soon replaced with a more powerful feeling of excitement and anticipation.

Applause filled the hall as Asha welcomed the guests,

and the play began. The play was simple. Asha, who had always been an avid reader of poetry, had structured the entire play into a musical, complete with dialogues, a chorus, an instrumental part, where Anil filled in with his violin.

Asha joined in the chorus as they all sang “If you’re happy and you know it, grab a book!

Jump into a world of fairies, dragons, and crooks!

If you’re bored or sad or worried Come visit the Children’s Library Grab your coat and hat, and come and take a look!”

The audience was in laughter every few seconds, and when the play drew to an end, the crowd erupted into an applause so loud that ground almost shook. Asha beamed with pride as she and the actors took a bow. She spotted her proud parents in the crowd, and oh, her brother was there too, with the Cheshire cat grin!

She addressed the audience. “I would like to thank you all for coming here this evening, on behalf of the Children’s Library. As some of you know, this library is the result of the hard work of Suresh Khan, an avid reader who firmly believed in the power of books to spread knowledge. We would like to uphold his legacy by keeping this library going, but for that, we need your support. We know that together, we can achieve this goal. Thank you.”

There was another round of applause, and the crowd began to disperse. Asha headed towards the actors, giving all of them a warm hug, “You guys did a great job!”

“We could never have done it without you,” Karan replied, lightly punching her shoulder.

“What a fairy tale ending this has been!” exclaimed Jay. Asha laughed, and her smile only grew wider when she spotted several children crowding around the small display of books that she and Gayathri Didi had set up. She looked at the large photo of Khan that had been put on display and she could’ve sworn she saw him wink at her! Maybe By this hadn’t been such Gauri Lekshmi M Class X, The Mother’s International a boring summer afSchool, New Delhi ter all.

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W o r t h y

O p p o n e n t

Not So Social?

Has Facebook diminished the value of real relationships? School LIVE reporters argue.

Social Media Connects

An Ego Booster

ome on, own up! No matter how much you curse social media, I’m sure you’re going to log in to Facebook today yourself. With 1 billion active users and counting you can’t ignore its impact on our lives.

Clichéd, but it keeps you tuned into your friends and their lives. You rediscover and reconnect with your long lost school friends, school teachers and college professors. Armed with social media, your opinion can become a wildfire. Egypt owes its democracy to social media.

People were united by a sense of ‘You too? I thought it was only me!’

One tweet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi told us for the first time that soldiers believed to be missing till then had lost their lives in service to the nation. Many crisis-stricken expatriates used Facebook and Twitter to get directly in touch with the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and a woman in distress on a train tweeted the Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu, and help was immediately dispatched.

You can use or misuse social media, spark a healthy debate or run a malicious propaganda. The bottom line is social media connects. The medium itself can never be good or bad. It is our intentions that steer it in either way.

ccording to a survey done in the metropolitan cities, people were asked what was the first thing they did in the morning, most of the people answered that they checked Facebook.

As the social networking site, Facebook, completes its 12th birthday we see that as much as it has benefitted us by reuniting us with our old friends, it has made us oblivious to the reality. The people who get more likes and comments on their pictures pride themselves in being popular, but most of these people turn a blind eye towards something called being “sensible”.

Not only does it create a wrong ego booster for teens, they become so addicted to the social networking that they pay lesser and lesser attention to their actual education. Sitting on the dining table, while the family may be present physically ‘together’, all of them have their gadgets open, checking other people’s ‘happening’ lives.

It is commonly seen that seven-to-eight year olds have Facebook profiles and are often exposed to adult content, which might make them violent and aggressive, according to many studies.

Facebook may be a great social stage, but it has created a rift between the teens and their reality.

C

By Disha Kashyap Class X Sanskriti School, New Delhi

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A

By Anoushka Nair Class IX Amity International School, Noida

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E

ealtime anners

ating out or at home, with family and friends is a fun affair. Conversation and laughter make the simplest food, an enjoyable experience. To make sure that you are at ease when you eat out at the grandest of places, practise good manners while eating at home, so that they become habits that stay with you forever. If you follow these simple tips, you will never be uncomfortable or awkward, while eating in public. � Always allow elders, ladies and girls to take a seat first at the table. � Please keep your hands off the table when not in use. � Elbows have to be off the table, under all circumstances, even when eating. � Do not get fidgety or move your legs, as this can be irritating to others. � Wait for everyone to be served, before you start eating. � Whether you are serving yourself or being served, take only a small portion at a time. Remember others too have to eat, so ensure that there is enough for all. � Do not eat from the serving dish.

Always serve yourself in your plate, then eat. � Conversations can be pleasant, but do not speak with food in your mouth. It is not a pleasant sight. � If you are using cutlery while eating, do not wave it around or bang it against the plate or each other. � If you want something, ask for it to be passed to you. Do not

M i n d

Y o u r

M a n n e r s

Etiquette consultant Rakhee Gupta shares tips on etiquette while eating in public places

reach out over other people’s plates. When you have helped yourself, ask others around you if they need a refill before returning the dish to its place on the table. � Chew your food slowly, with your mouth closed. � If you come across a bone or a peel that cannot be eaten, put it to one side of your plate. Under no circumstances should you put anything outside your plate, on the table or the floor. � Scraping a plate or making noises while chewing is unpleasant to listen to and considered impolite. � Eat a little of everything, wheth-

er you like it or not. Do not ever criticise any food that is served. � Smacking and slurping food are major mistakes and a sign of bad table manners. � Mealtimes are social times, so please concentrate on the food and the company. Television, telephones should be switched off or turned to silent mode. � If you have something stuck between your teeth, excuse yourself, go to the bathroom and attend to it. Do not use a toothpick, while still at the table.

Write to Rakhee Gupta at contact@ rakheegupta.com

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Volume 2 | Issue 6 | March 2016 | 39

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.

Rusty and his friends discover magic atop a mysterious mountain, wrapped in a thick cloud of legend and superstition

Adventure Begins

‘S

now fights later,’ said Rusty.

‘Let’s get to the top first.’

One final effort more and they were there. It’s an exhilarating feeling to get to the top of a mountain after a strenuous climb. You’re on top of the world, almost literally, and the valleys and mountain ranges are spread out before you, and for a short while you are the master of it all. The earth, as far as the horizon, belongs to you. ‘Look!’ exclaimed Popat. ‘A playing field!’

It was actually a flat, round stretch of open grassland, oval-shaped, rather like a cricket field. They could see fresh grass under the snow.

‘It’s a crater,’ said Rusty. ‘But over the years it must have filled up with earth and rocks. Deep down inside it must be boiling.’ ‘Will it erupt?’ asked Popat. ‘Well, yesterday you felt a tremor.’ ‘And now it’s rumbling,’ said Pitamber. There was indeed a rumbling sound, emanating from the depths of the mountain.

It was like the sound of approaching thunder. A pair of foxes sprang out from a bush and fled the scene.

‘Maybe the snow will

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keep it cool!’ said Popat hopefully. He stepped on to the grassy oval; it was soft and springy. And it had stopped snowing. The cloud moved on, and the sun came out.

‘There’s a big rock out in the middle,’ said Popat, running towards it. ‘And there’s a round stone resting upon it. I can hear music!’ In spite of the continuous rumbling

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from the mountain, the sound of strange music came to them across the flat stretch of land. It was like the sound of many violins but muted by the wind whistling. A plaintive melody, part oriental, part occidental. As the wind ran through the little grottoes in the stone, the music rose and fell in tune with the elements. And from the apertures in the stone, tiny clouds issued forth, floating away into the sky. It was truly a beautiful stone—lovely to behold, lovely to listen to, lovely to touch. A wonderful stone from heaven—but where was it destined to go?

Before the boys could cross the open space between them and the stone, a figure appeared from behind the rock, picked up the stone and held it high above his head, as though in supplication to the gods.

‘It’s Black Hat!’ cried Popat, stepping backwards in surprise and alarm.

Excerpted from Rusty and the Magic Mountain by Ruskin Bond published by Puffin Books (Penguin Books India) Rs 299.

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 Privacy Peeves

My parents have this habit of checking my phone every now and then.

They also check my messages, mails, etc. Even when I tell them all my passwords, I sometimes feel that they don’t trust me. Should parents be checking their child’s phone?

One of the toughest calls a parent has to take today is how much freedom and privacy is too much or too little. Finding an optimum, wherein the child does not feel violated and the parents are content in the knowledge that their child is safe, is a tough balancing act. Technological advancement has brought the fear and threat of predators to our doorsteps and children often do not realise how their gullibility and impulsivity can make them sitting ducks for getting lulled into cyber bullying, sexting, drug peddling and child pornography. All of these, depending on your age, are criminal offences and can get you behind bars.

Having said that, there is no denying that reading something not addressed to us, without seeking permission, is a violation of one’s privacy as well as a breach of trust.

It’s not the best example for a parent to set. It may be a done thing when a child is a minor but you are bound to run into opposition if you do it with someone who is 17 or 18.

Besides, just because a child knows there will be checking doesn’t mean he/she will not engage in the behaviour. It just means they may have to get sneakier with it.

If we want our children to be equipped with the right tools and

skills necessary to make good choices as well as to get out of bad ones, then we cannot keep them under 24x7 surveillance. Making mistakes is a part of growing up. Digital footprints definitely carry serious future implications but it is impossible to shelter children from everything harmful all the time. It is therefore imperative that the school and the parents teach children the consequences (both short term and long term) of indulging in risk behaviours.

They should know never to write, text, take pictures of anything they would not want the entire world to see or read at the tap of a keyboard.

Show them real life examples of people’s lives being ruined by things they had thought would be private.

Secondly, parents need to put in place clear, consistent rules in the

house, along with open communication and reasonable consequences.

If children want freedom they have to earn it and respect what they earn.

If they abuse it, there should be pre stated consequences awaiting them.

Once the consequences have been followed through, the child has to be given an opportunity to earn back the lost freedom and trust.

To sum up, stalking and prying can breed resentment and rebellion in children and young adults. Parents can be more effective if they speak less and listen more, know their child’s friends, know the friend’s friend, know their child’s teachers, regularly check school and homework… In short, BE IN THEIR CHILD’S LIFE. Write to Nivedita Singh at niveditasingh2005@yahoo.com

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S l a m

P o e t r y

Gameof Life Life is a game, play it.

Afraid to play? Admit it.

Strong enough? Show it.

Every objective, nail it.

Each mission, prevail it.

Every wound, heal it.

All the pain, forget it.

All the fears, fight it.

The inner strength, wake it.

To the top, make it.

The dignity, defend it.

The weaknesses, offend it.

All the strength, use it.

The only chance, respect it.

The lost mind, guide it.

The lost heart, find it.

Every aspect, see it.

Life is a game, believe it.

Don’t stop, just play it.

By Mujadid Gilani Class X Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, New Delhi

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