School live september 2017

ToTal pages: 60

Volume 03 | Issue 02 september 2017

The Tireless Teacher

Celebrating the Guru Slamming

the Cliche

with aranya

Johar

with prerna

Kohli

h the Gaps

ng throug Communicati A Student’s

Author

with Bhakti

Mathur

contributors

S C H O O L

L I V E Board Of Directors Richa Aniruddha Sanjay Dua

Harun Robert, a.k.a, Rob

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

Prerna Kohli

Clinical Psychologist, a Public Speaker, a Workshop Facilitator and a Holistic Practitioner; 100 women Achievers Award Winner (2016).

Amit Dubey Crime Investigator and expert on ethical hacking.

Urvashi Malik

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

Hariharan Balagopal EDITOR Mansi Tikoo mansitikoo@gmail.com DESIGNER Ashish Kumar For AdvertiSING M.G Ramachandran Mo. 9953593081 advertising@school-live.com For subscription editor@school-live.com

C o n ta c t

Hariharan Balagopal

Specialist in Media Management and Education for over 25 years

Kritika Negi 9810560472

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

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

Bina Nangia

Pioneer in the field of Special Education and Dyslexia, Associated with the NGO, Hope Ek Asha

ToTal pages: 60

Volume 03 | Issue 02 september 2017

The Tireless Teacher

Celebrating the Guru Slamming

the Cliche

with aranya

Johar

with prerna

Kohli

Communicating A Student’s

through the Gaps

Author

with Bhakti

Mathur

Cover Photo Courtesy: Resham Sharma, Class XII, DPS Raipur

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Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 3

2 4 6 8 10

Who among the following has won the coveted International Cricketer of the Year award at the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2017?

• Virat Kohli • R Ashwin • Rohit Sharma • Chris Gayle

Sir Roger Moore, who passed away on May 23, 2017, was a renowned: • Novel Writer • Historian • Actor • Poet

What was the theme for ‘World No Tobacco Day’ 2017, observed on May 31, 2017?

• ‘Get Ready for Plain Packaging’ • ‘Stop illicit trade of tobacco products’ • ‘Tobacco – a threat to development’ • ‘Raise taxes on tobacco’

What is the title of the new book by ‘Lord of the Rings’ author J.R.R. Tolkien,that has been published, 100 years after it was first conceived?

• ‘John and Melinda’ • ‘Walter and Lauren’ • ‘Thomas and Paula’ • ‘Beren and Luthien’

Who is named as 2017’s Highest-Paid Female Actor?

• Emma Stone • Jessica Biel • Mystica Winston • Mary Williams

Which day is observed as the World humanitarian Day across the world?

• August 19 • May 16 • June 15 • April 18

Who among the following have featured in ‘Forbes list of world’s highest paid celebrities’ for the year 2016-17?

• Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan & Salman Khan • Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan & Akshay Kumar • Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan & Akshay Kumar • Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan & Ranveer Singh

Which was India’s first Technicolor film produced in the early 1950s ?

• Jhansi Ki Rani • Mirza Ghalib • Sholay • Mother India

August 19 Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar Jhansi Ki Rani Aryabhatta Insects

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Answers

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Entomology is the science that studies • Behavior of human beings • Insects • The origin and history of technical and scientific terms • The formation of rocks R Ashwin Actor ’Tobacco – a threat to development’ Beren and Luthien Emma Stone

India’s first satellite is named after • Aryabhatta • Bhaskara II • Bhaskara I • Albert Einstein

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1 3 5 7 9

Know for Sure Quiz

ed-note

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L I V E

Hi All! Wishing all students a Happy Teachers Day! No, really! Imagine your life without your teachers. Makes any sense?

But the sad part is that we realise the importance of teachers only when they are no longer around us. As long as they are, we only find faults in them.

I have grown up in a small town and studied in a convent school. How we were disciplined in those days is unbelievable! The school would take care of every minute detail from our hairstyle to the length of our skirts to the neatness of our uniform, to the fingernails (so that they are not painted) and what not. Coming late to school meant standing outside the gate for one whole period. And trust me, we HATED it like anything.

Today when I look at myself, my work, my professional and personal conduct I realise what a strong influence my school and my teachers STILL have on me. In times of trouble, I remember things that any of my teachers said to me which in those days meant jargon..

Today when I go back to my hometown, I try to meet any of the teachers, I make extra efforts to find where they live now.

Today they are all very old, unwell, and some of them have passed away. It pains me terribly to know when any of them leaves this world...And I realise how important they have been to me..

Friends, you are young, this is the age of rebellion... you might dislike most of the things about your teachers.... But remember- they will be the people you are really really going to miss in your life. They are the people who will play an important role in your life.

You will be what you will be because of your teachers....

If you are going to love them and miss them 20 years from now... how about a hug and a Thank You NOW? Lovingly yours

Richa Aniruddha tweet to me @richaanirudh

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OSSWORD NO. 10 CROSSWORD NO. 10 2

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ACROSS:

OSS: DOWN: 1. College grounds (6) 5.

Writing tool (6) ollege grounds (6) 2.A.The boundary of Venomous Egg Layer 9.

Underground (4) riting tool (6) lands (7)instead of giving Mammals that laystem eggs birth to live young are called monotremes. Today, only 10.

Noises made by sleeper five species of monotremes remain on this nderground stem (4) 3. planet: The generative four species of echidna, also known as spiny ant-eaters, and the platypus also known (6) oises made by sleeper (7)platypus. One of these as age the duck-billed produces a venom that if it gets injected into a 11.

Heavenly body human causes excruciating pain. Which is this ) 4. mammal?

Parasols(4) (9) 12. Natural homes (8) eavenly body (4) 6. Boredom (5) 14. Peeled off (6) B. Elementary atural homes 16.

(8) Most recent 7. Charge for carting (6) eeled off (6) Meet19.

(7) Magnetite, Hematite, Limonite and Siderite Opposite of synthesis (8) Yes, their names make them sound like scholarly bores ost recent (6) 8.

Gone 21.wantSupporting wiregroup (4) (4, 3) I wouldn’t to meet them either But, sadly, they are my ores! pposite of synthesis 13. Stair railings (9) What element am I? (8) 22.

Steps (6) pporting wire23.

(4) Girl's name 14. Frenzied (7) (4) 24. Shortly15.

(6)Not professional (7) eps (6) of 14 lines (6) (7) rl's name (4) 25. Poem 17.

Occidental C. Coming of Age ortly (6) 18. By the coast (7) Robin went to a party with his mother.

Everyone there was meeting Robin for the time.

So they of asked him a lot of oem of 14 lines (6) 20. Afirst style singing questions. After being asked his age for the umpteenth time, Robin said, “Just subtract (5) the number of deciduous teeth a child gets

ACROSS: 7 5 6 8 1. College grounds (6) 5. Writing tool (6) 9. 10 Underground stem (4) 10. Noises made by sleeper 13 (6) 11. Heavenly body (4) 12. 16 Natural (8) 17 homes 18 14. Peeled off (6) 16. Most recent (6) 21 19. Opposite of synthesis (8) 21. Supporting wire (4) 23 22. Steps (6) 23. Girl's name (4) 24. 25 Shortly (6) 25. Poem of 14 lines (6)

10/ © Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017

ANSWERS:

ACROSS: 1. Campus 5. Pencil 9. Bulb 10. Snores 11. Star 12. Habitats 14. Flayed 16. Newest 19. Analysis 21. Stay 22. Treads 23. Enid 24. Curtly 25. Sonnet

© Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017 / 10 C. Adult teeth: 32; kids’ deciduous teeth (meaning first teeth): 20; (32-20) +1 =13 years old B. Iron.

ACROSS: 1. Campus 5. Pencil 9. Bulb 10. Snores ANSWERS: 11. Star 12. Habitats 14. Flayed 16. Newest 19. Analysis 21. Stay 22. Treads 23. Enid ACROSS: 6 | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 S C 25.

HOO LLIVE Curtly Sonnet 1. Campus 5. Pencil24.

9. Bulb 10. Snores Answers: A. The duck-billed platypus

ANSWERS:

11. Star 12. Habitats 14. Flayed 16. Newest

DOWN 2. The lan 3. The ag 4. Pa 6. Bor 7. Ch (7) 8. Go 13. Sta 14. Fre 15. No 17. Oc 18. By 20. A (5)

14. Frantic 15. Amateur 17. We Answers 18. Seaside 20. Yodel

from the number of teeth an adult should © Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 2017 / 10 have and add a wisdom tooth to it. That’s my age.”

What exactly is Robin’s age?

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DOWN: 2. The boundary of lands (7) © Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya 3. The generative age (7) 4. Parasols (9) 6. Boredom (5) ANSWERS: 7. Charge for carting (7) ACROSS: 8. Gone group (4, 1. Campus 5.3) Pencil 9. Bulb 10.

13. Stair railings (9)Habitats 14. Flayed 11.

Star 12.

14. Frenzied (7) 19. Analysis 21. Stay 22. Treads 15. Not24. professional Curtly 25.(7) Sonnet 17. Occidental (7) 18. By the coast (7) DOWN: 20. A style of singing 2. Abuttal 3. Puberty 4. Sunsha (5) 7. Cartage 8. Lost set 13. Banis DOWN: 2. Abuttal 3. Puberty 4. Sunshades 6. Ennui 7. Cartage 8. Lost set 13. Banisters 14. Frantic 15. Amateur 17. Western 18. Seaside 20. Yodel

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S C H O O L

contents

L I V E 5 Editor’s Note 6 Encyclopædia Britannica 8 School in Spotlight 13 Slam Poetry

COVER

14 Exclusive: Empowering, Educating 20 tête-à-tête 22 Teen Travels 24 Ide(n)ation 28 Open Letter 32 DIY: World Clock 35 In Counsel 36 Storytelling 38 Blog 39 Fun Side: Adventures of Maya 40 Positively Positive 42 Author’s Corner 44 Study Guide 46 Page 99 47 Expert Expression 48 Rap Up 52 Watch this Space

Juniors

54 DIY: Spirograph Toy 56 Storytelling 58 Rap Up

L

Quick Edit

et me begin by making an honest confession. I did not like going to school, simply because some of my teachers gave me a really tough time. Maybe I’d feel better about it, if it was because I was a bad student, though on the contrary, I was a really good student (conventionally speaking). Perhaps they could not correlate their presumptuous moral abjection of me to my good grades. Many years later, when I was older and wiser, I realized they were human, much like us. But in spite of those awful times, I can never forget my excitement during a maths class (yep, I loved maths) and my love for geography (which vanished as quickly as it had come) ONLY because I loved the teachers who taught me those subjects. And never did I grasp a word of chemistry because... well … you might have guessed the reason already. The point being, nothing can replace the mark our teachers leave on us, and I will always be thankful to those teachers who made me love and seek knowledge. Read enthralling open letters by our reporters, Ayesha Malhotra, Almanya Singh and Anjishtha Sharma to their teachers. To make their actions worthy of being taught, Nishant Jain talks about his endeavours to save our environment. We hope this teacher’s day, you take a moment to thank every person or moment that taught you something crucial in life.

“Happy Reading!”

Mansi Tikoo

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The Citadel of Knowledge and Learning S c h o o l

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Summer Fields School, Kailash Colony located along the Aravali Hillocks in the serene calm lush greenery, came to being in 1953 with the principal objective of imparting value based quality education. Team School Live had a wonderful opportunity to visit the school and witness the workings of the place at close quarters.

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s a part of the prestigious K.R. Mangalam Group of World Schools, Summer Fields School has developed on the pillars of initiative and challenge and the school stands today as a constructive and effective medium of learning with high professional standards, thereby enabling each child to reach his/her optimum potential. The school endeavours to live by its motto, ‘LifeLight-Love’.

A school is not merely a place of formal learning. Co-curricular activities are essential for instilling confidence, self-esteem and team spirit in a child which forms an integral part of growth and development. Summer

inspire others and garner the fortitude to meet most difficult challenges. She is of the opinion that one should not be a mere spectator in the game of life, should not lose sleep about what might happen next, should not worry about what people might say but should pursue their passion with gusto.

She said, “Challenges are part of our life – we should take them in our stride knowing that we can be winners sometimes or losers at other times but every time we try, we become a better human being. Achieving goals should be a pleasure, not a worrisome journey.”

From the Principal’s desk: She further stressed that when one A very dynamic person, the Princi- finds himself caught in the cauldron of

Fields endeavours to provide avenues to its students to discover their talents and abilities and to create awareness among the students in terms of respect, values and better understanding of the culture of our country.

pal of the school, Dr. Neeru Suman believes that the attitude of a person measures the altitude of his success.

In our interaction, she emphasised that a positive attitude can boost one’s energy, heighten one’s inner strengths,

The school is focussed on creating future citizens who have a mind of their own, a refined intellect and a heart of pure gold. In this age of cutthroat competition, they firmly believe in spiritual enlightenment of each child and aspire to guide them in such a manner that they could well change the course of history. They equip the young minds to face success as well as failure, jubilation as well as sorrow, victory as well as travails in the same spirit holding on to lofty ideals without succumbing to the base temptations of this material world.

life, it is courage that will come to his rescue and help him in surmounting mountains of misery, the onslaught of obstacles and the doldrums of dissonance and despair. Courage requires a strong emotional commitment to

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S p o t l i g h t nicity. They visited Salt lake City, Utah, USA in the month of October 2016 and stayed with Isaac and Emily and studied in Rowland Hall High School.

International Representation: Parinay Gupta of Class IX, got a splendid opportunity to represent India at the ‘The Cities For Life Summit’ held in Paris, France, on 21st November, 2016.

The Summit, organised by ‘Mairie De Paris’, was initiated to bring the Cities close together to uphold global development and unite the nations.

The goal of this Summit was to fight against inequalities and exclusions in the urban zones while reflecting upon the various socio-environmental issues.

Astronaut Training Experience® (ATX) At Kennedy Space Centre, NASA: one’s own values and principles. gramme stand as follows: Selected students from the school parB. Jyotsna and Nupur Bishwas the ticipated in an educational program The education pattern of the school is child centric and holistic. The child’s young and talented girls of class X designed to provide hands-on look nature is at the heart of all curricular were selected to be a part of the US Ex- at science and technology through activities and adequate space is given change Programme. In the month of workshops and simulators. During for the students to explore, observe, July 2016, Isaac Ball and Emily Fowler this program, students worked as a experiment and draw their own in- of Rowland Hall High School visited team on a mock space mission that sight in the world of knowledge and and stayed with the girls wherein they took place in a life size replica of a learning, thus churning out sports afi- explored the rich and diverse culture space shuttle using a shuttle landing cionados, the Picassos and Hussains of India and learnt a lot about its eth- simulator, and were trained using the in art, etc.

Dr Neeru Suman, Principal, Summer Fields School, Kailash Colony

In our interaction with the various team members at the school, we gathered some of their highlights and tried to put them together here!

Crossing Boundaries: The school has forged meaningful and sustainable partnership with schools across the globe, ranging from schools in Japan, Germany, Sweden, Scotland, USA and Zambia. They have also hosted student-teacher delegations from the UK, Germany and Zambia in diverse fields from education to environmental issues, waste and water management.

Exchange isn’t a year in your life; it’s a life in a year. In the past year the highlights of U. S. Exchange Pro-

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of the school.

Art in Education In service workshops and professional development programmes are an ongoing process in the school. Recently, workshops were conducted by various departments of the school and they displayed that how students from Class 1 to Class 12 can be taught through a plethora of different art. A variety of activities were conducted by the junior as well as senior school teachers to reiterate on the inclusion

Summer Fields endeavours to provide avenues to its students to discover their talents and abilities and to create awareness among the students in terms of respect, values and better understanding of the culture of our country.

Multi-Axis Trainer, micro-gravity wall, mates to give away as prizes. and trajectory chair. They also had a chance to meet NASA astronauts, Ms Value Education Classes With A DifferWendy Lawrence & Mr Winston Scott. ence…

In the changing scenario of the new COMMUNITY OUTREACH millennium, teaching children values Painting Lives with Brush Strokes of Af- have become a subject of important infection terest and deep concern. Our endeavor In an endeavour to foster the students’ is to ‘shape the destiny of India in the capabilities and capacity for service to classrooms’, by including ethical and the community, on Friday, January moral concerns in curriculum that 20, 2017, the ‘Face to Faith’ students builds character, promotes integrity organised an ‘On the Spot Painting and produces behaviour that is benCompetition’ for the children living eficial to the society at large. The stuin a slum near INA, Delhi. This was dents not only read about the Father a very meaningful activity for both of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, but sets of children, bringing them close also try to live by his ideals.

Not ones to only have armchair disto each other’s life, appreciating the cussions on values; they endeavor to others’ qualities and forging a bond of mutual love. translate noble thoughts into actions They painted the poster for the in their own small way. The students competition and undertook a cam- opened their hearts to share gifts and paign to collect toys from the school food items with the essential helpers

of ‘Art in Education’. Scenes from the partition of India were relieved, visit to a bank, importance of flora & fauna were a few topics which were depicted through a Nukkad Natak, songs, various games etc to make the concept clear to all.

Aryabhatta Inter-School Mathematics Competition The prestigious Aryabhatta Mathematics Inter-school Competition was started in 1983. This annual event which tests the mathematical skills of students of classes V, VIII and XI has carved a niche for itself in the arena of school education. The aim of this competition is to dispel notions of Maths being a dry and boring subject.

With its focus on developing logical thinking and creativity, the competition has become a prominent feature of the school.

This year over 3200 students from

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S p o t l i g h t Imran Hussain, Hon’ble Environment and Food Minister, Government of NCT of Delhi was the Guest of Honour for the event.

SPORTS ROUNDUP 25TH-Inter School Roller Skating Championship The school provides an excellently designed skating rink for the skaters to practise and showcase their talent.

The Inter-School Championship has been a salient feature for the last 24 years. The school has produced National Level Skaters thereby adding a feather to the cap of Summer Fields School. The fitness programme, endurance, flexibility, strength and power are a part of the training programme to combat the stress of the sport and produce enthusiastic, healthy and talented skaters.

Summer Fields School was the proud host of 25th Inter School Roller Skating Championship on 11th and 12th Nov, 2016. Over 450 students from 40 Delhi and NCR Schools participated in the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the mega event.

Winning Accolades Aman Kumar Lahar of Class VII participated in CBSE National Roller Skating Championship held at DAV International School, Amritsar from 29th December 2016 to 1st January 2017. He won a Gold Medal in 1000 meters Rink Race in the age group of 140 schools of Delhi NCR and Mumbai ist, was the highlight of the day. 700 10-12 years, where more than 1000 participated in this contest. enthusiastic students from over 65 participants took part in the champischools from all over India partici- onship from all over India.

The Fifth Life Skills, Values, Gender, pated in the Summit.

Scaling New Heights School Health And Well Being Saumya Yaduvanshi of Class IX made International Summit Disney India’s “Friends for Change” the school proud by achieving the Summer Fields hosted the 5th edition Disney India’s ‘Friends for Change’ is ‘Best Midfielder Award’ in The Footof the Summit, which was organized an innovative interschool volunteer- ball League U-14, 2016.

by Expressions India, from 6th -8th ing program, which focusses on the From barracks and thatched roofs December, 2016. Smt. Meenakshi Le- transformation of neglected green that were part of the school’s humble khi, Member of Parliament, New Delhi spaces in the capital city. beginning, to the swanky, state of the was the Chief Guest. She was joined by Summer Fields School, Kailash art infrastructure, Summer Fields Shri Malay Mukherjee, Chairman and Colony, was announced the winner School Kailash Colony has come a Managing Director-IFCI, New Delhi. of “Disney India’s Friends for Change long way in its endeavour to shape the An interactive session on adolescent 2015-2016,” for bringing impressive impressionable minds and make the concerns and other concerns by Mr. changes to Shri Mahavirji Mandir Park students global citizens and humane Rajat Sharma, a renowned Journal- in Kailash Colony on Feb, 10 2016. Mr. human beings.

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S l a m

What If? What if all the colours faded away, From the face of the Earth?

What if all the leaves shed, From all the plants and trees?

What if the birds stopped singing, Each morning when I woke up?

What if the oceans and the rivers dried out, In a matter of years?

What if the soil turned dry, On all of the land we know?

What if the air we breathe, Turned all into smoke?

What if all the sounds we heard, Were screeching of horns and screaming of living beings?

Will that be the day we realise?

That there is no other place to call home That there is no other air to breathe, no more water to drink Will that be the day we pray?

For the sun to shine again For the flowers to bloom again Will that day be the day our ears yearn?

To hear the singing of birds To hear the waves striking the shore Will that be the day the silence of nature?

Seem deafening Will that be the day our hearts will ache?

To see the green leaves again To breathe fresh air again

P o e t r y

Will that be the day when we won’t have an answer?

To the tears in our children’s eyes To the questions they ask us Will that be the day all of us realise?

What have we done?

The Last Time The first time was supposed to be the last But you failed again and here you are.

You probably have tears in your eyes And doubt that this will be the last time.

Yes- if you’re not starting to work now, Not failing again is not something you can be sure about.

You, of all people, surely knowSelf pity or regret only lets precious time go.

You still have a chance to improve and fix things.

You know what to do; after all, all you’ve done is think.

Now, you get a chance to do.

But you only get it today; you only get it right now.

Now using this chance is the obstacle itselfIt’s hard work and the time limit doesn’t help.

What happens now depends on what you decideWhether you’ll puff and pant now, to, later, proudly smile.

By Chitralekha Makhija Class X Delhi Public School, Sec-45, Gurgaon

By Nandini Punnaivanam Class X Delhi Public School, Sec-45, Gurgaon

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E x c l u s i v e

Educating, Empowering 14 | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017

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E x c l u s i v e

Wherever we may have reached today or may reach tomorrow, we all started by being hand held into knowledge, by learning the very basics by our teachers in the classroom. The people we see every day of our lives for almost two decades. The people who we sometimes see more than anyone else growing up. The people who influence our lives more than our parents sometimes. The people who make us into the thinking individuals we are today. Yes everyone has their good and bad sides, but our Teachers leave more good imprint on us and our lives.

Honouring this noble dedication, Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize, of US$1 million, is the largest prize of its kind and was set up to recognize one exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession. We bring to you stories of three teachers — three Varkey Foundation GTP winners- from across the globe, whose stories stand out as examples of exemplary innovation, dedication, and hardwork.

“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.”

— Dan Rather

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E x c l u s i v e

Maggie MacDonnell (2017) Ikusika School, Salluit, Canada

As a teacher at the Ikusika School in Salluit, a remote inuit village nestled in the Canadian Arctic, Maggie MacDonnell is giving young people tools to be the masters of their own destiny. Salluit, a village so remote that it has no roads, can only be accessed by air, and can get really really cold. In winters, the temperatures dip to -25 C. After completing her Masters degree, Maggie MacDonnell sought out opportunities to teach indigenous communities in Canada and for the last six years has been a teacher in the Canadian Arctic. Due to the harsh

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E x c l u s i v e conditions there are very high rates of teacher turnover which is a significant barrier to education in the Arctic.

Many teachers leave their post midway through the year, and many apply for stress leave.

There are tremendous gender issues in the Inuit region of Nunavik where teenage pregnancies are common and gender roles often burden young girls with large domestic duties. Also, in areas of high deprivation, isolation and limited resources, teenagers often turn to drinking and smoking, and even drugs and self-harm, as forms of escape and release. There is also a high rate of suicide, in 2015 alone there were six suicides, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.

Maggie’s whole approach has been about turning students from “problems” to “solutions”. She has created a life skills programme specifically for girls which has seen a 500 per cent improvement in girls’ registration.

Maggie has also dramatically improved school attendance by getting her students involved in running a community kitchen, attending suicide prevention training and hiking through national parks to understand environmental stewardship.

Maggie also established a fitness centre that has become a hub for youth and adults in the local community. She often tells her runners group, “When you run by yourself you can go really fast, when you run with others you can go really far.” It is relieving stress, helping young people grow stronger physically and mentally and bringing the whole community together in a profound and lasting way. Maggie has also been a temporary foster parent in the community, including to some of her own students.

How do you retain the strength to continue being a teacher, a good teacher in the face of extreme environments: not only the remoteness of geography, but the struggles of the mind.

Maggie MacDonnell has witnessed her students’ funerals in an area of suicide crisis, and that is where she decided

education after school, as the universities shut down in wake of the first uprising between 1987 to 1993. She married and had five children. After her last born was put to school, she resumed her education part time.

Soon after, her husband and children were shot at while coming back from school by the Israeli soldiers. She felt no teacher around was helping her children recover from the shock of the situation. The teachers were simply not trained to deal with trauma. That’s the incident that changed the course of her life. She knew she had to do something on her own.

She started by inventing games at home, and inviting neighbourhood children for it. She witnessed a change in her children as they grew more confident and became more soSamiha Khalil Secondary School, ciable.

When she saw even their grades Palestine improving, she decided to change her Hanan Al Hroub grew up in the Pales- major to elementary education.

With so many troubled children in tinian refugee camp, Bethlehem, where she never wanted to witness those ever again.

As an educator she decided to build programs that cultivate resilience, hope and self-belief in young students. She has recently been teaching art based projects which have turned out to be therapeutic for these children to express themselves. Her students have gone from being some of the most troublesome to being the most helpful for the school. Her open approach to education helps kids with difficult home lives.

From being a teacher, a coach, a trainer to becoming their family, Maggie MacDonnell is transforming the lives of young people around her.

Hanan Al Hroub (2016)

she was regularly exposed to acts of violence. She understands that kids who grow up in such environments mature far too early for their age. Hannah had to abandon the idea of higher

the region, Palestinian classrooms can be tense environments. Hanan embraces the slogan ‘No to Violence’ and uses a specialized approach she developed herself, detailed in her

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E x c l u s i v e

book, ‘We Play and Learn’. She focuses on developing trusting, respectful, honest and affectionate relationships with her students and emphasises the importance of literacy. She encourages her students to work together, pays close attention to individual needs and rewards positive behaviour. Her approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools where this is usually a frequent occurrence; she has inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach, their classroom management strategies and the sanctions they use.

She believes that when she teaches her students to say ‘No to Violence’, she must also practice it and pass it on without them even being aware of it, through learning and playing. She teaches at a government school, and puts in her own money if she needs something for the classroom. By breaking the chain of violence that the children emulate from their environments, Hannah is creating something truly spectacular.

While accepting her award she said, “We, as teachers can build the values and morals of young minds to ensure a fair world, a more beautiful world and a more free world. The future might look far and mysterious but once you

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not-so-ordinary school, well because she herself does not follow the run of the mill teaching methodology.

Nancie discovered a love of books Center for Teaching and Learning, while bedridden with rheumatic fever as a child. Coming from a family Edgecomb, USA where no one had been to college, Teaching in the rural town of Edge- her mother encouraged her to study comb, Maine, Nancie Atwell has been at the local college. After four years an inspiring her students and col- there, she had a BA in English, with leagues for 40 years now. She runs a no idea what to do with it. She stuck start building the future it will get brighter and clearer”.

Nancie Atwell (2015)

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E x c l u s i v e around and did student teaching. Her first time in a classroom and she knew she was home.

After teaching in New York for first half of her career, Nancie moved to Maine in 1990 and founded the Center for Teaching and Learning, a non-profit demonstration school created for the purpose of developing and disseminating effective classroom practices. She teaches English as a writing-reading workshop. In her workshop, students choose the subjects they write about and the books they read: an average of 20 pieces of publishable writing and 40 books each year. Her students experience a volume of practice that leads to engagement, stamina, and skill. The faculty conducts seminars, publishes professional books and articles, and invites teachers from across the US and other countries to spend a week at the school to experience its methods firsthand.

Nancie felt so strongly about what was happening in her classroom, what her students were capable of, that it seemed imperative for her to tell other teachers about those methods, so that they could adopt those methods and their kids would have the same opportunities. She decided to create such a space where she could teach the children and teachers at the same time.

Nancie says,” What’s essential about the way I teach is choice. Children chose what they going to read and they chose what they are going to write about. Stories are an English teacher’s superhero power.

You need not have quizzes and tests to evaluate the students.”

The students and teachers at the centre celebrate all the festivals, of different cultures, as Nancie believes it inculcates in them a sense of belonging, to society at large.

On receiving the award, she told the Guardian, “I think the one thing we had in common, and it was really powerful to see this, was that none of us talked about test scores. We were talking about making meaningful changes in kids’ lives.

I am so proud to be a part of a group of people who are professionals in every sense of the word. You just feel proud to be a teacher who was chosen to represent the profession.”

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t ê t e - à - t ê t e

Slamming the Cliché Breaking the silence on a lot of issues that are pertinent to teenagers in particular today and people at large, and doing so in style, Aranya Johar is a breathe of fresh air for the world of spoken word poetry. School Live contributors had an opportunity to shoot some questions at the 18 year old artist, and this is what transpired!

H

ow did your tryst with poetry and performing poetry begin?

I started writing when I was around 11, I started performing when I was around 13. In school we always had very conventional poetry, William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and the ilk, I always felt the lack of something from closer to our times. So my brother introduced me to Button poetry, a YouTube channel which uploads slam poetry videos. That’s how I got into spoken word poetry, and I had never thought I will someday be able to do it.

How did you chose poetry as a mode of expression?

I am not good with music, I cannot sing at all. But something that made me feel powerful were the words, words could make a person or break a person. I found it quite interesting that words could have that much of an effect on people, on a number of people. So it felt like the right plat- same privileges as me, I had a voice form through which one could speak and I might as well use it to represent about things that needed to be spo- people who are silent. ken about.

Which is your favourite slam What inspires you to come up poetry: of your own and of with newer poetry? someone else?

I do come from a point of privilege, My favourite slam poem would probmy parents are very open-minded, ably be Denice Frohman’s twitter they are very understanding and ac- campaign where she wrote a spoken cepting of studying and doing poetry. word campaign. It’s called “She InAnd I understand that a lot of people spires Me.” do not have parents like that. Since I Honestly, I feel like I am the worst did, I thought I should use the oppor- critic when it comes to my own work. tunity for people who do not have the I write something, and I am like ‘hey,

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I like this piece a lot’, and the next day when I go back to edit it, I am like what have I written! So bad, and I end up editing half the piece. The piece that I am excited about right now is the one I am writing for a TED Talk I have to deliver. So it isn’t out yet, but I am quite excited about it.

While my earlier pieces were closer to my age, this one is about the millennials, why they are portrayed in a certain way. That is something pretty close to my heart.

You’re really influential now, do you ever feel like you have the responsibility of very carefully filtering whatever you say because your content reaches a mass audience?

Absolutely. But to be honest, I generally don’t cuss a lot. Brown Girls was the first piece I had a cuss word in and that too, I used it in a verb format. Since my audience is the teenage group, I do understand that there is a certain amount of responsibility with the language that I use, and with the kind of content that I am writing.

But at the end of the day people put me on the pedestal to represent the voice of the youth and that puts a lot of pressure on me, because it makes me feel that the next time I speak I have to be well informed and make informed decisions about what I am saying and what kind of opinions I am creating. That is not a point of complain but rather how things stand. I anyway always did enjoy reading about all kinds of style and

t ê t e - à - t ê t e stuff but increasingly I feel a certain amount of responsibility.

I feel that any talk about gender needs to be about equality between the sexes rather than skewed in favour of any one gender. Would you agree?

Yes, feminism is not the empowerment of one gender but its the equality of the sexes. On talk shows I often get asked if feminism is only what media portrays it to be. But the fact is that is only partially true, no one highlights feminism when it fights for the male rape victims, who aren’t taken seriously. It also means accepting that women can be perpetuators of crime. Feminism also means fighting for the right causes, like the act for sexual harassment of men at workplaces. Feminism is not only empowerment of women, but also empowerment of men. Feminism is equality and equity, the difference with equity is accepting that we are lacking, and working from the lack of opportunities for both the genders.

Today, women are asserting themselves like never before.

Do you see hope in the way women are redefining their roles?

I do. If you see women like Kalki, or even a commercial start like Alia Bhatt, they are representing and talking about a lot of stuff that wasn’t part of the dialogue for the past decade. Women using platforms to represent other women who can’t avail of these platforms is something I find very admirable. In fact, Faye D’Souza who represents Mirror Now, she has in her own way done commendable work just by doing her job right, she gives informed opinions and also creates an informed opinion about By Siddhant Talwar Class XII Sanskriti School, New Delhi

news. I go on YouTube and Facebook a lot, and I see so many women making posts about injustice and that going viral. I have seen women making Youtube posts about what they have experienced, and the fact that women feel they should share these is something I feel is fantastic. I keep telling people that the only thing we need to break out of is the silence.

What would be your tips for people, especially teenagers, who are just getting into slam poetry or are thinking of starting?

First, realise that you don’t have to stick to a format or rhyme scheme.

When you start you feel there has to be a certain shape or format to your work, lets say abab rhyme scheme, or having four lines per paragraph or verse. That is not true. IF you do write like that, good; if you don’t, still good! It is art, it is your baby.

Second, don’t compare yourself to other poets. You can compare yourself in literary terms, for example, if you want to try something with your flow that is fine. But content or format wise, do not do that. It’s like if you go to a science fair, everyone is representing different things. The

larger goal is not what you made, but how you made it. What you connect with, might not be what other people connect with. You should not feel forced to write about commercial issues just because it would get you more acceptability in the poetry scene.

Who do you feel are other people or artists, upcoming or otherwise, the teenagers of today should be tuning in to?

Like I had mentioned, Faye D’Souza, fantastic person. This is a very unpopular opinion but Rega Jha, Buzzfeed India editor, a very intelligent woman and she is changing the way Buzzfeed is seen with the Indian media. Because to a certain extent it was only listicles and offshoots, she recently started this editorial section where she asks someone/anyone to write about a topic they feel passionately about, and if it resonates with people she will post it up. She does not care about the kind of commercial success the article brings as long as it is sharing information or it is talking about things people haven’t spoken about yet. So I really like how she has taken over the scene as well.

By Guneet Kaur Baweja Class XII New Era Public School, Mayapuri

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By Simran Sachdeva Class XII New Era Public School, Mayapuri

Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 21

T e e n

T r a v e l s

Student Leaders Convention Singapore W

e’ve all been in that situation where you’re the new person, surrounded by strangers, and the pesky little butterflies of nervousness in your stomach just won’t leave you alone!

I experienced something similar fairly recently. I travelled to Singapore, along with 15 other students, to represent Shiv Nadar School at the 23rd Student Leaders Convention conducted by the prestigious Hwa Chong Institution. Students from all over the world were to meet there and come up with solutions to issues about world peace and amity.

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As exciting as going on an international trip with my friends sounded, I was very nervous about interacting with total strangers from abroad for the first time ever, let alone discussing about grave issues with them! I couldn’t come to get rid of my jitteriness even when the campus of Hwa Chong Institution left me mesmerised by its beauty, calm and vastness. Only now do I realise that it truly reflected the mature and warm nature of its residents.

The first day of the convention (or rather, day 0) was all very thrilling!

We played ice-breakers with anoth-

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er Chinese school and ended up bonding quite well! Later that day, we went river cruising on the Singapore River and got to watch the Merlion (the famous Singaporean mascot), Clarke Quay, ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands Hotel, and more, all just by sitting in our boat. We visited Chinatown after that, where the smell of Chinese street food overwhelmed our senses (though in a bad way for some vegans).

T e e n The next day marked the commencement of the 3-day Convention. All the participants, consisting of foreign and local ones alike, were divided into 21 groups. Within these groups we discussed the topics that were given to us, which, in my case, was ‘Youth Involvement’. After intense discussions and debates for two whole days, we came up with our own solution to the lack of youth involvement in community and social service in today’s world, and how it was all linked to world peace. An exhibition was held on the last day in which all 21 groups put their ideas down on a large chart paper for all participants to see. All groups came up with a lot of creative ways to showcase their solutions, which made the exhibition all

the more fun!

But the convention wasn’t ‘all work and no play’. The organising team saved a fun event for the end of each day, where we could mingle

T r a v e l s

and just enjoy ourselves. For the first day, a treasure hunt had been planned for every group! We had to run all around a little part of the campus (which, despite being a fraction of the whole campus, was huge), look for clues, go through crazy-fun activities as a

bragging, but including my group’s dance), people even stood up and tried to imitate the dance moves!

After spending three days of goofing around with my group membersscreaming like little children during the treasure hunt, trying to learn each other’s dance moves, posing stupidly for selfies, or just being blissfully content in each others’ mere company- I have to admit, I was reluctant to say goodbye. I made some great new friends on this trip who made this experience all the more special and memorable. After exchanging heartfelt goodbye notes with our group leaders and clicking lots of selfies, we finally bid adieu with a promise of staying in touch. team, and finally finish it.

To take our minds It worked as an ice-breaker off of the grief of leaving, my school for all of us and by the end group catched a metro to Marina of it we had become great Bay Sands to watch the renowned friends! The second day fountain show. The brilliant colours was the best of all. We were truly breathtaking! We also were invited to a Fiesta visited the Science Centre on the last Night (it even sounds so day. The section in which the probgrand!), where the or- lems of climate change were porganising team had put up trayed in such an interactive mangames and refreshment ner was my personal favourite! After stalls for everyone. But all that science fun, it was time to the highlight of the night board our flight and leave the beauwas the crazy dancing! tiful land of Singapore behind. No The rhythmic dancing one was quite ready to leave behind of glow bands against the excitement and fun and return the backdrop of dark- to their boring daily routines. But as ness made for a truly they say- all nice things come to an beautiful sight! Finally, end. I enjoyed the experience to my for the Grand Finale on best while it lasted, and now I am a the last day, all groups changed person, with a lot of pleaswere merged into 14 ant memories to bring back home. to prepare a dance routine. The crowd clapped and cheered incesBy santly for all performances, as if the Samruddhi Phadke ones up on the stage were some faClass XI mous pop stars! The exuberance was Shiv Nadar School, Noida infectious. For some dances (not

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Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 23

IP da eg ( en )H ae t a i do n

A Friend to the

Planet

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I d Pe a( gn e) a Ht ei ao dn

Change and actions go hand in hand, and our contributor today shows how you have to find a way to do it right about NOW! Read on about Nishant Jain doing his bit to curb pollution and global warming.

A

s we witness on the TV, social media, newspapers, magazines, or the World Wide Web, many situations which we wish could be different. Humans dying due to abject poverty (malnourishment, diseases, lack of infrastructure etc.), war refugees, unavailability of potable water, global warming, pollution, natural disasters, crime etc.

While awareness is important, it is even more important to convert it into action. However small the action may be, it is the most important part because ONLY action makes change happen.

In February 2015, the largest garbage dump in Mumbai was burning incessantly for a number of days.

The skies were full of smog and air quality was hazardous. Children and elders were suffering from air pollution related diseases. I also happened to contract severe bronchitis during this time. The fire was controlled after more than 10 days, but, the damage to our environment and health impacted me and I kept thinking about it.

A few weeks later, one day, when I was throwing used batteries from my TV remote in the garbage, I saw warning symbols on the battery. It said that batteries should not be thrown in garbage and that batteries could explode when exposed to heat or fire. I hypothesized that the bat-

teries we throw in garbage eventually batteries they use. end up in landfills. If a landfill fire • Landfill fire is common occurwould start, these batteries would rence in India – 23 fires in Mumbe akin to millions of small chemibai in 2015. cal bombs exploding in our landfills, The presence of batteries (and making the fire persistent. similar hazardous e-waste etc.) in landfills leads to significant pollution I researched my theory further of land, water and air. The chemiand found a number of interest- cals from batteries leach over time ing facts: polluting the land. These chemicals • Dry-cell Batteries are made of penetrate the water table into our heavy metals that can be harm- groundwater and water bodies. The ful, if not properly disposed. contaminated water is used by plants • India uses approximately 2.8 and by sea creatures, making them Billion (64,000 tons) of Dry-cell carriers of harmful metals. Through batteries (which go into landfills). our food chain, these harmful met• Dry-cell Batteries can be recy- als enter our bodies and cause health cled, but India recycles none of problems. them. Many countries recycle In addition, during landfill fires, more than 50% of the dry-cell the exploding batteries fill the air

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I d e ( n ) a t i o n gave presentations to students at many of CMCA schools. In all, I’m running this project at 26 schools.

In addition to schools, I have also started this project at the society I live in and at a few companies. In all, more than 25,000 families are involved in recycling batteries. Since this project is very easy to understand and easy to implement, I have collected more than 150 Kg of batteries and 350 Kg of e-waste (total 500 kg or 0.5 tons).

Having said the above, I have had some setbacks too. In spite of more than 12 meetings, my efforts to start this project in Mumbai Municipal Corporation have not borne fruit. Additionally, I’m still trying to get e-waste and battery recycling become a part of Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan. I’m seeking corporate sponsorships and their CSR funds to expand the program. If any of you know anyone in the government to help us include this project in the Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, we can together make a huge impact.

Now, I believe that each of you reading this article has a role to play.

While thinking, reading and discussing is important, change can happen only if we act. It is time that we act together to secure our future as the future belongs to us. Each of you can start this project at your schools; it is really easy to do: all you need is a with harmful chemicals and with to school and deposit in a clear plas- clear plastic bottle. particulate matter. Reports indicate tic container in the school’s computer You can connect with me at my that air pollution causes approx. 1.2 laboratory. With some persuasion Facebook and Twitter page. You can million deaths in India every year. and patience, I collected more than use them to send me individual mesAverage Life Expectancy on average 6 Kg batteries in a few months. In ad- sages in case you want to start the decreases by approx. 3.2 years while dition, the school gave me more than project in your school or can help me it is as high as 6 years in cities such as 100 Kg of e-waste to recycle too. with the challenges I’m facing.

With these results, I started conNew Delhi. The air pollution causes tacting more schools to expand bat- More more info, check: 3% loss of GDP for India.

Upon learning this, I resolved that tery recycling in other schools. Most https://www.facebook.com/ we need to recycle dry-cell batteries principals were enthusiastic and NishantEarthBud to reduce pollution (global warm- four schools supported the project https://twitter.com/earth_bud ing), for effective hazardous waste through their student nature clubs. management and to improve India’s During this process, I got in touch By standing in the world. First, I start- with a NGO called CMCA. They enNishant Jain ed collecting batteries in my school: couraged me to start the battery reClass XI giving presentations to my peers and cycling program in schools they were Pace Junior Science College, Mumbai asking them to bring used batteries active. I trained their volunteers and

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O p e n

L e t t e r

The Noticed and the

Unnoticed

With teacher’s day right here, we asked some of our reporters to write an open letter to their teachers, how they saw befitting. This is how that went!

To My Favorite Teacher, I never knew a teacher can leave such large imprints on a student’s life until you came in. You changed me into a better student and more importantly, into a better human being. You’ve been a friend, a guide and a mentor to me since day one and I believe you’ll always remain one to me.

You’ve been putting up with me and all of my classmates regardless of how irritating we could be.

I know it’s hurtful how some of us overlook all that you’ve done for us and misbehave but you should know this, you’re an amazing teacher and our superwoman. You inspire us like no one else. I have always loved how every morning you come with a beautiful smile and so much positivity irrespective of your own troubles.

I have always felt like I gain something from you each time I talk to you, something more important and necessary than textbook lessons, something which no book can teach, precious values. You have instilled a will to do noble deeds in each of us. You are without a doubt the best teacher I have ever got and the best human being I have ever met.

You’ve been the one who has always stood up for us. We know we’ll find you at our rescue whenever we land into any trouble. I don’t know

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how you do all this for us. How you get to know when any of us feels low? How are you then always able to lift our mood without fail? How you make a bunch of intolerable students realize their mistake without even scolding them? How are you able to teach us so much more than

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what CBSE asks you to? And how will we ever be able to repay all that you’ve done for us?

Ma’am, thank you so much for each smile you gave me, for all the motivation and encouragement, for always inspiring me to work to my full potential, for believing in me

O p e n when I didn’t believe in myself. To your class, you are a very major source of learning, happiness and inspiration. My school life has almost come to the end, and I am glad and so proud to be your student and ma’am, I’ll probably forever remain one. And for all the times you feel less, remember because of you today somebody smiled, became more confident and felt loved.

Sincerely, Your forever grateful student.

By Ayesha Malhotra Class XII Ahlcon International School, Mayur Vihar

Dear Teacher,

I will not crib for the amount of studying that you make me do, neither will I ask you to stop the reminders you give me to utilize my time, rather I would like to say I am thankful to you for all of that. I am really thankful for all those punishments, all those scoldings and sometimes all those tiny harmless slaps.

From a very young age, I was put on a leash by you. I know, I complained a lot, cribbed a lot, even tried to ‘rebel’ my way out of certain situations, but you taught me that wasting my time will not make me successful or achieve something substantial. You have had my back for a very long time. You have always been there for me. You never declined my cry for help, whether it was for not understanding a single digit in math or for nearly failing English in 6th grade.

You never judged me for who I was but rather you protected me from those judgmental stares. You taught me all those moral values but most importantly, you taught me humanity. You have taught me how to accept others for who they are, not for what they did. You definitely did teach me “Sandhi” and “Samas”, the two killer topics in Hindi syllabus, so a special

mention to that. You taught me the basics of life. You taught me how to read, how to write, how to talk, how to walk, how to cycle, how to dance.

You have supported me since the day I was born and I am really very thankful to you for that. You have loved me with my imperfections.

Thanks mom, my favorite teacher, for teaching me how to live my life.

From Anjishtha (not the best, but a really very caring and affectionate student) By Anjishtha Sharma Class XI New Era Public School, Mayapuri

Dear Teacher, With Teachers’ day around the corner, we must thank all our supportive teachers, from the ones who hugged us as a mother in Nursery to the one who listened patiently to our complaints in high school.

We spent seven hours daily with these good souls, but what about the twenty four hours of human life

L e t t e r

that you live? That life which drops you from the cliff with the mistakes you make and gives you the most amount of pleasure when you put in your hard work. Can’t we call life a teacher then? It teaches you beyond textbooks and its lessons don’t have a fixed syllabus, so you cannot even prepare for it overnight because the very next morning there will be a new challenge to be faced. It’s your own take on this life which according to me is our greatest teacher. It watches you silently as you live it, we can’t feel, see or acknowledge it but is always present in utter silence.

Why indulge in hurting sentiments, invoking violence or being greedy when life has a lot of good things in store for you.We often blame “life” when we fail but hardly ever do we thank life when we achieve the laurels.

This rat race will be endless and so will your happiness come to an end if you don’t live life to the fullest? I personally feel at the age of just sixteen, that we need a change, the era of making money for survival has turned humans into greedy souls, we are more than just tools at work. The closer we look the more startlingly obvious it becomes, that the whole of life, every single moment, each encounter, each pain, each trauma, every circumstance is but an elaborately orchestrated conspiracy for the limited identity to be seen through.

As stated by his holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, “Happiness is not ready made ,it comes from your own actions” and you only get to live once, then why not give your best to it and the results will certainly be an A1. So thank each moment you live as it’s a lesson and a reason for your future.

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By Almanya Singh Class XI Sanskriti School, New Delhi

Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 29

D I Y

World Map Wall Clock Tired of your plain boring wall clock? And have travel on your mind! We bought the two together, so you always have a check on your time and travels!

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D I Y

You will require: • • • • •

• • • •

Paint Can Lid Markers Clock Mechanism Cutter, Compass, Scissors Black Acrylic Color, Paint Brush, Gold Paint Thumb Pins Waste Plastic Glue Gun Cork Sheet

Now follow these steps:

• • • • •

• • •

Take the lid of an old paint can, and that will act as the base for our clock.

To make a hole in it, take a thumb pin, and use pressure to pierce it through the centre of the lid.

Wiggle the pin a little, and then use scissors to make the hole bigger Now, take a cork sheet and cut it in a circular shape so as to fit it inside the lid.

Use a compass to measure the circumference of the lid, and then use the same measurement on the cork sheet.

Using a pair of scissors cut the cork sheet into a perfect circle.

Use some acrylic colors to paint the cork sheet black, and let it dry To color the lid, use copper color

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D I Y •

• • • •

• • •

•

spray paint and keep it aside to dry Take a gold color pen, and draw the outline for the world map on the dried cork sheet. Use a magazine, a book or the internet for reference.

Use some gold paint to fill in the outlines.

Once the paint is dry, use the gold pen again to make the outlines of the shape more prominent.

Using a glue gun, stick the painted cork sheet to the paint can lid.

Using a pin, punch a hole through the cork sheet. Again use a scissor and a pencil to make the hole bigger, and cleaner.

Fix your clock mechanism through the hole, and secure it with the lock that comes with it.

First put in the hour hand, followed by minutes hand and then the seconds hand.

To make your clock more funky, replace the seconds hand with a thin transparent plastic hand!

Cut out a paper silhouette of an aircraft and stick it on the end of plastic seconds hand.

Put in the battery and see the world go round!

Keep in mind:

•

Keep applying pressure on the scissors while making the hole bigger, and keep checking with the clock mechanism if you are getting the size right.

• Use a newspaper while painting the cork sheet so that the paint doesn’t spill out.

• While using the spray paint, keep a good distance between the surface and the paint can • Make sure to use the spray paint in a well ventilated area To watch video, look for “DIY Wall Clock | World Map | MadstuffwithRob” on YouTube Follow Rob and share your DIYs with him @: Facebook.com/MadStuffWithRob Twitter.com/MadStuffWithRob Instagram.com//MadStuffWithRob

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Two-way Guide:

I n

C o u n s e l

For Better Communication between Parents and Children

Communication is vital to human life. It has been observed that if communication between parents and their children is good, then their relationships are good as well. Our expert, Dr Prerna Kohli on how to improve the two way communication.

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hildren begin to form ideas and beliefs about themselves based on how their parents communicate with them. When parents communicate effectively with their children, they begin to feel that they are heard and understood by their parents, they know what is expected out of them and deliver accordingly.

Communication is always a two-way game and hence it is equally important for the kids to communicate with parents about their thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires. Here are a few tips for both parents and kids to improve the quality of their communication and hence the quality of their relationship and life in general.

How to have the difficult talk?: For parents: Open-ended Font difference: Keep How to break the bad news? Pick a Childhood is a good starting point: the conversation flowing with ques- good time to talk esp. when they are

Be available, open and provide them with plenty of love, appreciation, and acceptance.

Decrease your height: Yes, you read it right. Come down to their level physically and verbally to make a better eye contact and communicate in a way they understand.

Listen: This is increasingly talked about yet it’s a matter of concern because it is rarely done well. It helps to remember to give them undivided attention, avoid interruptions and assure them that they have been heard.

30-second rule: Break your flow into 30-second chunks making sure they’re grasping what you are saying and avoid

long speeches.

tions that begin with “what”, “where”, “whom”, “how” etc. Be careful not to ask too many questions as children will be much less likely to open up.

Open-up: The more you open-up and express to your kids, the more they will be willing to open-up.

Give them just enough: When they ask questions, give them just enough information that is appropriate to their age so that they don’t draw wrong conclusions or seek other sources.

For children: Start: Yes. It’s that simple. It’s never

relaxed, know what you want from the conversation, identify your feelings and make sure to communicate them. For ex: “Mom, I need to talk to you — but I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you.”

Make sure you’re heard: In order to be believed, respected and taken seriously, be clear and direct, be honest, and try to understand their point of view (seek to be understood as well).

Accepting ‘NO’s: Empathizing and gracefully accepting no’s in things not as important could lead to greater number of yes’s in things that are far more important.

too late to start. Talk about your day at school, your performance in the basket- To learn more visit www.drprernakohli.in ball game etc.

An Ode to Mrs. Mathews S t o r y t e l l i n g

Confessions of a 50 year old student!

I

t was Class VIII, of the late seventies. The maths teacher was also the class teacher of a class of 40 of the coeducational school. Rebecca Mathews, hailing from coastal Kerala, used to sit next to a fair looking girl, in the extreme left row, second or third bench. Girls’ row and boys’ row those days were always alternate rows and I shared the third bench with a boy called Ramesh in the row adjacent to Rebecca Mathews’.

I was a notorious boy, and generally a back-bencher till Class VIII. I used to nickname everyone. If I had any talent, it was never visible. I must have been one of the most despised boys at that time, and regarded with contempt by the so called ‘meritorious students’ and ‘the nice boys ‘ at that time!

I had named Rebecca ‘Kali Bhoot’ because of her slightly dark complexion, and I always got motivated by the ‘nice boys’ of the class who would laugh and encourage me to do everything that they wouldn’t ever themselves do! Well, I used to tease Rebecca , and obviously she hated me for this. Kali Bhoot was definitely not complimentary, and though I am not sure whom I was out to impress, I would persist to entertain guys sitting in my vicinity with vitriolic in the same vein. That she was the daughter of a senior Chemistry teacher in the school never deterred me one bit.

Here was a day when Rebecca’s mother, the much revered Mathews teacher sent for me. The lab attendant, a fierce looking man of some ill-repute

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among students, walked beside me to take me to the Chemistry Lab. Such beckoning used to happen only in exceptional cases and instinctively and instantly , I knew I was in trouble. Shaken thoroughly as I was, I went to the chemistry lab almost scared to death even before I reached there. I feared the worst and it could have been simply

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anything, with my reputation and the despise I had garnered for myself from every quarter.

Mrs. Mathews asked me to sit in front of her and with the normal teacher’s table separating us.

I must have been shaking when Mrs. Mathews reached out and held my face gently.

S t o r y t e l l i n g ‘ Sachin,’ she said .

Even someone simply just addressing me by my name was a compliment for me those days. And she had said it with so much of affection. And Sachin Tendulkar was not even born then, to make the name sound so good as it does now.

“We are all God’s Children” she continued, still holding me most affectionately by my chin.”God has made you beautiful, you are fair. Rebecca is dark.

We are all from different backgrounds, created differently by God.” she paused.

I had started crying by this time, probably one of those rare occasions, thoroughly overcome by shame and remorse.

“But Rebecca is also a child like you, studying in the same class and is of your age only.” Mrs. Mathews’ tone, was so kind that I would have for once, preferred a thrashing instead!

“Will you like it if someone called you or any of your brothers or sisters, by such derogatory names?”

I was sobbing like never before, and the worst of beatings that I used to frequently get, had never ever had such an impact! Mrs. Mathews was holding my face gently all this time and wiped my tears, like a mother that she was, and asked me to go back to the class.

I vividly remember myself trying to avoid looking at Rebecca’s side on reaching the classroom, , though with my peripheral vision I could gather that she was doing the same, pretending to be writing something. As a child she probably thought I must at least have got a scolding , and she clearly did not really like being responsible for it. I had quite obviously stopped calling her names, and also had rather unusually, become relatively quiet in the ensuing days.

Shortly after, just within a few days she made it up for herself, absolving herself of any guilt that she might have had for having me reprimanded by her mother. The Sanskrit Teacher, a normally suave and debonair man, caught me on a wrong foot in the second period, using some language which he

did not approve of, against a boy who had snatched my pen from me without warning. Very unlike him, the Sanskrit teacher pounced on me and gave me quite a few slaps in rapid succession, and asked me to stand up on the bench, which was the most common punishment of the day, just as the bell rang for the next period. Not satisfied with the punishment he gave me, he enquired to find out it was Mrs. Mathews’ class in the next period. Addressing Rebecca specifically, he instructed her to ask her mom to keep me standing on the bench for the entire period.

I was sobbing like never before, and the worst of beatings that I used to frequently get, had never ever had such an impact!

Mrs. Mathews was holding my face gently all this time and wiped my tears, like a mother that she was, and asked me to go back to the class.

As soon as the Sanskrit teacher left, Rebecca spoke to me directly, for the first and last time ever.

“You sit down. I won’t tell my mother!“ A thirteen year-old child reciprocating to another thirteen-year-old for not calling her names in the short time after being reprimanded by her mother - a pay-back of some sort from her point of view !

She had asked me to sit down, softly, without expecting any marks for kindness, without even wanting anyone else to know that she had said it. Boys sitting close knew it all the same, and no one reported to Mathews teacher as she came for the next class.

I sat down not because I wanted to, I would have in fact preferred to continue standing instead, and I was quite used to such punishments. I sat down

because Rebecca had asked me to sit down.

For the next four years, till we finished class XII, Rebecca and I never ever looked at each other directly or spoke to each other. I, because I was quite permanently guilt ridden , and Rebecca because that was just what she did not want - she never wanted me to feel guilty. It was an understanding which existed just between the two of us and lasted.

From Class IX onwards, as even my worst detractors would agree, I had changed considerably. Having chosen my preferred subjects in Class XI, I could leave my name on the School Merit Board for having topped in Class XII. I had learnt the most important lesson of my life with the Mathews, both the mother and the daughter. That we can never really run away from ourselves. The most effective punishment or corrective measure that can be, I was to learn that day, is an appeal to one’s own conscience, and nothing else; a knowledge that has helped me help several students later in life .

There was never ever any need to stay connected or meet or talk about anything as we moved on in life. In fact there was nothing to say or express.

There was , nevertheless, so much to feel and remember forever.

Both Rebecca and Mrs. Mathews have passed on.

Rebecca at a young age of cancer and Mrs. Mathews hopefully, only of old age. Both were the best of teachers, and best of friends I have ever had in my life. They do not make teachers like Mrs. Mathews anymore. And Rebecca has lived with me forever.

We can not always pay back people for their kindness. But we can always pray for such people and thank them till eternity for being a part of our very existence.

Particularly when they are your teachers.

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

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B l o g

Spreading the

Blue Web

Horrible comes in all shapes and sizes, but evil keeps coming up with newer, more inventive ways to spread its web. The latest is the Blue Whale Suicide Challenge which has affected a large number of teenagers across the globe. Our reporter Rishika Tomar writes

I

n today’s tech savvy society, crimes have gone one step ahead and have been digitalised, and while cyberbullying, hacking and illegal foraging of banned data might be common examples of these issues, what we could not have guessed or even foreseen in our wildest imagination is the latest ‘SUICIDE CHALLENGE’ doing rounds on the interweb. This has escalated into a major issue after many cases of self harm and mutilations that have come to the attention. Shockingly, more than 130 teen deaths have been reported in Russia alone. The police has now started warning parents in UK to be wary of the trend, and with the recent incident of a teen in Mumbai jumping off the terrace, this psychopathic game has now found its way to India as well.

Teenagers stand at the cusp of adulthood, in a phase of transition and are the most vulnerable emotionally and mentally, which makes them easy prey for any negative suggestion that they come across on the net. Teenagers who are depressed and are facing some kind of challenge in coping with their social or school lives without any support or encouragement are the ones who have been observed to most likely fall for this kind of a challenge.

The blue whale challenge is an online suicide game that takes advantage of the fragile state of mind

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of its victim and urges them to commit suicide in a “fun” manner. It is a game wherein a group of administrators assign daily tasks to members, that they have to complete over a span of 50 days.

At the start one is given relatively easy tasks to complete and the photos of the completed tasks are to be posted online. The difficulty keeps rising with tasks like carving out a whale on your arm, killing animals, and other such horribleness. This causes the player to lose their sense of reasoning and when the administrator finally asks them to commit suicide they do so without any doubts or questions.

There could be many ways to put a

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stop to such psychopathic games, including complete ban on the website but ultimately we need to look at the root of the problem and reach out to the ones being affected. We need to be there for them when they need us and notice their problems before they escalate into something as spine chilling and heartbreaking as suicide. It is upto us to protect our own selves and those around us to truly be happy and appreciative of this life that has been bestowed upon us.

By Rishika Tomar Class XII Ahlcon International School, Mayur Vihar

BANGLE, IT’S THE VIMAN!

GET IN!

THIS GIRL HAS LED US A MERRY DANCE! THIS TIME I’LL MAKE SURE SHE DOESN’T GIVE US THE SLIP!

HEY, WHERE DID THAT TREE COME FROM?

WE’RE GOING TO HIT!

ONCE WE’RE OVER THAT HILL IT’S FLAT COUNTRY ALL THE WAY TO THE CAPITAL!

GOOD! I’M TIRED OF TRUDGING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS!

BANGLE!

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BYE, ARDRA!

GOT YOU!

WOOF WOOF!

DON’T BE AFRAID, BANGLE! JUST WATCH YOUR STEP!

BYE, MAYA!

WOOF!

I AM TOO!

GOT YOU!

YOU SAVED US AGAIN!

ARDRA! IS THAT YOU!

I SAID THE WRONG CHANT AND TURNED INTO A TREE, BUT I’M GLAD I DID!

YES!

I’LL LET YOU DOWN AND THEN YOU MUST HURRY DOWN TO THE VALLEY!

IT’LL BE EASIER TO HIDE IN THAT THICK FOREST THAN UP HERE!

YOU’RE NOT OUT OF DANGER YET, MAYA! THOSE SOLDIERS WILL BE BACK!

??!!

MAYA!

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40

TO be Continued...

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Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 39

P o s i t i v e l y

P o s i t i v e

Evolving to

Empower

L

earning is a lifelong process, a way of living life. A school plays a key role in a human’s life by sowing the seeds of curiosity and education in the young minds.

Education has never been confined to the four walls of a classroom in Delhi Public School, Raipur. With utter and immense belief in its mot-

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to, “We value our values”, the school tends to push its students out of the boundaries of the classroom and school and help them light a candle in the dark stages of someone else’s life. Every step initiated by the DPS family bespeak of its benevolence, determination and pride.

Some years back, the school ad-

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As a novel and noble initiative the students of DPS Raipur, with the help of their school, decided to help a part of the community by giving them newer modes of earning livelihood and sustaining themselves. opted a village named “Nardaha” with a view to fulfill its responsibility towards the society as an organisation, towards the nation as its citizens, and towards other fellow beings as mere individuals. The aim was to empower the women of Nardaha by providing them employment opportunities which gave birth

P o s i t i v e l y

P o s i t i v e

efforts as the enterprise was now in the limelight with its noble intention and indefatigable efforts. In an attempt to support PM Modi’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, the students conducted a sale named, “Bin: A Boon” implying bin is a blessing, by selling car bins to people in different parts of the city. The idea was highly appreciated and recognised making the sale a big success, as a social message was delivered doing social work. The enterprise continues to develop and evolve with time. Also, the students of DPSR run the school NGO SWEAR, which stands for Society Welfare Encouragement Associa-

to INDICROCHET with it’s own motto, “To empower, we enterprise”, as a part of the school enterprise challenge. The students of class XI (Commerce) portrayed their skills through adorning different posts of the organisation such as the CEO, Secretary and more under the tutelage of the teachers of Commerce Dept. headed by Ms Gurpreet Anand.

The Principal, Raghunath Mukherjee, Senior Coordinator Bindu Singh and Ms Sowmya Raghubir were an indispensable part of its successful operations as they provided with much required support and guidance.

The idea was to provide raw materials to the women, who will make them into finished goods through proper training by our Art teacher,

Ms Uma Dhote, which will then be sold during the PTMs in an exhibition to the parents of students of DPSR. Every single penny earned would lie in the hands of the women.

This wasn’t only a means of living, but it rather instilled in them confidence and a sense of pride as they could now stand in the crowd with their heads held high being self-dependent.

Soon enough, by the dint of competent and vigorous participants, the sales of INDICROCHET started escalating heights. The time had finally come to showcase their skills and hardwork outside the school premises and thus, soon INDICROCHET was part of the renowned fair, “The LOCALS”. The experience and the end results proved worthy of the

tion Revamp, which believes in providing a helping hand to the weaker sections of the society by providing them with the basic necessities.

When we look towards the future, we see the students of DPSR as good human beings, before envisioning them as prominent doctors or specialised engineers or outstanding entrepreneurs. Through their assiduous participation, the students have gained a powerful insight into the world of have-nots, the competitive world and have developed magnanimity and empathy in their hearts.

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By Resham Sharma Class XII Delhi Public School, Raipur

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E x p e r t

E x p r e s s i o n

Amma,

Tell us About HER!

Intertwining Indian mythology with innovative illustrations, Bhakti Mathur is creating a unique line of literature for for young readers. Our School Live reporter Naayaa had an opportunity to shoot some questions at the author.

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t was the Amar Chitra Katha series that allowed children to get in touch with Indian mythology in the days when our parents were our age. You have now stepped into and made a mark for yourself in that beautiful space. How do you feel that space has changed over the years?

Children are much more sensitive, perceptive and intelligent than we give them credit for. They don’t like to be preached to. In fact no adult likes to be preached to, so why should a child be any different. I think what is important is to recognize this and tell a story in way that is non-preachy, fun and engaging.

That has been my endeavor.

Children these days are initiated into the digital world really early and more easily. In such a scenario, what do you feel is the special ingredient in your series, which acts as a puller?

The motivation for writing the ‘Amma Tell Me’ series was to share with my sons the fascinating stories from Indian mythology that I had grown up with. But I found that there were no resources that were simple to understand and that captured the rich imagery of mythological India that is such an integral part of these stories for me. So I went

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ahead and started writing the stories in a style that I think kids find fun and non-preachy and collaborated on the illustrations to bring out the imagery that I want my stories to convey. I am lucky to have found an illustrator like Maulshree Somani who understands what I want and

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has given life to my words. I set up my own publishing company, called ‘Anjana Publishing’ (the inspiration for the name came from Hanuman as Anjana is the name of his mother and Hanuman is my favorite God) to publish the books.

The feedback that I get from par-

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E x p r e s s i o n

So the canvas really is unlimited in terms of the stories that one can write and the audience that one can write for. I would love to write for young adults and adults as well. My children have been my inspiration to write, so I think I will write for middle grade and young adults once they get there.

ents is that the stories are written in a simple way, which is easy to read to children and for children to understand, and that the illustrations are very attractive and colorful. The books appeal to children as young as 2 years and as old as 9 years.

Indian mythology is extremely vast and complicated and many a times beyond the comprehension of young children. It is indeed a treat to see you simplify this and tailor make it for the young reader. How wide is the canvas that you see yourself working on in times to come, in terms of the mythologies as well as the target audience?

Mythology has always fascinated me and I want to write about something that I am passionate about. As a mother of two hyperactive young boys, who otherwise cannot sit still for a minute, I know that the only way I am going to hold their attention is with a good story.

And stories from Indian mythology never fail me in this regard.

How can they? Which modern tale can boast characters of the stature of mythological ones – the gods

I am sure a good number of children who read your books would love to know how to write a book like yours. Could you share with us a few of your tips?

Get started and keep going. Start writing about whatever fascinates you, whatever you feel strongly about. Read, read and read more.

The more you read, the better writer you will become. Join a writing incarnate, the mighty kings, the group where you can read each othlearned sages, and the fearsome er’s stories and give each other feeddemons, placed among the most back. And most importantly, don’t memorable and momentous of set- give up. tings? Or match the substance of the plots that invariably involve a chal- As a mother of two, what would lenge faced, an obstacle overcome or be your advice for mothers a difficult question resolved? These wanting to choose reading maare perfectly crafted stories as other- terial for their children and for wise they would never have survived children who wish to choose the ages, passed on from generation their own material. to generation, many a time in warm I think it’s good to read to children beds similar to ours, for thousands about different things – history, culture, values, science fiction, fantasy, of years.

But the biggest reason that I find inspiring figures from different fields. myself going back to Indian mythol- There are many resources now and ogy is that the stories serve as a won- websites that have excellent recomderful parenting tool to highlight the mended reading lists for children of values that we want our children to different age groups. In fact there is imbibe. These are the universal val- a problem of plenty, too many books ues of courage, determination, per- to choose from. But that is a good severance, generosity and morality, problem. A good thing is to fill your of what is right versus wrong. There house with books and for children to is a big difference in showing some- see parents reading. If we don’t read one the way and telling them the way ourselves, how can we expect our chiland these stories “show” the power dren to become readers? of these values in a manner that is easily apprehensible and most of all, By non-preachy. And these stories are Naayaa Mehta equally applicable to us adults who Class VII in the busyness of life’s routine fail The Sriram School, Mouslari to think about what really matters.

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S t u d y

G u i d e

Finding your

Business

Thinking about undergraduate majors, our expert Urvashi Malik tells you why you should pause before choosing the business degree

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mongst the dozens of majors that American colleges offer, and the promise of freedom that education abroad stands for, the popular route for students from India is still a degree in Bachelors of Business Administration. First, it was all about Wall Street, more recently about Entrepreneurship, but business is still the most popular major out there.

We’ve had students go to Whar-

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ton, Stern, Kelley, truly the best of business schools because they are certain of what they want and we are definitely there to support them. And there are those students who apply for reasons that are less than perfect – pressure to manage the family business or a misguided desire for money.

But before they make the decision, we have a conversation to make sure it’s what they really want, not just what they “believe” they should study.

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And that conversation is essential.

And that is the conversation I want to share with you. Because I am sad to say that some students lose their opportunity to broaden their minds with a liberal arts education by sacrificing it for “safety.” And I’m not just here to drill in on the values of Fareed Zakaria’s “In the Defense of a Liberal Education,” I really want to use this opportunity for you to explore if this is a good idea.

S t u d y

As the world changes, you need adaptability, creativity and strong people skills for success, not just finance classes.

The exploratory approach that the liberal arts education follows can encourage the flexibility you might need.

So What Are Wrong Reasons to Pick a Business Major?

Because you don’t know what else is available. The ingrained mentality that Indian Students study Engineering, Medicine or Business is hard to shake, even though times are changing. Sometimes, students say they want to study business without even knowing why. It’s like saying, “I like to read” because it’s the “right hobby” without having an opinion on what genre of literature you like. Do you know what part of business you like? What do you want to do after the degree? What does Accounting,

G u i d e

who can analyze novels to manage communications, history majors who understand cause and effect to analyze patterns, and social science majors to take their theoretical understanding and apply it to the world around them. A designer developing products works in business, an HR person works in business, there is more to business than the degree.

Managers need teamwork skills, leadership, and problem-solving skills, something you can learn in any degree.

And sometimes, the broad base of the liberal arts education is valuable because what is business today, is not business tomorrow. The smartphone didn’t exist in the last millennium, and yet there are businesses built on just building smartphone apps. As the world changes, you need adaptability, creativity and strong people skills for success, not just finance classes. The exploratory approach that the liberal arts education follows can encourage the flexibility you might need.

This is not to say we don’t encourage students to study business if it is right for them. Like we said, we have students going to top schools each year. But this is a decision that should be thought through and explored carefully. Don’t pick business because it’s a default, pick it if you truly want it. And if you are one of those students who loves the Mock Stock Exchange and started their own business in middle school, maybe you are right for business.

Others may want to wait till the MBA where you study those same courses but after you’ve built a foundation and improved on it with work experience. Remember that your undergraduate education only comes around once. And by jumping right into the business world, you may be closing those opportunities to explore that led you to apply abroad in the first place.

Marketing, Operations, Strategy entail? And even then, if you want to get to Consulting do you need to be a business major to get there?

Because of the flashy title. What was once a desire to be a banker on Wall Street has become a desire to be an Entrepreneur or Founder. But remember, each entrepreneur you idolize became a success because they had a different idea that changed the world. And they didn’t necessarily get that idea from an accounting classroom. Often, it was an unusual experience that prompted it. In The Social Network, Zuckerberg got the idea from social interactions rather than classes. Don’t get swayed by a title, recognize that you need a foundation perhaps but you won’t get an idea for “the next big thing” with your diploma when you graduate. You need more.

Because you don’t realize you don’t need the major to do the job. This is something we’ve been hinting at in the last two points but the biggest thing that students forget is that you don’t need to study business to do business. Consider the fact that each year, students from top liberal arts schools – Harvard, Princeton, Stanford – go into consulting, banking and finance. And none of those students have a business degree. Because those schools don’t offer them. Yet those students are a success in the world of business.

For more information, log on to Companies hire English majors http://www.collegecore.in/

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P a g e

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

Fighting the

Trojans

A young software engineer who, as a hobby, starts helping the Police in solving criminal cases, turns into a critical resource for the Force to fight cyber crime. Riveting and engaging The Return of the Trojan Horse by Amit Dubey is a tale unlike any other.

The retelling of real life incidents, the book seems stranger than fiction, and yet, you will not be able to put it down!

“W

hat now?” Dilip never wasted words on niceties when there was work to be done.

“I was just exploring the eBay site.”

“The e-commerce portal?”

“Yes, and I found the enemy is using these portals for communication - encrypting their messages as the names and titles of the goods on sale.”

“What!” Dilip was clearly amazed by the ingenuity of the human brain.

“They seem to have placed their message in a book sale, with the release date being, Friday 13 March . Dilip, the message Khyaam is carrying for the Maulana is obviously something very important Could we ask him to change it a little ?”

“Are you kidding Amit ?, It could be very dangerous and cost him his life.”

“I know but we have valuable information in hand, the portal says, the book is to be released on 13th March, while Maulana’s message says he wants to bring the date forward to the third Friday from now, which is 6th March. I think,

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they are planning to execute some plot on that day. I just want Khyaam to change the text of the message so that the task is set for next Friday, 20th February.”

“But, we haven’t yet decoded their message and don’t know their plan, what if they’re planning some bomb blast?, we won’t have much time to stop them.” Dilip was quick to analyse the situation.

“I know, but that’s my plan, I want them to panic. In a stressful situation, they may commit an error of judgement or execution. If we allow them time, Khyaam will be in even greater danger. I’ll keep a watch and note any change in the release date of this book on eBay once Khyaam has passed the message to Hasan Rana. Then we can be certain that this book and their activity are linked.”

Dilip was troubled. This was not something he had been taught in Police Training School. “Hmm…I hope you realize we are placing a person’s life on the line. but if that’s the best way, I will pass the message to Khyaam.”

Excerpted with permission from the author.

5 Ways to

E x p e r t

E x p r e s s i o n

Respectfully Disagree

A 16 years old boy was brought to the clinic by his parents. According to the parent, the boy was in constant conflict with the parents, he just wouldn’t listen, he had to argue or sulk about everything, and his behaviour was just becoming more obnoxious with each day. They were all at a loss about how to mend their communication. The boy was in therapy for a while and spoke about various issues that he had been facing with the parents. This was followed by sessions of family therapy where we worked on the communication patterns of the whole family. Apart from the usual adolescence related changes and disturbances that we educated them all about, we trained them all (particularly the boy) in the skill of disagreeing. Our expert, Bina Nangia on how this kind of skill training is an essential part of handling not just our relationships but also our own selves.

I

t’s easier to agree than disagree.

But we can learn a lot from conversations where we don’t see eye to eye — if we can listen and talk rationally, that is.

Unfortunately, many of us either shy away completely from disagreements or lose it when things don’t go our way. These 5 tips can help keep disagreements constructive — whether you’re talking to a parent, friend, or anyone else:

DON’T MAKE IT PERSONAL If you get upset, it can help to remember you’re mad at the idea or concept your parent (or friend, coach, coworker, etc.) is raising, not the person.

AVOID PUTTING DOWN THE OTHER PERSON’S IDEAS AND BELIEFS If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of someone’s tirade or putdowns, you know how valuable using respectful language and behavior can be. So instead of saying what you might be thinking (“That’s

a stupid idea!”), try: “I don’t agree, and here’s why.” Resist the temptation to yell, use sarcasm, or make derogatory comments and you’ll have a much better chance of getting your point across.

USE “I” STATEMENTS Use “I” statements to communicate how you feel, what you think, and what you want or need. Using “you” statements can sound argumentative. For example, telling your mom or dad, “You always remind me about my chores on Wednesdays when you know I have a lot of homework” has a very different tone from “I’m feeling pressured because I have a lot of homework tonight. Can I do those chores tomorrow?”

from thinking about why you disagree or what you’ll say next. Instead, focus on what’s being said. When it’s your turn to talk, repeat any key points the other person made to show you listened and heard what was said. Then calmly present your case and why you disagree.

STAY CALM This is the most important thing you can do to keep a conversation on track. Of course, it’s a huge challenge to stay calm and rational when you feel angry or passionate about something — especially if the person you’re talking to gets heated. You may need to be the mature one who manages the conversation, even if the other person is a parent or someone who should know better.

LISTEN Respect goes beyond difficult conListen to the other point of view. Be- versations, of course. Being helping a good listener is a way of show- ful and considerate toward family ing that you respect and understand members, teachers, or coaches in the other person’s perspective. That our everyday actions helps all of us makes it more likely he or she will (again, parents included!) establish do the same for you. When the other a foundation for those times when person is talking, try to stop yourself we might disagree.

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R A P

U P

Toilet: Ek Prem Katha

Director: Shree Narayan Singh Starring: Akshay Kumar, Bhoomi Pednekar

“T

oilet…” is a deep, dark the house or she’ll have to leave. To satirical take on one of win her love and respect back, Kesthe biggest roadblocks in hav sets out on a mission to hold a development that still shamefully mirror to those who suppor t open plagues India-the problem of open defecation in the name of age-old defecation and poor sanitation. traditions and so called Indian culThis movie has a witty first half and ture. The idea is to highlig ht the outstanding performances by the drawbacks of open defecat ion. The stars. movie points fingers at those IndiThe story revolves around Ke- ans who are blinded by the belief shav, a village boy who marries a that toilets can’t exist in a house well-educated girl. Post marriage, where god is worshipped. The diahis wife learns that there is no toi- logues mirror reality, shuns superlet in his house. She threatens her stition and speak of a messag e that husband to either have a toilet in is important and relevant. It strikes

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets

Director: Luc Besson Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen

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ll the waiting for the fans of Luc Besson films has finally come to an end with the arrival of ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’. This movie remains his best, out of all his creations which include, ‘The Professional’, ‘The Fifth Element’, and ’Lucy’. This movie has pierced its way into the pages of history as one

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of the best sci-fi movies of all time.

This film stars Dan Delta as Valerian and Cara Delevingne as Laureline with Cive Crven, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke in supporting roles.

The special operatives, Valerian and Laureline, are working together to maintain order throughout the human territories. Under a confidential assignment from the minis-

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an even balance between being humourous and entertaining in the first half and being melodramatic and educational in the other.

It is the laughs and the tickling sense that the movie has which keeps your eyes glued to the screen.

The love story is well narrated, a subtle message well delivered, jokes and punches well put forward and performances of the actors worthy of appreciation. A social message, in the garb of humour, dramatic performances and a simple love story leaves an imprint in the viewer’s mind and heart. More conspicuously, the movie lays stress on issues like gender bias, superstitious practices and more. It resonates with the inherent vigour of a woman who can act when she wants and can do anything and everything to get what she deserves, to claim her rights.

At a last glance, TEPK is a light satirical remark pointing to one of India’s major problem and supporting the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in a rather amusing and humorous manner.

By Resham Sharma Class XII Delhi Public School, Raipur

R A P

Bareilly Ki Barfi

Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari Starring: Kriti Sanon, Rajkumar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana

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he movie set in the small town of Bareilly, is a story about a free-spirited girl, Bitti Mishra, who is tired of the societal pressures and finds solace in a book titled “Bareilly Ki Barfi”.

She is her parent’s only child and her father dotes on her. Her mother

try of defense, the duo embarks on a mission to Alpha, an ever expanding metropolis where diverse species gather to share their knowledge and culture. Some can make cells; some could manage data and records, while another grows cobalt beneath the surface!!

This movie features a city which was being made by a collective organization of hundreds and thousands of species. But this city is now under serious threat when a group of baffling survivors of a planet named Mul (which was thought to be burnt

wants her to get married in a good family. Bitti on the other hand wants a life partner who understands her and accepts her the way she is. She finds that special one in Pritam Vidrohi, who is the writer of the book “Bareilly Ki Barfi”. She relates to his way of thinking and decides to

down to ashes thirty years back taking with it 6 million people) desperately want a mul convertor from humans which no one except the commander knows the whereabouts of. Our heroes have to figure out the reason behind the eccentric desire of these survivors.

Luc Besson’s latest magnum opus emotionally overwhelmed us. The movie had us hooked within the first ten minutes. It apprises us that imagination has no boundaries and that anything is possible. It is a film with humour and excitement and so many

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meet him. In her search, she crosses path with Chirag Dubey, who owns a printing press, and was the publisher of that book. But it turns out, Chirag was the actual writer of the book and not Vidrohi, which was kept hidden from Bitti. And that’s when the web of lies begins! Chirag and Bitti become good friends and eventually Chirag falls in love with Bitti. Still hiding the truth, he promises Bitti that he’ll find Pritam Vidrohi for her. Vidrohi is a very soft spoken person but Chirag converts him into a person with an entirely different personality, thinking that he would be rejected by Bitti in such an attire. Everything was going well for Chirag but then suddenly things turn upside down.

It’s an amazing and very entertaining film. The script is well written and all the actors portrayed their part seamlessly. The typical accent is maintained very well. The catchy and soothing music keeps you entralled. And above all, the lead trio was startling. The cinematography is great and it reaches out to audiences very well.

By Shivanshi Gupta Class IX Pragyan School, Greater Noida

memorable images that many viewers would find themselves struggling to blink albeit they miss something important!

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By Isha Saxena Class X Delhi Public School, Sonepat By Suhani Saxena Class VIII Delhi Public School, Sonepat

Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 49

R A P

U P

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he badshah of bollywood, and the king of romance is back, but not with a bang this time.

‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ is a drama/romance/comedy film, directed by Imtiaz Ali, produced by Red Chilies Entertainment, starring the one and only Shah Rukh Khan (Harry), along with the adroit Anushka Sharma (Sejal).

Harry is a lost travel guide in Europe, who initially wanted to pursue singing in Canada.

Carefree Sejal believes that she lost her engagement ring somewhere in Europe while she

Jab Harry Met Sejal Director: Imtiaz Ali Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma was on her family trip. The safar of Harry and Sejal goes through the usual suspense of finding the ring throughout Europe, but where she eventually finds it is, well, a surprise.

The film, rated 3.5/5 stars by Bookmyshow and 1.5/5 stars by The Indian Express has a variety of con-

I

t’s been just over a year since Connor published his first ever memoir, A Work in Progress, opening up to us fans about the struggles and battles he’s faced in his life and how they have impacted him and shaped his persona. To be honest, when I first found it lying in a bookstore, I picked it up and my first thoughts were, “Pfft, I doubt a Youtuber like him could actually have something to say that I haven’t heard already.”

Boy, was I wrong. Filled with crazy anecdotes and Connor’s own captivating photography, this book has been a hell of an adventure from the beginning to the end. Over the past two years, whenever I’ve been feeling down, I’ve found myself involuntarily picking up this wonderful memoir and soaking in its words.

Needless to say, it fills me up with a renewed spirit every time. Connor’s A Work in Progress is so raw, genu-

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A Work in Progress | Connor Franta

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flicting views.

The chemistry between the ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ couple is phenomenal. The music of the film is exceptionally incredible. The ‘Hawayein’ of Europe will leave your mind ‘Phurr’ in awe. It’s a beautiful movie for each and every wanderlust and ine, honest, and engaging, it’s practically impossible to put the book down without finishing it.

To sum it up, this book is a journal that contains countless lessons of courage, faith, and hope. It centers around trivial concepts like family, friendship, and creativity and gravitates around their importance and value. In his memoir, he also tackles the subjects of fame, scars, labels, social media, and many others and how they affect both him and everyone else around him. However, I’ve got to say that the subject I’ve found most intriguing in A Work in Progress

R A P travel-lover out there. The movie unfolds Harry’s ability to understand love and relationships better, while Sejal experiences freedom, security and solace in Harry’ company.

Anyhow, there has been considerable backlash for the film. It’s not stupendous like ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Rockstar.’ It’s predictable, and many essential elements like Harry’s past seemed unclear and incomplete.

Along with Sejal’s engagement ring, the magic that could have been created by Imtiaz Ali and SRK together also seemed missing.

‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ is a one-time watch and is a light-hearted film. It doesn’t deserve all the memes and the kind of reviews it got. The storyline might be tediously portrayed, but the actors have nailed their performances. I’d like to rate it 3/5.

By Amani Chowdhry Class XII Ahlcon International School, Mayur Vihar

has been about the meaning of life.

Humanity is so used to mediocrity and playing it safe, that it has lead to ignorance and lives without meaning. We’ve become mindless robots, living life just for the sake of living it.

I’ve got to admit, this book has definitely surpassed my expectations. It is filled with wise words that will stay with me forever. I would highly recommend it to any and all young adults out there who are craving a new perspective on life or simply need a burst of the ol’ Connor Franta inspiration.

Either way, this book is a piece of art that has forever changed me and the way I view both myself as well as everyone and everything around me.

By Nandika Goyal Class X Delhi Public School, Sushant Lok

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All Your Fault | Bebe Rexha

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ne of the best works by Bebe Rexha this year, “All you fault” remains stuck in my head on repeat with its tunes that make me want to dance in the shower (trust me when I say I usually don’t). With the lead single of the album being “I Got You”, this album is a straight up chart topper, snaking its way up to thousands of hearts.

My personal favorite from this album is “Gateway Drug”, with lyrics like, “If you wanna talk, let’s talk about the way you left me left me with a text so cold”.

This pop album has received professional ratings as four-and-a-half out of five, which I totally agree with.

Songs like “F.F.F” warns you about fake friends and how to love yourself and to be always there for yourself, “Atmosphere” revolving around regret of losing someone, “Small doses” wanting you to watch your steps so you don’t fall, “I Got You” makes you want to dance all night.

All your fault part 2 was released in August 11 this year. With the lead single “The Way I Are,” Bebe rocked the world of pop and showed ev-

eryone who is the Whitney of this decade. With lyrics like “No matter who you are, love me the way I are”, she slayed over her competitors.

With another single, “Back To You” featuring Louis Tomlinson, Bebe scored more support by Directioners all across the globe. This is one of the best works by Bebe, originally being pop with a little hint of EDM. Other tracks include “That’s It” feat. Gucci Mane, “Comfortable” which slow, sweet and catchy, and “Not The One” which is also upbeat.

This part of the album is 3 out of 5 but is still recommended for its famous singles.

This album has tunes that can uplift your mood when you feel low while sympathizing with your pain.

A high recommendation from my side, this album remains forever in my iTunes and my mind.

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By Anjishtha Sharma Class XI New Era Public School

Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 51

W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

Independence Day Celebrations

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he 71st Independence Day was celebrated by the students and staff members of DPS RK Puram on 15 August, 2017. Mr. Pramod Grover, Honorable Treasurer DPS Society and Vice Chairman Managing Committee, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. He was warmly welcomed by the Principal, Ms. Vanita Sehgal.

The celebration commenced with the flag hoisting ceremony and the rendition of the national anthem.

Ms. Vanita Sehgal in her inaugural address quoted J.F.Kennedy, ‘Don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’. The students of the Junior and Senior schools presented an exquisite cultural program. The Vice Principal,

Celebrating 70 Years of Independence

B

ringing out the importance and value of being an independent country, and to sensitize students about the history on how we became free from the British raj, primary and pre-primary wing of GIIS Noida celebrated the 70th Independence Day with absolute patriotism and feelings.

Tiny Tots of GIIS Noida were all decked up to celebrate Independence Day in the special assembly conducted.

Celebrations of the Independence Day began by paying a heartfelt tribute to the freedom fighters of our country, KG students gave a scintillating dance performance on “Maa Tujhe Salam”. Dressed up in colours of our national flag, tiny tots of our campus danced like true patriots of the country.

An inter-house patriotic competition was organized for students of grade 3-5 after the information sharing session. Each house had to present a tribute to the freedom we attained after so many years of continuous struggle.

Students were judged on rubrics like dress code, use of props, ability to sing together as a team, ability to sing at the same pitch, etc.

Apart from the patriotic song competition, an interhouse movie making competition for grade 6-10 students was organized where each house had to showcase their bit on the theme “Peace”.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Vandana Midha – Prin-

52 | Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017

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l, Noida

Global Indian International Schoo

cipal, GIIS Noida said – “Being independent is not about leading a modern life. It is about keeping the essence of our traditions alive and intact. This Independence Day try to love yourself, and people around you, and if you can do that easily, it means you are truly independent in all respects.”

Celebrating beyond spirits, grade 1 and 2 students from the school visited “Shankara Special School” in Noida to celebrate the day with the underprivileged children.

Our students were super excited to meet these kids and hand them over handmade cards and sweets. This gesture by our little stars was able to spread happiness across the Special School’s vicinity, as little faces could be seen beaming with joy and hope of a better tomorrow.

W a t c h

Delhi Public School, R K Puram Ms. Padma Srinivasan delivered the vote of thanks.

This was followed by a host of events hosted by a variety of Departments in which students from all classes participated enthusiastically.

The English Department organised ‘Tricolour Verses’- a self- composed

poetry recitation for Classes VI-VIII and ‘At Cross Purposes’ a Turncoat Debate for Classes IX-XII. The Hindi Department organised ^laokn&l`tu* for VI -VIII and ^dkO;&ikB* for classes IX - XII. ^laL—r ‘yksdk lLoj ikB* for classes VI-VIII & ^fganh xhr&laL—r vuqokn* for IX and X were conducted by the

T h i s

S p a c e

Sanskrit Department. ‘70 Glorious years’, an on- the- spot Painting competition was hosted by the Fine Arts Department. ‘Jashan-e-Azadi’ a music and dance competition in which students of all classes participated, was an ode to the 71 years of freedom. ‘Tribute to Freedom’, another event centred around emotions of pride, loyalty, patriotism and courage was portrayed by the vocalists of our school. Quizzes were conducted by the Science and the Social Science Departments respectively. The Sports Department made its contribution to the event by ‘Ready-Steady-Go’ track events including ‘Flat Race’ and a ‘Lemon and Spoon Race.’

The students participated in this wide range of events with a lot of zeal and excitement and their performances were widely commended.

Investiture Ceremony

“W

hatever action is performed by great man, common man follows and whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursue.”

Keeping these wordings in mind DIS Edge conducted the Investiture Ceremony event on 18th August 2017. Students who are seen as visionaries and torch-bearers of tomorrow proudly took an oath and made a promise to fulfill their duties and responsibilities, as they were elected after a long and rigor- which was followed by an invocation ous process. dance and song, and a leadership The event started with the bless- speech by our Head of the School. ings of Goddess Saraswati - DivinThe words of wisdom shared by our ity of wisdom and reasoning power, Chief Guest Mr Arun Kumar (SDM)

arka

Delhi International School Edge, Dw

really motivated our students and reminded us that leaders are not made, they grow with time and every duty is holy and devotion to duty is the highest form of worship of God.

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Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 53

J u n i o r

D I Y

Spirograph Toy

Ever look at a fascinating form of art, and wonder where did that come from?

What if we showed you one such simple trick, a simple toy, and you could create many different things from it!

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J u n i o r

You will require: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

White Paper Cardboard Sheet Corrugated Sheet Mount Board Paper Plate Paper Cup Marker Pencil Cutter Thumb Pins Coloured Pens Scissors White Glue

Now follow these steps:

• Take one piece of cardboard, and using a paper plate and a marker, mark an outline right in the middle • Using a cutter, cut out the marked circular shape • Take two of these cut cardboards, and stick them together using glue • Now take a corrugated sheet, and cut half an inch of strip from that sheet • Take the cardboard piece, and stick the corrugated sheet on the inside of it, keeping the bumpy part facing in • Now take a small mount board

•

• • •

• •

D I Y

piece, and using a small paper cup and marker, mark a small circle right in the middle. Cut out the circle.

Use the left over strip of corrugated sheet, and stick it on the edge of mount board circle. Make sure to keep the bumpy part on the outside.

Use a thumb pin and an eraser and make a hole in the middle of the circle Once you have the circle we will go a little off circle, and make a hole.

On a piece of paper, place the cardboard piece. Put the circle in the middle of that. Now using colour pens, let the creativity flow!

Create the mount board circles of varying sizes for more designs.

You can create your own wrapping paper or wall mount from it!

How cool is this!

To watch video, look for “DIY Spirograph Toy | Mad Stuff With Rob” on YouTube

Follow Rob and share your DIYs with him @: Facebook.com/MadStuffWithRob Twitter.com/MadStuffWithRob Instagram.com//MadStuffWithRob

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Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 55

J u n i o r

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

Story of the Cub

Who creates a monster?

Chapter 1

A Happy Family The tiger family was having a good time. The air was full of happiness.

Small little cubs known as three little Toffees were entertaining their mother and father. After all, it was their job. It was peaceful everywhere until in came a hunter. He was hiding in the bushes quietly pointing his gun at the smallest cub. Soon dad could sense danger. So could the mother. The mother noticed the dad’s pointy nails coming out.

She knew the danger is around the corner. Soon everyone was still except the smallest cub.

Chapter 2

A Man Eater is Born The smallest cub was too small to understand what was going on. It carried on with its tantrums and play. Woosh!! Came the bullet. The youngest one was down. The whole family ran towards the tiny one. The father went in the direction of the shot. Woosh! Came another one, hitting the mother this time and she was down too. Then another Woosh! Down was the eldest cub. And it did not stop there.

Another shot and the last cub standing was down. Hunter could see the big tiger coming in his direction. He loaded the gun and shot the last one towards the tiger. The hunter was after all a hunter. He had not missed.

The tiger was lying on the ground still. The hunter took his time and composed himself. Slowly he started to walk towards the youngest one.

The cub was in his bag and the hunter was gone.

The shots were not of a gun. They were tranquilizers. Couple of hours

passed by and slowly the effect of the tranquilizers started to fade away. One after another the members were coming to their senses.

The entire family was now in a shock. The youngest family member was gone. The tigers roared and the entire jungle shook in fear. Dad was trembling in anger and pain. He was furious. The man eater was born.

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Chapter 3

The Story of the Youngest One. Jerry, is what the youngest one was called by his family. Jerry woke up when the effect of tranquilizer was over. He woke up not to see the jungle around him but a new place that

J u n i o r he had never seen before. There were tall buildings all around, a few trees here and there and lots of noise and chaos everywhere. He was confused.

The jungle was gone and so was the family. He started to roar in fear.

He was frightened and alone. Soon he saw a man coming towards him.

He was wearing green color khakis.

With his firm hands, he picked up the little cub. Jerry was now in pain within the firm grip of the hunter.

He started to move swiftly. Jerry wiggled in his grip but all efforts to free himself were of no use. The hunter was powerful. The hunter took him to a large cage where Jerry was in for another shock, there were four more animals.

The hunter dropped the cub in this large cage and left.

Chapter 4

The Lost Friends Jerry was now among his own. He was with his lost friends. They had gone missing from the jungle in the past few months. There was Elle the baby elephant, Jeffy the Giraffe, Chena the Cheetah and Benny the bear. The lost friends were now together. Seeing his friends around him gave Jerry a sense of happiness and joy. He first gave all of them a tight hug. Then he asked them about this strange place where they were.

What was this place?

Benny the bear replied “My dear Jerry. You are now a part of a circus!”

“A circus? What is a circus?” asked Jerry. “A circus is an entertainment place for human beings. Here we poor animals are supposed to put a big smile on our faces with our antics. Dangerous stunts under the fear of dying is what we do. Elle drives a bicycle with one wheel. Not just that, he has to juggle balls while doing so. No one cares if he falls from the cycle or hits the wall while doing his stunt. Even if he does fall, they find it funny and burst into laughter.

Hey Jerry, look up there towards

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

his name - “Jerry! Jerry! Where are you? Come out!” Jeffy was shouting.

Jerry came back to his senses. He dashed out. There was chaos everywhere. People were running here and there shouting, “The man eater is here! Save yourself! The man eater is here! Save your life!” Jerry was in for a shock. There stood his father with blood red eyes, his big paws soaked in blood. He hardly looked the hero of his life. He was no more his super hero. There stood the villain of his bed time stories. His own father - a man eater. Jerry’s father had his eyes set on Jerry. Tears started to flow from the eyes of both father and son. Jerry was happy in the top of the tent. Do you see that one moment and terrified in the antight rope? Jeffy the Giraffe walks other. on that tightrope with a big bamBam! Bam! Two loud shots were boo stick to balance. He has fallen fired. The big giant body of a father quite a number of times onto those and a man eater slumped to the tough nets that do hurt even if they ground. His father, the hero of his save him from certain death. Chena life while a villain in the eyes of oththe cheetah has to jump through the ers, was breathing slowly taking his ring of fire. He has burnt himself so last few breaths. He shouted “Jerry! many times while practicing for this My son!” Jerry pounced towards his dangerous stunt. And then to make father. Bang! Another bullet was things worse I walk around the en- fired. This one went straight through tire ring in the dress of a joker that the heart of Jerry. He fell in a heap is too large for me. I keep falling on the ground. Close to his father while moving around. The humans yet so far. His father struggled to get get these green tennis balls to hit up and tried his best to reach for his me, the joker Bear. Every time the son. Jerry was gone. A young son ball hits, I get hurt, people clap and died in front of his father. There was cheer. So now you know what a cir- nothing left for the father to live for. cus is?” replied Benny.

He gave up. The man eater was dead.

Jerry was in a shock. The initial few moments of happiness were Unanswered Questions shattered. He could not imagine So the man eater was dead and so what he would be asked to do. was Jerry. This makes me wonder.

“Forget your family now. They are Who was responsible? Was it not us? gone forever,” said Jeffy the bear Why was the man eater born? Was sadly. it not us? Why did the poor cub die?

Was it not us? Why the circus? Was it not us?

Superhero or a Villain?

Few days went by. Jerry still did not know what stunt he was supposed to By Gauri Kapoor perform. Jerry was terrified thinkClass VI ing of what his friends were going Tagore International School, through. While Jerry was lost in Vasant Vihar his thoughts, he heard Jeffy calling

Jerry woke up when the effect of tranquilizer was over. He woke up not to see the jungle around him but a new place that he had never seen before. There were tall buildings all around, a few trees here and there and lots of noise and chaos everywhere. He was confused.

Chapter 5

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Volume 03 | Issue 02 | September 2017 | 57

J u n i o r

R a p

U p

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utterfingers aka Amar Kishen is a modern day superhero with a super adventurous spirit; there is no situation he cannot manage or cannot wriggle out off. He can make the police look bad as catching crooks comes so easy to him and he does not even break into a sweat. He just happens to be at the right place at the right time. I enjoyed reading the stories and found them relatable in terms of school life – teachers, principal, peon etc, with friends and with the parents. There is also an innocence and simplicity in the antics of the hero and his friends like Kiran, Run, It’s Butterfingers Again Kishore, Eric, Jayaram; always lookKhyrunnisa A ing for some harmless fun. I also have my favorite characters in the book of Suresh uncle’s son Ranjit was similike Beena Bai, Amar’s maid and his lar to so many of my younger cousins mother Mrs. Kishen. The description who are pesky just like him.

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he 65-Storey Treehouse is yet another hilarious but full of lovely surprises in each nook kind of book, in the ‘Treehouse’ series. Andy and Terry travel back in time in a time machine with a temperamental chronometer (wheelie bin) to obtain their building permit but unfortunately miscalculate on many occasions, displaying horrible mathematical skills indeed and end up having a blast of a time building a shelter to protect prehistoric pond scum, experiencing the end of the dinosaurs, teaching cavemen and women to draw and paint, squashing the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt which somehow ends with breaking the Sphinx’s nose or participating in an Ancient Roman chariot race of Bin (Ben) Hur. The amazing ‘Treehouse’ predictably keeps growing and boasts of quirky and out of this world addi-

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The chicken samosas and spicy pakodas set my mouth watering. I liked the end to the story “It’s Karate Time” when the karate teacher turns out not be a literature fan after all and “The Fencing Match”, the way the go about arranging costumes and fencing. Another favourite was “The Great Fall of China”, not so favourites were “Calculator Woes” and “The Silver Spoon Mystery”, I found them hard to believe. My grandparents live in the city so “A Boating Adventure” made me wish I had some relatives living in villages where I could go for vacations and enjoy the simple and peaceful life.

Overall it was an enjoyable and light reading and my vocabulary has also improved. It will definitely appeal to readers of my age.

By Pratyush Saini Class VII

Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar

tions like a birthday room, where it’s always your birthday, a cloning machine or a Tree-NN, a 24 hour news network that has a news feed on every page informing readers of important things like “You have just reached page 28!” It’s a never ending stream of such priceless gems!

Andy Griffiths’ ingenious writing and Terry Denton’s hilarious and absurd drawings are a constant source of surprise and tickle. The book is a good read sure to keep the young readers engaged and in splits.

The 65-Storey Treehouse Andy Griffiths

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By Naayaa Mehta Class VII The Sriram School, Mouslari

DL. No.- DL(C)-14/1404/2017-2019 | Date of Publication- 01-08-2017 | Date of Posting-04th-07th | Posting Office-Srt Nagar Po. New Delhi-110055