School live oct 2015

L O O H C S

E V LI Volume 2 | Issue 1 oCToBeR 2015

he TGrand

Dude

Amitabh Bachchan

Turns 7 3!

contributors

S C H O O L

L I V E EDITOR in chief

JITIN CHAWLA

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

NIVEDITA SINGH

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

Richa Aniruddha richa@school-live.com EDITOR Teena Baruah teenabaruah@gmail.com Business & Content Development Prerna Jaiswal prernajaiswal@hotmail.com EDITORIAL TEAM Garima Srivastava & Kritika Negi DESIGNER Ashish Kumar Mimansa Grafix For AdvertiSING richa@school-live.com

Rakhee Gupta

Image consultant and etiquette trainer

Haresh Chawla

Founding chief executive of Network18 and mentors startups

Tandrali Kuli

For subscription editor@school-live.com

Friendicoes volunteer and works for Wildlife SOS

Kavita Devgan

Nutritionist, weight management specialist and health writer

C o n ta c t 9810560472 School LIVE : Printed and Published by Richa Aniruddha from House No. 52, Pocket 52, Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi-110019 Printed at Eminent Offset A 61, DDA SHED, OKHLA IND AREA PH II, NEW DELHI Owned by FUTURE READY EDUCATION SERVICES PVT LTD. EDITED BY RICHA ANIRUDDHA

S C H O O L

LIVE Volume 2 | Issue 1 oCToBeR 2015

he TGrand

Dude

Amitabh Bachchan

Turns 7 3!

Cover Pic: Courtesy Amitabh Bachchan

Amita Chauhan Chairperson, Amity Group of Schools

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 3

Chicken Ghee Roast Recipe BY Prem Mehta

Ingredients: 800 gm Chicken 5 ml Refined oil 45 ml Ghee ½ tsp Jeera 250 gm Onion paste 2 no.

Green chillies chopped 8o gm Ghee 1 tsp Garlic paste 1 tsp Ginger paste ½ tsp Goldiee Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Goldiee Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp Goldiee Chicken Masala 2 no.

Tomato (chopped) 125 ml Water 1 tsp Refined oil To garnish Goldiee Kasuri Methi and fresh coriander

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

The best entry will win a Goldiee gift hamper.

4 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

SCHOOLLIVE

Procedure: Put oil and ghee in a deep dish. When oil is hot add jeera. When the jeera crackles, add 800 gm of chicken. Saute for 2 minutes and then add ginger paste and garlic paste. Next, add the onion paste, green chillies and turmeric powder. When nearly dry, add tomatoes and cook for some time, stirring occasionally. When the oil separates, add red chilli powder and chicken masala and stir. Now add water and salt and steam for 5 minutes till most of the water dries up.

Garnish with kasuri methi and chopped coriander.

ed-note

S C H O O L

L I V E

Hi all!

We are celebrating the Ganpati festival at our place.

In this festival, we worship an idol of Lord Ganesha for five days and then immerse it in water. These five days are like a carnival in my house. Friends, relatives, even complete strangers drop in to have a ‘darshan’.

But one can always ask, why? Why an idol worship like this? Why immerse it in water after five days? I asked the same question to a Guru, a Teacher, an OSHO follower. He explained it to me very beautifully.

He said, you bring a new idol home.You decorate it. You worship it like God. You offer it sweets. You look at it as GOD visiting your home every year. And then you just LET IT GO. You don’t hold on to it just because it’s beautiful or it belongs to you or you love it.

And THAT is the lesson. The mantra for a happy and peaceful life is to LET IT GO. It might sound a little weird to you right now at your age. But trust me, it helps.

Holding on to relationships, materialistic things, even grudges, pleasures or displeasures is one of the biggest causes of unhappiness.

Try living your life like a free-flowing river. People will come and go. Happiness and Unhappiness will come and go, Successes and Failures will come and go too. Let people and situations come into your life with ease and with the same ease, LET THEM GO if they have to.

Don’t hold on to anything, whether good or bad. Learn a lesson from both, if you can.

Am I sounding too difficult? OK, then for now, just relax and remember what I have told you, even if you can’t practice it. It will help you when you grow older...

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

PS: This issue is MOST special to me because we have an interview of the Man who I admire, respect and look up to as a LIFE teacher. Through his life and actions, he has taught us discipline, to value time, to be humble, to be professional. Amitabh Bachchan Sir. Do read every word that he has written, very carefully.

Wishing you all a life of freedom....

shelf in mey OBor oNkot To Be

MY ‘IT’ LIST

Lovingly yours

To B hchan bh Bac d Amita ohame M d li

by Kha

On my ipesodh

Gan Bhajans

On My Plate

Modak (a Marathi sweet)

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

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 5

Game of love Satya Bharti School, Jati Bhandu, Jodhpur (Rajasthan)

Students help nearby government school adopt a strategy for physical education

S

tudents enrolled in class V at the Satya Bharti School, Jati Bhandu (Jodhpur) loved their school for the new and fun games they learnt to play there. They understood how fortunate they were, when one of their friends pointed out that students in the neighbouring government school had no facilities for any physical activities. Sad to learn this, they decided to tackle the issue through their project for the DFC I CAN! School Challenge 2014.

When the children visited the government school and spoke to the students there, they discovered that they indeed played no games. So, students of the Satya Bharti School decided to use the understanding of games and sports gained from their school, to help their neighbours create and implement a games strategy of their own!

6 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

The students developed a Physical Education Kit, complete with the tools and resources required to play different fun games. They took their ideas to the government school authorities and tried to sensitize them towards the many benefits that physical education brings to a student’s health and life. At first, the teachers completely refused to accept any of their suggestions, but they kept trying and finally managed to convince them.

They demonstrated some of the most exciting games to nearly 115 students in the government school.

They involved the teachers at every step and also interacted with about 50 parents who sent their children to the government school.

As a result, the school happily adopted the Physical Education Kit and allowed its students to have a

SCHOOLLIVE

Design For Change (DFC) is a global movement that helps children in 30+ countries drive change in their communities. Powered

by Parle-G, world’s largest selling biscuit brand, it asks children to look for a problem that really bothers them, imagine a solution, implement it and tell others about their story of change.

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

daily games period, which turned just as fun and enjoyable as the one in the nearby Satya Bharti School.

The ‘I Can!’ spirit displayed by the children added boundless joy to all their lives.

Join the Design For Change movement by participating in the DFC I CAN! School Challenge 2015! Visit www.designforchangeindia.com to download the toolkits!

S C H O O L

contents

L I V E 5

Editor’s Note

8

School in Spotlight

S

12 You Special

Cover 14 Exclusive: Amitabh Bachchan 20 Mentor’s Note 22 Teen Travel 24 Ask Nivedita 25

Mind Your Manners

26 Beyond Classrooms

Quick Edit

ince the time I have reinforced my bond with schools and education, albeit courtesy School LIVE, one thing has bothered me a lot and it is the examination time. I mean, we too went through these brief, intense period of cramming up hard facts to get through a specific exam.

But life didn’t stop even during those frantic days. We managed to sneak out for a leisurely stroll, quick gossip with friends, and our mothers never denied us such simple pleasures. But now, it seems, the lure of good score in exams and narrow intelligence has got the better of parents. Children are locked in with tutors, doing extra Maths, away from the tennis courts, neighbourhood parks, cricket academies, all through the month, while the idea of broad education – about life, about the natural world, about music and creativity – gets squarely ignored. In this issue, we have packed in a potpourri of features and nothing, I assure you, will remind you of those dreary exam papers.

Happy reading!

28 Positively Positive

Teena Baruah

30 Expert Expression 31

Career Chat

32 Fit For Life 34 Watch This Space 35 Slam Poetry 36 Rap up 38 Worthy Opponent 40 Page 99 42 Timeline

24

31 SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 7

ASchool by

Design I

n 2001, Kiran Bir Sethi founded the Riverside School in Ahmedabad, India. Her vision was to design a school curriculum that empowered children to be active in shaping their lives and to ultimately help them be confident and responsible adults.

What inspired you to start the

8 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

Riverside School?

When my son was five and a half, he came home from school one day and he showed me his notebook. His teacher had put a big red line across his homework and he did not know why. When I asked him what happened, he replied, “I don’t know.” He had absolutely no idea why his teacher had crossed out his homework. It

SCHOOLLIVE

‘My son’s education made him feel like a failure – so I founded my own school,’ says Kiran Bir Sethi, founder of Riverside School in Ahmedabad.

Teena Baruah reports turned out that my son had written an essay and he did not write it the way she wanted him to do it and that was her way of telling him that he did it wrong. It prompted me to take him out of the school, as I felt that I could do a better job.

So when you started your school you had a clear idea of what you

S c h o o l

i n

S p o t l i g h t

do you take out your frustration on?

So Riverside was born.

were looking for in a school...

I don’t think any parent knows what they are looking for in a school. We go by hearsay, or our first impressions of the school. We don’t think very deeply about one of the most important decisions concerning our

children. It is usually an emotional response. About my son’s school, I couldn’t accept what the school was doing to me and my relationship with my son. I was getting exasperated with him for something that he had no control of. As a mother, who

Tell us about the school.

In 2001, my school, which was only till Class I, had five teachers and 25 students. The best thing was that I didn’t come from an education background. I was a designer from NID. The school building I designed was meant to welcome people. There’s a lot of openness and greenery. The place was built keeping in mind the the yin and yang of the built and the unbuilt. It’s like a little oasis in the city. You’ll feel physically and emotionally safe and that is an important message that we want to give out to our children. People tell me that it looks like an ashram, exuding a feeling of joy and peace. One space leads to another space. Rooms are not cut off. There is no classroom, no principal’s cabin, and no door between the learner and the teacher. The whole school is one big classroom. The architecture calls for transparency

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 9

S c h o o l

i n

S p o t l i g h t

and is empowering. The aesthetics of the school affects the esthetics of the mind. Built on an acre of land, it now has 400 students and has 70 teachers.

The top priority at Riverside is not the academic score?

Incidentally, when children do good, they do well academically as well. So if you see the results of the last 10 years, Riverside students have been outperforming the top 10 schools in Maths, Science and English. But that’s not our focus.

Explain how the specific education process at the Riverside School helps and empowers children in order to shape “the

10 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

good life.”

There are five investments or skills that we work on every day at the Riverside School. The first is the social investment. This will help a child be more socially adept. The second set of skills is emotional competency: Can I help the student feel good about who he or she is? The third investment is cognitive or developmental skills: When approached with new information or a new experience, the student should be able to develop skills and knowledge to adapt and learn about the new experiences. The next investment is the investment in the physical child: Can the kid engage in physical activity? We want to make sure that the kids are healthy. And finally, the fifth investment is spiritual.

SCHOOLLIVE

S c h o o l

What is the curriculum at Riverside?

We have a citizen leadership curriculum. From the moment the students board the bus, to the point when they reach back home, they need to understand that every opportunity they get comes with a responsibility. They need to figure out what their responsibilities are and understand that they are entitled to nothing.

Any interesting success story of Riverside graduates making a difference in the world?

Three batches of Riverside students have graduated so far and many of these students keep coming back to us, regaling us with their success stories. One student named Odariya, Odi for us, became a change agent in his college class when he attended his classes with 100 percent attention. “That way others realised that you don’t have to cut classes to be cool,” he said.

Similarly, in Symbiosis, one of my girls started a football team, but none of the girls could finish a single round as they all smoked heavily. So she made smoking uncool. She told me, “K Ma’am, you

On Gandhi Jayanti, students cleaned the bathroom floor and visited the cleaner’s family. The idea was to make the kids understand that she too is a human being, living in a normal family with kids and grandchildren. From that day onwards, the kids started treating her as who she is, rather than an anonymous person doing a job. taught us the power to say no.”

Innovative design thinking is transforming the educational system. Children are adding strategic value to their education and they are making a significant social change in their communities. How are the children able to do these things and how do they uniquely transform the education process as they grow and learn?

Within the programme, the child

i n

S p o t l i g h t

evolves into a person who believes in possibilities. Look at a child from birth to two years old; they go from crawling to standing in those two years. The kid does not believe that this is an impossible feat; he or she just does it. In those two years, a parent gives them constant motivation, ‘Come! Come! You can! You can!’ The moment a child starts talking and moving, a parent starts saying to them, ‘Don’t go! Stop! Sit down! Keep quiet!’ It is ridiculous!

Children are so vulnerable at that age, but if you look at their potential and the power that they have, they are so fearless. When they fall, they drop, they roll over, and they put their hands on to everything. Then we start putting fear and doubt in them. We consciously destroy their confidence with ‘mothering’. The reality is that we do not ‘mother’ them, we ‘smother’ them. We are destroying our children with words like ‘you can’t’. Design for Change is one way to let children, parents, teachers, and society understand that the power is there. It just needs to be ‘shaken up’, it needs to be moved. Children need to believe that they can make the world a better place.

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 11

Y o u

S p e c i a l

As golfer Ranveer Singh Saini and swimmer Yash Singh celebrate their Special Olympics wins, schoolmates Anamit Chanda and Sashrika Pathak trace their historic journey

The Indian Swimmer Who Flew

T

his year’s Special Olympics was where Avril Lavigne released her latest song and also where Yash Singh, 13, made his country proud.

Yash’s journey to the Special Olympics began with us. He started swimming just like the rest of us, trained with us, competed with us

12 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

and worked harder than all of us.

With our coach Karamveer Dagar’s guidance, much pluck and determination, Yash made it all the way to Los Angeles (LA). He won a bronze in a 25-meter backstroke event.

On his first day at practice after the win, Karamveer Sir assembled the entire team to give Yash a round

SCHOOLLIVE

of applause for his victory. We all remember having a warm feeling in our hearts after that. I asked Yash of his experience, “LA was beautiful,” he said with a grin, adding that he met the First Lady and his inspiration, Michael Phelps. Talking to Karamveer Sir, I learnt how diligent and obedient Yash is as a student. “It was challenging to work on his grasping power and towards the ‘competitive spirit’. “Our next target will be to work with him towards the mainstream events indoor and outdoor,” he said. I could feel the pride in his voice while he talked about his prized student.

As John Green aptly wrote, “What’s the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” And Yash did the remarkable.

By Sashrika Pathak Class XI, Step-By-Step School Noida

Y o u

S p e c i a l

Hole-In-One

G

olfer Ranveer Singh Saini created history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. The 14-year-old autistic golfer achieved the feat in GF Golf-Level 2 Alternate Shot Team Play event. Ranveer was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2 years and since then has been a fighter, as all children with special needs are. Being in the same school, I have seen him grow academically

and creatively, especially at the annual Autism Awareness Day exhibition. When he returned from LA, students and the school hosted a special ceremony honouring him, with dhols, dance, songs, and speeches, thanking him for making India and us proud.

Ranveer has a good ear for music

and plays keyboard well. He is a genius at finding what day is what date.

For instance, he could tell us what day will be August 12, 2250 or even what day was September 12, 1241.

This technique of date guessing is difficult to master by many, but Ranveer does it in seconds!

Golf is a game of concentration, accuracy, body & mind control and Ranveer’s therapists and special educators heavily recommended it.

He started his training under the national coach Anitya Chand, who coached him, from holding a club for the first time, to winning in Macau. “It wasn’t as easy as it sounds because the biggest challenge for me was to communicate with him. Soon, he realised that he should listen to me and now he hits a 260 yards ball and can play with any regular golfer.”

Kartikeya Saini, Ranveer’s father, is grateful for the support extended by the Indian Golf Union. “Each council member in the IGU recognised and applauded the great work done by Ranveer and came forward to sponsor his golf training from last year till he left for the Special Olympics World Games 2015 in Los Angeles,” he said.

By Anamit Chanda Class XII, Scottish High International School, Gurgaon

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 13

E x c l u s i v e

Pic Courtesy Amitabh Bachchan

14 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

SCHOOLLIVE

73!

E x c l u s i v e

In an exclusive interview with School LIVE, Superstar Amitabh Bachchan talks about his growing up years at Sherwood College, cherished memories of his progressive parents and a lot more

Khushi: You went to a boarding school – what life lessons did it teach you?

Amitabh Bachchan: That they were the ‘happiest days of my life’. It taught me discipline, independent functioning and to follow a given curriculum, so essential in everyday life.

Lavanya: Any school friends you’re still in touch with? In their company, can you shed the aura and grandeur of being a superstar?

AB: I am no superstar and neither do I possess any aura or grandeur, but yes, I am in touch with my school friends. I am from the Class of 1958 and when we completed 50 years, in the year 2008, we all gathered together during the Founder’s Day celebrations of our School, Sherwood College, Nainital. It was a glorious coming together.

Lavanya: What is the best advice a teacher has ever given to you?

AB: There were many, but since I consider my father to be my best teacher, I have followed his advice on most matters. His best to me has been, “Man ka ho toh achcha, na ho with exams as a student? toh zyada achcha. (If you get what AB: Much the same as many stuyou want it’s great, but if you don’t, dents now experience – tension, then it’s even better).” anxiety, fear of not doing well, hours and hours of preparation, sleepless Lavanya: What was your experience nights, etc.

My Childhood

Pics: To Be Or Not To Be Amitabh Bachchan by Khalid Mohamed Tapakshi: What was it like to be brought up in the progressive household of Harivansh Rai and Teji Bachchan?

AB: It was a most wonderful mix of the East and the West - my Father

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 15

E x c l u s i v e

Interview by Khushi Singh, Sanskriti School; Lavanya Singh, Sanskriti School; Tapakshi Magan, Sanskriti School; Anamit Chanda, Scottish High International School; Ananya Mohanty, Amity International School, Noida; Shambhav Tewari, Step-By-Step School, Noida; Shreyash Nigam, StepBy-Step School, Noida; Siddharth Shaw, Mayo College, Ajmer; Amlaan Kumar, Amity International School, Noida; Ayesha Thatte, Step-By-Step School, Noida; and Adhip Tanwar, Step-ByStep School, Noida from a North Indian Uttar Pradesh, lower middle class family, immersed in literature and learning and my Convent educated mother, from an affluent Sikh family, growing up with English governesses and a more Western outlook in life.

Tapakshi: One stress coping strategy that you have used and would like to advise the youth to use as well.

AB: Get a good night’s sleep.

Anamit: What is a typical day in your life?

AB: Much like any other. Get up in the morning, gym, and to work.

Back late night, spending some time with the family, finishing office paper work, connecting on my social media and bed.

Ananya: Did you ever bunk classes?

AB: Not in school, we did not, or more correctly we could not. But in university, yes.

Shambhav: What role did your school life play in preparing you for

16 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

S SC CH HO OO OL LL L II V VE E

E x c l u s i v e

My parents

My First School

My School

your career and personal life?

AB: Whatever I learnt or went through during my school days, I still use and fall back upon even today.

Shambhav: Have your real life experiences ever inspired a character in any of your movies?

AB: No, not really. Though my experiences as an executive working in the coal department of a Kolkata company brought me close to what coal mines and miners go through, and some of that was related to the writers Salim–Javed, when working

on one of my films, Kala Pathar.

Shreyash: Stardom has a heavy price to pay. What is the biggest sacrifice you have had to make and what has been your biggest earning?

AB: I have never believed in ‘stardom’ per se, but yes ‘celebrity’ would be a close description of my professional condition. But then I was born a celebrity – from the day I was born as eminent litterateur Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s son. Celebrity has many norms and I would not like to refer to them as sacrifices. We are public property. The public makes

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 17

M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

us and breaks us, so they must be respected.

For the next part of the question I think there is a typo, ‘learning’ instead of ‘earning’, I would imagine.

If not then ‘earning’ can be got from the Income Tax Department!

ear of the rat, the wish comes true.

I did that on one of my visits, and like all public appearances, this act of mine was also caught by cameras and media. At an interview, one of the journalists asked me, ‘Sir, you were seen making a wish in the ear of the rat at Siddhivinayak Temple.

Siddharth: You have given so many What did you wish?’ interviews – any funny or absurd That was funny! Hahaha. question you have had to answer?

I answered, “I wished, that the How do you dodge such questions?

Lord may instill some sense into the AB: Yes many. I go to the Siddhivi- journalist in front of me, that these nayak Temple in Mumbai, where are not the kind of questions they there is a large silver replica of a rat. should ask.” People make private They say if you whisper a wish in the wishes. Why would they ever want

18 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

SCHOOLLIVE

to disclose it for public consumption?

Siddharth: What is your favourite school memory? Do you remember any teacher who punished you unfairly?

AB: I would need an entire book to write about this. There are so many of them all most interesting and valuable, but none of them punished me unfairly.

Amlaan: How do you manage to click with people of all ages? Please share your magic mantra.

M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

My Family

AB: I have no magic mantra. They click with me, I guess, I make no special effort.

Ayesha: From being rejected by All India Radio for having a voice that’s “too heavy”, to being the most popular voice of the country. How have you handled your failures? And what would you advise to today’s youth on facing failures.

AB: I believe AIR had reason enough to reject my voice, and I shall not want to debate that, but failures are a great learning. Without failure how shall we know the true value of success. Feeling the pain of failure drives one to the joys of success.

Ayesha: What did your report card look like in school? Were you a studious and shy kid, or a loud and popular one?

AB: In school at Allahabad I was among the first 3 in class, alternating between 1 and 2 and at times 3rd, but when I went to boarding in Nainital, Sherwood College, I was in the middle somewhere. I was ok.

Not too loud nor too popular.

Ayesha: What kind of a father were you when Shweta and Abhishek were in school? Tough and strict or chilled out and friendly.

AB: They were always my friends, and still are. I have never raised my hand on either of my child ever.

enormous and praiseworthy.

School LIVE Team: Punctuality is something that you are known for.

Does it bother you when today’s young filmstars don’t follow time schedules as you do. If yes, have you ever tried to convey this to any new Adhip: You are often asked to nar- actor? rate a poem of your father or a dia- AB: I think all the new stars and artlogue from your films by your fans in ists are professionals and honour public appearances or events. How punctuality. I have not had any addo you manage to remember these? verse experience.

AB: The fear of being asked this often enough, coerces me to keep a few SL: Is there something about your of them remembered. life that we don’t know yet and would you like to share with us?

Adhip: Which is one recent film you AB: If there is, and I have not diswish you could have been a part of, closed it to date, it is very unlikely and why? that it shall be disclosed now!

AB: I wish I could have been a part of ALL the recent films. They are all SL: A book, a movie, a dish and a so good and the talent in them so song that you can’t do without.

AB: My father’s works, films of Brando and Guru Dutt, vegetarian Indian food, and all the music in the world.

SL: Does a career spanning 45 years and 190 films make you feel like a superhero? Do you have a superhero costume lurking in your closet?

AB: I am no superhero and have no such costume in my closet.

SL: What game do you often play with Aaradhya? Will you be a strict grandfather when she grows older?

AB: Nothing in particular, it’s that kind of age, but I shall be with her as I have been with her father Abhishek and hopefully better with time.

SL: What do you find most weird about today’s teenagers?

AB: They are not weird, they are marvelous!

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 19

Good Fortune M e n t o r ’ s

N o t e

Leading a new school is a task that Principal Papri Chakraborty of Fortune World School, Noida is ready to take head on – with all her heart and soul. Prerna Jaiswal reports

T

ell us a little about yourself – your education background.

I had my basic schooling in Shantiniketan. Later, my father shifted to Dhanbad, where I completed my education. I am a MA (B.Ed.) from Kolkata. I started working after Class XII, in the same school where I passed out from. My principal felt I had the calibre. He understood that I was born to be a teacher. I realised that I enjoyed teaching and it is now 23 years since I have been a teacher.

Any education philosophies that you have implemented?

I believe that you must promote excellence without any compromise. As a leader if you believe in excellence, then your teachers and students will start believing in it. You need to have a vision and think in that direction.

We, as leaders, have to set that benchmark. For instance, when you meet a student in any primary school, the child can identify basic colours like red, yellow and blue. But when you meet the same age child in my school, he would identify it as aquamarine blue or grassy green.

20 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

We have a very interesting programme called Minds in Bloom.

From nursery onwards, we have a group discussion in the morning, where we give them a line and then for the next half hour we discuss about it. In nursery, the line may be ‘if the Sun goes for a holiday’ or ‘if dolls could speak’ or ‘If there was no Sunday’. The motive is to make them think. We are preparing them

SCHOOLLIVE

for life, so 20 years down the line we do not know what profession they will be in, but if they have the right thinking ability, am sure they would be able to find a better solution to their problems. I have seen children taking interest in these activities and know they will be really smart children in the years to come.

What is your school’s approach

M e n t o r ’ s has missed classes during the week they can come for a recap class.

What are the traits of an effective and efficient principal?

I always say ‘Make ordinary people perform extraordinary’- that should be the trait of an effective principal and all leaders. Whenever I am interviewing someone for the post of a teacher, it is ASK I keep in mindAttitude, Skill and Knowledge. You could be knowledgeable enough, but if you do not have the right attitude, then the teaching profession is not for you. This is applicable to children also. I have seen ordinary children perform brilliantly, with a little input and motivation.

N o t e

The first thing I do when I wake up is bow to the Almighty, thanking him for bringing positivity in my life. I try to reach school before the students so that I can be here to wish them a good morning. The best part is that even my children feel I am one amongst them and they can talk to me freely about their problems.

After 3pm, I address my administrative tasks. Later on, reaching home, I try and go for an evening walk and spend some time with my family to de-stress and catch up on our day.

How do you deal with indisciplined students?

The first thing I believe is not coming to a direct conclusion that the child is beyond redemption. It is What are the challenges you important to know the family backare facing in running a new ground, the friend circle in school school? as well as at home. It is necessary A lot of challenges – building a to make the child understand that brand takes time and we are ready what he has done is not right and to for it. Recently we had an open ses- accept it. Regular counselling, trustsion with parents for new admis- ing and making him feel important sions in class Nursery. It was a dif- and responsible are the only ways to transform the child. Physical punishment is not the answer, it only makes the child stubborn. Divert the focus and make them apply for leadership roles. You have to have a Plan A and B, and also a Plan C for handling such students.

Regular counselling, trusting and making him feel important and responsible are the only ways to transform the child. Divert the focus. You have to have a Plan A and B, and also a Plan C for handling such students.

to students who have academic, social or emotional difficulties?

The student-teacher ratio is only 10:1 in each class. My teachers are known as Mother Teachers. We have a programme called ‘Learners on the way’ on every Saturday. We call students for special classes, because we strongly feel that no child should be left behind. If the child

ferent kind of interaction because the new parents were interacting with the old parents, who answered their queries. When parents speak they will not be biased because they have given their most precious possession to the school.

What is a typical day in your life like?

The tagline of the school is “School with a soul”. Can you throw some light on that?

We organised a Thanksgiving Day for the Class 4 employees where the students put up a skit and also organised gifts and games for them.

Last December, we invited children from an NGO to spend a day with us. The children were paired with a Fortunite and fun activities were organised through the day. When they were leaving they wrote a wish on the wish tree and the Fortunites pledged to fulfil their wishes. These activities help children become more sensitive and teach them about the joy of giving.

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 21

T e e n

T r a v e l

Thai

High

Bangkok dazzles Anoushka Nair with beautiful shrines, breathtaking nightlife, as well as exotic pig racing, croc fight and tiger selfie

B

angkok is an international hub for transport, healthcare and tourism. But apart from these, it is also a hotspot for it’s fashion, vibrant street food and amazing foot massages. On our first day in Bangkok, we decided to go on a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya river. The boat had 100 guests, but it didn’t feel crowded. It cruised along the Temple of Dawn, The Great Palace and The Rama VIII suspension bridge and allowed us breathtaking

22 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

views of the waterfront hotels. Our cruise ended with a scrumptious dinner.

On Day 2, we went to Sriracha Tiger zoo in Si Racha, a city on the outskirts of Pattaya. It took us about three hours to reach because of the traffic jams. The posters of the wall said that we could feed the tigers or get our pictures clicked with them too.

Me and my parents got a photo clicked with a 7 year-old-tiger and

SCHOOLLIVE

T e e n

that too for about Rs 400 which was totally worth it. Then there was also a crocodile show where we saw two bravehearts gently poking ferocious crocs. Next on show was an amusing pig race. At night, we explored the nightlife of Bangkok. It felt as though nobody slept in the city after dark. Shop vendors set up their shops at night. We also went for the legendary foot massage of Bangkok which was so relaxing. Our feet felt like somebody had replaced them with new ones!

On Day 3, we visited all the famous shrines of Bangkok. Wat Traimit was an elegant multi-storey marble and gold temple famous not only for

T r a v e l

its architecture, but for the beautiful Buddha seated inside it. Next, was Wat Benja built by King Rama, located near many government offices and shrines.

We went to the flea market on Khao San road that night. The place was buzzing with activity. It is a haven for non vegetarians. We arrived back in our hotel at 3am, feeling totally refreshed.

On Day 4, with a heavy heart we said goodbye to the city.

SCHOOL LIVE

By Anoushka Nair Class IX Amity International School, Noida

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 23

a s k

N i v e d i t a

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

Exploring Love Q: I am a 15 year old girl. I don’t know why, but I feel attracted towards a new boy every few months even though I know it gets distracting. I have become very unstable in relationships and I don’t know what I want.

Confession Time Q. I am a 17-year-old boy in class 12. Recently, I went on a vacation with my squad. We all smoked and got drunk. I’ve been feeling very guilty since then. Should I tell my parents about it? I’m pretty sure they will get me grounded.

Stepping over the line, violating boundaries, lying, cheating, stealing are all behaviours, which are a part of growing up experiences. They happen in the heat of the moment, sometimes due to lack of impulse control, or because of peer pressure, or merely for the thrill and exhilaration associated with the act.

The price you pay is, parental dismay, disappointment, anger, hurt, restrictions and sanctions coupled with the scary implications of losing their trust. What is relevant here is not merely regretting the mistake you have made but rectifying it by taking responsibility and owning up. If the thought is daunting and you’re worried about an overreaction, then you could write in a confession and an apology, rather than disclosing it face to face. Whatever the consequences, accept it gracefully as re-establishing trust is extremely important. All said, you deserve a pat on your back for having a conscience and the courage to own up.

24 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

SCHOOLLIVE

Exploring relationships and associations with others is a part of adolescence as it helps you understand yourself better and develop a sense of who you really are. A state of confusion about what you want, who you like, a lack of ability to sustain interest in people or activities, getting restless and bored and seeking new challenges … are all a part of the stage of life you are in. Although you haven’t mentioned it, there can be heightened emotionality too, with mood swings, tears, anger and frustration, with the body recalibrating itself as a result of hormonal changes manifesting themselves from within.

What is important is not how brief or enduring the associations are but what you understand through them about your social, emotional and relational self. Every person you befriend and move away from must tell you something about whom or what you are looking for. The experience must tell you about the kinds of traits, behaviours and values you like or dislike in others. Also, identify the triggers that make you decide to move on. Moving away must ideally be self enhancing rather than leaving you dysfunctional and disempowered. As an added perspective, you would do well to remember that all your friends are going through a similar stage of life as yours.

Write to Nivedita Singh at niveditasingh2005@gmail.com

M i n d

Gift of Gab

Y o u r

M a n n e r s

Etiquette consultant Rakhee Gupta helps you hone conversation skills

C

onversation is the oldest, and yet the most important and widely used way we interact with one another. If you follow some basic rules, you will never again be at a loss for words, and become a super conversationalist.

� In order to be understood, speak in

a volume that is loud enough.

� Always, speak slowly and pronounce

your words clearly.

� Do not ever, curse, swear or use vul-

gar language. It is disrespectful to others and also yourself.

� Whispering

in front of someone else, is definitely not an indication of good manners.

� When we feel shy, our voice volume

normally decreases. This may appear as a lack of confidence to others.

� Open conversations with ice-break-

� Never

� Look

� End

ers, by finding common ground. You may discuss the weather, or a recent sporting event.

into the person’s eyes, with whom you are speaking. It shows that you are interested in what they are saying.

� Do

not spend time thinking about what to say next. Instead, concentrate on what is being said to you. If you pay attention to what the other person is saying, the replies will come automatically.

� Make

leading statements, ask open-ended questions that are easy to answer, and make positive comments.

� Think

before you speak. Avoid asking questions that cause discomfort to anyone.

interrupt or finish another person’s sentence. It is very distracting, and also demeaning towards the speaker.

the conversation pleasantly, before you turn away.

� Always,

include everyone in the group. A conversation is an exchange of thoughts and opinions.

You give your point of view and the other person receives it and responds with one of his or her own.

� A positive attitude breeds happiness.

Do not complain, gossip or criticise.

Instead, try to appreciate, accept and develop a thirst for learning new things.

� Learning to speak confidently is an

SCHOOL LIVE

acquired skill; with practice, you will find it easier. guptarakhee@live.com

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 25

B e y o n d

C l a s s r o o m S

Lessons Learnt Amita Chauhan, Chairperson, Amity Group of Schools, sums up the President’s and PM’s Teacher’s Day speeches for School LIVE

T

his Teacher’s Day when 800 students from nine states had two new teachers to look up toPrime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee, the occasion was a befitting tribute to Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

Carrying the legacy of Dr Radhakrishnan, who was a thought leader and a politician himself, the two political leaders, donned the role of teachers as they stepped out of their domain of expertise to address students. In a country where the image of a politician does not hold good, thereby blocking good people to join this profession, as also shared by the PM in his address, the occasion not only redefined the image of politicians as able leaders and great teachers, but also reiterated that teachers are always accessible and more than willing to lend an ear to their students, regardless of their position.

I am both a student and teacher at

26 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

heart who is eager to learn and impart the same to her students, so I sat through these ‘classes’ from the start to the end. I realised, there was so much to take away from it for everyone. The biggest lesson was that there is no recipe for success. If there is anything that will lead to success it is your firm goal and motivation.

One may fail several times, but let not the failures deter you from your goals. The message coming from someone who himself works 14 hours a day and is a role model for many, was truly impacting.

After many years, the students found a new beacon of hope in their two leaders who stoked the young minds with ample food for thought and then went on to answer the questions after having piqued the imagination of their listeners. We all need some motivation in life to strengthen our belief in our goals at every age. The PM mentioned there is no dearth of

SCHOOLLIVE

talent and inspiration in our country. There is need to channelise the same and the quest to learn at all ages and from every opportunity or occasion. Something which was also reiterated by the President in his ‘Class’ when he said, “A teacher gives himself to the students and the job of a student is to draw from him as much as possible.”

President Pranab Mukherjee’s lessons on country’s political history is something that will surely remain with these children for years to come. When you hear something from someone live, the impact is much deeper than simply learning from books.

The motivation and inspiration gathered by the students through this novel classroom with the President and Prime Minister as their teacher shall always be looked forward by the nation. They truly added value to Teacher’s Day celebration.

NEW DELHI

WORLD BOOK FAIR

9 - 17 January Pragati Maidan

2016

        

Guest of Honour Country — CHINA CEOSpeak — a forum for publishing New Delhi Rights Table International Events Corner Authors’ Corner Seminars & Discussions Theme Pavilion & Children’s Pavilion Literary Programmes Cultural Programmes

Organiser

ekuo lalk/ku fodkl ea=ky;] Hkkjr ljdkj

P o s i t i v e l y

P o s i t i v e

Social

Animal

How one appeal on social media changed the fortune of an NGO for dogs. Report by Friendicoes volunteer Tandrali Kuli

T

his August, after 36 years of service to rescued dogs, Friendicoes was actually facing the threat of closure. The organisation was financially staggering, it needed Rs 82 lakh to run the show.

Harsh measures were called for.

Ambulance service had to be cut down, night ambulance discontinued and a few of the staff were even let go. But the problem still had to be addressed. So, Friendicoes decided to go public: to appeal to the masses to help save the day.

The first post on the Friendicoes Facebook page was published on August 13. The Friendicoes page has roughly 61,000 followers and we were hoping for some donation to tide us over the difficult times. But what we had not expected was the immense support that started pouring in overnight, from people from all walks of life - students, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, the media and even

28 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

government officials.

Many suggested a crowdfunding campaign, something that the team at Friendicoes had no clue about. So in walked Ishita, Founder-CEO of the crowdfunding platform Bitgiving.

She offered to help us raise funds for Friendicoes through Bitgiving.

Next, the team from Black Ticket Films led by Sushmit and Rintu got in touch, offering to help raise funds through digital media. They offered

SCHOOLLIVE

to make some videos of the shelter animals to use for promotion to raise funds through social media. But they ended up planning the whole campaign for us. Nothing or no one was spared - Facebook, Twitter, Thunderclap, Tumblr, Instagram - you name it, we’ve used it to launch the campaign. Bitgiving went live with the fundraising and within 48 hours the campaign raised the target amount of Rs 20 lakh online. It was one of the fastest trending campaigns online.

Tweets by celebrities like Shreya Ghoshal helped spread the word quicker. Social media also helped put pressure on the government to release the money it owed to Friendicoes under the Animal Birth Control program, Rs 38 lakh till June.

With this kind of a support from public it is no wonder that Friendicoes managed to come out of this financial crisis and far quicker than we could have ever dreamt of.

P o s i t i v e l y

SCHOOL LIVE

P o s i t i v e

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 29

E x p e r t

E x p r e s s i o n

Greek to Kids My kids asked me to explain the Greece Crisis at breakfast, so here goes. By Finance Guru Haresh Chawla

I

magine four friends having dinner every night at their favourite restaurant. The restaurant only serves a great set meal for Rs 50 each, and has minimum table size of four.

However, one of the chaps (Greece) misses work for half a day and shows up with a little less money, and can’t afford the meal.

This Greek chap was always a bit lazy and not-so-well-off, and the other three had enticed him even though they knew he could not afford such a lavish meal. They told him that if he works hard, he will be able to enjoy with them.

His friends say, “No problem — we’ll loan you the difference”.

The same thing happens a few days later, he misses work again and they loan the difference to him once more. He soon realises that this is an easy life, and starts chilling a bit more everyday. Slowly it becomes a way of life for him. He becomes lazier and eventually forgets how to work hard — in a way, he has a better life than most of friends. Less work and a great meal everyday.

One day, the friends realise that he owes them too much and they can’t carry on paying for the meals since their own families are suffering.

But they are in a fix — if they ask him to leave, they lose each other’s company at their favourite eating place - and their union collapses.

So they get together and ask him to work harder and start earning enough to pay for his meal everyday - they also tell him to clear the backlog of the money he owes them.

30 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

The chilled out pal-in-debt is now in a dilemma — should he work double-hard now — pay off the debt and continue with the meals. Or should he just go his own way — find himself a cheaper restaurant, and make new friends! The situation continues for a few weeks since he cannot resolve this dilemma - and he goes deeper into their debt. He is finding it difficult to feed his family and run his household.

Meanwhile, the friends are very worried about losing their table at the restaurant. So the three of them come up with this plan - they emotionally blackmail the fourth friend (Greece) to continue eating with them - they talk about their friendship, the years they’ve spent together and how they love the meals. They tell him that there is an easy way

SCHOOLLIVE

- they will take charge of his house and belongings and loan him more money against those, he can start working overtime - and so he can keep paying for the meals, and run his household as well.

He tells them this won’t work he’ll never be able to pay them back.

He thinks that he should stop eating meals with them. They tell him not to worry - they have his house and belongings - and they’ll recover the loans from his kids once they grow up and start working.

And slowly the Greek’s family slips into perennial debt - he never earns enough to pay off his loans.

And everyone wonders - what will happen the day his kids start earning and they realise that they’ve been sold short. In a few years we will know.

C a r e e r

Act Pro

C h a t

Career Counsellor Jitin Chawla provides an overview of a career in acting

A

cting is a performance art. It needs a fair amount of talent. Prerequisites are being creative, good observation power, confidence, team spirit and ability to emote. There are a few schools of Drama in India that offer acting programmes round the year.

Formal training in Dramatics can be a good foundation. Courses at undergraduate level cover Facing Audience and Removing Inhibition; Freeing Mind and Body; Clap Board; Ask Yourself Questions; Voice Projection and Voice Modulation; Body Language; Acting Exercises; Mirror Exercises; Cinemascope; Getups; Approaching a character; Observation; Improvisation; Camera Facing; Miming; Understanding Different Emotions; Mannerism; Discussing films; Biography of famous actors/ actresses; and Sound – Background music.

One can go in for a two-year Master’s Degree or PG Diploma in Acting/Theatre after graduation. Even graduation in Mass Communication can be beneficial.

One can also go in for UG/PG from premier institutes, like National School of Drama-Delhi, Film & Television Institute of IndiaPune, Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute – Kolkata, The Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu and MGR Government Film and Television Institute at Chennai, Zee Institute of Media Arts (ZIMA) – Mumbai, AAFT-Noida, Whistling Woods International Film School - Mumbai, Mad Arts - Jaspal Bhatti Media Network (Punjab), Mumbai Film Academy-

Mumbai, Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares-Mumbai, Asha K. Chandra Acting & Training Institute-Mumbai, Shri Ram Centre-New Delhi, Madhumati Academy of Film Dancing and Acting-Mumbai and Barry John Acting Studio-Delhi.

Jobs are available in TV serials, game shows, reality shows, electronic media, modeling, or you can start your career with regional films. Big banners include, Balaji Telefilms, Dharma Production, Eros International, Gemini Studios-Chennai,

Mukta Arts, PVR Pictures, Rajshri Productions-Mumbai, Reliance Big Entertainment, R.K. Films, Trimurti Films, T-Series, UTV Motion Pictures, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Vishesh Films, Yash Raj Films.

The job profiles available are Actor/Actress, Lead Actor/Actress, CoActor/Actress, Supporting Actor/ Actress, Crowd Actor/Actress, Acting Instructor, Dialogue Instructor, Villains, Co-Villains etc.

For personal consultation with Jitin Chawla call 9810264027.

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 31

Eat Right F i t

F o r

L i f e

Kavita Devgan offers handy tips on how to tackle body image anxieties and eating disorders in children

Spot It

S

potting an eating disorder in teenagers can be a tall order.

Because, usually they seriously believe that they are just trying to eat healthy to stay thin. Also, anorexics and bulimics as a rule usually try hard to hide the problem for fear of being forced into eating normally and putting on weight. Still, here are certain signs you can look out for: • Your child skips meals, takes only tiny portions, avoids eating in front of other people, and mixes strange food combinations.

• Always has an excuse not to eat – is not hungry, just ate with a friend, is feeling ill, is upset, etc.

• Feels “disgusted” with former favourite foods like fried treats and desserts.

• Eats only a few “safe” foods and boasts about how healthy his/her meals are.

• Becomes a vegetarian but will not eat the necessary fats, oils, whole grains, and the denser fruits and vegetables like potatoes and bananas.

• Increases his/her know-how on diets and diet food and drastically reduces or completely eliminates fat intake.

• Experiments with laxatives, diet pills, or “natural” products from health food stores that claim to promote weight loss.

• Dieting even after losing more than 20% of their ideal body

32 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

weight.

• Has frantic fears about putting on weight, spends lots of time inspecting herself in the mirror and usually finds something to criticise.

• Wears baggy clothes, sometimes in layers, to hide fat, hide emaciation, and stay warm.

• Feels bad about herself when she eats a good meal and becomes depressed and irritable.

its processes to conserve energy that results in serious medical consequences. Some health consequences that can result are: • Abnormally slow heart rate and low blood pressure, which mean that the heart muscle is changing.

The risk of heart failure rises as the heart rate and blood pressure levels sink lower and lower.

• Reduction of bone density (osteoporosis), which results in dry, brittle bones.

• Muscle loss and weakness.

• Changes in or loss of menstrual This cycle of self-starvation denies cycle the body the essential nutrients it • Severe dehydration, which can needs to function normally. Thus, result in kidney failure. the body is forced to slow down all of • Fainting, fatigue, and overall

Know The Harmful Effects

S SC CH HO OO OL LL L II V VE E

F i t

weakness. she realises it is a serious concern.

• Dry hair and skin • Communicate your concerns.

• Growth of a downy layer of hair Share your memories of specific called lanugo all over the body, things you have seen or felt that including the face, in an effort to have caused you to worry about keep the body warm. your child’s eating or exercise be• Memory loss and lack of concenhaviours. Explain that you think tration. these things may indicate that there could be a problem that needs professional attention.

If you suspect that your child might • Avoid conflicts or a battle of the be anorexic or bulimic, the sooner wills. If your child refuses to acyou bring it up with him/her, the knowledge that there is a probsooner it will be treated – and the lem, or any reason for you to be easier it will be for him/her to recovconcerned, restate your feelings er. Here’s how to break the ice: and the reasons for them and • Set a time to talk. Set aside a time leave yourself open and available for a private, relaxed meeting with as a supportive listener. Remind your child to discuss your obserher that you’re looking for her vations openly and honestly in a best interests and want her to be caring and supportive way. Make healthy and happy. sure to choose the right time and • Avoid placing shame, blame, or place (away from distractions) so guilt on your child regarding her

Tackle It Right

F o r

L i f e

actions or attitudes. Do not use accusatory “you” statements like, “You just need to eat.” Or, “You are acting irresponsibly.” Instead, use “I” statements. For example: “I’m concerned about you because you refuse to eat breakfast or lunch.” Or, “It makes me scared to see you lose so much weight.”

• Avoid giving simple solutions.

For example, “If you’d just stop, then everything would be fine!”

Instead, express your continued support and offer to take her to a counsellor, doctor, nutritionist or any other health professional who can help.

With love and care, patience and professional help, it is possible to help your child overcome an eating disorder. Begin the process without delay.

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 33

W a t c h

T h i s

S p a c e

Be Inquizitive For 15 years, HT-PACE’s Inquizitive has rocked the inter-school quiz space in the Capital once every year.

This year’s edition was held at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, recently. There were about 200 teams that participated in the preliminary test and upwards of 3,000 excitable young teens supporting them in the stands. Six teams made it to the final, and were quizzed live on stage by the tech grandmaster and TV anchor, Rajiv Makhni, who was in his element, teasing with his questions, and bantering away, to the absolute delight of the audience. Celebrated quizzing icon Siddhartha Basu conducted a special round for the au-

dience. Also present as a guest was cricketer Mohammad Kaif.

It was a race that turned around dramatically in the penultimate round, and was wide open in the final countdown buzzer round, till

Rukmini Devi Public School, Pitampura, closed it to win the top trophy over two DPS teams. The second place had to be decided by a tie-breaker with DPS, Indirapuram, inching out DPS, RK Puram.

Tree of Knowledge

Teacher’s Day Celebration The Teacher’s Day was celebrated with great joy and fervour at Emma Thompson School in Lalbagh, Lucknow. The Principal, Abha Walters, and the teachers were given a royal treatment by the students. The stage was lit up with dazzling performances of the students which touched everyone’s heart. Kids of Class LKG stole the hearts of the audience by their graceful dance performance. There were many games organised by the students for their teachers, such as the guessing game of identifying the names, voices and faces of the other teachers. The students presented different activities and dance performance for their teachers. The programme ended with the award ceremony and card distribution, made by the students.

34 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

The students of Vidyatree Modern World School, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, participated in the School Competitions held in the school recently. There were various competitions held in the school premises which were conducted by students and teachers. Students of Class IX-XII participated in tattoo making, T-shirt designing, face painting and in rangoli making rounds, based on different themes. Students of Class VI-VIII competed in the inter house football league match. Every goal was cheered by the audience which boosted the player’s morale. The event came to an end with prize distribution by Meena Kane, Principal of Vidyatree Modern World School. It was an enriching experience for all the students and school staff.

SCHOOLLIVE

S l a m

P o e t r y

Visitors What?! Somebody’s coming to visit?

But the house is such a mess!

Oh why didn’t you tell me earlier?

Now I’m under so much stress!

Got to set the dining table And ready all the rooms Tell the kids to get off their butts And go grab some brooms Have to put the books in shelves Make the beds all nice and neat I also have to cook some stuff So they have food to eat How long before they come?

What?! Only two hours?

Get the dust off the pictures And fill the vase with flowers Put your toys to one side And your clothes to the other I’m never going to finish So much to do, oh brother!

Why aren’t you helping?

Your laziness is absurd Get into something nice Wait! Was that a knock I heard?

By Aditya Singh Class X, Step by Step School, Noida

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 35

R A P

U P

Phantom Director: Kabir Khan

P

hantom, along with Baby and D-Day, roots from the popular consciousness that India is not doing much to catch the criminals abroad who are responsible for orchestrating heinous crimes in India. The thing about Baby and D-Day was that they made up for their weak plot with exciting action and execution. Unfortunately, the same does not work for Phantom.

Saif Ali Khan stars as Daniyal Khan, an ex-armyman, who is brought back from hiding by RAW as he is given the job of terminating everyone who is responsible for orchestrating the 26/11 attacks. This sees him travelling to London, Chicago, Syria and Pakistan along with Katrina Kaif as he tries to make the deaths of these terrorists seem like “accidents” so that the ISI has no proof that India is responsible for these kills. What follows is actually an oversimplified

36 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

SCHOOLLIVE

and patriotic thriller without any of the moral complexities. The characters are seriously one-note and the script is, and I hate to say it, awful. The direction does not help the film either. There is an action sequence set in the Syrian conflict which feels so fake and uninspired that it’s hard to watch.

I refrain from bashing films because I respect directors and the art of filmmaking, but if the only redeeming quality in a film is Saif Ali Khan’s acting, there is something terribly wrong with the film.

By Amlaan Kumar Class XII Amity International School Noida

R A P

LED Solar Table Lamp Champ

I

n the box, I found the lamp tucked with a few adapters and a blue rectangular solar panel. This solar panel charges the lamp. The panel itself is made up of several small solar cells or photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells are basically a sandwich made up of two slices of semiconducting material, usually Silicon. The slice on the top has more electrons than the bottom slice.

Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms in the top layer, to the bottom layer. One electron pushes another electron and this creates a flow of electricity.

Testing Time

So, is the lamp worth your money?

Yes, it definitely is. The lamp produces a bright white light, and I am

the lamp is not very easy on the eyes. So if you’re someone who is very particular about the looks of your ‘toys’, this lamp is definitely not for you.

Final Call

using this lamp to study at night.

Usually, with solar powered products, battery life is a huge issue.

But with this lamp I came across no such problems. Battery life was superb, lasting a bit more than a week. The lamp charges quite easily too, even on a cloudy day.

Aesthetically speaking, though,

T

he Palace of Illusions (Pan Macmillan India/ 360 pages/ Rs 399) has earned the Indian American author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni much acclaim.

This novel, released in 2008, was a bestseller for one year and made the author a household name. The story is set in the time of Mahabharata and follows the trials and tribulations of Draupadi (or Paanchali).

Living in a patriarchal society, Draupadi tries to fulfill her destiny but her father feels that she can only do so by means of marriage to a wealthy king which in result would form an alliance. Thus, a rigged Swayamvar is

U P

In the end, it all comes down to whether you’re willing to trade beauty for functionality.

If yes, then this lamp, worth Rs 1,500 would be a great investment for you.

By Shreyash Nigam Class X, Step By Step School, Noida

held where Draupadi is married to a mysterious man named Arjun. And so starts her journey and adventures with the Pandavas.

Although a vital piece in the game of Kurukshetra, authors never gave Draupadi a voice or tried to explain her point of view. Divakaruni not only gives her a voice, but a strong one. The book explores her relationship with the Pandavas, her special love for Krishna, desire for a man she met only once, rivalry with her mother-in-law and her ultimate transformation from a young girl who craves revenge, to a wise woman who only feels remorse.

Palace of Illusions

By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

SCHOOL LIVE

By Siddhidatri Mishra Class XI, Sanskriti School

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 37

W o r t h y

O p p o n e n t

Class Apart As Allahabad High Court orders bureaucrats to send their kids to government schools, School LIVE reporters argue its pros and cons Excellent idea

A matter of Choice

The condition of public education in India is one of the worst in the world. As Indians, we dream of being a world superpower and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. But superpowers such as the United Kingdom boasts of a literacy rate of 97.8%. The United States has a 97.9% literate population, while China has a literacy rate of 94%. However, our literacy rate is still a dismal 75%.

The bureaucracy is supposed to help improve the country, however, the civil servants do not trust the very system they work in. The Allahabad High Court’s decision pointed out that if children of civil servants studied in government institutions then these officials would have an incentive to improve the government schools. China annually invests over $100 billion in public education.

However, India only spends 5.8 billion dollars in education. If children of influential bureaucrats studied in public institutions, would the annual education expenditure increase? Would the implementation of government policies be swifter? Would the school infrastructure improve?

If for one student, the fate of 100 kids benefit, I think it is an excellent idea.

In the root of this law lies the misconception that government official’s children enjoy undue privileges and are ‘brats’. Being a government official’s child, I would like to disagree with that. I have changed 12 schools in 16 years of my life, and most bureaucrat kids have a similar story to tell. We don’t have long-term friends in our entire school life. We have had to study at every remote place our parents get posted to, without a cringe. We have to adopt and embrace new cultures, languages, friends, neighbours and curriculum. The least we could have is the freedom to choose the school we study in. However, that too is under threat now.

Not letting us study in the schools we covet and forcing us to study in government schools is against our freedom of choice, personal liberty sanctioned by the same legal system. It is highly unlikely that such a step will invariably lead to the improvement of government schools. As a government official’s child, but most importantly a concerned citizen, I look forward to a more feasible and logical way of improving our public education system.

By Shambhav Tewari Class X, Step By Step School Noida

38 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

By Khushi Singh Class XI, Sanskriti School

SCHOOLLIVE

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.

Tune In

‘O

K, like I said, there are two things every great DJ needs to be able to do.

One is to master the technical skills.

Which you’re doing. Good job. Unfortunately, that’s about ten percent of what it takes to DJ right.

‘The other part, the part that really matters, is that you need to be able to read a crowd. You can’t just play whatever songs you like. You have to figure out what people are responding to, what they want to dance to, which songs they already know and like and which songs they’re going to like once you have introduced them.

Every crowd is different, and even at Start, every week is different. That is why I still play “Girls and Boys” sometimes. It doesn’t matter that I’ve heard Damon Albarn sing the word girls more than sixteen thousand times. As long as people still want to dance to it, it is still worth playing.’

‘OK,’ I said. ‘So how do I do that?

How do I figure out what people want?’

‘You watch them,’ Char said. ‘You stand in the DJ booth, so you’re

40 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

near them but not part of them. And whenever you can, you look up from what you’re doing and you see how they’re reacting.’

Char’s words made me think of all the magazines I had read, all the movies I had watched, all the blogs I had studied, trying to figure out what it is that people want me to do.

SCHOOLLIVE

Leila Sales’ This Song Will Save Your Life is an exuberant novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together ‘I don’t think I’m very good at reading the crowd,’ I said.

‘That’s because it’s an acquired skill,’ he said. ‘It takes practice, sometimes years of practice. And sometimes even the best DJs get it wrong. I think it’s natural to just want to play your favourite songs and force everyone to love them as much as you do. And sometimes, in the right context, they will. Over the past two years, I have turned everyone at Start into a huge fan of this random oldies song called “Quarter to Three”.’ ‘I don’t know it,’ I said.

‘Exactly. And the kids at Start beg me for it now. But it took a while.

Most people don’t immediately like new things. They want to dance to the songs they know. As DJ, you obviously know more songs, and better songs. That’s why it’s your job. But you can’t always be teaching them.

Sometimes you have to play along with them. It’s a balance.’

Excerpted from Leila Sales’ This Song Will Save Your Life (Rs 350/ 288 pages), with permission from publisher, Pan Macmillan India.

Edusoft Edusoft IT IT Solutions Solutions Pvt. Pvt. Ltd. Ltd. School SchoolBooks BooksPublishing Publishing& &Distribution Distributionthroughout throughoutIndia, India,specialized specializedin inIT IT& &G. G.K. K.Books Books

ConnectConnect- IT IT

Computer ComputerBooks Booksfor for Classes ClassesKG KG--XX

Trail Trail Blazer Blazer

G. G.K. K.Books Booksfor for Classes ClassesKG KG--VIII VIII

Touch Touch & & Click Click

Computer ComputerBooks Booksfor for Classes ClassesKG KG--XX

Regd.

Regd.Office: Office:KDKD-231, 231,PitamPura, PitamPura,DelhiDelhi-110034.

110034.Cont.

Cont.No.: No.:+91+91-1111-27043431.

27043431.Email: Email:eduitspl@gmail.com. eduitspl@gmail.com.

Website: :: https://www.facebook.com/edusoftitsolutions/ Website: www.eduitspl.com www.eduitspl.com Follow Follow us us on on https://www.facebook.com/edusoftitsolutions/

T i m e l i n e

The Warrior

Goddess

Timeline of Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Bengalis. By Teena Baruah 1757: Durga Puja to mark British victory

Though a number of rich Bengali families of Calcutta were hosting Durga Puja for years, it was Nabakrishna Deb, an agent of Robert Clive, who organised the first major celebration to mark the victory of the British in the battle of Plassey. It was more of a status symbol those days, to flaunt wealth gained from trade and farm rent and announced the arrival of a family in Calcutta high society.

who fed maximum bhog (prasad) to the poor each day, which deity was decked in grandest jewels, or who hosted the best dance shows to entertain guests. Durga, they said, arrived in the house of Shivakrishna Dawn in Jorasanko to be adorned in finest jewellery, went to Abhayacharan Mitra’s house in Kumartuli for bhog; and watched dances all night in the house of Sovabazar Deb. Incredibly, most of these families continue the tradition, despite diminishing wealth and crumbling of joint families.

the families, to a wider community.

It came to be known as baro-yaari puja. Literally, it means 12 friends coming together to do the puja.

The money for the worship did not come from one person or family.

There are references to popular baro-yaari pujas in Santipur in Nadia and Guptipara in Hooghly.

1910: Community Celebration

The baro-yaari puja gave way to the sarba-janin or community puja in 1910, when the Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha organised 19th Century: Family Puja the first truly community puja in The Durga puja acquired a com- 1860s: Pooling Money to Host Baghbazar in Calcutta with full petitive edge, as family pujas Puja public contribution, public control competed with each other on The celebration moved away from and public participation.

42 | | Volume 2 | Issue 1 | October 2015

SCHOOLLIVE

STEP TOWARDS A BETTER WORLD

USK Foundation Celebrating Women The second edition of ‘Urja Awards 2015’ celebrating the achievements and feats of outstanding women from different walks of life was held in Pune city on 9th September 2015 with much fanfare.

The event conceived and organised by Ms. Usha Kakade, Founder-President, USK Foundation, is aimed at recognising exceptional women from various fields. The awardees for Urja Awards 2015 are as follows: Dr. Ravindra and Dr. Smita Kolhe- Lifetime achievement award, Padmashree Arunima Sinha for bravery, Ms. Veena Pa-

til- Business, Wrestler Reshma Mane-Wrestling, Ms. Naseema Hurzuk-Social sector and last but not the least legendary actress Ms. Helen for Art. The event was attended by dignitaries including former President Hon. Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, Ms. Tina Ambani, Chairperson Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Ms. Upasana Kamineni - Vice President, The Apollo Hospital, Dr Vidya Yerawdekar from Symbiosis Institute and Dr. Parvez Grant from Ruby Hospital, Pune.

SCHOOL LIVE

Volume 2 | Issue 1| October 2015 | 43