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L O O H C S

E V LI Volume 1 | Issue 10 July 2015

8,688 Miles Away From

Home

Sameera S. Nayak

How to Apply? Handy Tips from British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan

SAT is the Way Exclusive Guide from College Board

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

Richa Aniruddha richa@schoollive.in

NIVEDITA SINGH

EDITOR Teena Baruah teenabaruah@gmail.com

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

Principal Correspondent Prerna Jaiswal prernajaiswal@hotmail.com EDITORIAL TEAM Garima Srivastava DESIGNER Ashish Kumar Mimansa Grafix Publisher & Printer Richa Aniruddha

Kavita Devgan

Nutritionist, weight management specialist and health writer

Owner M/s Future Ready Education Services Pvt. Ltd.

Clay Hensley

Senior Director, International Strategy & Relationships, College Board

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email queries@schoollive.in

Sameera S. Nayak

Research Associate at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

Rakhee Gupta

Image consultant and etiquette trainer

S C H O O L

LIVE Volume 1 | Issue 10 July 2015

8,688 Miles Away From

Home

Sameera S. Nayak

How to Apply? Handy Tips from British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan

SAT is the Way Exclusive Guide from College Board

Cover photo by Charlie Chang

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 3

Foxnut Peanut

Samosa

Procedure:

Recipe BY Manorma Singh

Ingredients: All purpose flour (maida)

Roasted foxnut (makhana)

Peeled and roasted peanuts

2 cups 2 cups

50 grams

Refined oil

To grease

Chat Masala

1 small tbsp

Garam Masala

Â˝ tbsp

Red Chilli Powder

Â˝ tbsp

Lightly crushed cumin

1 tbsp

Salt

to taste

Oil

for frying

Coarsely grind the foxnut and peanuts in a mixer for about 2 seconds. In a mixing bowl pour the mix and add all the spices in it to prepare a nice mixture. Now take the flour and grease your hands with the refined oil to knead the dough and keep it aside for 20 minutes. Take a small piece of the dough, roll it round like a roti and cut in half. Take some water and join the two halves, and with a spoon put some mixture in the pocket. Seal the samosa by joining the open ends using water again. Repeat this process for the number of samosas you would make. Take a deep dish and heat some oil in it and deep-fry each samosa until golden brown. Enjoy your low calorie samosa!

ed-note

S C H O O L

L I V E

Hi there!

Hope you all had a great vacation, got to visit some nice places and learnt some new skills. Last few weeks have been special for me. I turned 40 on May 31. They say, age is just a number. You know what? I disagree.... Age can be a LOT more than just a number. Since my birthday, I have been thinking about Life, about what it means to turn 40, about how I spent last 40 years and what I earned from it. I read somewhere that we spend most part of our life wishing for something until we reach the end of it. In Junior School, we wanted to reach the senior School. In Senior School we thought, life in college must be fun. In college, we quickly wanted to take up a job. After getting a job, marriage was the top priority. And it goes on..... Today at 40, I look back and realise, why was I only wishing to be someone, do something or reach somewhere all the time? Wasn’t THAT moment the BEST in my life? Today I want to go back to my school, my college, my friends, my city… Oh how I want to ride around the city on my Kinetic Honda, go and buy birthday cards for my friends, talk for hours on that landline phone, play games which I don’t see children playing nowadays. (Now its video and mobile games). BUT can I do any of that today? No! And today I finally learnt the lesson of my life. And that is, THIS is the BEST day, BEST moment of my remaining life. THIS is where I am meant to be and that’s why I am here. The same applies to YOU as well. ENJOY THIS moment to its fullest before it slips by..... I have decided to live in the true sense now! By being happy and peaceful in every moment of my remaining life... Age is not just a number, it’s a teacher too :) Let us add more meaning to life.

Wishing you a peaceful life Lovingly yours

BooksheElvfery

MY ‘IT’ LIST

Follow w by Rainbo ansal iB Rashm

On my ipTeodra

Banno Swagger

In my glass

Richa Aniruddha tweet to me @richaanirudh

Wood Apple (Bel) juice

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 5

S C H O O L

contents

L I V E 5

Editor’s Note

8 Fit For Life: Maggi in the Soup 12

Positively Positive: Street Art

Cover

Exclusive: Study in UK and US

Student Blog: Rite of Passage

Page 99: Sibius Knot

23 Ask Nivedita 24

Play Station: Growing Up by Anju Kishinchandani

Parenting: Go Fly

Teen Travel: Heritage Rocks

Career Chat

Quick Edit

ears ago, a friend joked about how the ‘statement of intent’, to be submitted by all US and UK college applicants, would strike fear deep into her heart. The statement of intent is an essay that specifies why you’re applying to study a particular course. It should be simple, but it turned into a harrowing introspective exercise for her. Hopefully, this issue will make it easier for you to traverse through the complicated college admission process abroad. We list some handy tips from British High Commissioner to India, Sir James David Bevan KCMG, on how to apply in the UK universities, while College Board’s Clay Hensley lights your way through the maze of standardised tests like SAT. And finally, don’t miss the candid account of Chhavi and Vikas Bajpai as they send off their 17-year-old son to University of Texas at Dallas with 200 odd items of clothes and toiletries.

Happy reading! Teena Baruah

30 Down The School Corridor: Shovana Narayan

Rap up: Reviews

34 Potpourri: Timeline of Passport

21 SCHOOLLIVE

Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 7

F i t

F o r

L i f e

Maggi in the Soup

aggi controversy has really jolted everyone. It’s got everyone to think, and look more closely at their plate. It’s also rudely told everyone not to fall prey to glib advertising messages and confuse health with convenience. Maggi is not that big a villain it is

being made out to be, but that said there are lots of lessons that we all, adults and children alike, can learn from this mayhem. Let’s look at the problems with instant noodles, one by one. One of the complaints against Maggi and other instant noodles is

Pay attention to what you eat, says nutritionist Kavita Devgan. There are far too dangerous foods that you are eating everyday in far too high quantities than just Maggi that they are made of refined flour (maida). That’s an issue for sure because too much of maida can lead to weight gain. So by all means eat these instant noodles sometimes, but then make sure you have enough fibre in your diet otherwise, via whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

F i t

Another problem is that these noodles are flash fried so are really high in fat. Fried food is bad for us. There is no denying that. Time to figure out how much fried you consume and then slowly but firmly cut it off. About lead and MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) the jury is still out. MSG is a taste enhancer, which is used quite liberally in Chinese food and many roadside foods too. While this additive is definitely not something that’ll add any health to our food, it is still not clear if it is harmful. The lead content if true though is definitely a case of concern, but then we live in times where we need to be careful about these kind of toxicities definitely. It is important to makes sure where we pick up our vegetables from too (as these too can be very high in lead and other toxic compounds). The biggest problem in my

The biggest problem in my opinion is that one packet of instant noodles is too high in calories (100 gm provides about 400 calories) to be eaten as a snack opinion is that one packet of instant noodles is too high in calories (100 gm provides about 400 calories) to be eaten as a snack. So, if at all, these should be eaten as a main meal suitably buffed up nutritionally and definitely not as a filler in between meals. A snack by definition should be between 100-150 calories at the most. My advice… No food is intrinsically bad. It’s the quantity that makes the difference. So for example if you have instant noodles (or for that matter doughnut or pizza) everyday then it

F o r

L i f e

is definitely bad for you. But if it is an occasional treat then there’s no damage done. And that’s true with any and every food. In fact in excess even so called good foods can be bad for us. So go easy on portions and aim to eat variety, as that way you hedge the risk and also make sure that you consume a well rounded amount of essential nutrients. Food is meant to provide sustenance. Taste yes, but nutrition too. So ideally strive for a balance between the two. What this means is that we must try to make tasty things healthy (for example Maggi can be cooked with vegetables, eggs and cheese to increase its fibre and protein content and help tone down its high salt levels) and healthy things tasty (figure out a way to make spinach so delicious that you look forward to it). Look out for other ‘wrong’ foods in your diet. Identify them and try to wean off them. Comb through this list and see which ones feature way too often in your eating pattern: aerated drinks, energy drinks, chips, doughnuts, cookies, burgers, pizzas, processed easy to cook foods. Maybe read up on how they can be detrimental to your health; it’ll open up your eyes. There are far too dangerous foods that you are eating and drinking everyday in far too high quantities than just Maggi. It’s time to think before you gulp.

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 9

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 11

P o s i t i v e l y

P o s i t i v e

Street

Smart Kaustubh Aggarwal documents as Shankar Market — opposite Connaught Place’s Outer Circle — gets splashed in happy hues, courtesy Delhi Street Art (DSA). The theme of the project is ‘youth’ and New Delhi Municipal Council has roped in 50 artists to achieve this look.

By Kaustubh Aggarwal Class IX, Amity International School, Noida

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 13

E x c l u s i v e

Study in UK

Interested in studying in UK, but unsure of how to navigate its admissions system? British High Commissioner to India Sir James David Bevan KCMG offers exclusive tips to School LIVE reporters Yamini Goyal (Pathways School, Noida), Prakruti Uday (Amity Global School Gurgaon), Shambhav Tewari (Step By Step School, Noida), Tishya Mahajan (Bal Bharati Public School, Pitampura) and Arjun Sharma (Genesis Global School, Noida) on how to apply to colleges in the UK. Siddhidatri Mishra (Sanskriti School) and Teena Baruah reports

ow many foreign students graduate from the UK universities on an average in a

year? About half a million. Out of which about 25,000 are Indians, making them the second largest group after the Chinese. When an Indian returns to India to work, his starting salary is four times higher than a regular In-

dian from an Indian institution. Q. What is the eligibility criteria for joining a course in UK (academic background, tests like IELTS, TOEFL score etc)? Every university has a slightly different admission process. They are all looking for academic excellence and rounded individuals with interests

such as music, writing, culture etc. The top universities donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want all the same types of people. They want people from different social backgrounds, different interests, gender and mindsets. Q. The rules for UK visa have changed frequently; how does it benefit the Indian students?

How To Apply? Richard Everitt, Director, Education, British Council India, demystifies the British undergraduate admissions process Q. Why should students consider Britain to pursue graduation? Studying in the UK is a multicultural experience, with 4,93,000 foreign students from over 200 countries, including around 21,000 from India. The UK has a long history of welcoming and nurturing international talent. It has a global reputation for excellence in the field of education and skills. The UK has 4 of the world’s top 6 universities (University of Cambridge, University College London, Imperial College London and University of Oxford) and is home to 30 of the world’s top 200 universities. The UK offers one year masters’ degree (vs. 2 years in the US) which is recognised internationally and valued by both employers and students. Bachelor’s, Master’s (both research and taught) and Doctoral programs across various fields like Business and Management, Engineering, IT and Computing, Law, Art and Design, Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Media are most popular. Q. I believe that earlier students in the UK were allowed to work for two years post study which was removed recently. So don’t you think that Britain is projecting an image that foreign students are not welcome? Students completing a PhD or other doctoral qualification at a UK university can stay for a year under the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme. This scheme was set up in April 2013 and allows completing students to work, gain experience in their chosen field, or set up as an entrepreneur, again

with no limit on numbers. Graduates who wish to stay to develop a business idea can do so under the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme, the first in the world of its kind. All they require is an endorsement from their Higher Education Institution showcasing a genuine and credible business idea and enough funds to support themselves. The scheme also provides an easier route to switch into the main Entrepreneur category, which leads to settlement. There are 2,000 places per year and almost 100 UK universities have signed up as endorsing bodies. Additionally, university students are given four months in the UK after the end of their course to find a job. This is plenty of time for foreign

graduates whose skills are in high demand. Q. Does it enhance one’s application if he/she has given standardised tests like the SAT/ACT which are otherwise not required in UK? UK institutions select students on the basis of their past academic record. The tests mentioned above are not standard entry requirements for UK institutions. Q. Could you list some dos and don’ts for Indian students. For instance, no student may apply to both Oxford and the University of Cambridge www.cam.ac.uk in the same year. Students can apply to either Oxford

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 15

or Cambridge for an undergrad program. Students can fill up the UCAS form with either one choice or a maximum of five choices. Students applying for Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary medicine can apply for a maximum of four choices using the UCAS form. The fifth choice can be availed of but the program needs to be a pure science subject. To study for subjects like Medicine/Dentistry, students are expected to do their A levels as well as give entry examinations which can be either of the following: Graduate Medical School Admission Test, BioMedical Admissions Test, UK Clinical Aptitude Test. Students wanting to study Law at an undergraduate level in the UK must visit the Bar Council of India website for more information with regards to degrees recognised by the Council. Q. The student visa application process has been remarkably simplified in recent years for Indian students considering studying in Britain. Please give us an overview of the British undergraduate admissions process. Is it important for international students to give AP exams even if their curriculum doesn’t include it? AP exams are not required for students looking at studying in the UK at an undergraduate level. Universi-

ties and Colleges Admission Services (ucas.com) manages applications to UK institutions for full time undergraduate course. One can apply for a maximum of five courses via ‘Apply’ which is a secure web-based application system available on UCAS. One fills in the application online as per the individual’s convenience. There is a small application fee involved which is payable to UCAS. Only one UCAS application can be submitted in the application cycle per student.

fered for undergraduate courses exclusively by the government for international students? Over 750 scholarships have been offered to Indian students in just two years. In addition, there is also the Commonwealth scholarships, Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships, Charles Wallace India Trust Awards, Goa Education Trust Scholarships. For others you need to check our website britishcouncil.in/study-uk/ scholarships.

Q. Is it true that the application fees in Britain are substantially lower than in the United States. Any other advantages? UK course fees and living costs are good value and compare favourably with costs in other top education destinations (International Pricing Study, UK Higher Education International Unit international.ac.uk). UK higher education (educationuk.org/india/sub/higher-education) courses are generally shorter than in other countries. For example, full-time bachelor’s degrees typically last three years – compared to four years or more in many countries – and many full-time master’s degrees last just one year. This saves you money on annual fees, and means you can start your career sooner. Q. Are there any scholarships of-

Q. India is the second largest international market for British universities. However, several Indians do not feel safe going abroad with news of hate crimes on the rise in the UK. Please comment. By international standards, the UK is a safe country, with low levels of violence and street crime. In a recent survey (Creating confidence – International student safety survey 2014) by the British Council, only a very small proportion of students had ever experienced a crime and the overwhelming majority felt that the UK is a very safe place to be. In a recent British Council Student Insight Survey (2012) the UK was recognised as having a very multicultural society, with this factor being seen as contributing the most to the country’s overall safety.

E x c l u s i v e

I get asked about visas everyday of my life, so I am glad you asked. Most Indians think that it is difficult to get the UK visa, whereas it is not so. One can get a visa if they have been accepted by a recognised university, have passed an English proficiency test such as the TOEFL and have financial support. Last year, 86% student applicants were successful in getting a visa. Q.When should a student apply to the universities? This is a conversation I am having with my 17-year-old daughter everyday… Start the process early. The university term starts in October till summer. Hence, a student should start applying a year before. Q. What is the process of applying for admissions and scholarships? While Oxford and Cambridge have completely different application processes, other universities have a common application called the UCAS. A student can apply to all these universities online, through the website www.ucas.com. Q. How are the prospects of Indian students from national curriculum as compared to international curriculum like IB? The universities are looking for the individual, not at the piece of paper that they have. Indian qualifications are certainly recognised by the UK universities. What matters is your academic excellence, spark of creativ-

Students thinking about the UK education must attend roadshows, organised by the British Council ity, imagination, willingness to think differently and your interests. I don’t think coming out of a purely Indian system, with an Indian qualification is inherently a disadvantage. And a proof of that is most of the Indians who are studying in the UK have Indian qualifications. Q. How many hours is a student allowed to work? Does it change with respect to the course they take? Every student is allowed to work for only 20 hours a week during term time; regardless of what they are studying. I know this is important for Indians as, unlike Chinese students who get state grant, Indians take loan

to study overseas. A student is only allowed to work full time during vacations, which are quite long. After the study you can stay in the UK up to six years provided you get a graduate level job with an annual salary of £20,000. Almost every young worker in Canary Wharf, a new financial centre in London, is an Indian. Most of them studied in the UK. Q. Is there a website where students can check for fake or blacklisted universities or educational institutions in your country? Yes. All the recognised websites are listed on the British Council and the visa website.

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 17

SAT is the Way E x c l u s i v e

The College Board’s Clay Hensley offers exclusive tips for School LIVE readers pursuing admission to US colleges and universities

ave you thought about studying abroad for your undergraduate degree? Are you looking to access world-class higher education in the United States of America? Many leading universities in the US and around the globe seek qualified students from India. “We welcome applications from Indian students aspiring to take part in a transformational college experience,” says Lin Larson, Senior Assistant Director & Senior International Specialist at the University of California, Berkeley. With approximately 4,000 higher education institutions, including 2,200 accredited 4-year institutions, the US boasts a variety of choices for higher education. This incredible diversity provides opportunities for many students to benefit from one of the world’s most respected higher education systems. However, finding the right campus will take a deliberate, thoughtful process. Here are a few tips for pursuing admission to US colleges and universities:

Understanding Your ‘Best Fit’

American universities are eager to attract “best fit” students – those students who are poised to thrive

within and help enrich their campus community. Unlike the admissions processes at most Indian colleges and universities, which focus heavily on Board Exams and entrance exam results, many US colleges and universities engage in a holistic admissions review. This means that although academic grades and test scores (including the SAT) are an important component of a student’s application, many US universities also ask applicants to submit additional information to help provide more insight into applicant’s interests and talents. Colleges and universities will often ask applicants for copies of high (secondary) school academic transcripts, descriptions of extracurricular activities, examples of original writing, and letters of recommendation from a teacher and/or school counselor. When reviewing applications, US colleges tend to look for students who will be good matches for their school environment. For example, one of the key factors in admissions at selective universities is evidence of rigor and challenge within a student’s academic record (this can be demonstrated a number of ways, including Advanced Place-

ment coursework and exams collegeboard.org/ap-in-india.html). Given the holistic nature of many US colleges and universities’ admissions process, students should spend time planning and preparing for their college applications. The College Board’s Big Future college planning web site (bigfuture.org) is among the most comprehensive resources in the world for exploring undergraduate higher education opportunities. In addition, The EducationUSA network of educational advising centers, including those located in the offices of the United States-India

E x c l u s i v e versities in more than 60 countries, use the SAT in their admission decisions.

Format of the SAT

The SAT assesses a student’s skills in three core areas. Each section of the SAT (critical reading, mathematics, and writing) is scored on a 200-800 point scale, for a highest possible total of 2400. For more information about changes to the SAT, visit collegereadiness.collegeboard.org.

Free, Focused Practice through Khan Academy

The College Board is also collaborating with Khan Academy to provide free, world-class SAT practice resources to students worldwide. Official SAT Practice, designed for the redesigned SAT (administered beginning May 2016), may be found at KhanAcademy.org

Educational Foundation (usief. org.in/), are equipped with professional advising staff and resources for students in India.

Understanding the SAT

College entrance examinations, like the SAT, are an important component of the college application process. Administered by the College Board, the SAT is a globally recognised college admission test that allows prospective students show colleges what they know and how well they can apply that knowledge. Almost all colleges and universities in the US, as well as top global uni-

For students taking the current SAT (administered up through January 2016), the College Board offers many free practice resources, including SAT Question of the Day, sample practice questions, and an official full-length SAT, all available at sat.org/practice. The College Board is also collaborating with Khan Academy to provide free, world-class SAT practice resources to students worldwide. Khan Academy’s tools include diagnostic tests, video tutorials, and practice questions. Official SAT Practice, designed for the redesigned SAT (administered beginning May 2016), may be found at KhanAcademy.org. In addition to the online preparation resources provided by the College Board and Khan Academy, another excellent way to prepare for the SAT is to participate in the College Board’s PSAT/NMSQT. Students from India, who usually take the PSAT/NMSQT in Grades 9 and/ or Grade 10, gain a better understanding of their academic strengths and the areas that need improvement to perform their best on the SAT. Note that the PSAT/NMSQT administered in India in October 2015 will reflect the changes on the redesigned SAT. Besides gaining test familiarity, another benefit to taking the PSAT/NMSQT in October is that, eventually, students will be

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 19

E x c l u s i v e

able to feed their PSAT/NMSQT results into Khan Academy to develop personalised learning plans for their SAT practice.

Registration and Requirements

The SAT and SAT Subject Tests are held in India six times a year. The next administrations are in October, November and December of 2015, then in January, May, and June of 2016. Registration for the SAT is available online through the College Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website (sat.collegeboard. org/register). The deadline to register is roughly four weeks before a test date, but students are encouraged to complete their registration well in advance, to ensure they are able to reserve a seat at a test center of their

Beginning spring 2016, the SAT will be scored on a 1600 point scale, and have two sections of 800 points each â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing choice. There are currently over 45 centers spread across 20+ cities in India. Please note that students in India are currently required to provide a valid passport to take the SAT or SAT Subject Tests. Before registering, students should ensure that they will have a valid passport on the day of testing. Expired passports, or

letters from the Passport Office stating the passport is in the process of being issued, are not acceptable. Only those students who present a valid passport at the test center are allowed to take the test.

Sound Advice

Start your college search early, and allow yourself time to ask questions about who you are and where you want to go. College is an exciting part of your journey, and we want to support and encourage your aspirations. Here is a good place to get started: bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ get-started We challenge you to own your own future, and wish you the best of luck in your pursuit!

B l o g

Rite of Passage

S t u d e n t

Photo Charlie Chang

Sameera S. Nayak on being 8,688 miles away from home, to study abroad

hen I tell people that my family lives 8,688 miles away, the usual reaction is, “Wow. That must be scary.” And I try to remember if it was indeed scary. At the time I left India it didn’t seem that way; most of my friends had also taken it upon themselves to attend colleges all over the world. We were scattered across North America and Europe, so far from home that it often took and still takes two or even three plane rides to get back there. There was some homesickness and some “adjusting,” but by and large it wasn’t too difficult. It certainly wasn’t terrifying. It didn’t feel as though it required courage. It was just something that you did; a rite of passage one might say. It’s recently dawned on me that

the real struggle isn’t at the beginning, it’s at the end. After four years, the plan you had, the plan I had, has changed. Your home has changed. Is home where your family is? Or is this new place, where you spend nine months of each year, your home? Can they both be home? There are big decisions to be made. Decisions confounded with immigration laws and visa applications. Your fate will rest with some immigration officer who doesn’t know you at all. It’s hard for anyone to be away from their family and friends, but for international students or for people whose loved ones are not on the same side of the border, it is an impossible choice to make. Either way, you’re separated from the people that you love, not just by a five-hour unpleasant flight, but

by physical boundaries, mounds of paperwork, time, and money. All you have is iMessage and FaceTime, and if you’re lucky like I’ve been, a chance to see them once, maybe twice a year. You can’t call just to say hi because the time difference is not three hours, its twelve. You can’t share how you feel because you know they’ll worry and they’re so far away that they can’t help you. You miss birthdays. You miss weddings. You miss funerals. You’re not there and they’re not here. It’s already been four years away from Mumbai, do I keep pushing it till it is 10? 20? Forever? Or do I go back, to make up for lost time? Will my time here fade away until one day it’s just a distant dream? Will my friends here dissolve into people I used to know? I don’t know.

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 21

P a g e

9 9

KNOT SO INNOCENT

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.

A book on troubled childhood, broken homes and what it’s like to not fit in

ost in my own world in Mumbai I only heard that Seema had died—her friend sent me an email, and then a photocopy of her journal. Seema, one of my best friends . . . but damn, that girl was always lost in her own head. She had me down as Mr Free Love. That’s cool, but what the hell was all this ‘potential father of her children’ stuff? So she obviously got over me at some point, but I’m amazed she never let on. She musta known I’d flipped out. Especially since we had such a great connection. It’s pretty rare, you know, to be on the same wavelength to that extent. It’s not even the drugs—it’s because we were so young with our first transcendental experiences. I mean, she and I saw what we called the Knot, right? Up in Mussoorie, together with that boy from my school, what was his name? Mario! Now, he was her hero, my man. He gave us our first ’shrooms too, towards the end of high school, that whole trip opened up my frikkin’ third eye! Seema and I, we did the vipassana too, later on. But we could already see it by then—we’re all connected, we are each other. From her journal, here: ‘In one blinding moment you see it all, the interconnections of everything. You’re part of this intricate web, you’ve heard that, but in one pulsating moment, you feel it. You’re the horizon. You and every goddamn person in your life, it’s incredible! You feel where you touch, overlap, your life

Mario! Now, he was her hero, my man. He gave us our first ’shrooms too, towards the end of high school energy, your connections. Flashes of light, love, compassion, depending on who they are—off in the darkness, the hate, the negative, Evil—you can feel that too, you can feel it coming, you can avoid it, when you see it coming, when you see the rest of YOU. The more of you that plug in, the more of a chance we have.’ But we ruined the experience somehow. The Devil got her, because—you really won’t be able to keep up, if you haven’t seen the Knot—He saw us. Individu-

Photo Ishan Tankha

ally. It was awful. That motherfucker eyeballed us. He’s messing with our heads, as we speak. Seema should have told me towards the end. All that bogus bullshit of a tough exterior. It’s not weakness to face the facts. We’re like those metaphorical ants of the Mobius Strip. Do you remember the diagrams from maths class? They can keep going forever. It’s infinity, you see? So pretty. But what we got, with our confusion and—let’s face it— probably some evil within our souls, was a knot. All tangled up. Excerpted from The Sibius Knot by Amrita Tripathi (184 pages, Rs 499), with permission from Fourth Estate.

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

I am Gay

Q. I am 15 and have always known that I am gay. I have a huge crush on a senior boy in school and don’t know how to handle this new feeling. My friends might ridicule me if they suspect my queer leanings. Please help. You’re fortunate to have always known about your being gay. Adolescence is a stage of development when most youngsters struggle with seeking an identity and seeking peer acceptance. You must keep this in mind when you disclose your liking for your senior. He may not have the same sexual orientation as yours and even if he does, he may be unwilling to ‘come out’ for fear of facing shame

Priority Puzzle

Q. I am 16 and have many responsibilities these days. How do I prioritise? Family, friends, studies, future, career, relationships, creating a good resume or being a good person? Everything seems important to me. Please advise. Let me begin by stating that all the above are important in most people’s lives. Full marks to you for recognising this and seeking advice on how to accommodate them all so that none get neglected. What is relevant here is to understand that while they all require your time you don’t need to allocate equal attention to all. Some, like studies, obviously require more time than others because of the stage of life you are in. With some others like peer group, friends, social media, etc, you will have to do a fine balancing act on how much is enough because that’s where you might like to spend more time than others. While this is natural you need to keep track of whether you are doing it at a personal cost of neglecting something else. If you let your guard down, social media can be a time sink! Begin by making a broad schedule of how much of your waking hours go in school, thereafter, add on studies with number of hours against it and so on and so forth. You might see that many of your above concerns get time from you only over weekends. Just be consistent with implementing the schedule you draw up.

and ridicule. Yes, sad and unfortunate as it sounds lack of sensitisation programs makes many people homophobic. As far as handling your feelings go, a crush is a crush irrespective of whether it’s a same sex one or that between opposite sexes. It comes with its package deal of heartache and pining and indulging in daydreaming about the person you ‘love’. Pull yourself up if you catch yourself overindulging in these, because it comes at a price. You cannot afford to have it impacting your grades. Physical activities or any other hobbies you might have are known to help channelise these feeling which might currently be overwhelming.

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 23

S t a t i o n P l a y

rowing Up is an informative and highly entertaining play, conceptualised and produced by Anju Kishinchandani, who is a certified sex educator. Her company ‘Out of the Box’ conducts Growing Up workshops for children, preteens, teens, young adults and even parents. The play has been beautifully written and directed by Trishla Patel, a well-known figure in the theatre circles. It is a frank and funny play, which sensitively handled a tricky subject in a matter of fact way, leaving not only the kids, but even the adults with a very positive attitude towards puberty. It is a story about a group of tweens on their exciting journey through adolescence. They are all confused by the different physical and emotional changes, they are undergoing. The ‘Growing up’ book

Kidding Rakhee Gupta gives us a sneak peek at Growing Up, a play based on puberty, produced by filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani’s sister Anju Kishinchandani

P l a y

Watching the play, I wished someone had explained the topic of puberty to me so beautifully, when I was at that stage in life. Definitely, a must-watch for parents with their children

can resolve their confusion, but the evil frog has cursed Kuku the Clown (the hero of the Growing Up book), and thus all pages of the book have become blank. A frantic search for the Clown, a strange common dream, Mr Mistry – their weird teacher, Cool Dadi, Psycho Didi and the case of the missing dog all add to the confusion

S t a t i o n

and fun during this journey down the puberty lane. As the characters wrestle with the question, “Am I normal?” they learn to cope with the changes affecting their bodies and minds. The play also briefly but beautifully touches upon the “okay” and “not okay” touch. Puberty is a fact of life and unfortunately our attitude towards it is archaic--the silence continues. Right information at the right age in the right manner is the key to well-adjusted children with a positive and responsible attitude. This play does a brilliant job of sharing that knowledge. It makes parents’ job easier and paves the way for open communication on this sensitive topic. Watching the play, I wished someone had explained the topic of puberty to me so beautifully, when I was at that stage in life. Definitely, a must-watch for parents with their children.

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 25

P a r e n t i n g

Go Fly

Photo Adhip Tanwar

Chhavi and Vikas Bajpai give us an insight into the rewarding, yet painstaking “task” of sending off their 17-year-old to study abroad. Teena Baruah reports

ince both of us are are engineers from premier institutes in India, we wanted our son Nirmaan to pursue engineering very early in life. A psychological test proved that he has aptitude to do well in that field. However, for the longest time we couldn’t decide whether to gun for a international university after school or aim for the

best colleges in India. He is our only son, and we couldn’t bear the idea of living apart. He kept shuttling between international and Indian curriculum, hopping from Amity, DPS International, Step By Step School, Ahlcon, and finally Modern School, Barakhamba. All were exceptional schools, but while one allowed students to use calculators for doing ba-

sic calculations, others encouraged mugging up facts to get good results. When he cleared Class X, his think tanks, that’s the two of us, finally decided that Indian institutes were best suited for his needs and our budgets. But fate intervened and in Class XI Nirmaan attended an international education roadshow and decided that he wanted to study

P a r e n t i n g abroad. It sent us on a mad scramble as we went about gathering information from education consultants. We finally zeroed in on Rajesh Arya of Council of American Education who guided us how to prepare Nirmaan for TOEFL, SAT and how to fill forms. Being the father, I was filtering through a lot of jargons from these consultants as we compared the course ranking, university ranking and checking for scholarships. Most consultants start the conversation with how much money you are willing to spend, ignoring the crucial questions like course, university, and the moment that happened I’d already be on my back foot. Studying abroad was Nirmaan’s second option. But by December we too realised how difficult it was to crack a reputed engineering entrance exam in India. So we were in a situation, where Chhavi was motivating our child to do well in 12th and engineering entrance exam in India, as she handled the application process to the US colleges. There was huge stress at home, plus we had our jobs to juggle with. She would sleep only for 4-5 hours those days. For the US, Nirmaan was writing the first draft of essays, while Chhavi worked with him on the 2nd draft and the consultant wrote the 3rd draft. The top 10 colleges were beyond our budget, so we didn’t apply there. I didn’t want to sell our property for

education. We looked at colleges that gave him scholarships which were 50-70 ranked colleges in the US. For Asia and Australia, no essays were needed. We preferred Asia as it was closer home, but the total cost of studying at Hong Kong (Rs 70 lakh), Singapore (Rs 80-90 lakh) was equivalent to the US. So Asia was ruled out. Our counsellor assured us that under-Rs 50 lakh education was possible in the US. We were seeing a downturn in IT, so we decided that for four years we won’t save any money and educate our child in the US. Chhavi didn’t have a Facebook account. We had no footprints, friends or relatives in America, but it’s a dream country for IT professionals like us. Chhavi took out the map of

So it came down to three watches, one Indian ethnic wear, one western formal suit, five kinds of shoes, ties, and seven socks. Ironically, he only had 5-6 shirts in his wardrobe before, because he was so much immersed in studies that he rarely went out

America, laid it out on the dining table, marking out the universities where we planned to apply--Purdue, Texas, Georgia Tech, Tamu, Cincinnati, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, San Jose--on the map! Her diary was full of charts of pros and cons of each college. We practice Buddhism. Our leaders told us to write on a piece of paper what we wanted. Chhavi wrote that Nirmaan should be admitted in IIT but whenever she used to chant she’d pray for his admission in the US. So we were torn between the two. And by the end of it, she would have made even her Buddhist leaders nervous! We applied to 10 universities and Nirmaan got through 8 colleges. This process of admission in the US universities was totally unreal for me. They don’t talk about marks. They just want to understand what you are as an individual, and what you want to do. For us it was always mug up, score well and you are assured of a good college. Now, we realised that you could not be very good in academics and still land up in a college in the US, with a scholarship. The preparation for Nirmaan’s travel was equally detailed and painstaking. A parent mailed us a list of 200 odd items of clothes and toiletries to pack. We rolled our eyes initially and then went on to pack most of it, under severe peer pressure. Chhavi refused to shop 26 underwears of different colours and same brand. Don’t they have washing machines? we wondered. So it came down to three watches, one Indian ethnic wear, one western formal suit, five kinds of shoes, ties, and seven socks. Ironically, he only had 5-6 shirts in his wardrobe before, because he was so much immersed in studies that he rarely went out. At the airport, his baggage reminded us of the trousseau Chhavi’s mother had painstakingly shopped and packed when we got married!

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 27

T e e n

T r a v e l

Delhi Diary

HERITAGE Rocks Parth Khullar explores Tughlaq-era Satpula dam, a victim to the ravages of time and neglect

his summer, as a part of my holiday homework, I visited Satpula Dam with my father. Standing at about 800m east of the Khirki-Masjid, Satpula is a weir, built by Muhammad Shah Tughlaq in 1326 AD to regulate the impounded waters for purposes of irrigation. On the southern face, the monument remains intact, except two of the 11 arches have been closed for public. The northern face of the monument is in a much worse state. The lower tier having the 11 arches is falling off, rendering the terrace above narrow in paces. The two towers on the sides with the octagonal chambers in them, once used as a madarsa, are in a shabby state with the eastern tower perhaps on the verge of collapse. Large cracks have developed on the domical roof and only a stack of bricks prevents it

from complete collapse. The southern side of the monument which was the original impounded reservoir is completely lost

under the filled up soil of the institutional area. The Press Enclave Marg crudely bisects the reservoir detaching this unique monument from its context. The northern side has a dense kikar forest along the drainage channel. The towering Pushpwati Singhania Hospital dominates the eastern horizon of the Satpula. The visit to this monument was a learning experience as I got to understand our ancient water management plan and how cities were built around it.

By PARTH KHULLAR Class VI, Amity International School, Saket

C a r e e r

C h a t

Lessons From

Singapore

Career Counsellor Jitin Chawla provides an overview of Singapore as a study abroad destination

ingaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education system has remained consistently at or near the top of most major world education ranking systems. The top Five autonomous universities of Singapore include National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore Institute of Technology, and Nanyang Technological University. To study in these universities, one should start with the application process around six to eight months in advance. For those seeking to study at the postgraduate level, this prepping process (that includes studying and taking tests like the GRE, SAT, GMAT, IELTS, and the TOEFL) should be on-going in your final year of college. For students looking to study abroad in the undergraduate level, the right time for application to university will be at the mid of your twelfth grade. Search the site for their online application for international students. Universities generally have a portion of their website dedicated to international students. Before you get started with your application form, make sure you read their international entry requirements section clearly. Tuition fees and living expenses are less compared to the USA and the UK. One might end up paying S$5000

Singapore has a zero tolerance to racism and drugs. So it is absolutely safe for Indian students to S$20000 approximately for 6 months to 2 years Diploma course, S$24000 to S$55000 approximately for 2 to 4 years Bachelor Degree course. If you are studying 5 years Medical and Dental courses in Singapore, you might end up paying subsidised tuition fee with an obligation to work for 3 years in Singapore under The

Tuition Grant Bond. A lot of scholarship options are available as well. Additionally, institutions from the USA, UK and Australia including Manchester Business School- Singapore, MIT-Singapore, Baruch College, City University of New York, The Culinary Institute of America, Bond University, Zhejiang University-China, SP Jain-Singapore, and many more have opened satellite campuses in Singapore to offer their courses at a subsidised cost. For Personal Consultation call 9810264027

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 29

D o w n

T h e

S c h o o l

C o r r i d o r

Hopscotch to

School

Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan recalls growing up in four Indian cities, and studying in top four Indian schools, Loreto House-Kolkata, Jesus & Mary-Mumbai, St Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Convent-Patna and finally, Mater Dei Delhi. Smita Jain reports

picture of grace, elegance and poise, Kathak danseuse Shovana Narayan has been redefining dance through her deeper and wider canvas of expression. But not many people know about her impeccable academic record and career as a civil servant. School LIVE takes a sneak peek into the school life of this ageless diva: What are your memories of school days? I am glad that we did not go to air-conditioned schools or had latest gadgets for company. Hence we grew up learning how to take pleasure in dealing with vagaries and uncertainties of life, sweating it out on sport grounds, finding space to do our hopscotch as little kids, chatting and getting to know our classmates and friends, finding pleasure in small and the most innocent things. Tell us about everlasting bonds of friendship forged during childhood days. Do you still seek each other out for easy camaraderie, or have they simply become your Facebook friends? My friends are spread in differ-

My Family

My Childhood

ent parts of the world, but despite the distance and our respective professional engagements, the friendship continues. It speaks volumes about the strength of our friendship that has weathered and thrived during days of

My Trophy

trunk calls and writing letters that took several weeks to reach their destination. Any prank played by you that led you to trouble in school? We used to throw paper darts at each other when the teacher was busy writing on the blackboard. One memory that has stayed with me is of the time when I was the Head Girl of the school. I don’t know how or when a water pitcher broke, but the whole class took the blame for it and we were made to line up outside the principal’s office (as punishment). When primary students saw us standing outside the principal’s office they looked at us in amazement and whispered among themselves, “Look look, the head girl is being punished!” Did you have a hobby those days? To me personally, ‘hobby’ signified something that caught my attention and which I took up for some time and then left it after a little while. I tried my hand at knitting, sewing and playing basket ball. My younger sister and I even sang a few

playback songs in films. But Kathak was never a hobby for me. It was my life and I was serious about it as much as I was serious about my academics. Birju Maharaj is known to be a tough taskmaster, how difficult was it to train under him? The training sessions were intense. He painstakingly corrected every movement and stance under the watchful eye of my mother, who would later point out the subtleties of each movement that Maharaj was trying to teach. For over a year I was stuck just correcting a couple of ‘toras’ and ‘tukras’ without adding to the repertoire of rhythmic patterns till both Maharaj and my mother felt that I had got them correctly. Knowing my pre-occupation with Physics for my Bachelors and my Masters degrees that took up the entire day, he adjusted his schedule in such a manner that every evening he would come to our house to teach me. During holidays, Maharaj would teach me virtually nonstop for over 7 or 8 hours with only a short break for lunch. Such was his interest and concern that I should emerge as a ‘dancer’.

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Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 31

R A P

U P

Dil Dhadakne Do

Director: Zoya Akhtar

il Dhadakne Do revolves around the Mehras, an affluent family consisting of Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor), the CEO of Ayka industries, his wife Neelam Mehra (Shefali Shah), his successful daughter Ayesha Mehra (Priyanka Chopra), and his not-so-successful son Kabir Mehra (Ranveer Singh). They invite their friends and business associates on a cruise to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. All is not well in the family as we know from the start, thanks to the narrator Pluto (voiced by Aamir Khan). Pluto, by the way is the family pet dog, and arguably the most mature character in the movie. DDD has a good script, but there are so many characters in this film that one might be forgiven for scribbling on their notepad just to keep track of the characters and their motivations. Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma all bring their A-game into the film, which makes it only sadder to see it fail. Everyone was underserved by the script. Even the more serious themes in the film were received with laughs and giggles from the audience. All in all, Zoya Akhtar has essentially created a Fabergé egg. On the outside, DDD has exquisite locations, a stellar ensemble and a high-concept idea, but look inside and you might find something hollow.

San Andreas

Director: Brad Peyton

isaster movies, more often than not, have been hallowed ground for critical bashing. A film portraying wide-scale destruction, the spectacle of seeing famous monuments get destroyed and millions of people dying, while hoping for the survival of five people, is not what one would call criticfriendly. San Andreas, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter-rescue pilot, is a part of the conundrum. The Rock races against time as he tries to save his soon-to-be-ex-wife and daughter from an earthquake that threatens to destroy the whole of California. There is also a parallel storyline in which a scientist (Paul Giamatti) fights the clock to convince the public that a widening of the San Andreas Fault line, a recurrent nightmare of all Californians, was imminent. One might be a tad sceptical about the science behind this film, but hey, it’s Hollywood, deal with it! Barring all the usual stuff in a clichéd story about nature’s fury, I must admit that this is the By perfect popcorn enterAmlaan Kumar tainment for the sumClass XII mer. Amity International School Noida

R A P

Audio Technica ATH-M20X

ding, it may not be a treat to the eye but you can’t say that for the ear. And even though the cable is long and nondetachable, you’ll learn to live with it in no time

he Audio Technica ATHM20X is the best pair of headphones when it comes to pure audio quality. Despite being 238g in weight, the M20X feels surprisingly light and the adaptable earcup padding makes sure that the headphones fit tight and snug over your ears.

The Good

The bass has a pretty impressive range. The rubberised earcups along with adaptive padding are a boon for those who like to listen to music on long train or flight journeys.

The Bad

With a reading of 238g on the scale, the whole device is a bit towards a heavier side. No detachable cable

U P

Should you buy it? means you won’t be able to swap them in for a shorter or longer one or even when they get snapped.

Overall

With a price tag of Rs 3,500, it is a perfect companion for students who appreciate and enjoy good sound. Age groups below that will not be able to value this offering.

The ATH-M20X is no doubt the best headphones you can buy in the sub Rs5,000 price bracket. With the frill-less sound, perfect balance between bass and treble and soft pad-

By Raghav Aggarwal Amity International School Alumni Noida

Amazing Apps SnapChat

An app with the mascot of a ghost which symbolises how you can share photos, videos and texts and make them disappear within the set time limit, like a ghost! What we like Offers a more realistic talking experience with exchanging pictures rather than texts of what one is up to. It also doesn’t save the incoming media on your phone so it relieves you from the stress of running out of space! To safeguard a person’s safety, Snapchat notifies you each time someone takes a screenshot of your snap. What we don’t like Other than any technical glitches, the most concerning factor has been one’s parents. My dad himself does not like the idea of exchanging pic-

tures and then having them disappear just like that, it is supposedly very unsafe and these pictures could be taken screenshots of while not letting the sender know by using thirdparty applications. It can also be highly addictive!

Dubsmash An app to create short selfie videos dubbed with famous sounds or dialogues.

What we like It is extremely interesting, funny and addictive. It’s the first of its kind, and has several different languages like English, Hindi, Ko, Polish etc. Sharing it via apps like Facebook, Whatsapp is also extremely user friendly. What we don’t like There is a limit to the length of sound

you could record, it can only be up to 10 seconds long.

Flipagram An app designed to help you create funphoto videos! What we like It is an innovative way to store memories in the form of an easy-to-make video! What we don’t like Trimming an audio clip to fit a certain time limit of the run time of the pictures is challenging.

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By Khushi Singh Class XII, Sanskriti School New Delhi

Volume 1| Issue 10| July 2015 | 33

P o t p o u r r i

Timeline of

Passport

From a royal letter to a microchip, the passport has come a long way

he earliest known reference of a passport is found in the Hebrew bible. Nehemiah 2:7-9, dating from approximately 450 BC, states that Nehemiah, an official serving King Artaxerxes I of Persia, asked permission to travel to Judah. The purpose of Nehemiah’s visit, incidentally, was to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. In the Medieval Islamic Caliphate, a form of passport was the bara’a, a receipt for taxes paid. Only people who paid their Zakah (for Muslims) or Jizya (for Dhimmis) taxes were permitted to travel to different regions of the caliphate. In Britain, the earliest surviving reference to a ‘safe conduct’ document appears during the reign of Henry V, in an Act of Parliament dated 1414.

Foreign nationals even got theirs free of charge, while English subjects had to pay. Incidentally, the monarch did not - and still does not - need a safe conduct document. In 1920, following an agreement among the League of Nations to standardise passports, the famous ‘old blue’ one was issued. Passport standardisation came about in 1980, under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which introduced machine-readable passports. In 1967, Passport Act was passed in India. The new Nicaraguan passport is reputed to be one of the least forgeable documents in the world. It has 89 separate security features, including bidimensional barcodes, holograms and watermarks. The Israeli passport is one of the

most useless travel documents, as it is not accepted by 23 different Muslim countries, nor by Cuba or North Korea. The Vatican, incidentally, has no immigration controls, but it does issue passports. The Pope, among his other honours, always carries Passport No 1. The passports of the future will feature embedded microchips and biometric data, such as photographs, fingerprints and iris patterns. Malaysia was the first country to introduce this technology, and Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, the Republic of Ireland and Poland, among others, have recently followed it. By Sahaj Narang Class VIII Progressive Education School, Indore