AN AMITY INITIATIVETHE GL BAL TIMES

Vol.2 Issue 3 August 2008

Smart Cards, pg 3

Uniform norms, pg 5

Attitude Pill, pg 2

Child Labour

“It is an irony that even after 50 yearsof independence, childhood in India

is in the shackles of shameless labour. Chil-dren still work in beedi manufacturingunits, in road-side dhabas, small factoriesand even electroplating units. This is reallya deplorable and heart wrenching scene. Itis heartening to note that the governmenthas taken note of the matter and imple-mented some legislative measures; we stillhave to go a long way,” says Pulkit Dua(IX), AIS Vasundhara.

Education

The current education system that con-tinues to emphasize on the marking

system and rote learning method, has drawna lot of criticism from all quarters. “Doingaway with the marks system shall definitelyreduce the depression level amongst chil-dren especially when they see all the ‘par-rots’ getting full marks, even though theyhaven’t understood a bit of it. Instead,knowledge should be based upon concep-tual understanding,” says Aarushi Jain(VIII D) of AIS East Delhi.

3Ps: Performance, Peers & Parents

“The present generation is burdened withthe 3P’s (Performance, Peer and ParentPressure). The rapid overpopulation of ourcountry clubbed with the uncountable opportunities available in the current world

have created too much of tension for young-sters and even adults. There is someonecompeting with you for every little thing.But emphasizing the problems of the teens,academic and peer pressure is somethingthat is ruining the lives of many,” says Shiv-angi Kakkar (IX-A) of AIS Pushp Vihar.

Reservation

Unable to understand the governmentobjectives and reservation quota fig-

ures for SC/ST/OBC, they definitely prickthe raw nerve of today’s youth. “It is absurdto imagine how merit can be compromisedfor caste while considering one’s eligibilityfor admission in any educational institution.It is equally amusing why the government’seducation policy is so dependent on reser-

vations and the ‘creamy layer’ being bla-tantly abused by generations when the in-tended objective of reservations has beenaccomplished by one generation of a fam-ily,” laments, Kritik Soman (IX A) of AIS,East Delhi.

Substance Abuse

Substantial substance abuse amongteenagers is a global concern. Warns

Shivangi Kakkar: “Several dangerousdrugs having adverse effects cause one toget addicted and ruin their future. Young-sters need to learn to be assertive, andstrongly refuse any such offers made byanyone, be it their trusted ones or strangers,and immediately consult an adult, no matterhow childish it may sound.”�

“Ta Thai’. Have you ever looked atthese words closely. ‘Ta’ is

straight, ‘Thai’ has a curve. One is male,the other female. And when they join tomake ‘Tat’, they create the world inwhich we live our entire life,” said Pan-dit Birju Maharaj in an exclusive inter-view with The Global Times. Histhought provoking conversation broughtforth the passion, simplicity, humility ofa legendry Guru, whose name is syn-onymous with ‘Kathak’. Man is so caught in his day to day life,that he loses touch with reality. To dis-cover life, one needs to snatch away theblinkers from one’s eyes and experiencethe truth. Pandit Birju Maharj truly sumsup the essence of life when he says, “Weall keep looking for something in life.For 20-25 years I did the same. When Iemerged out of the well of my ‘Ch-hand’, I found the universe dancing.With an honest effort, I have tried togive this dance form to others the way Isee it - pure, unadulterated and free.” From dancing in the courts of Nawabsto the international ‘arena stage’, BirjuMaharaj’s journey into the world ofKathak, left its trail, inspiring and evolv-ing, capturing the hearts of all.�

More on page 6

In a candid tete-e-tete withKathak maestro Pandit

Birju Maharaj, ManagingEditor-Vira Sharma,

unfolds the enigma thatsurrounds his simplicity

and love for the dance form

Come August, and one finds national-istic fervour catching on every-where; across cinema theatres,

traffic-lights, in ring tones, e-mails and TVchannels. The spirit of India lights up,spilling Indianness and blends with the myr-iad hues around it. What is so unique andspecial about this spirit of Indianness thatmakes us feel proud? Is ‘being Indian’ un-critically applauding our nuclear muscles?Or is it metamorphosing from wearing mini-skirts to saris and banning Valentine's Day?Or does it secretly imply that we must writeabout earthquakes in Bhuj and pot-belliedchildren on pavements? Or is it manifestedin our unshakeable ability to use skills as en-gines and spirituality as fuel?In the rapidly evolving India, while ourclothes have changed, the body is more ro-bust and competitive; the soul of Indiannessis still alive. A 42 year old vendor who sellsvegetables, making a few hundreds eachmonth, is a proud Indian. “Mere liye bhar-tiyata ka matlab hai sabhyata. Aur wohmujhe bahut sakoon deti hai,” he says. ForVandana Misra, school counselor, Indian-ness is a way of life. “It doesn’t mean wear-ing a particular attire or having a certain kindof food. It is a way of thinking and has nowbecome my lifestyle. I have grown with itand will die with it too”. “Indianness is myculture and karma”, believes Mr Sumedh, ateacher. For Amogh Sharma, a student, Indi-anness is a feeling he has been trained on.“Life will suddenly seem widowed withoutthis,” he quips. The pride and aspirationsrooted in an Indian for centuries is whatbinds them together. On the lighter side, Shashi Tharoor, careerstrategist at the UN, pointed out the strong

discriminators of Indiannesss in a leadingnational daily, which include Doodhwalas(salient features of India); Election symbols(lend both colour and clarity to our politicallandscape) and dance (has a curiouslyschizoid status in India. The revival of clas-sical dance since Independence has helpedIndians rediscover a precious heritage ofgreat beauty and skill)Our diversity is as much a source of India’sgreatness – and of Indians’ pride in their na-tion as her antiquity. This is as true in Goaas it is in Gujarat, in Jammu & Kashmir asmuch as in Kerala, in Manipur as much asin Madhya Pradesh, weaving a thread ofunity and harmony, a way of life throughoutIndia since time immemorial. “India”, saysAmole Gupte, writer TZP, “is a land ofgreat people. As a humanist, I think Indiahas given to the world people like Gandhiji,Baba Amte, Gautam Buddha and Mahavir.When I see these bastions from past history,what makes me proud as an Indian is the

5000 years of wisdom that we have humblygiven to the world without any ego andconceit. I feel at home in India. I’m com-fortable here – comfortable with the stinkand the squalor and the innumerous para-doxes that India is all about.” “Indianness isa sense of belonging, that makes me feelcomfortable and gives me solace,” saysKathak maestro Birju Maharaj.To quote Guru Rabindranath, “The tie hasbeen as loose as possible, yet as close ascircumstances permitted. This has pro-duced something like a United States of asocial federation, whose common name isBhartiyata.”�

Amole Gupte, Script WriterWhat makes me proud asan Indian is the 5000 years

of wisdom that wehave humbly given tothe world without any

ego and conceit.

Darsheel Safary, Child ActorI love everything about

India. There are somany beautiful places tovisit. I’m proud that India is

about unity in diversity.

Proud to be IndianAs India celebrates 61 years of independence, Anushka

Sibal of AIS Saket, discovers the spirit of Indianness

Exit G8. Surrounded with controversy, it failed to connect with the masses. Enter A7, the new voice of India, representing the youth, onconcerns that impinge on today’s generation. GT presents a range of issues that the Amity schools would like to raise, through this platform

The Global Voice of

Gen ZA7

What is the one thing youwould like to do to givethe day a patriotic feel?

Sing/hear patriotic songs

Wear Tricolour

Use patrioticring tones

54%37%

9%

If there were to be onlyone national holiday,which one would it be?

Independence DayDiwali

Gandhi Jayanti

69%19%

12%

If Gandhiji is ‘Father ofthe Nation’, the mother ofthe nation would be-

Mother Teresa

Indira Gandhi

Others

45%33%

22%

POLLThe Independence Daypoll conducted amongAmity school studentsreiterated the patrioticfervour and sprung up

some interesting results.

Photo Courtesy: AIS Noida

"India has two millionGods, and worshipsthem all. In religion,all other countries arepaupers; India is the

only millionaire."-Mark Twain

Food for thought

INSIDE

Nuke lowdown, pg 7

Beijing bells toll, pg 8

World MirrorNews with Views The Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

2

The Rajasthan government signed anagreement with the Gujjars on June

18, 2008 promising 5% reservation inthe state to a new separate category in-cluding Gujjars and recommendation tothe Centre for Gujjars to be included inthe Social Tribes list for reservation inCentral Services. For the aforesaid in-clusion, the Gujjar’s leader, ColonelBainsela called off the 27-day agitation.When groups like Meenas strongly op-posed the Gujjar demand, the Rajasthangovernment promptly clarified that theexisting reservation quotas would re-main untouched. Rajasthan CM, Va-sundhra Raje announced 14%reservation for poor among forwardcastes and sects. Including a few more,

the fresh reservation quotas which haverisen from 49%-50%, breach thesupreme courts upper limit of 50%.Comments: After 61 years of inde-pendence, do we really need reserva-

tions? If so, then should the criterion becaste or more logically and scientifically,economic affluence? Due to lack of op-portunities and resources, merit and tal-ent is sacrificed.�

Apula Singh & Mrida LakhmaniAIS Saket

The Supreme Court on the 22nd ofJuly directed the media to exercise

restraint while reporting on the Arushi -Hemraj double murder case. The news-paper and television journalists aresuggested to report the case with objec-tivity so as to not cause any prejudice tothe reputation of the teenager’s familyand friends. Also the petitioner hasrequested the police of all states toensure no information is leaked to themedia regarding a criminal case while itsinvestigation is pending.GT Views: The SC direction on thereporting pattern of print & visual mediais a welcome relief. Lack of sensitivityin reporting, simply to shoot-up the cir-culation and TRP’s is a human crime. �

Apula Singh & Mrida LakhmaniAIS Saket

The United States Presidential elec-tion of 2008, scheduled for No-

vember 4, 2008 has proven to be a rollercoaster of events. The presidential racehas been marked by several historicalfirsts, one of which is the globalizationof the campaigning. There is no doubt

that the Iraq War has centered heavilyin the campaign, and Obama’s objectionto long-term troop presence andrepeated calls for a withdrawal within16 months has formed a central spot-light of this campaign. However, JohnMcCain vows to keep troops in countryas long as necessary.View: Now the world awaits November4 when the President of U.S. will takehis oath for the office. �

Mallika Khera & Shriya SitaramAIS Noida

France rejoined Nato Command after42 years. President Nicolas Sarkozy

launched a major overhaul of the Frenchmilitary, cutting back the armed forces,beefing up intelligence and setting acourse for France’s return to NATOcommand.View: According to Latika of Presenta-tion Convent, “In the light of recent ter-ror attacks in different parts of theworld, France joining the command ofNATO is a smart move to secure thesafety of the nation. Many a people feelthat India must also adopt these hightech military techniques to confrontterrorism.”�

Apula Singh & Mrida LakhmaniAIS Saket

In July 2008, the inflation ratereached 11.91% which is the high-

est in 13 years and is even expected totouch higher. This is more than 6%higher than a year earlier and almostthree times the RBI’s target of 4.1%.The high inflation rate has affected theprices of all the commodities, be itfood grains, vegetables, fuel prices oreven the items of our daily use. Thedramatic increase in inflation willhave both economic and political im-plications for the government, with anelection due within the year.Comments compiled byMallika Khera& Shriya Sitaram, AIS NoidaPalak Mahanot (XII) AIS Noida: This

is burdening the common man. Thereis around 20% rise in the prices of allessential commodities. All householdbudgets are shaking.Views, Riya Mehta, Alcohn Interna-tional School: Our purchasing poweris decreasing. It is really difficult tosave money nowadays.Opines, Latika Singh, PresentationConvent: Price rise is badly affectingour household budget. The Govern-ment should immediately take strin-gent steps to curb this malaiseotherwise the BPL families will find itvery difficult to survive.GTViews: Agreed, inflation needs tobe curbed. Experts believe that it istime for us to rethink on our exchangerate policy to tackle inflation now.Question arises: Are we ready? �

Mallika Khera & Shriya SitaramAIS Noida

The UPA win of the Vote Of Confi-dence in the Lok Sabha paved its wayfor reforms- both economic and social.Comments: Says, Avantika Sinha,East Delhi resident: I always believedin the Congress party. I am very confi-dent about the UPA’s future policiesand looking forward to it.Comments, Tanushree Nair, AmityUniversity, Sec-125: At least now po-litical uncertainty has ended. We arehopeful that we shall now push aheadwith crucial economic reforms.�

Rajasthan gives quota to GujjarsThe big raceObama VsMcCain

Inflation:Cutting a holein your pockets

UPA winsvote of confidence

Mallika Khera & Shriya SitaramAIS Noida

Serial blasts in Bangalore striked ter-ror on July 26 blasts. Eight blasts in

35 minutes fragmented the lives of com-mon man raising the question of safetyonce again.Comments: Ankita Zutshi, AIS Noida:Blood and cries can break even an ani-mal, then how do these terrorists, beinghumans, cannot feel this pain.Gauri Agarwal, AIS Noida: Securityneeds to be tightened up. People tooshould be more alert and not panic.These blasts are undertaken only tothreaten and terrorize people as muchdamage was not caused. I pray the Gov-ernment acts on the warning bell. �

Blasts Rock IT City

Apula Singh & Mrida LakhmaniAIS Saket

On 18th July 2005 when U.S. presi-dent George W. Bush and Indian

PM Manmohan Singh reached a bilat-eral agreement on civilian nuclear coop-eration as envisioned in the jointstatement but the decision still lingerson. It faced criticism from outsiders andeven the Congress ally; Left created a lotof commotion in the Parliament regard-ing the same.

GT Comments: The trust vote was car-ried out on July 22nd and the congresssecured the majority though with somebribery claims and also at the cost of itsreputation. Now what the country awaitsis a stable decision on the proceedings ofthe nuclear deal….let us see what theIAEA has in store for us �

Nuke’s backon the track

“The television industry likes to see the simple complexity of the world. It prefers simple reporting, that is white, that’s black, that is good, that’s bad.” Krzysztof Kieslowski

Camera, lights,but no action

Akanksha GuptaAIS Pushp Vihar

On the night of 17th July ’08, thedriver of Supratim Dutta slept

while driving. When the car neared aconstruction site of metro, an angulariron rod ran through the car andDutta’s body. So courageous, he evenmanaged to call his mother and a fewacquaintances and remained con-scious all through the welding to cutthe iron so that he could be taken outof the car as well as when the rod (5feet) was taken out of him via surgery.It is believed to be God’s miracle thathe is still surviving.

Comments compiled byMallika Khera& Shriya Sitaram, AIS. NoidaSays Vidusha (XI) AIS. Noida: Thisshows that God exists inside everyone.The strength he displayed is truly moti-vating. I pray for his well-being.Opines, Vasundhra Garg (XII) AISNoida:We can deduce from this incidentthat fixity, grit and determination canbring miraculous changes in one’s lives.Quips, Ashish Thakur, KendriyaVidyalaya: It really inspires me to hearof stories where one sails through diffi-cult situations. Such a big rod, beingwielded in front of his eyes must havebeen horrifying. It really signifies-“Thoda courage, thoda magic”.�

“News with Views”. This unique effort aimed at honing the‘newsy seventh sense’makes an interesting read. Reporting onthe top-of-the-top national and international news with a youthperspective, Amitians display a lot of sensitivity and vision.

Mallika Khera & ShriyaSitaramAIS Noida

India and other SAARC (SouthAsian Association for Regional

Cooperation) members haveadopted a three-year action plan tocombat climate change. TheSAARC region is most vulnerableto climate change and thereby seri-ously affecting our agriculturaloutput.Comments: Admits MallikaKhera, AIS. Noida: It will affectproduction, cripple our vital infra-structures, diminish our natural re-sources and limit our developmentoptions.Says, Divya Sharma, EngineeringStudent: The increase in atmos-pheric temperature in the worldhas drastically affected the dailylife of every person. This step, Ihope will make our environmentmore clean and safe.

SAARCadoptsaction plan

Thoda courage thodamagic

INTERNATIONALNEWS

France rejoinsN A T O

Attitude Pill Chitra Jain, AIS Vasundhra

Gyan VigyanThe Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

3Science & technology

Nikita SrivastavaAIS, Noida

Scene IVikram: Mom can I play on the PSP?Mom:Not before you do your homework!Then a war of words and finally...Mom: OK, but only for half an hour.Familiar, isn’t it? Eight year olds fight-ing with their mothers for virtual playtime or older siblings trying to studywhile the younger ones spend hours onthe computer. Are children with I-podsPSP’s, cell phones and X-Boxes gettingtrapped in a gizmo net?

Scene IIVikram:Please give me ‘Spiderman‘ CD.Mom: Enough! Now go out and play!Vikram: But I need to exchange it with‘Road Rash’CD.Mom: Road rash? Will you go out andcycle, play badminton or football?Vikram(sulking): All right.

Computer to PSP and X-Box, have webecome stagnant? Can we teens imag-ine, even for a second, life without mo-biles and I-Pods? These gadgets havebecome our constant companions; theyconnect us instantly to our friends, playsongs for us when we are lonely and arealways there by our side (literally!).Welcome to the ‘Great Gadget Maze’! Itis the most unimaginable and extraordi-nary maze you will ever enter. Each timeyou think you’re reaching the end, itevolves into something bigger, better

and more exciting. You turn right andsee the I-pod 30 GB, you turn left andnotice the I-pod 60GB, and you turnaround and whoa! There sits the I-pod120 GB in a neat, petite box. You buy it,and six months later, the 160 GB I-pod isreleased and you cannot believe it hashappened!Technology is upgrading itselfevery hour. One is torn between what isbest and what one can afford. Even at theworkplace, the phone one carries de-cides one’s position; the more complex itis and the more one has spent on it, thebigger is one’s image.All around, peo-ple are pitting their gadgets againstthose of others. Maybe, humankind isnow at the verge of a newWorld (Gad-get) War!Vikram: Mom, I scored 3 goals today!Mom: Really? I thought you were play-ing badminton.Vikram: I’m talking about FIFA Streetmum. Goodnight! �

Indeoneel DasAIS , Saket

From cell phones to blenders, com-puters to cameras, we are pluggedinto a wired world. Poor boredom

is vanquished –thanks to whacky websites, pranks, puzzles, trivia games andeven the comparative study of one’sheight and weight to that of a celebrity isno longer incredible, but possible. Rightfrom fun learning to linguistic skills, theweb is an amazing world. Don’t worry ifyou are going to Italy and want to greetyour hosts in their lingo-linguistic, theskills are just a click away.Another gift of latest technology is themobile phone.What can cell phones notdo? These days everybody owns mobilephones, right from rickshaw pullers toCEO’s. Amongst my family of four, wehave three mobiles including a NokiaN73, a Nokia 6080 and a Nokia 6060.Mine helps me in so many ways; it con-nects me to the internet, enables me tobe in touch with everyone, it can clickpictures and is a very good entertainerwhenever I get bored. Another usefuland fanciful creation of technology isMP4 players, which are hot favouriteswith children and adults alike. Mobilephones and MP4 players are slowlycreeping their way to the second level ofman’s necessities.Well, it is techno 24x7; aren’t we allswept over by the techno-tsunami? Ithink we are. Somebody please unplugme from the wired world!�

Anantdeep Singh & Digant PandeyAIS Noida

In an era when gadgets get outdated insix months flat, the problem of e-waste or electronic waste is raising seri-ous solicitudes. Once an electronic good(anything from a computer to a calcula-tor) is hackneyed, we throw it into land-fills under the tag of e-waste. “Sincethese components are non biodegrad-able, they remain in soil and can lead totoxicity and even death,” says AnushaGupta of AIS Noida. 50 million metrictones of e-waste is generated per annumin the world. E-waste recycling, wheree-waste is melted and rejuvenated intoelectronics , appears to be the paramountsolution. The method is economicallyfeasible and environmentally hale butmaybe not the only ingredient needed tocook the dish of environmental success.It’s time to create vigilance in masses. �

Plugged in!

Every time you think you know it all, there enters a new gadget inthe electronic world that is bigger, better and more exciting!

Are we having too much of technology? Read on to find out..

OjaswiniAIS East Delhi

“Beep, beep,” goes the mobilethat doubles as alarm clockwaking you up religiously

each morning lest you miss the schoolbus. You get up, switch off the AC anddrag yourself to the washroom. Sulk!You have to use your own hands to brushyour teeth but worry not, for electronictooth brushes are already on the way. Ourlives have got so entangled in electron-ics that we care little for their damagingside effects. Each day, we spend at least

two hours on the mobile phone. Do youknow these gadgets radiate electro-mag-netic energy? Don’t worry, they don’tharm much, they just damage the brainnerves, make people nervous and cancause cancer! That’s all!Now let’s ponder a bit about man’s bestfriend - the computer. Well, PC’s a de-vice that each of us use, that too for longhours. Doctors believe that regular sit-ting on the computers can cause spinaland upper limbs problems, and also havefatal effects due to blood clotting. Pleasedon’t panic, that only happens if we sitfor long hours without taking breaks.

Now how many us do that?Let’s turn to the musical, handy headphones. I think it’s my duty to tell youthat our dear headphones can actuallyturn us deaf. That’s only if it is playedon a very high volume. I’m sure none ofyou is doing that, right? And yes, onemore thing, excessive use of headphonesweaken our reflexive muscles and manycases have been seen where headphoneshave even burnt the ears.Oh! Nowadays it’s so hot. I can’t imag-ine my life without an airconditioner. Iwant AC 24X7. While traveling, it’sthere in my car; as soon as I return fromthe school I stand before it and evenevery mall I visit is air-conditioned. No,don’t worry. I’m not going to provokeyou all against it. Just that it dries theskin by absorbing moisture from the sur-roundings and makes your skin itchywhich wrinkles fast. Maybe, we don’tsee any difference right now but one dayyou’ll get up and see your face aging 20years early! Do you have headaches orcatch cold very easily? Maybe one of itsmain reasons is continuous change oftemperature. From the heat directly tothe ice age and then from the ice age di-rectly to the heat!I’ve been writing for quite a while nowon my laptop. So I’ll take a short breakbefore my posture plays havoc in mylife. I had never thought, writing an arti-cle could be so dangerous! �

Entangled in electronics

Gadgetmaze

Best out of(e)waste

Technology is upgradingitself every hour. One istorn between what isbest and what one canafford. Mankind is at theverge of a gadget war!

Shantanu DeyAIS Pushp Vihar

School bunkers, there’s bad newsfor you. Some schools in Delhilike- FatherAgnel School Gautam

Nagar, have introduced the smart cardsystem which will definitely prove to bea nightmare for shirkers. However, par-ents would be happiest as it will put anend to their worries.Smart cards are devices attached toschool identity cards; they have a sensorwhich detects whether the child has en-tered the school campus or not. As soonas s/he enters the school, the smart cardsends an SMS to the child’s parents in-forming them that their ward hasreached the school. And the same is re-peated when the child leaves the school.Smart cards have some drawbacks,though. A student of Father AgnelSchool explains, “The sensor of thesmart card was so strong initially thatwhenever we passed by the school gate,it sent an SMS to our parents that we hadleft the school and this

created total chaos!”What if Amity gets smart cards? Quipsan VIIIth grader, “Smart cards will proveto be very good as parents will be assuredof their child’s security.” On the contrary,a Xth grader laments, “They will be veryharmful for bunkers as we won’t get achance to sneak out of school!”Bane or boon, there’s no escape fromtechnology. There’s a ray of hope forstudents as for smart cards, one needs alumpsum amount which all schools maynot want to spend. So just keep your fin-gers crossed. On the whole, a smart cardis an excellent way to monitor a child’ssecurity. It will save the attendance has-sles for teachers, and children will be ac-countable for themselves. �

Beware!Smart cards are there!

“It is assumed that anyone who makes a million dollars has a unique gift, though he might have made it off some useless gadget.” William Faulkner

Pic Courtesy: Ojaswini

Great! Here we have a budding reporter,who actually pens a real story from his

surroundings. Kudos for your ‘Aware andAlert’ reporting. Can we have more?

Smart cardsare devicesattached toI-cards, andhave a sensorto detect thechild’s pres-ence in school.

You, Me & HumWhose life is it anyway? The Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 20084

Procheta ChattarajAIS Sec 43 Gurgaon

The secret of health for both mind and body isnot to mourn for the past, not to worry aboutthe future or not to anticipate troubles, but to

live the present momentwisely and earnestly. Myfather followed this as-

tounding policy when hisformer company, Punjab

Wireless, faced a lockout.

I was about five years old at that time, yet I couldsense the disappointment and grief that engulfed myfamily. The whole world around us went topsy-tur-vey. While my mother would pray all day long; I sawmy father struggle hard to find ways for the companyto reopen. But he failed. Though disappointed, he did-n't lose hope and understood that men succeed, whenthey realize that their failures are the preparation fortheir success. He decided to start afresh and leaveChandigarh forever. This devastated my mother whowas completely crestfallen at the prospect and whywouldn’t she be? We had our own house in Chandi-garh, our friend circle and everything about the placewas special. My father took a job with Hexacom Lim-ited. The first year was ignominious. But as dayspassed into months and months into years, my fathergot promoted as General Manager and my mother be-came the Cultural Secretary of a social organisationnamed Durgabari. Though our world turned upsidedown, my father stood by us, sturdy as a rock. He feltthat life is a journey with many ups and downs andthere is nothing to be gained by talking about what isbeyond repair. His firm determination helped him tideover the hurdles and come out successful. True, Godteaches us by means of opportunities, so that we havetwo wings to fly and not one. �

Palak GroverAIS East Delhi

It’s not uncommon to hear ourselvestalk with friends and family mem-bers about the difficulty we have in

managing the challenges, obstacles andstress of everyday living. In our fastpaced world, many people deal with fre-quent or even constant stress. It seemslike we need to do more and more just tokeep up. There are always new chaptersto learn, homeworks to complete and as-signments to submit. Then there are re-lationships with friends and family tomaintain. Most of the time we arestretched to a breaking point, alwaysrushing around in frenzy, juggling toomany demands.Your genes, personality and life experi-ences, all influence the stress response inyour body. For example- one person mayfind it stressful to work on an assignedproject. Someone else might enjoy thecreative aspects of that project. Not allstress is bad. Scientists believe that a mod-erate amount of stress helps you to pre-pare for the challenges you’llencounter during the day.

10 signs of stress�Difficulty getting tosleep and early

morning waking�Increased irritability and restlessness�Increased sensitivity to criticism�High blood pressure and headaches�Acute anxiety�Loss of concentration�Sense of isolation and loneliness�Getting tired easily�Blaming others�Always feeling that something needsto be done and that you cannot simply sitand relax.

Managing stressDon’t deny or suppress your emotions,this adds to the stress. Don’t be afraid tocry. Crying relieves anxiety and pent upemotions.Do not add to your stress by thinkingabout what ‘might’ happen. If you findyourself asking ‘what if’, tell yourself‘so what!’

Make connections. Good relationshipswith friends and family are important.Make an attempt to reconnect with peo-ple. Accepting help, support from thosewho care about you can alleviate stress.Don’t rush to argue every time someonedisagrees with you. Keep a cool head, andsave your argument for things that reallymatter. Better still; try not to argue at all.Feeding your body the right food is es-sential to manage stress. Be sure to fol-low a healthy eating plan. Duringstressful sessions people tend to skipmeals. Avoid this.Meditate. Meditation helps settle yourmind so you can think calmly through-out the day. The goal is not for immedi-ate relaxation but to increase serenity. Itis an important tool to achieve mentalclarity and health. There is scientific ev-idence that it can improve blood pres-sure and relieve pain and stress.A meaningful activity helps relieve ten-sion. This can be a hobby or doing vol-unteer work for a cause that benefitsothers. Playing with and caring for petscan help you relax. Although you mayfeel that you are too busy, making timeto do something you like can help yourelax and distract your mind.Don’t try to be perfect. No one is. Andexpecting others to be perfect can add toyour stress level too (not to mention puta lot of pressure on them!).�

Shreya Mathur, AIS Noida

People say that teenagers have a breezy life. Suchpeople were obviously born adults. Each daystarts with a perpetual haze around me and I dress,

eat and get out of the house as if my mind and body aretwo separate entities. Once inside the school, the hazegets dimmer by a mosaic of angry teachers, unfinishedhomework and demanding friends. This mosaic revolvesconstantly before me like some effervescent impres-sionist painting for six hours each day. During these sixhours, I’m subject to a motley of emotions, sufficient fortwo Bollywood movies which, asa bizarre coincidence, would lastroughly six hours. Once I getback home, this mosaic is up-staged by a Shakespearean melo-drama where the tragic leads aremy parents and their mono-logues, the lectures I receive fornot doing my homework, notstudying, talking too much on thephone, putting the cat on fire, etc.In between all the chaos, I have tuitions to go, sports toplay, newspapers to read and TV to watch and all suchother things that adults have created to prevent teenagersfrom taking over the world. Meanwhile the perpetualhaze is still with me, enveloping my world in a grayishcocoon. But I still manage to plough on, eating junk foodthat is part of every teenager’s balanced diet, watchingthe odd movie once a week, chatting on the net for ameasly two hours a day and so on and so forth. And, atnight when I get ready for bed, I discover the reason forthe pesky haze – my dirty spectacles. �

Teenagers have a breezylife. Says who?

It’smy life

“The simple formula for a successful relationships: Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster.” Quentin Crisp

Your genes, personality and life experiences, all influence the stress response in your body

Stress Busters

F lavours of L i fe

To Shreya BansalGood friendshipdoesn’t need any

promises, any terms orconditions. It just needstwo wonderful people - onecool like me and onecute like you.Nandini Deipakk,AIS Gurgaon -43To Ishita,Friendship isn’tabout whom you

have known thelongest, who came first

or who cares the best. It’s allabout who came and never left. That’syou!

Harman Taneja, AIS EDTo My lovely friend Reyanka

The glory of friendship is not theoutstretched hand, nor the kindly

smile; it’s the spiritual inspiration thatcomes to one, when s/he discovers thatsomeone else believes in him and iswilling to trust him with his friendship.One such friend is you.

Procheta Chattaraj, AIS Gur 43To Manvika and Kusha,� A memory lasts for ever and neverdoes it die. True friends stay togetherand never say good bye!And this is ourfriendship.To Ojaswini,�No special words, no drama, nothingimpressive, only a small thing from thebottom of my heart. Wish you a verycute smile. Forever.

Harman Taneja, AIS ED

ToMalika, Mehak,Raghavi, Dhwani,� Here’s wishingyou a great life ahead.

May God bless you all.Palak Grover,

AIS EDTo Raghav Mittal &Abhishek Soni,� Friends are manybut the best is the onewho knows your se-

crets but hasn’t told any-one as yet.

Aditya, AIS NoidaTo Ria AIS Noida

� I will battle with time and trash allhurdles to take you to your destinationbecause your happy face is myfulfillment.

Isha Gupta AIS EDTo Savi, Chitra, Yakshi &Alankrita,� When I was upset, you stopped mefrom getting sunken eyes.When I was happy,you cried with me tears of joy.You kept encouraging me, even when Ifailed,You appreciated me for whatever I am.All I want to say isTHANKS for being there for me.

Ruchismita. AIS Vasundhara

SMSFriendship

“He didn’tlose hope andunderstoodthat men

succeed whenthey realizethat failuresare the prepa-

ration fortheir success”

Though our world turnedupside down, my father

stood by us, sturdy as a rock

Twowingsto fly

Guest Column: Pooja BagrodiaCounselor, AIS East Delhi

With exams round the corner, how do Imanage with so many activities vyingfor my time? Ishita, 12It’s important to know which activitiesare more important than others. Make a

list of them and then make a time chartas to how much time should be given towhich one. Compensate for the time lostduring the week by doing extra revisionor extra learning at weekends. You canalso ask your good friends to keep acheck on your time chart.Most of my classmates are in some or

the other group, especially those withthe most popular girls. I feel lost andalone. Please help. Rakhi, 13You must figure out what is attractingyou to the most popular group. Try toget involved in some of their activities.Also, you can find out what the rest ofyour classmates (those not in thatgroup) are interested in, maybe theyhave similar likings as you have. Hopeyou aren’t attracted to the big group justbecause others are!�

Let’s beat the stress

Counsel’s Korner

1

2

3

Teachers play an important role in ourlife. When was the last time you thankedyour teacher for all that s/he has done foryou? Through the GT Message Column,send your message to your teacher at -The Global Times, AKC House, E-27,Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024, andwin exciting prizes too.

� Increases the rate of metabolism (to aid weight loss)� Strengthens the immune system� Calms and steadies the mind� Improves focus and concentration

� Reduces stress� Better emotional control� Improves physical control of the body� Removes waste products as Carbon Dioxideand other toxic gases from the body, so that theydo not remain in the blood stream.

� Promotes healthy body, calm mind,and inner serenity� Strengthens and helps control of thediaphragm; improving abdominal toneand singing capacity.� Maintains overall fitness

5The Global Times Vol. 2, Issue 3, August 2008

How U doin?Lifestyle

Aditi PathakAIS Noida

Whilst everyone is hummingthe popular tunes of latestpreoccupation, yes, I am talk-

ing about Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, proba-bly everyone’s favourite film, cananybody forget that pretty heroine whowore those lovely berets in exquisitecolours? She has certainly set the trendfor the classes of 2008! So what are youwaiting for? Get a bunch of friends to-gether and go shopping to make youruniforms stand out.On a serious note, in school, we cannotbe dressing up like our favouritecelebrity fashion muse or a prima donnawho is dressed up by professional styl-ists in the latest couture which we all as-pire for. We have a school code whichwe cannot violate but there seems to beabsolutely no harm in making a classicstatement while wearing our uniforms.

We need to learn how to dress peppy andincorporate our individual and uniquestyle into it. This is merely because yourdaily attire reflects your personality in abig way.Wearing a well cut uniform throughoutthe year and teaming it with a smartblazer in the winters gives you a lot ofself confidence and you can manage tolook really poised. If you can carry offthis look, then hats off to you becauseusually one only seems to be impressedwhen someone’s shirt is hanging out andtheir laces are untied. Believe me, youwill trip one day! Setting a trend is re-ally easy and if you take pride in doingit, then you will have a lot of fans sooneror later trying to imitate you. Sometrends are really revolting but everyonegoes out to try it out just because every-one else is doing so.Before creating your neat and smart lookfor school, you need to see if you haveyour things together. You need to smellreally nice because you may not noticebut people cannot bear your body odour.But that doesn’t spell exhorbitantly pricedperfumes; a good deodrant will do themagic.Your uniforms should be sparklingand crisp and your hair should be veryclean and silky. Use a satin or tartan head-band to put your hair back and use a lightlip smacker. For the gentlemen, pleaseapply your hair gel moderately.If you wear glasses, then buy a funkyframe and if you wear braces, changetheir colour from time to time. Yourschool bag tells a lot about you. If it is areally plain bag, then you could acces-

sorise it with a few bag charms or theusual key chains. A simple scarf orbadge can also do the trick.Do not lose hope girls because your uni-form is now a salwar kameez. If youreview other schools uniforms, you’ll re-alize how much you love the fabulousgrey pleated skirt for middle school andthe striped shirts. Even the salwar kameezis a very Indian way of dressing and takeheart, it’ll only last for a year or two inyour entire school life. Schools are tem-ples of learning where uniforms bringabout similarity and generate a feeling ofbelonging.Where else can one get a feel-ing of oneness and togetherness than in aschool, and the one thing that brings itabout is, undoubtedly, uniforms. So, let’srejoice in the dignity of our uniforms. �

Mrida Lakhmani, Apula Singh &Kanika SharmaAIS Saket

Aschool uniform sounds boringand mundane. Wearing thesame dress, everyday to school

with the exception of birthdays (thankGod for small liberties), squeezes outhalf the energy as children step into theircitadels of learning. Spot-on uniformtrends and more.

Uniform on purposeThe word ‘uniform’ itself serves its basicpurpose. It was basically introduced to

maintain equality in school, but it hascome a long way from simple designs topolo shirts, culottes and jumpers, fromdresses decided by teachers to those de-signed by reknowned designers.

A global trendAcross the globe, the uniform codeseems to vary from country to countryand school to school. While Australiahas compulsory school uniform or else ahefty detention, Canada opts for a nouniform rule with severe consequencesagainst indecent or offensive clothing.Germany has never had uniforms and inRussia, they were abolished in 1992.

Designer School WardrobeImagine wearing designer school uni-form to school. Calorx School, Ahmed-abad hired fashion designer Niraj Paul todesign uniforms.According to Niraj, thenew design brings excitement to the stu-dents who always want something dif-ferent and exciting.

Are school uniforms best?In a sense yes, because they promoteuniformity of status in school, providedthey are student friendly and not wornby the students out of contempt. So dearAmitians, if you want to look smart,learn to love your uniform, because itsnot the uniform which make you lookhip or beautiful but it’s the little heartthat beats underneath those clothes thatmakes you the best!�

Palak Grover & Harman TanejaAIS East Delhi

Curd sandwichIngredients: 1 smallonion finely chopped; 1cup beaten curd & bread.Method: Mix onion andcurd, add salt to taste.Optional (Add slicedtomato and potato). Nowtoast the breads withoutbutter or cheese. Put thecurd on it and spread itslowly. Place another slice on

top of it and gently press. Enjoy!

Bread pizzaIngredients: Onions, cap-sicums, home made cream,rava & pepper.Method: For the topping: tossfinely chopped onions andcapsicums with salt andpepper. Add 1tea-spoonrava and 2 table spoonscream. Spread a layer ofthe mixture over the bread

and shallow-fry it on the fry-ing pan. Ready for a break?�

Dhwani JainAIS East Delhi

Doctor: Dear trendy, do you know thatall the ‘high fashion’ items you wear arehazardous for health?Trendy: What rubbish? Without them,my life would be incomplete. Now lookat my long earrings, high heels and lowwaist jeans. Aren’t they cool?Doc: Agreed. You definitely look greatwith those danglers, but those big andheavy earrings can even tear your ear-lobes and necessitate surgery.Trendy: Ok, do you also have problemwith high heels? Tell me who doesn’twant to look tall?Doc: But if you rely on high heels forlooking tall all the time, it may causebone fractures in case your feet turns in-wards. Wearing high heels is a walkingtalking orthopedic disaster.Trendy: But I don’t look good if I don’twear heels.

Doc: There is no need to do away withheels. But at least don’t wear those highheels that may cause problem in your legs.Trendy: Look at my jeans! Can youwear jeans as hip as mine?Doc: I don’t even want to try.

Trendy:Why not? They looks so nice!Doc: Wearing body hugging jeansaround the waist can cause nerve de-pression. They may lead to severe painand numbness outside the thigh.Trendy: So you mean to say that allthese trendy things can cause great harmto the body?Aunt: It’s great to stay cool but not to befoolish. To be fashionable is good, butwhen it gets dangerous, it may be harm-ful. So beware. Remember, “Dikhawonpar mat jao, apni akal lagao.”�

Uniform norms

Ouch! Fashion hurts

Shirts hanging out and laces untied?Dudes, smarten up your school wardrobe!

Style up uni-formwithmany-Andaaz

tion. So stop complicating life with painfuland rigorous workouts.Attain contentmentby just practicing restraint in breathing.

Harness the power of yoga and gain the 3-fold advantage ofFitness + Freedom from Stress + Everlasting happiness. �

Udita and VipanchiAIS Saket

References of our Vedas defining the philosophy, practiceand profits of yoga are available in ‘Upanishads’ and‘Puranas. The main credit for systematizing yoga goes

to Patanjali who wrote ‘Yoga Sutra’, two thousand years ago.Yet, this precious art of health was ignored for long. SwamiRamdev created buzz among yogic saints and instructorswith his arresting straight-forward talks and revival of an ef-ficacious and liberal form of yoga that has inspired and ben-efited crores of people all over the world.The advantages ofYoga are numerous.Apart from cur-ing widespread and common diseases like blood pres-sure, hypertension, obesity and diabetes it also providesmedication for incorrigibles like Parkinsons, asthma,piles and cancer and that’s just by 20 minutes of deepbreathing. What makes it versatile, is its aptnessfor all age group-toddlers, adolescents andadults. Moreover, it can also be easily accom-modatedwith the hectic schedule, which ex-plains for more and more celebritiesresorting toYoga as a healthy life style op-

DocP

ills

Mouth watering quickies

Teen Flavour

FitnessMantra

Happier, healthier, holierYoga is the the latest trend, with no bones to mend

Advantages

“Kids are really incredible, in terms of how much they dive into this and just take it as a given. They'll be the ones who really bring the web lifestyle into the mainstream.” Bill Gates

Models: AIS Saket, Photo: Pankaj Mallik

Big storyThe Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

7Complete lowdown

Background

What is NPT? NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) grants the

access of civilian nuclear technology toits signatories from each other as well asnuclear fuel via the Nuclear SuppliersGroup (NSG*) in exchange for Interna-tional Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)-verified compliance of the NPT tenets.India’s Stand: India does not sign, as itfeels that NPT is very biased creating aclub of “nuclear haves” and a largergroup of “nuclear have-nots” by restrict-ing the legal possession of nuclearweapons to those states that tested thembefore 1967, who alone are free to pos-sess and multiply their nuclear stock-piles. The treaty also fails to explain onwhat ethical grounds such a distinction isvalid. India insists on a comprehensiveaction plan for a nuclear-free worldwithin a specific time-frame and has alsoadopted a voluntary “no first use policy”.NSG*:An informal group led by US tocontrol exports of nuclear materials,equipment and technology.

India’s Nuclear ApproachStep 1: India signs The Civil NuclearCooperation Agreement on March 2,

2006 in New Delhi, between George W.Bush and Manmohan Singh followingan initiation during the July 2005 Sum-mit in Washington.Step 2: The 123 Agreement: The 123Agreement of Indo-US nuclear dealrefers to Sec. 123 of the U.S.Atomic En-ergy Act. We bring some highlights.�The terms of engagement operational-izes the treaty agreement between Indiaand USA for transfer of civil nucleartechnology.�The next step is to enter into agree-ment with the IAEA (InternationalAtomic Energy Agency) for safeguardsof the civil nuclear reactors to be set upunder the 123 agreement and to enter intoan agreement with the NSG (nuclear sup-pliers group) for supply of nuclear fueli.e. uranium for the civil nuclear reactors.�Once it is approved by the US Con-gress, then the deal is complete and Indiaand USA can enter into nuclear com-merce i.e. supply of nuclear reactors,transfer of technology, supply of nuclearfuel etc.

Political FalloutUPA: Regards that the expertly draftedand dexterously negotiated nuclear deal

is absolutely essential and advantageousto the country’s national interests in everyrespect. It even put to stake the mostsought after office in the land for the sakeof a national imperative in the face of direpolitical opposition all aroundNDA: The main opposition party, thatlaid the groundwork for the deal, criti-cized the deal saying that the deal in itspresent form was unacceptable to BJPand wanted the deal renegotiated. Itasked the government not to accept thedeal without a vote in the legislature.Left Front: The primary opposition tothe Nuclear deal in India, comes from theCommunist Party of India (Marxist) andits parliamentary allies (CPI, RSP,AIFB). On November 17 the left partieshad provisionally agreed to let the gov-ernment initiate talks with the IAEA forIndia specific safeguards which indicatedthat they may support. The CPI(M), anexternal parliamentary supporter of gov-ernment as it stipulates conditions that insome areas are more severe than theclauses in either the NPT or the CTBT. Itformally withdrew its support to UPA-led government on July 8.Others: In 2006, several top Indian nu-clear scientists had written an appeal to

Indian Members of Parliament to ensurethat “decisions taken today do not inhibitIndia’s future ability to develop and pur-sue nuclear technologies for the benefitof the nation.” Also, in November 2007,former Indian Military chiefs, bureau-crats and scientists drafted a letter toMembers of Parliament expressing theirsupport for the deal.

The Pros & Cons�Resolves Indian economies growingneed for energy demands to secure itsenergy needs of coal, crude oil, and nat-ural gas.�Spurs India’s economies and bring in$150 billion in the next decade for nu-clear power plants of which US wants ashare too.�A credit extended to India and notPakistan based on its strong non-prolif-eration record and stable democracy�Increase the production of nuclearpower generation from 4,000 MW atpresent to 20,000 MW in 10 years.�It shall indirectly increase our de-pendence on other nations for nuclearfuel rather than striving towards devel-oping our own resources. Eg: Tarapur.�We cannot ensure regular supply fromother nations due to their policy changesin their respective countries.�It is vulnerable to terrorist attack andnuclear leak through human error, theftof fuel. �

The Nuclear-deal uprore had the nation standing on its feet. Is it the magic potion to our nation’sprogress or just another political gimmick? Satrajit Sahani of AIS East Delhi gives a complete

low-down on the nuclear issue. Read on to know everything about it ...

NUCLEAR FUSION

“And Lord, we are especially thankful for nuclear power, the cleanest, safest energy source there is. Except for solar, which is just a pipe dream.” - Dan Castellaneta

Nuke treaty :Deal with it!

Indian needsWhat’s the hurry to allow ourselves to be

trapped in the US policy of ‘either youare with us or against us’? Indian leadershipneeds to review all aspects of the deal and goslow with such an expensive deal.We need toaddress the concerns of the people and somevalid points raised by the people and need aclear study on the pre-and post deal scenario.

India has rich natural resources and is ableto produce excess energy, if they utilize the

same. For example, we can use hydro power,wind energy, thermal energy, solar, wave, hy-drogen and other such energy sources, whichis a vast potential for India and not muchdamaging to environment and cost effective.

India needs a better national energy pol-icy and more investment and focus on Re-

search & Development. Whether its USAorIndia, it’s vast energy need for petro-prod-ucts and dependency on other country leadsto a disastrous end at the hands of bullyingOPEC nations. We should not live at any-body’s mercy.

The deal is good butcould have been negoti-ated better. There are

some points that are wor-risome and could createbottle necks in the na-tion’s progress. We haveonly got the ‘de-facto’status and not the ‘de-

juro’ status.K Kumar, Journalist

“They say, nuclear dealhas something to do withproviding electricity andthe nation’s progress. Ionly know for sure thatmy household budgethas overshot by 50%. “Nutan Karjee, Housewife

The nuclear deal isdefinitely not good forthe nation’s health in thelong run. Our leaders arealso not taking any sternsteps in this regard. Theygive importance to theirpersonal issues over thenational interest. This isa serious matter andshould be dealt with

seriously.Sunita Sahni, Teacher

Comments compiled byAmlaan Kumar(V-F), AIS Noida

Imaging: Pankaj Kumar Mallik

There is a great campaigngoing in the media that ifthe deal is not pushed, theIndo-US relation is goingto suffer. It is quite wrongand such threats shouldnot be taken into account.There is a perceptionamong poor people in

India that US always pro-

tects the elite’s interest.The deal has nothing to dowith the lives of morethan 1 billion (US) citi-zens. Hence, such opposi-tion from the people’s sideagainst such deal is quite

natural.Dr. Sanjay Sarup,

orthopedic, Max Hospital.

From what I understand,we are giving America theright to develop nuclearpower. We are allowingourselves to be overpow-

ered by the US.Shantanu, Student

SportsHowzatt!?!8

“To brag a little - to show well - to crow gently, if in luck - to pay up, to own up, and to shut up, if beaten, are the virtues of a sporting man.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Aarushi JainAIS East Delhi

Fencing is a major sport played inmany parts of the world. But areall people really aware about this

awesome sport? If you don’t know aboutfencing, then just read on.Fencing is the art of armed combat in-volving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeon-ing weapons directly manipulated byhand, rather than shot. Three weaponsthat survive in modern competition offencing are foil, épée, and sabre.While the weapons fencers use differ inshape and purpose, their basic construc-tion remains similar across the disci-plines. Every weapon has a blade and ahilt. The hilt consists of a guard and agrip. The guard is a metal shell designedto protect the fingers. The grip is theweapon’s actual handle.A fencing bout takes place on a strip, or

piste, which, according to the current FIEregulations, should be between 1.5 and 2meters wide and 14 meters long. Thereare at least three people involved: twofencers and a referee. The referee may beassisted by two or four side-judges (alsoknown as corner-judges). The arrival ofthe electronic scoring apparatus has ren-dered them largely redundant.Foil and sabre are governed by right ofway rules, according to which the fencerwho is the first to initiate an attack (bystraightening the arm). Commonly butincorrectly it is said that the person who

parries receives right of way. Instead, theperson who parries must initiate an at-tack to gain right of way; parrying justeliminates the opponent’s right of wayand grants the defender the right to makea riposte. In the event of a double touch(both fencers landing a hit at the sametime), only the fencer who had right ofway receives a point.A great deal in fencing, depends on beingin the right place at the right time. In gen-eral, Olympic fencing has put a premiumon balance, speed, and athleticism infootwork, somewhat diluting orthodox-ies regarding the classical stances andmethods. To a degree, this has led to in-creasing resemblance between fencingfootwork and that of other martial arts,with the significant caveat that a scoring“touch” requires almost no power behindthe blow, only timing and the ability tomanipulate distance. So, keep Fencing!�

Harsh KhatriAIS Saket

The Beijing Olympicsthat commenced amidstmuch fanfare on August8, shall witness 10,500athletes competing in 302events in 28 sports (165

men’s events, 127 women’s events, and10 mixed events), one event more intotal than in Athens. Officially known asthe ‘Games of the XXIX Olympiad’, the2008 Summer Olympics is truly an in-ternational multi-sport event. The pro-gram for the Games, similar to that ofthe Athens Games held in 2004.

The host: China“The winning of the 2008 Olympic bidis an example of the international recog-nition of China’s social stability, eco-nomic progress and the healthy life ofthe Chinese people,” said the Vice Pre-mier of China. It was a conscious deci-sion of the Chinese government topromote the games to highlight China’semergence on the world stage. The con-

struction of all thirty-oneBeijing-based Olympic

Games venues com-menced in May 2007.Almost 85 percent of

the constructionbudget for thesix main ven-ues wasfunded by US$ 2.1 billion

Official Music‘Light the passion, share the dream’, theofficial theme for the torch relay with theEnglish version was performed by the106 contestants of Miss World 2007.The official song included for one-yearcountdown was the number “We AreReady” with a version recorded byJackie Chan and ‘Beijing Huan Ying Ni’(Beijing welcomes you) for the 100-daycountdown celebration. “I am a Star”and “Smile Beijing” were selected astheme songs for the Beijing OlympicVolunteers Committee.

2008 Olympic TorchThe design: It is based on the traditionalscrolls and a traditional Chinese designknown as the ‘Propitious Clouds’. Theflame can remain lit in 65 kilometers perhour winds, and in rain of up to 50 mil-

limeters per hour.The relay: It commenced on 24 March2008, in Olympia Greece and concludedat Beijing, on 31 March, passingthrough every continent except Antarc-tica. A total of 21,880 torchbearers wereselected from around the world by vari-ous organizations and entities. The flamewas even carried to the top of MountEverest, covering 108 kms long ‘high-way’ scaling the Tibetan side of themountain especially built for the relay.Interference inertia: Despite humanand natural interference, the flamereached Beijing safely. Wide-scaleprotests to China’s human rights abusesand crackdown in Tibet, trouble in Lon-don with several attempts to douse theflame was followed by the flame beingextinguished in Paris. Changing the

course of route, the American leg in SanFrancisco was altered, with the remain-ing legs moving with less controversies.The natural devastation of 2008 Sichuanearthquakes affecting western Chinafuthur delayed the run.

Beijing Stadium: a masterpieceBeijing National Stadium, nicknamedthe “Bird nest” (because of its nest-likeskeletal structure) features a lattice-likeconcrete skeleton forming the stadiumbowl with a seating capacity of 91,000people. Located in the Olympic Green,it occupies 21.4 hectares, stretchingupto 333 meters from north to southand 298 meters from east to west. Thestadium offers a decorative sound-proof, wind-proof, rain-proof, and evenUVA protection to its already impres-sive body. �

Saksham BangaAIS Noida

I love to play myfavourite sportCricket with thespirit: “Play fairwith the spirit ofthe game.”When Pakistaniplayer Mo-hammed Asif

was charged with doping at IPL, I wasdejected. Honestly, players should playsincerely and not spoil the spirit of thegame. By taking drugs, you not onlycheat yourself but also your fans andcountrymen who hold you in high es-teem. Every player should be mentallyand physically tough and not get in-volved in such outrageous act. �

Let’s play fairSoumya Sharma

Communication tuned-in

The Beijing subway system doubledits capacity to accommodate the

huge rush for games, including directlinks to Beijing Intl. Airport. Metrocars fitted with video screens showingthe latest news and events during thegames. Cellphone signals available, en-sured all communication devices in themetro stations or underground. A newfive-level emergency alert system forextreme weather and security threatswere implemented to ensure smoothand safe transportation of the viewers.

Inky pinky ponkyBeijing bells the pollution donkey

In the last moment, one month prior tothe commencement of Olympics, ef-

forts were made to make Beijing a pol-lution-free venue. Traffic restrictions,factory closures and industrial cut-backswere enforced to bring blue skies andeasy breathing for athletes.And when that was not enough, theywent inky-pinky-ponky. On a sunny day,only cars with even licence plate num-bers were allowed on the city’s wide av-enues and special Olympic lanes wereempty. Cars were banned on alternatedays depending on whether their licenceplates ended in odd or even numbers.

Speilberg walks out

Steven Speilberg, the Hollywood di-rector quit as an artistic adviser to

Beijing. Reason: China was not doingenough. It has spent billions of dollarson the Chinese capital but done nothingabout the protesting Tibetans and pollu-tion, it’s main problems.�

THE GL BAL TIMES

Crown....goes to China for hosting the BeijingOlympics despite all odds. First, itwas the Olympic flame controversy.This was fol-lowed by effec-tivelycombating ter-ror threat. Withtickets com-pletely sold out,China deployedall its machinery and resources to stallrain during the opening ceremony.Surely it sent out the message ... ‘roksake to rok lo.’ Anybody? It left nostone unturned to ensure the Olympictriumph. Focus, with determination, isthe key to success.

Sport Spotted

In Fencing, a great dealdepends on being atthe right place at the

right time.

The Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

The Beijing Bells tollMascot

They are the five Fuwa (‘goodluck dolls’):Beibei, Jingjing,

Huanhuan, Yingying, and Niniroughly corresponding with the fiveelements of Chinese philosophy:water, metal, fire, wood and earth.The colours of Fuwa, represent thecolour of the five Olympic rings thatstand for the five continents. Whentheir names are put together - BeiJing Huan Ying Ni – they say “Bei-jing welcomes you”, thus offering awarm invitation.

Slogan

One World, One Dream, callsupon the world to unite in the

Olympic spirit. It was chosen fromover 210,000 entries submitted fromaround the world.�

Olympic logoThe official logo titled ‘Dancing

Beijing’ features astylized calligraphiccharacter ‘jīng’ (na-tional capital), refer-eing to the host city.The emblem com-bines a traditionalChinese red sealand the calli-graphic characterwith athletic features.

The art of Fencing

MosaicThe Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

9Potpourri

Having friends is joyous best,With them you can laugh and jest.The help that they give selflessly,You cannot repay with money.With you they want to play,Whether its night or day.Forget not to appreciate your chum,Else you will be pretty glum.Add new friends one by one,Enjoy a life full of fun!�

O’ mother! Thank you for the love showered,Your caring touch is like the dew drops.Heritage and culture are the wealth of your land,Towards neighbours you extend a helping hand.Your ethics and morals are your pride,On the eve of any festival you look like a dazzling bride.You are the messenger of harmony and peace,Here we all live in absolute bliss.I respect you from the depth of my heart,O’ mother INDIA! Together towards progress we depart.�

Are we really free!!Even after 61 years of independencePoverty and misery are in abundanceGovernment, insensitive and corruptPlans programs and policies only on paper but do not resurrect.

Aids and subsidies are there indeedBut do not reach the poor in needPolicy failures everywhere eruptCommitting suicides, farmers cut promises abrupt.

School buildings without roofs and altarTeachers without pay, classrooms without desks,Midday meal without scheme, always faulters.

Hospitals without doctors, wards without nursesMaintenance and sanitation are sin,Frauds and mismanagement but always win.

Unsafe water to drink and bathe,Still relieving under open skyEpidemics and diseases are order of the dayWhile officials and law-makers make hay.

Tolerance is our cultural heritageYet, daily accidents occur due to road rage,Many women are still trapped in their home-cage,

So news is always depressing on the front page.

Child labour is rampant everywhere,But the government does not care,Reservations serve the political ends,Kills merit and talent, but who cares!Are we really free, after forcing British to flee?? �

Peeh

uG

upta

,AIS

Noi

da

Joys of friendshipRuchi Avtar, AIS Vasundhra

Mother IndiaProcheta Chattaraj, AIS Sec 43, Gurgaon

Are we really free?Akanksha Gupta, AIS Pushp Vihar

I am a flowerUndernourished in a deserted valeFrom haunts of tempest and thunderNow detached and pale.

I was shed in a brookAnd so sighed in temporary relief‘Cause the waves lash’d and shookAnd took me for an unprepared ordeal.

So whirling with the eddying watersAnd cascading with the waterfallThrust by sleet and downpoursIn the hail of the fall.

And curse my sedentary existenceThe water wild went o’er meAnd little could I move my petalsWhich soon desolated me.

Yet some loyal remainedAs my forlorn hopeBut even then I was madeTo doubt my faith and troth.

I flow, still, relentlesslyThough numb and cold this seasonTo see the spring sunshine and lilySomewhere beyond the horizon.�

The Inevitable SufferingAshish Magoo, AIS Saket

Anv

ayG

rove

r,A

ISN

oida

Saanika BagaAIS Noida

Anushka Singh & Nikita NarulaAIS Pushp Vihar

The culture of reading fairy tales isbeing passed on from the oldergenerations to the upcoming gen-

erations. That is the same as saying thatthe generations are playing passing theparcel game with the culture of readingfairy tales. Our parents read them in theirchildhood days, we read them in ourchildhood days and now we see ourcousins reading them.Have you ever wondered what this cul-ture of reading fairy tales is and that toothe same ones like Cinderella and RedRiding Hood being followed till date?Well, I’m sure it has a lot to do with themystical and magical world of imagina-tion that most of us likes to be trans-

ported to, even if for a short time. Theauthor of Cinderella and Red RidingHood was Charles Perrault and werepublished in the 17th century. Thismeans that the culture of reading fairytales started in the 17th century and hasbecome very popular amongst childrensince then. Thus, children hear aboutthem from their parents and enjoy itthoroughly. We hope that this culture ofreading fairy tales keeps passing on. �

Fairy tales

“All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Photo JournalismWhoops! This section received themaximum entries. Wannabe photog-raphers are definitely on a rise.

Special Mention: Abhinandan, IIIA, AIS East Delhi

I-Care Junction

First Prize: Aakanksha Chhokra, XI-A, AIS, Saket…. for her inspiring interview of Mr.Dinesh Arya, a 35 year old successfulbusinessman who is working tirelesslyto help the needy and poverty-strickenpeople and those suffering from Tha-lassemia, by showering affection andproviding monetary support.

Heritage Junction

First Prize: Barkha Jain, VIII ASecond Prize: Megha Jain, X C

Bookworm Junction

First Prize: Daksh Chhokra, AISGurgaon

Movie Junction

First Prize: Aishwarya Sharma,VII A, AIS Noida

First PrizeRaghav Paul, V, AIS East Delhi

‘Baby elephant enjoying heavy rain atRoyal Chitwan National Park, Nepal’

Third PrizeAditi Sharma, III C, AIS, Noida

Endangered Beauty

The impact of Youth Power isbeing felt. The Global Times

received overwhelming entrieswith thoughtful views and visions.As we take our search for thetrue representation of YouthPower a step forward, getgeared-up for the third phase.Ten students shortlisted in eachschool on the basis of the entriesreceived shall compete for agroup discussion. Watch out forthe names on The Global TimesNotice Board to be announcedshortly.Watch out for this space in thenext edition, for the name of thefinalists.Together, we shall set newdefinitions of ‘Youth Power’.

Dear friends,The Global Times Summer Special X’press that commenced ahead of the Summerbreak, received a number of entries as it crossed its myriad fun-filled junctions viamails and e-mail. We definitely enjoyed viewing the entries while you had the fun ride.And now we bring to you the results of this magnificent journey.

Bhavna & SajalAIS, Sec. 43, Gurgaon

Student: Nurse! Nurse!No one pays attention tome.Nurse: Next!

Teacher: Here is your re-port card .Ben: I don’t want to scareyou, but my dad said if Ididn’t get good grades,somebody was going toget spanked.

Teacher: Can you namethe seven continents?Phil: I don’t have to. Theyhave already been named.

Cafeteria worker: Whydo you keep spitting onyour food?Steve: I thought you mightwant some feedback.

Ryan: What’s that in myfood?Cafeteria worker: Askyour science teacher. Ican’t tell one insect from

another.

Carl: My brother copieseverything Ido!Nurse: Why is he actinglike an idiot?!

George: Mom, does Godgo to bathroom?Mother: Why do you ask,my child?George: I heard dad saying“Oh! God are you still in-side?” in the morning.

Riddle:Q. Why did the policesearch the boring teacher’sclassroom?A. They’d heard there’dbeen a kid napping.�

1. What is A 7?2. Who got the GT Crown and

why?3. Name the person who danced

her way to the Limca Book ofRecords.

4.What is NPT?5. What is the official Logo of

Olympic 2008?

Youth Powerenters third phase

JOKES Second Prize Harshit Singh,

VII, AIS, Vasundhara,

‘In this worldeverybody has

his space’

Send your answers to: The Global Times, AKC House, E-27,

Defence Colony, New Delhi - 25Five early bird entries will win special prizes.

Friends, by now you must have browsedthrough this issue of The Global Times.

Answer the following questions andcheck how well you know our paper.

MosaicThe Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

9Potpourri

Having friends is joyous best,With them you can laugh and jest.The help that they give selflessly,You cannot repay with money.With you they want to play,Whether its night or day.Forget not to appreciate your chum,Else you will be pretty glum.Add new friends one by one,Enjoy a life full of fun!�

O’ mother! Thank you for the love showered,Your caring touch is like the dew drops.Heritage and culture are the wealth of your land,Towards neighbours you extend a helping hand.Your ethics and morals are your pride,On the eve of any festival you look like a dazzling bride.You are the messenger of harmony and peace,Here we all live in absolute bliss.I respect you from the depth of my heart,O’ mother INDIA! Together towards progress we depart.�

Are we really free!!Even after 61 years of independencePoverty and misery are in abundanceGovernment, insensitive and corruptPlans programs and policies only on paper but do not resurrect.

Aids and subsidies are there indeedBut do not reach the poor in needPolicy failures everywhere eruptCommitting suicides, farmers cut promises abrupt.

School buildings without roofs and altarTeachers without pay, classrooms without desks,Midday meal without scheme, always faulters.

Hospitals without doctors, wards without nursesMaintenance and sanitation are sin,Frauds and mismanagement but always win.

Unsafe water to drink and bathe,Still relieving under open skyEpidemics and diseases are order of the dayWhile officials and law-makers make hay.

Tolerance is our cultural heritageYet, daily accidents occur due to road rage,Many women are still trapped in their home-cage,

So news is always depressing on the front page.

Child labour is rampant everywhere,But the government does not care,Reservations serve the political ends,Kills merit and talent, but who cares!Are we really free, after forcing British to flee?? �

Peeh

uG

upta

,AIS

Noi

da

Joys of friendshipRuchi Avtar, AIS Vasundhra

Mother IndiaProcheta Chattaraj, AIS Sec 43, Gurgaon

Are we really free?Akanksha Gupta, AIS Pushp Vihar

I am a flowerUndernourished in a deserted valeFrom haunts of tempest and thunderNow detached and pale.

I was shed in a brookAnd so sighed in temporary relief‘Cause the waves lash’d and shookAnd took me for an unprepared ordeal.

So whirling with the eddying watersAnd cascading with the waterfallThrust by sleet and downpoursIn the hail of the fall.

And curse my sedentary existenceThe water wild went o’er meAnd little could I move my petalsWhich soon desolated me.

Yet some loyal remainedAs my forlorn hopeBut even then I was madeTo doubt my faith and troth.

I flow, still, relentlesslyThough numb and cold this seasonTo see the spring sunshine and lilySomewhere beyond the horizon.�

The Inevitable SufferingAshish Magoo, AIS Saket

Anv

ayG

rove

r,A

ISN

oida

Saanika BagaAIS Noida

Anushka Singh & Nikita NarulaAIS Pushp Vihar

The culture of reading fairy tales isbeing passed on from the oldergenerations to the upcoming gen-

erations. That is the same as saying thatthe generations are playing passing theparcel game with the culture of readingfairy tales. Our parents read them in theirchildhood days, we read them in ourchildhood days and now we see ourcousins reading them.Have you ever wondered what this cul-ture of reading fairy tales is and that toothe same ones like Cinderella and RedRiding Hood being followed till date?Well, I’m sure it has a lot to do with themystical and magical world of imagina-tion that most of us likes to be trans-

ported to, even if for a short time. Theauthor of Cinderella and Red RidingHood was Charles Perrault and werepublished in the 17th century. Thismeans that the culture of reading fairytales started in the 17th century and hasbecome very popular amongst childrensince then. Thus, children hear aboutthem from their parents and enjoy itthoroughly. We hope that this culture ofreading fairy tales keeps passing on. �

Fairy tales

“All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Photo JournalismWhoops! This section received themaximum entries. Wannabe photog-raphers are definitely on a rise.

Special Mention: Abhinandan, IIIA, AIS East Delhi

I-Care Junction

First Prize: Aakanksha Chhokra, XI-A, AIS, Saket…. for her inspiring interview of Mr.Dinesh Arya, a 35 year old successfulbusinessman who is working tirelesslyto help the needy and poverty-strickenpeople and those suffering from Tha-lassemia, by showering affection andproviding monetary support.

Heritage Junction

First Prize: Barkha Jain, VIII ASecond Prize: Megha Jain, X C

Bookworm Junction

First Prize: Daksh Chhokra, AISGurgaon

Movie Junction

First Prize: Aishwarya Sharma,VII A, AIS Noida

First PrizeRaghav Paul, V, AIS East Delhi

‘Baby elephant enjoying heavy rain atRoyal Chitwan National Park, Nepal’

Third PrizeAditi Sharma, III C, AIS, Noida

Endangered Beauty

The impact of Youth Power isbeing felt. The Global Times

received overwhelming entrieswith thoughtful views and visions.As we take our search for thetrue representation of YouthPower a step forward, getgeared-up for the third phase.Ten students shortlisted in eachschool on the basis of the entriesreceived shall compete for agroup discussion. Watch out forthe names on The Global TimesNotice Board to be announcedshortly.Watch out for this space in thenext edition, for the name of thefinalists.Together, we shall set newdefinitions of ‘Youth Power’.

Dear friends,The Global Times Summer Special X’press that commenced ahead of the Summerbreak, received a number of entries as it crossed its myriad fun-filled junctions viamails and e-mail. We definitely enjoyed viewing the entries while you had the fun ride.And now we bring to you the results of this magnificent journey.

Bhavna & SajalAIS, Sec. 43, Gurgaon

Student: Nurse! Nurse!No one pays attention tome.Nurse: Next!

Teacher: Here is your re-port card .Ben: I don’t want to scareyou, but my dad said if Ididn’t get good grades,somebody was going toget spanked.

Teacher: Can you namethe seven continents?Phil: I don’t have to. Theyhave already been named.

Cafeteria worker: Whydo you keep spitting onyour food?Steve: I thought you mightwant some feedback.

Ryan: What’s that in myfood?Cafeteria worker: Askyour science teacher. Ican’t tell one insect from

another.

Carl: My brother copieseverything Ido!Nurse: Why is he actinglike an idiot?!

George: Mom, does Godgo to bathroom?Mother: Why do you ask,my child?George: I heard dad saying“Oh! God are you still in-side?” in the morning.

Riddle:Q. Why did the policesearch the boring teacher’sclassroom?A. They’d heard there’dbeen a kid napping.�

1. What is A 7?2. Who got the GT Crown and

why?3. Name the person who danced

her way to the Limca Book ofRecords.

4.What is NPT?5. What is the official Logo of

Olympic 2008?

Youth Powerenters third phase

JOKES Second Prize Harshit Singh,

VII, AIS, Vasundhara,

‘In this worldeverybody has

his space’

Send your answers to: The Global Times, AKC House, E-27,

Defence Colony, New Delhi - 25Five early bird entries will win special prizes.

Friends, by now you must have browsedthrough this issue of The Global Times.

Answer the following questions andcheck how well you know our paper.

College CampusUniversity Buzz The Global Times Vol.2, Issue3, August 200810

Sampada Sansara, ANN

Anenthusiastic batch of young,bright, spirited and passionatestudents joined theAIBS fam-

ily this year and commenced their twoyears rigorous training with one of thebest and largest International BusinessSchools of Asia.A structured Orientation Programmewas conducted for them with an aimto imbibe the schools philosophy, ex-plore their creative talents and incul-cate management lessons throughpractical experience of organizingevents such as community lunch.A solemn ceremony of ‘Havan andPuja’was organized to seek the bless-ings of God Almighty. The studentswere imparted first lessons and adviceon communication, thinking out-of-the-box and their code of conduct dur-ing their tenure at the institute, allusing researched letters/stories of rolemodels, specially designed exercises

and interactive sessions.Sports forms an integral part of activ-ities at AIBS, hence the students tookpart in sports events every day afterclasses. They were also joined-in bynot only their faculty but also the ProVC-AUUP and DG AIBS. The stu-dents were divided into groupsnamely: Achievers, Believers, Cre-ators, Dreamers, Enhancers, Facilita-tors, Go-Getters, Hi-Flyers andInnovators, with various scheduledevents that ensured that the they workhard and put in over sixteen hours ofwork from day one.Besides academics various sports,culture, debates, quizzes, discussionsand deliberations held, ensure theoverall development of the students.Each group of students section took astep forward for relationship buildingand nurturing by planting a tree, whichwill be looked after by the studentsduring their stay, a small symbol oftheir development as an Amitian. �

Corporate giants like Microsoft,IBM, Ranbaxy, Novartis, Coca-Cola, Gillette have been widely

admired for their success and growth rate.But what is it that makes them standapart? It is the Intellectual Property port-folio, including patents, design & trade-mark, which is the active ingredient intheir success. Keeping this in view,AmityInnovation Incubator (AII), which helpsentrepreneurs realize their dreamsthrough a range of infrastructure, businessadvisory, mentoring and financial serv-ices, organised a day long seminar ‘Pro-tecting Intellectual Property Rights’ atAmity University Campus, Noida. Theseminar, being held in collaboration withIndia Juris, Trademark and Patent Attor-neys, focused on the commercial aspectsof IPRs, enforcement of IPRs, design andgeographical indications, trademarks andcopyrights. The seminar included inter-active sessions on ‘IPR Laws and Regu-latory Framework’, ‘Patents’,‘Trademarks and Copyrights’, ‘Designand Geographical Indications’, ‘Enforce-ment of IPRs’ and ‘Commercial aspectsof IPRs’. Mr. Sameer Rastogi of IndianJuris, an International Law Firm focusedhis deliberations on the commercial as-pects of Intellectual Property Rights.Drawing an important comparison be-

tween the number of patents that are filedyearly in India vis-a-vis US, he said thatUS PTO issues nearly 200,000 patentsevery year whereas Indian PTO granted15,262 patents during 2007- 08.This doesnot mean that Indians are not creative orcompetitive but simply points to the factthat the area of IPRs needs awareness atgrass-root levels. Suggesting ways to

commercialize the patent, he further saidthat “a direct way of monetizing a patentis to base a company on its patent and de-velop a business around that technology.He also shared some important factsabout auction of IPRs, which helps thecompanies to expand into newmarkets orto enlarge their product lines and servicesand also, advantages of such actions.An-other speaker from Patent Office, Delhicleared the mist around design and geo-graphical indications and registrationprocess in India. Elaborating on the fea-tures of design necessary for registration,she said that the features of design mustbe new, original, distinct and clearly vis-ible. The design must not be disclosed tothe public anywhere by publication intangible form, or by use in any form priorto the filling date.” Talking about the ben-efits arising out of registering the design,she commented that the registration of de-sign facilitates appearance of that designwhich in turn promotes marketability ofproduct. Over 30 delegates from start–upcompanies including Techtribe, IndiaJuris, Patent Office, Anand & Anand,GVC, Semantics and Visuals, Efextra,Glue Design,Ambio Research, TIE, Cre-ative Vistas, Lex Orbis, Teva Pharmaceu-ticals, Fox Mandal attended thestimulating sessions of the seminar.�

AS Dulat, Former Chief, RAW delivered lecture on thetopic “Terrorism & Its Impact on India” at Amity Uni-

versity Campus, Sector-125, Noida.In his lecture Mr Dulat briefed the audience regarding thehistory of terrorism in India. He said that India is an old vic-tim of terrorism. He narrated many instances of terroriststrikes in major Indian cities and assassination of great lead-ers like Late PM Smt. Indira Gandhi, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi andChief Minister Beant Singh. Mr. Dulat discussed the cause,consequence and future plans for tackling terrorism.Dr.Ashok K. Chauhan, Founder President,Amity Universitysaid that he is greatful to Mr.A.S. Dulat for presenting lectureon such a strategic topic which revolves around National Se-

curity of the country. Faculty, Senior officials of Amity Uni-versity and RBEF were present during the lecture session. �

Amity School of Natural Re-sources and Sustainable De-velopment organised a two-day

training workshop on ‘Role and Poten-tial of Van Panchayats/JFMCs for Sus-tainable Livelihood’ organised atDehradun from July 4-5, 2008. Theworkshop was inaugurated by Banshid-har Bhagat, Minister for Forest, Envi-ronment and Transport, Government ofUttarakhand. The Study material bookwas also released by him on the occa-sion. K LArya, Principal Chief Conser-

vator of Forest, Uttarakhand Forest De-partment and Managing Director, Ut-tarakhand Forest DevelopmentCorporation, Government of Uttarak-hand was the Guest of Honour. Prof. B KP Sinha, Director, Amity School of Nat-ural Resources and Sustainable Devel-opment highlighted the objectives of theworkshop.Around 125 persons compris-ing Deputy Forest Officers, Rangers,Forest Guard, Van Sarpanch, VillagePradhans, Van Samiti Members, NGOsand others attended the workshop.�

Amity InternationalBusiness Schoolwelcomesnewbatchof students

Protecting IntellectualProperty Rights

Aheartwarming start

RAW lecture

Van Panchayats

“That's what college is for: getting as many bad decisions as possible out of the way before you're forced into the real world.”- Jeph Jacques

Amity Innovation Incubator

Important global IPRwebsiteshttp://ipindia.gov.in (India)http://www.wipo.net (WIPO)http://ep.espacenet.com (EPO)http://www.surfip.gov.sg (Singapore)and http://www.jpo.go.jp (Japan)

Amity International Schools as anacademic partner to WorldKids

Foundation orgainsed Delhi’s orgainsedfirst ever, week-long “WorldKids Inter-national Film Festival” for childrenfrom July 25 to 31, 2008.The festival was inaugurated by DelhiCM Shiela Dixit, Additional President,

RBEF and ChancellorAmity University,Rajasthan Aseem Chauhan, ScriptWriter TZP Amole Gupte and FestivalDirector, Manju Singh by lighting oflamp amidst chanting of Holy SaraswatiVandana by students of AIS, PushpVihar. The fest dedicated to the spread of‘Entertainment with a purpose’ was awindow to value based entertainment.�

AIS Gurgaon-46 is proud to an-nounce that the school has been se-

lected for the State Award under the 4thComputer Literacy Excellence Awardsfor Schools- 2007 instituted by the Deptof Information Technology, Ministry ofCommunications and Information Tech-nology, Government of India. The awardconsists of a trophy along with a cashprize of Rs 1.5 lakhs. It will be handedover by the Honourable Minister forCommunications and Information Tech-nology, Government of India at an awarddistribution function scheduled to be heldon 28thAugust, 2008 at Vigyan Bhavan,New Delhi.

Top: Amity’s French jury with CMSheila Dixit; With State EducationMinisterArvinder Singh Lovely

Entertainmentwith a purpose

Excellenceaward

AIS Saket boasts of an iridescentboard result in 2007-2008. The

school accredited and acknowledged themeritorious performance of the achiev-ers in the Felicitation Ceremony. Theevent held on 5thAugust was presided bythe inspirational presence of Chairper-son, Dr. (Mrs.) Amita Chauhan. In hercongratulatory address, the Chairperson

lauded the unfazing endeavour of thePrincipal, teachers and the parents to-wards the attainment of toweringpercentages.The event witnessed the felicitation ofthe Principal, Vice-Principal, teachersand achievers of classes X & XII. Truly,it was a day dedicated to steer studentstowards still higher summits of glory. �

Applaunding excellence

Hon’ble MinBanshidhar

Bhagat releasingbrochure

Tree plantation bythe new batch

Participants at the RAWworkshop

CM Sheila Dixit presenting mementoto Amole Gupte, Script writer TZP

WassupThe Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 2008

11School lounge

Amity, International School,Vasundhara celebrated Grand

Parents day on July 19, 2008. The

celebration that aimed at enduring thefamily values, included grandparents ofclass VII to IX students, who were in-vited on the occasion. Through dance,skit and personality pageant, the stu-dents paid tribute to their grandparentsfor their contribution towards the soci-ety and strengthening the familialbonds. The event put together by thestudents and teachers under the ableguidance of the school principal washighly appreciated by all.�

Akhil BhardwajAIS Saket

To those who aren’t acquainted with theconcept of MUN- it is a conference inwhich students get a chance to play the

roles of ambassadors of various countries to dif-ferent committees in the UN. The purpose is tofocus on pressing issues that face the world andto engage in debate about the foreign policies ofthe nations and about solutions to the problem.I was selected as a part of a 4- member team toparticipate as a delegate in the UNA-USAModelUnited Nations in New York City on the basis ofmy performances at past MUNs in Delhi. I wasgiven a scholarship by Merrill Lynch for my

travel, stay and conference expendi-ture. Attended by over 3,600 dele-gated from the US, UK, Spain, Israel,Japan, China, etc the conference washeld within the United Nations Head-quarters in NYC. The icing on the cake- Iwas awarded the Best Delegate Award bySecretary General of the UN, Mr. Baan KiMoon with a pat on my back.UNA-USA gave me a great platform todevelop my skills in debating, negoti-ating, savoir-faire and diplomacy. Itmade me take a stand on differentissues, ready to take on the soci-ety and the world at large. �

Payal Mathur, a class IX studentof Amity InternationalSchool, Noida set the stage

ablaze with her record breaking andstupendous Kathak performance

for continuous 24 hours from6:00 am on July 14 to 6:00 amon July 15, 2008 at D BlockAuditorium, Amity Campus,

Sector-44, Noida.The little challenger, with the bless-ings of living legends Pt. Birju Ma-haraj, Ustad Iqbal Ahmad Khan,successfully carved her name in

the prestigious Limca Book ofRecords (LBR). For the first

time in entire UPand Delhi/NCR, she per-

formed for 24 hours continuously. Kathak ex-ponents and her Gurus Nalini and Kamaliniji encouraged her. Throughout her perform-ance she seemed determined enough to makeit to the glory of success. She danced on bothlive music and recorded music. The zeal andenthusiasm of the spirited Payal didn’t wanewith the passing of the day. Her parents, rel-atives and siblings cheered her intermittently.Dr. (Mrs.) Amita Chauhan, Chairperson,Amity International Schools and Ms. Mo-hina Dar, Principal, AIS Noida motivatedher with their presence.Talking about her meticulous preparation forthe non stop performance, she said that shestarted practicing in the beginning of Maythis year for long stretches, almost 14 hourscontinuously. Gradually, she increased her

stamina and finally decided to go forLBR. She modified her dietpattern as well and shed someweight too. Apart from danc-

ing, Payal is also a good painter, an approveddrama voice for All India Radio and has an-chored many shows on television.�

Jhanak Jhanak Payal BaajeDancing her way to Limca Book of Records

Grand Parents day

As per Mark Twain’s philosophy,ignorance and confidence aremust haves to achieve one’s

goals; ignorance, so that one yearns toknow more and confidence, to be able toimbibe all one needs to succeed. Here,CBSE toppers of 2008 spill the beans ontheir winning recipes to overcome theboards with flying colours.

Maths“It pays to practice Mathematics. I usedto take one sample paper everyday and ithelped me to time myself. Also, it isimportant to catch hold of as manypractice papers as possible.”Shweta BalachandranAIS Noida: 100“Mathemetics is not a subject which canbe read overnight. It requires a lot of prac-tice and that too regular. This helped mesecure the marks that I got. Also, the sup-port of my teachers and parents cannot beforgotten. I owe my success to them.”

Saloni Kapil, AIS Sec 46: 99

Social Studies“Read the course book thoroughly. Pic-torial study is of utmost importance;

some chapters can be studied in tabularform. I looked up newspapers for topicslike disaster management and stuck uptables of events over my study area.”Shivani Airi, AIS Gur 43, S St.: 100

“I was really weak in S St, but I workedhard with test/sample papers to convertmy weakness into my strength.”

Nandita, AIS Gur 43, S St: 100

English“I read the course books many timesand referred to the TOI’s editorial toenhance my vocabulary. It’s importantto present one’s answers well, so Imade sure that I wrote in good handwriting, besides highlighting the im-portant points. Speaking in Englishwith my friends and family also keptme in good stead.”

Shivani Airi, Gur 43, English: 97

Top of the Tops

Cracking the

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. - Indian Proverb

Vasudha, the brainchild of Dr.(Mrs) Amita Chauhan, Chair-person Amity Schools, is not

only a befitting tribute to Planet Earth,but is also the first initiative ofAmity In-ternational Science Children Foundation(AISCF).The launch of Vasudha (Amity SchoolChildren Science Congress) was fol-lowed by an orientation programme forteachers, a student-teacher orientationprogramme in respective schools,progress monitoring workshop and firstlevel assessment of projects. The processculminated with the first level of pres-entation assessment organised for all the10 schools from July 18 to Aug 2, 2008.The best three projects from each classevaluted by an eminent panel of juristsfrom Dept of Science & Technology,Govt of India, Vigyan Prasar, NCERTand Delhi University, qualified for thenext level to be held in September.Chairperson extended her thanks toUzzwal Madhab,Adviser-Science Com-

munications and Jyoti Arora, ProjectCoordinator and Resource Person, formaking the Vasudha challenge possible.

AIS Noida (July 18-19): ChiefGuest for the day Dr. Ashwini

Kumar Bohra, expressed his delight atthe incorporation of innovative topics inthe exhibition. Projects as Rooftop Rain-water Harvesting, Algae Bioreactors, E-Waste Management, , Green Buildings,Geothermal Energy, Home Vermi Com-posting, Water Purification by Bioreme-diation and Wasteland Management,amongst others were displayed.

AIS Gurgaon 43 (July 21): The proj-ects were displayed under various

categories for different classes. Chair-person inspected all the models and in-teracted with the students.

Amity Indian Military CollegeManesar (July 21): The students

presented thought provoking models ondifferent types of pollution.

AIS Saket (July 23): Some com-mendable projects displayed in-

cluded Solar Disinfection of Water, StainRemoval Techniques, Wind EnergyGeneration, Paper from Water Hyacinth

and Solar Powered School.

AIS Gurgaon 46 (July 25): Studentspresented projects on Flora and

Fauna, Underwater World, GlobalWarming, Life in Polar Region and Car-ing & Valuing Vasudha. Two street playswritten and directed were performed bythe students at Galleria Market in DLFarea and few residential areas. Kulvin-der Singh Saini, Dr. Madhu Pant, RekhaAggarwal, Dr. Anita Gulati and Dr.Vinod Aggarwal graced the day.

AIS Pushp Vihar (July 30): Theschool displayed 38 models out of

which 6 were selected. The models andpresentation skills were applauded.

AIS Vasundhra (July 31): Numer-ous projects like Mooh Chidhate

Koode ke Dher – Hal Milne Mai NahiHai Der, E-waste disposal, PradushitPani Hamne Jani Aapne Mani, dis-played were also among the selectedprojects. Children from neighbourhoodgovernment schools were also invited onthe occasion.

AIS East Delhi (Aug 1 & 2): Guestof honour, Sr. Scientist Dr. Subodh

Mohanti, Dr. B K Tyagi, from VigyanPrasar and eminent jury members gracedthe occasion. Projects such as cuttingdown domestic waste, hospital wastedisposal, bio-plastics, best uses of wastehair, safe disposal of toys and herbalplants were exhibited.

Amitasha (Saket, July 23 and Noida,Aug 1): Through nukkad nataks, the

students spread the message of teamwork and environment related issues.(* Approximate figures) �

Earth unearthedEarth unearthedI read, I forget. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.

Vasudha: 1. AIS Saket, 2. AIS East Delhi, 3. AIS Vasundhra 4. AIS Sec 46, Gurgaon, 5. AIS Pushp Vihar, 6. AIS Noida,7. Amitasha, 8 Amity Indian Military college

1

2

3 4 5

6

7

8

Magnificent MUNer!

School Proect Selectedtally projects

AIS East Delhi 160 20AIS Noida 700 100AIS Pushp Vihar 38 6AIS Saket 172 24AIS Gur-43 76 25

School Proect Selectedtally projects

AIS-46 138 30AIS Vasundhra 19 3Amitasha 16 6(Saket+Noida)

Military school 8 3

VASUDHAUPDATE *

Bag PackVariety The Global Times Vol.2, Issue 3, August 200812

Shivangi KakkarAIS Pushp Vihar

If you use instant messaging(IM) onyour computer, you may be familiarwith the acronym LOL (Laughing Out

Loud). But what about BRB, TTYL orROFL? Especially among teenagers,

you’re just as likely to encounter IM-speakin the real world as you are on your desk-top. The phenomenon of written IM slangcrossing over into speech is manna for lin-guists. Professor David Crystal, who haswritten extensively on language and the In-ternet, observes: “I see a brand new varietyof language evolving, invented really byyoung people, within five years! It’s ex-traordinary.” This virus attacks millions ofvictims, every second, and addicts them allto the funky IM lingo!Though teens do admit having used IM orSMS lingo for a negative effect, severalothers believe this is just another stage inthe journey of English. It has actually en-hanced the language with over 200,000

words! “They extend the range of the lan-guage, the expressiveness, the richness,”says linguistics professor Crystal.Sure, they still commit the classic blunderswith an increasing number of studentssubmitting class work containing wordsthat may confuse adults but are part of theteens’ everyday lives. Believe it or not, butthis code language connects millions ofchildren over the globe and helps them re-lieve their stress. It is considered to be oneof the few networks that directly affect achild’s psychology, be it in a good or badway. It might get you teen to start usingabusive language, but might also convincehim to stay off of addictive hazards likedrugs. May God bless the IM lingo!�

Pragya Singhal & Mehak BhatnagarAIS East Delhi

Diamond studded skiesA dark velvety nightA beautiful fairy flutterGlowing wig with a brilliant lightA Wand in her hand,Crown on her headLong flowing hairMakes one stop and stare!

What is similar in them – HarryPotter, Secret World ofFairies, Barbie and Thoda

Pyaar Thoda Magic?Yes, you might have guessed – Magic!When we talk of magic, a familiar wordsprings in our mind – fairies. Adored by

one and all, fairies are the symbol of joyand happiness. And why only fairies,there are angels, pixies, and the like thatyoung children connect with magic.Many questions soar in our minds: Dofairies exist or are they just a figment ofour imagination? What do they looklike? What would it be to be a fairy?Says Disha Gupta, a pre-schooler, “I lovefairies because they have golden hair andcarry a magic wand that can fulfil any-

one’s wish.” For Anupam, a four year oldchild, fairies are fantasy except for theTooth Fairy. “I know she is real becauseI always get a rupee coin when I put myfallen tooth underneath my pillow,” heexclaims with a glint in his eyes. A tooth-less grin hides a broken tooth under a pil-low, wishing for the tooth fairy to visitand leave a gift behind. “I would like tohave wings like fairies, so that I could flyto school and back,” wishes Diya (II-D),

AIS East Delhi. “Fairies do not exist.They are simply imaginative creaturesfrom granny’s stories,” says Shashvat(IV B), AIS East Delhi.The belief of children makes it a crimeeven to ask the question, whether fairiesexist or not. These magical creatures en-chant and allure young children. Though‘yes’ opinions may differ, but one has toagree that even the thought of a fairy,brings a smile to everyone’s face.�

Mayank Joneja & Ainesh BakshiAIS Noida

Crysis aka the PC killer, so calledbecause of its high system re-quirements which would make

one cry, ‘Bloody Murder’, is a gamewhich has revolutionised the way thecommon gamer would look at PC gamesespecially in the FPS (First PersonShooter) genre.Set in the year 2020, it revolves aroundUS Marines (what’s new?), wearing‘Muscle Nanosuits’ which grants accessto the character to enhance its strength,speed, armour and stealth (wherein youcan become invisible). We play‘Nomad’, a member of the Elite soldierswho are sent to a tropical island in NorthKorea to investigate a supposedly ‘Clas-sified’ operation run by General Kyong.The operation is thought to be after an in-exhaustible power source which is expo-nentially more productive than nuclearpower. According to the General, itwould give him all the power he needs tobuild up an arsenal capable of bringingArmageddon to the USA. But it’s not so,as the operation is after an ‘out-of-the-world’element and mind you, it is not theregular “shoot-em-aliens-up” game.There’s an intriguing twist in the tale. Itis worth all the bells and whistles youhook up onto your PC because of the di-vine graphics and gameplay experiencethat it has to offer. So all-in-all, a mustbuy for any person who considers him-self worthy of the title of a ‘Gamer’.�

Fairies in WonderlandOnly if all fairies like Rani Mukherjee (remember TPTM?) couldbe real, the world would be so beautiful. But, are fairies for real?

Wlcm 2 IM langwaj

Anwesha PadhyAIS Vasundhara

There is pyaar and there is magictoo. But none is available until the

interval. In the first half, all you get tosee is a business tycoon Ranbeer Tal-war (Saif) attending award functionsand getting involved in a hit-and-runcase. He is appointed as the foster popto the orphaned children by a courtorder and the trouble begins. Childrenhate him and want revenge.Enter Geeta (Rani Mukherjee), a fairysent to Earth by God (Rishi Kapoor) to

solve the family’s problem. Rani’sbringing in tranquility, love, and bond-ing to the household forms the rest ofthe story. Rani as an angel is nice andenthusiastic and prevents your mindfrom going off the radar. Saif as a rich,spoilt brat comes naturally to him. But,it’s the children who actually catchyour attention. If you want a little mag-ical charm in your life, go watch it.�

Thoda Pyaar, Thoda MagicRating: ��1/2

Cast: Rani Mukherjee, Saif Ali Khan,Ameesha Patel, Rishi KapoorDirector: Kunal Kohli

Film Review

Game Review

The Global Times Team: Managing Editor-Vira Sharma, Assistant Editor- Tulika Banerji, Chief Designer- Dinesh Kumar, Designer- Pankaj Kumar Mallik

Worthy of a‘Gamer’ title

When boys of 8-10 years oldlove to play cricket and foot-ball, Raghav Paul of AIS

East Delhi is hooked to a camera. Thesight of him holding a camera may justappear like a young lad fidgeting with agadget, but when the pictures are clickedand developed, one is taken aback attheir amazing beauty. Arush Dua of AISEast Delhi in a tete-a-tete with Raghav.

Tell us something about yourself?I am a 10 year old boy studying in ClassV. My hobbies include swimming, play-ing cricket, visiting wild life sancturies,travelling and photography. I am alsovery tech-savy.When and how did you develop afantasy for photography?I owe it a lot to my family. My fatheris a freelance photographer. Mygrandfather is also a photographer.Hence I naturally picked up thishobby. Infact I began clicking photo-graphs when I was four. During week-ends, I always carry my camera andclick lots of snaps.Do you aspire to take photography asyour career ?No, photography is my hobby. In fact, I

want to be an Architect or an Engineer.The marvels of architecture all aroundthe world amazes me.What type of camera do you use?I use Nikon D-50 SLR and DigitalCameras.

You have taken part in several competi-tions. What has it been like?I have taken part in 4 international, 5 na-tional and inter-school competitions. Ilook forward to making new friends.Inputs by Satrajit, AIS East Delhi �

Magestic shutterbug

How to crack IM LingoBRB: Be right backG2G: Got to goOMG: Oh my god!NVM: Never mindLOL: Laugh out loudLMHO: Laugh my head offTTYL: Talk to you laterNP: No problemL8R: LaterJK: Just kiddingNM: Nothing much

Top accolades received�First Prize in BBC InternationalWebsite, 'Generation Next Photogra-phy Competition’. Awarded withNikon D-50 Digital and his picturevoted top percentage of votes.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/6220402.stm�Second Prize in WHO InternationalPhoto Contest 2005-6 titled ‘Imagesof Health and Disability’. Won, US$ 750 and the picture published intheir ICF; website:http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/site/photocontest2006/winners/DChildren%20Winners/index.html�Third prize in ‘The Big Picture2006’, photo contest conducted by‘Amity School of Communication’.�Special Mention Award in Sanctu-ary-ABN AMRO Wildlife Photogra-phy Awards 2006 where he competedwith all top wildlife photographers.�First Prize in On-the-spot PhotoContest at Horlicks Wizkids 2007.�3 Gold & 2 Silver medals in TheFourth International Children’s ArtExhibition of China, 2008.�

Favourite photograph: Seagulls at Yamuna; Inset: Raghav

Rating: ����1/2

How to c ra ck IM

Ling o

BRB: Be right back

G2G

: Got to go

OM

G: Oh m

y god!

NVM: Never m

ind

LOL:

Laugh out

loudLMH

O: Laugh m

y

head off

TTYL: Talk to you

laterNP: No problem

Imaging: Dinesh Kumar