www.theglobaltimes.inAIS GURUGRAM 46 | EDITION XMONDAY, JULY 20, 2020

Dear Amitians,I have been ob-serving thatmany youngminds havebeen experienc-ing ‘loneliness’especially sincel o c k d o w nbegan wherein

young children are most vulnerable.And therefore, today, I feel the press-ing need to address this issue with a lotof sensitivity. So, what is the solution? Well, SEW it:Speak, Express, Write. Whenever youfeel ousted or lonely reach out to yourteachers, family or elders, and SEWthe feeling with the stiches of love,care and warmth of beloved ones. Trustme sometimes just one single step andone single phrase ‘I need help’, is allthat it takes to convert the sea of lone-liness into the ocean of love and to-getherness. Don’t put your mind to toomuch stress because it is the most pre-cious treasure of your life.At Amity, we assure you that yourteachers, counsellors and mentors arealways there for you and they care foryou just like their own children. Thefact that this year AIS Vas 1 undertook‘mental health’ as their topic for ‘YouthPower’ shows how sensitive and caringAmitians are towards addressing thisissue. Remember, you are not lonely,because we are there to listen, under-stand and help you SEW it up with thebond of love and care.G T

“As coronavirus was de-clared a pandemic and theneed for social distancingwas announced, everyone re-alised the importance ofproper hygiene, sanitisation,and most importantly – facemasks. We looked at them ina new light,and under-stood their impor-tance as the majorwar gear needed tofight this virus. Withan aim to help ourloved ones and ensure theirsafety, we aided our mother inprocuring 4,000 cloth facemasks, which were then soldto the residents of our soci-ety. But as we helped theones around us, there wasa thought if we were for-

getting someone who proba-bly couldn’t afford to buy a

face mask, let alone get hold ofbasic necessities like food.Don’t they deserve a fightingchance in this war, we askedourselves. And the answercame to us instantly – yes, theydo. To do our part in the fight,we joined hands with NGOslike Rasoi On Wheels andMasks For India, where wearranged ration kits and facemasks for the needy and dis-tributed them in various areas

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Dr Amita ChauhanChairperson

QUARANTINE SPECIAL

With COVID-19 coming in,every person around theworld is fighting a new

battle with each passing day. Andthere are some who have made thisbattle a mission to aid the lessfortunate around them by providingthem face masks and food.Youngheroes of this battle, Sunay Bajaj,VIII A & Pushpak Bajaj, VI B, ofAIS Gurugram 46, narrate us theirhumanitarian tale in their own words,proving that the solution lies in ‘all forus, one for all’.

Pandemics know no boundaries,and neither do warriors whobattle them. This special series,running across Quarantineeditions of all Amity schools, isan ode to those fighters.Highlighting stories of youngchange makers from within andoutside Amity, this special series

has been curated by youngreporters across variousAmity branches.

CORONA WARRIORS

2MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020

of Gurugram, whilst wearing protectivegears and following proper sanitisationsteps. We have distributed masks to allstrata of society – from police personnelto fruit vendors to homeless people, goingas far as visiting our school and providingextra masks to security guards on duty.Seeing our school building reminded usof the values preached by our teachersand we felt proud to be practising thecompassion and kindness that has beeningrained in us by Amity. Overall, wehave managed to help 6,000 people tillnow, and the best reward we receive in re-turn is always smiles and blessings,which motivates us to work harder. Yet the need to do more was still burningbright within us, which is why, along withour neighbour and friend, MaanyaPagare,we founded the website www.youthtrans-formers.com aimed at mobilising theyouth for the community. As the realisa-tion dawned on us that there were thou-sands of people in need whom we couldnot reach, we initiated a campaign titled‘Ask For Masks’ on our website and in-vited students from all over Delhi-NCRto volunteer and distribute our masks tothe ones in need around their home. Start-ing from our own condominium, we do-nated around 400 masks for maids,drivers, and other essential workers. Weeven provided around 1000 masks and1500+ sanitary pads to Lioness Club, Gu-rugram, for further distribution, and hopeto do much more. We acknowledge that to make a realchange we need not 3 but 30, 300, 3000and many other kids like us. It’s time thatwe all come together to do our bit andhelp humanity in overcoming this pan-demic, because we can’t really surviveand thrive until it’s all for one, and onefor all.”G T

...Continued from page 1

The humanitarian tale

The equilibriumThe See-saw Humanity Keeps Playing

Ananya AgarwalAIS Gurugram 46, XI E

Alot can happen in ayear; it offers us var-ious ups and downs,

highs and lows, and pros andcons. But unlike any otheryear we have lived through,2020 has really proven itselfto be something different.And in one of the biggestways it is different is how2020 is set to create a balancefor humanity – as it gives ussomething, it takes somethingfrom us, too.

No need for glamour: Thelarge shopping complexes,markets, arcades, and exqui-site restaurants seem to havelost their glamour and impor-tance to humans that sitslocked inside their homes. Butwhat they have gained insteadis an appreciation for na-ture. Even the glamour ofdressing up and going out toeat has lost its charm as every-one turns their own masterchef and cooks up delicaciesin their own kitchen. Realis-ing the importance of being‘real’ rather than being ‘glam-

ourous’, the human race willhopefully come out of thisquarantine as better beings.

Nature’s growth: Smoke andwaste generated by large in-dustrial complexes have de-creased, causing the airquality to improve and riversto get cleaner. The nature isinvesting this golden time inreturning to its pristine formwithout any human interfer-ence. Skies are prettier as theyare frequently lightened up byrainbows and clear clouds in-stead of smog and dust. Thegrass is growing higher andhigher and the trees are touch-ing the beautiful sky.

Reality v/s virtual: Thetourism sector which works

on the movement of peoplefrom one tourist spot to an-other has now lost its ownspot in the lives of billions,while the internet, based onvirtual reality, has gainedpopularity (even more so thanit already did). The schoolshave shut down but impartingknowledge hasn’t, offices areclosed but work hasn’tstopped. Moreover, physicalinteractions have been re-placed by Zoom calls.

Animals overtaking: Rareand expensive cars likeBMW, which served as asource of amusement for us,have now been replaced byrare sights of animals takingstrolls on the empty roads. Forexample, the endangered seaturtles are seen in Brazil, In-dian civet in Kozhikode,Sambhar deer in Chandigarhand this list seems to getlonger with every passing day.At one end humans are draw-ing their line to restrict them-selves at their homes whileanimals seem to have beenpushing their boundaries amidlockdown and reclaimingtheir rightful places.G T

3MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020

La Direction des FemmesEffective Female Leadership During The Pandemic

Aanya Bhargav, AIS Gur 46, XII I

‘Women are an equal part ofthe society as men’. Well,we sure are striving to get

there and even in a morbid situation likethis, women leaders all across the globehave proved that their lagging status in so-ciety is not because of their ‘lack of worldlyknowledge’. Since the beginning of the on-going coronavirus pandemic, most femaleleaders have managed the coronavirus crisiswith great authority and more effectivenesscompared to their male counterparts.On 1 April, Silveria Jacobs, the prime min-ister of Saint Maarten, addressed her nation’s41,500 people. The coronavirus cases wererising and she knew that the small islandcountry was at great risk. “Simply. Stop.Moving,” she said. “If you don’t have thebread you like in your house, eat crackers.Eat cereal. Eat oats. Eat sardines.” Her sternand blunt message is an example of firm ac-tion and effective communication.In Germany, Angela Merkel has been praisedfor her direct but uncharacteristically per-sonal public interventions. Thanks to exten-sive testing from the outset, plenty ofintensive care beds and the chancellor’s pe-riodic forthright reminders that Covid-19 was

“serious – so take it seriously”, Germany hasso far recorded less than 5,000 deaths, a farlower figure compared to most EU countries.With a doctorate in quantum chemistry,Merkel’s clear, calm attitude has also helpedpropel public approval of the chancellor’shandling of the crisis above 70%.In nearby Denmark, PM Mette Frederiksenacted equally firmly, closing the Scandina-vian country’s borders as early as 13 Marchand following up a few days later by shuttingall kindergartens, schools and universitiesand banning gatherings of more than 10 peo-ple. These hard and fast rules appear to havespared Denmark the worst of the pandemic,with fewer than 8,000 confirmed cases and370 deaths. She even managed to show asense of fun, the nation has a weekly TVlockdown singalong in which, the prime

minister has been seen doing the dishes andsinging along to famous pop songs of the80s. The country’s youngest-ever primeminister, whose approval ratings have dou-bled to more than 80%, has now begun eas-ing its lockdown.Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen respondedjust as fast, activating the country’s centralepidemic command centre in early Januaryand introducing travel restrictions and quar-antine measures. Mass public hygiene meas-ures were taken, such as disinfecting publicareas and buildings. Taiwan adopted morethan 100 ‘control and contain’ measures inweeks so that a full lockdown is unnecessary.It has reported just six deaths and is now pro-viding millions of face masks to the worst-struck parts of North America and Europe. Meanwhile, Iceland’s Prime Minister, KatrínJakobsdóttir has offered free testing to all cit-izens, even to those with no visible symp-toms and has recorded 1,800 cases and 10deaths. Even school didn’t need to be shutdown due to this extensive tracking system.Women leaders took the coronavirus seri-ously and did not underestimate the risks.They acted decisively, either with strict lock-downs or highly-effective testing and tracingprogrammes ensuring their smooth imple-mentation. G T

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020 4

Some Out Of The Box Practices To Create CognizanceThe new normalManasvi Dev Kashyap, AIS Gur 46, XI B

COVID 19 has been a bewilderingpandemic, which the world hasfound itself in. So why would the

ways to increase wakefulness of the diseasenot be newfangled? Check out these variousmethods from all across the globe, which arenot very typical, but hey, they do the job!

Corona sandeshThere are only two things, from which anyBengali can’t be kept away for too long:sweets and creative ideas. Did you know thatthe spikes on the surface of the reddish-yel-low colored virus give Corona (meaningcrown) its name? Not everyone observedthis, but someone did, a confectioner ofSouth Kolkata’s Jadavpur area, has fash-ioned a sweet called Sandesh, to look likethe popular image of the virus. With winterclearly deserting the city, the bright-red col-ored Corona Sandesh that most certainlylooks like a red velvet cake, is now a top ofthe shelf offering. Talk about creativity!

Viral musicMusic is a universal language; the Kolkata

police are using this weapon to fight thenovel Coronavirus. They used an iconic song,‘Bela Bose’, by filmmaker-musician AnjanDutta to spread awareness. The video wentviral with many humming the famous num-ber. Without a doubt, no one can forget politi-cian Ramdas Athavale’s quirky ‘Karuna Go’song. To top it all off, videos of our favoritecelebs washing hands have become reallypopular. (Weird? We think so too)

The coffin danceThe Peruvian police found an admirableway to spread knowledge among its folks.Not only did they do a commendable job,while they were at it, they gave us a wholelot of meme content too. In Cajamarca, agroup of police officers danced and carrieda coffin on their shoulders to warn peopleof the danger of Covid-19 and of the needto stay at home. “Let’s fight this pandemictogether, let’s beat it, let’s go Cajamarca,”they chanted. Probably fear is the only wayto keep people safe because sometimesdarna zaroori hai.

The walking deadRajesh Babu, a police inspector in the city of

Chennai, wears a specially constructedCoronavirus helmet covered in red spikeswith bulbs on the end while stopping vehi-cles and pedestrians at checkpoints. Localartist B. Gowtham thought of this ingeniousidea. He decided to create somethingwhereby people could actually see the viruscoming toward them, and thus came into ex-istence, “The Corona helmet.”

Happy social distancingThey may not be helping out with chants butcomplete with cheerleader uniforms andpom-poms, mannequins in a Tokyo restau-rant are helping keep customers a safe andcheerful distance apart. “Our restaurantlooked very empty, and we wanted to addmore excitement,” said Arata Funabara,owner of Cheers One. “It takes a bit of get-ting used to but now I think of them of asworkmates,” Hello new friends?

No matter how distinctive (and cool) thisways might be they all aim at one thing,which is our safety. The government and po-lice are doing all they can; we should playour part just fine. Stay indoors; stayhappy!G T

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020 5

Manasvi Kadian, AIS Gur 46, XII J

The world is being painted black andblue with all kinds of catastrophes.At such a time, certain imageries

from apocalyptic cinema became more re-current to the human memory. It has barelybeen half a year and enough catastropheshad occurred to fill pages of history books.Here’s a rundown of it.

New Year, New we(?)The beginning of this new year was charac-terised by the usual- parties, resolutions,and…the threat of another World War. Theysay “History repeats itself”, but sometimeshistory should be locked in a room with thekey tossed into a well. The beginning of thisyear had us calculating the chances of a nu-clear attack and cursing the fact that we livein the capital of India, a place most vulnera-ble to enemy warfare. Numerous conversa-tions commenced regarding India’s role inall of this when, almost in a guerilla warfarestyle, another enemy entered the scene.

Enter the virusEnter Coronavirus, an epidemic that pittedeveryone against each other. Every cough,sneeze and wheeze were eyed with immensesuspicion. Every available surface waswiped with sanitisers, so much that evensanitisers went out of stock. The pandemichad us imagine nonexistent symptoms andGoogle them at least thrice a week. Mentalpeace had gone for a toss and all we couldhope for was a solution, a vaccine to end theendless spreading of the virus. The conspir-acy theories passed around on WhatsAppjust added to the chaos.

Revenge of the insects We were reeling hard from the coronavirusand couldn’t wait for things to get better. Butthings took a turn for the unimaginable whenhundreds and thousands of locusts swarmedparts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gu-jarat. These unforgiving insects were back to

reclaim their throne after 26 long years. Pho-tos and videos of people fighting these in-sects with creative ways such as DJ stationsand whatnot went viral. Constant research-ing on these attacks and finding out ways todrive the locusts away armed us with enoughinformation to make us exterminators.

2012 revisitedKeeping up with all the rage to ravish theearth, nature wasn’t one to be left behind.Hence arrived the cyclones, earthquakes andfloods. Cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc allover Eastern India, especially in West Bengal.The country was being shook by continuousearthquakes too, forcing people to run out oftheir homes every time an earthquake struck.

With all guns blazing, this year gave usenough to concoct the perfect apocalypticmovie. But at times like these, we only havehope, hope for a better future.G T

Revisiting the catastrophes2020 Through A Paranoid Mind

Illustration: Amish Mamtani, AIS Gur 46, X G

6

Unanticipated Yet Long AwaitedA predicted pandemic

MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020

Jaya Jha, AIS Gurugram 46, XI J

History stands as proof that diseasesand the disaster they bring are sort ofinevitable. Be it the 1918 influenza

which killed nearly 50 million people, or20th century’s Ebola, we have seen some realbad days. And now Coronavirus, spreading allacross the world, is affecting millions of peo-ple. But the eerie part of this pandemic is howsome people already saw it coming and hadpredicted such an event in the past. Sylvia Browne: A self-proclaimed psychic,she wrote a book in 2008 titled ‘End of Days:Predictions and Prophecies about the End ofthe World’, where she wrote that in the year2020, a disease similar to pneumonia willspread throughout the world and it shall resistall known treatments, unless something newis found. Well, we can only hope somethingnew is found soon! The Simpsons: The conspiracy theory aboutThe Simpsons predicting the future isn’t new.The episode ‘Marge in Chains’, first aired in1993, showcases a mysterious virus from Asiaevading the world. The virus called ‘OsakaFlu’, which starts in Japan, ends up affectingmultiple people around the world, and thesymptoms of the virus turn out to be ex-

tremely similar to today’s Coronavirus crisis. David Quammen: In his book ‘Spillover:Animal Infections and the Next Human Pan-demic’, Quammen examines the emergenceand causes of new diseases all over the world,describing a process called ‘spillover’, whereillness originates in wild animals before beingpassed to humans, and discusses the potentialfor the next huge pandemic. Coronavirusbears huge similarities to this, as even thisvirus has theories of originating from bats. Contagion: This 2011 film is all about thespread of a virus transmitted by respiratorydroplets and fomites, all the whilst medicalresearchers and public health officials trytheir best to identify and contain the disease,even as they struggle with loss of socialorder in the pandemic. Isn’t that what we arefacing right now? Bill Gates: In 2018 a discussion about epi-demics was organised by the MassachusettsMedical Society where Gates predicted theoncoming of a pandemic by the end of thedecade. He presented a simulation which ex-plained that this disease would kill millionswithin six months. Are these instances mere coincidences or a su-perior power at play that wanted to warn usbeforehand? G T

The virus thatplagued humanitySaumya Mahajan, AIS Gur 46, XI F

The world seems chaoticBut it always has been And will continue to beWith threats we can’t foresee

A virus has spread across the worldThe once bustling streets Now remain utterly desertedUntil this crisis has been averted

Some have lost their livelihoods And the comfort of their homesOthers lost their loved ones to deathAs many drew their last breath

Every panicked stricken mind Is shrouded with fear, anxietyUncertain about what comes nextHard to tell a hoax from a threat

Mother Nature is furiousAt our gross negligenceShe has unleashed her terrorsGiving us no time to fix our errors

All is affected by this virus One that has plagued humanityIn so many different waysWe fight to live another day

Hope is the only weaponOne can wield in this battle Help and be kind to one anotherFor, we’re all in this together G T

WORDS VERSE