ANNUAL DAY : SPECIAL EDITION

Ashoka, the Changemaker

The festive evening of 14

th October, 2017 will go down the annals of history of Ridge Valley

School, Gurgaon as a day when the students and staff celebrated a pivotal world cause through

the medium of the most awaited event of the year, the Annual Function. The musical saga-

Ashoka, the Changemaker recounted the legend of King Ashoka who underwent a metamorpho-sis after witnessing the annihilation he had caused by the Kalinga War and turned towards the

path of Buddhism, denouncing war and submitting himself to the service of mankind. The show

highlighted the self-transformation of Ashoka, delicately nudging the audience to take a leaf out

of history and to make a similar change in themselves in order to make the Earth a better place to

live in.

The guests were treated to a visual delight as they strolled into the venue- Pratibimbh- the Annual

Art exhibition, showcasing the intricately done art work by the students with material mostly

picked up from the junkyard. It included artifacts and inscriptions from the Mauryan Empire. An

impressive slate of distinguished guests were a part of the occasion including the school Chair-

man, Mr. Ajit Sirohi. A delightful group from Poland also joined the event as a part of Ridge Val-

ley’s Student Cultural Exchange Program. The show opened to Nirmaan- a stirring orchestral per-

formance by budding musicians. Students invoked and celebrated Nature, bringing to fore the

Sustainable Developmental Goals put forth by the United Nations. The little ones implored one

and all to save our rivers and joined in with thousands across India Rallying for Rivers. The

audience revelled in the exalted performances by the students. Perfectly coordinated dance

performances, electrifying light and sound effects and the seamless flow of the programme left

the audience spellbound!

October 2017

RIDGE VALLEY SCHOOL

P A G E 2 T H E R I D G E I A N

Principal Mrs. Guneet Ohri said that the cause of world development and peace was indispensable in today’s day and age; and

no better platform to spread the message across than through the next generation themselves. She summed it up in the words of

Lord Buddha-It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from

you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

The School Chairman, Mr. Ajit Sirohi, Executive Director at the DLF Foundation, a visionary, mentor, technocrat, IT Entrepreneur,

a sports enthusiast, an avid blogger, and a TV Show host with his own talk show “Doosra Point” graced the occasion with his

presence. While exhorting the efforts of the school to grow in every sphere, he spoke about the expansion of the school building

that he has in mind. He also spoke about enhancing the sports and other facilities at RVS that would greatly benefit the student

community. He expressed his ardent aspiration to take Ridge Valley School from strength to strength. His thoughts were well

received by the audience and the roars of applause that arose time and again stood evidence to this fact!

P A G E 3 T H E R I D G E I A N

TAKING A CUE FROM ASHOKA AND MAKING A CHANGE!

Make a change, it’s never too late,

Don’t leave it to destiny, alter your fate.

The sound of hunger is never too loud.

Look at the poverty, present all around.

Take a risk, take a chance,

Don’t you judge, take a second glance.

Look after sanitation, look after health.

Include all in education, irrespective of wealth.

Consider the mother, consider the wife.

Give all a chance for a decent life.

“Work for all!!” what we want to hear

The industries shall be resilient, don’t you fear!

Let all live, at an equal pace.

Let settlements be safe, with peace and grace.

Consume responsibly, use your brain.

Let there be no climate change, ever again!

Protect the oceans, the bays, the seas

Let the forests remain, let the wildlife be.

Let there be justice, to be peaceful and fair

Let development be , here, and there!!

Let the world get better, don’t you wait,

Go on, make a change, it is never too late.

- Amrita Ghosh

P A G E 4 T H E R I D G E I A N

Welcome Dance– Feeling the ripples of joy Under the Sea!

The tiny tots looked intriguing in their cerulean blue costumes, bustling with enthusiasm to showcase their dance on the song

‘Under the Sea’. They had been eagerly practicing their performance for over a month for mastering their steps successfully and

they danced gracefully on the stage. After their performance, the jubilant crowd gave a thunderous applause for their enthralling

act. Seeing the appreciation and love of the crowd, children beamed with joy! The vibrant ‘Art exhibit’ prepared entirely from

waste material on the ‘Sustainability Goal: Life Below Water’ was showcased in the exhibition. The thought provoking exhibit was

appreciated by all parents. Post the Annual Day celebrations, the children left the school with a pledge to celebrate ‘Green Diwali’

by planting a sapling and decorating their respective homes with the ‘Toran’ made by them in school.

P A G E 5 T H E R I D G E I A N

When little voices echoed- The World is Ours !

With great zest and excitement, the children of kindergarten learnt their dance steps to showcase their talent in front of the par-

ents on the song ‘The World is Ours’ signifying that they are the future of the Earth and are taking a pledge to keep her clean

and green to the best of their efforts. The tiny tots dressed up in beautiful outfits welcomed the audience with a splendid dance performance and by showering flowers on them. The performance was well appreciated by all as the children danced with great

enthusiasm and confidence.

P A G E 6 T H E R I D G E I A N

When the Rivers Run Dry...

The children of Grade1 danced gracefully to the soulful rendition of the song on Rivers. The song was a part of the initiative to stand by the “Rally for Rivers” campaign. The first graders not only learnt the dance steps but also understood the importance of our great rivers like Narmada, Kaveri, Ganga, Yamuna etc. that are depleting fast. These rivers nurtured and nourished us for thousands of years. It is time we nurture and nourish them back to health. The children also made a collage, related to “save water” using sponge painting and old buttons for the Art Exhibition.

Crowning Glory

Ashoka was a strong and intelligent statesman who was crowned the king of Magadha. To celebrate his coronation ceremony, citizens rejoiced and danced on auspicious songs in the glory of the King. Young Ashoka ascended the throne as the crown was placed on his head.

Grade 2 C children were a part of the coronation ceremony of King Ashoka and danced with full poise and grace. Their

performance on stage was appreciated by the audience as they looked lovely in their costumes and make up.

P A G E 7 T H E R I D G E I A N

Shubharambh – Celebrations for a new beginning

Ashoka is crowned the King of Magadha and the people of his kingdom sing and dance to celebrate the crowning of their young

prince. The second graders of both the sections- A and B danced to the beat of the song ‘Shubharambh’ which was choreographed

with multiple entries and exits. Boys and girls, dressed in bright costumes, performed with a lot of zeal trying to perfect each move.

Girls with lanterns in hand mesmerized the audience with their graceful moves! The dance was a treat to watch!

Pockets full of stars-Titli Ke Paro Par

Grade III children presented the Aspiration dance on the Annual Day wherein young Ashoka aspired to be the King of Magadha.

‘Chand Taare’ was a foot tapping song on which all the students practiced with full energy and enthusiasm. All of them looked

forward to their practice sessions and put in their best efforts to learn the lyrics of the song as well as the steps. On the day of the

performance, children looked beautiful in their costumes and make up. They were confident on stage and performed really well.

P A G E 8 T H E R I D G E I A N

Harvesting the Crops

Harvest Dance was the introduction to the play showcasing the happiness and prosperity in the Mauryan Empire. Agriculture was

the primary source of livelihood of most Mauryan Indians and agriculture also became the backbone of the Mauryan Empire’s fi-

nances.

Grade 4 children depicted the harvest festival through a folk dance showing the 14 years of Ashoka's reign in the month of Paush.

Children presented the dance with a couple of older students with full enthusiasm using various props and different dance

formations.

Let Me Conquer India!

As the name suggests, Aggression dance portrayed the emotions of greed, anger and aggression in Ashoka as his thirst to

conquer every part of India grew unfathomably large. He was unstoppable and his inner devils got the better of him. Since this

dance mirrored the negative emotions of Ashoka, the same had to be expressed through each movement and gesture. 12

students ranging from Class 5 to Class 9 were handpicked for this dance. The jerky and dark movements with an almost negligible,

lyrics-less soundtrack was not an easy task. The students put in their best and could be seen sitting and rubbing their ankles, knees

and elbows after each rehearsal! The camaraderie seen in this motley group was amazing!

P A G E 9 T H E R I D G E I A N

Bodhisattva Dance A ‘bodhisattva’ is literally a living being (sattva) who aspires for enlightenment (bodhi) and carries out altruistic practices. The

bodhisattva ideal is central to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition as the individual who seeks enlightenment for himself as well as

for others. Compassion, an empathetic sharing of the sufferings of others, is the bodhisattva's greatest characteristic.

In Buddhism, Bodhisattva is the Sanskrit term for anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated Bodhicitta, which is

a spontaneous wish and a compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

A mixed group of girls from Grades 5 to 10 participated in the Bodhisattva dance to bring out the message of peace and love, interweaving the SDG’s of our present world into the same. It was beautifully choreographed with delicate, rhythmic movements.

The girls enjoyed elongating their fingers with nail extensions that enhanced their hand gestures.

Lyrical Dance

Lyrical dance is a style of dance created by merging ballet and jazz. Lyrical dancing is performed to music with lyrics that inspire

movements which express strong emotions in the chosen song. Since lyrical dancing focuses on the expression of strong emo-

tions, the style concentrates more on individual approach and expressiveness than on the precision of the dancer's movements.

Despite being from a varied age group ranging from Grade 5 to Grade 10, all the participants of the Lyrical dance showed great

synchronization and team work in putting up an amazing dance performance on the Annual Day. If one of the members was not

there during the rehearsals, the others helped her learn the steps before the next rehearsals. The older members of the group

shouldered an extra responsibility of helping the younger members with their make ups and costumes on the Annual Day.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhahood

P A G E 1 0 T H E R I D G E I A N

War Dance

War Dance, in combination with Aggression dance, saw the coming together of 48 children across Grades 5 to 9. This dance was

a representation of The Great Kalinga War where Ashoka’s army came face to face with the State of Kalinga, a feudal kingdom.

The dance was a beautiful interpretation of aggression, arrogance, pride, victory and lament. After seeing all the bloodbath, the

regret of human loss overwhelmed Ashoka leading to his awakening towards humanity, spirituality and wisdom. This dance was

pivotal to the title of the Play “The Change-maker”.

Bhoomi Mangalam Dance

The Annual Day, witnessed the first performance of the Polish students, dressed in Indian traditional 'Kathak' costumes, upon the

RVS stage. Their performance in the Bhoomi Mangalam dance was spectacular and within five days of their arrival and the event, they left us spellbound and with beautiful memories of their presence at RVS.

P A G E 1 1 T H E R I D G E I A N

कक्षा पााँचवीं से दसवीं तक के ववद्यार्थियों ने ववद्यालय के वार्षिकोत्सव के मूल ववषय “अशोक-एक परिवतिनकािी के रूप में” के अंतर्ित पूर्ि

उत्साह के साथ अविनय का अभ्यास ककया। ववविन्न ककिदािों का अविनय किते समय ववद्याथी इतने अवििूत हो जाते थे कक कई बाि उन्हें

यह एहसास होने लर्ता था कक जैसे वे असली ककिदाि हों। उन सबके वलए यह एक यादर्ाि अनुिव था। सम्राट अशोक से जुड़े हि पात्र का

अविनय उन्होंने बखूबी वनिाया। हाँसी-हाँसी में ही सब बच्चों ने अविनय जैसी करिन प्रकिया को सफल कि कदखाया।

सम्राट अशोक के मंत्री आपस में ववचाि-

ववमशि किते हुए।

सूत्रधाि सम्राट अशोक के िाज्य के बािे

में बताते हुए।

िाजा अशोक कललंर् पि युद्ध किने

के वलए दढ़ृवनश्चयी।

P A G E 1 2 T H E R I D G E I A N

अशोक के दिबाि के एक व्यवि द्वािा घोषर्ा

किना की अशोक ने पूिे िाज्य के लोर्ों को

फसल-उत्सव पि आमवन्तत ककया ह।ै

अशोक का अविनय किते हुए

आिवीं कक्षा का एक छात्र।

नाटक के सिी पात्र आपस में

चचाि किते हुए।

बचपन का अशोक अपना अविनय

किते हुए।

P A G E 1 3 T H E R I D G E I A N

Orchestra – A Musical Presentation

महात्मा द्वािा िाजा अशोक को

शांवत बनाए िखने औि युद्ध न किने

के बािे में कहते हुए।

The students from across Grades 3 - 9 rehearsing and enhancing their knowledge of music. Using a variety

of instruments, they performed in small groups to show case their talent during Annual Day.

A fusion of Indian and

Western instruments created an

outstanding piece of music.

Learning to play the flute

P A G E 1 4 T H E R I D G E I A N

Students put in a lot of hard work, getting exhausted in the bargain, yet picking themselves up and rehearsing harder! The

spectacular result was for all to see at the opening of the Annual Day programme!

Practicing the

electric guitar

Playing the Violin

and Cello

A fusion of Indian and

Western instruments, created

an outstanding piece of

music.

P A G E 1 5 T H E R I D G E I A N

Puzzler Guzzler

1. When does yesterday come after today?

2. Using only addition, how can you add eight 8s to get the number 1,000?

3. I am an odd number; take away an alphabet and I become even. What number am I?

1. In dictionary 2. 888 +88 +8 +8 +8 =1,000 3. SEVEN Pratibimbh– The Artistic Extravaganza

The RVS Art Department geared up with enormous zest and enthusiasm to prepare for the Annual Day. Along with the teach-

ers, the students from Grade 2 to Grade 10 participated in making various props, paintings, sculptures, and stage decorations.

The ambience was eclectic, decorated by paintings of Buddha and Ashoka, a sculpture of Buddha, chess objects, ancient weap-

ons and coins, all made by students.

To integrate along with the theme ‘Ashoka - the Changemaker", there was much emphasis on the Sustainable Developmental

Goals in the Art Exhibition. Old, discarded boards and wooden panels were used to make paintings.

Our little Ridgeans (Nursey - Grade 1) did their bit by making collages on the SDGs whereas the older students used different

forms of art such as pointillism, truck art, doodling, madhubani art to create installations depicting the SDGs. For instance, an old

discarded water cooler was converted into an art piece portraying the importance of safe and clean drinking water (SDG 4).

The highlight of the art exhibition was the SDG Lantern, which, along with the sustainable developmental goals, symbolized the

wish for a brighter future.