Vasant Valley Today // PAGE

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today

MAY 2017

‘He’s fat.’ She’s too skinny.’ No one likes you.’ ‘She’s such an outcast.’ We talk about others for a large part of our day. And while nice things are said, in proportion to all the negative and de-meaning things spoken by us, they become negligible. Judging and passing comments on others is a part of routine, and instead of encouraging others, putting them down has unfortunately become the way to go. According todefinition,bullying is‘using superior strengthor influence to intimidate someone, typically intodoingsomething.’ But that isn’t where it stops. Mocking someone with respect to their appearance, way of talking or walking, familial background, their interests or insulting them in front or behind their back is bullying. It is a real time issue, demands a solution, and demands it now. THIRTEENREASONSWHY,aNetflixoriginalisashowthatisonthetopofeveryone’s‘ContinueWatching’andhere’swhere I ask; while watching a show that so genuinely and frankly puts out the long overdue message regarding bullying, do each one of you watchers remember and regret the times you’ve bullied someone? And think of incidents where you yourself have been bullied? While the matter is joked about, and things we say about one another are often meant harmlessly, it is imperative to real-izethattothe‘bullied’,itissomuchmorethanasimplebanter.Itisnotajoke.Oneoutofeveryfivepeoplegetbullied,andthreeoutofeveryfiveindulgeinbullyingothers,eitherdirectlyorindirectly.Whetheritspushingafellowstudenttoawallbecauseofhow he talks, or calling someone names because of their skin colour, or even commenting on parents of your fellow classmates – everything we say impacts the victim.

THE FATALISTIC PHENOMENA

Theworstpartaboutbeinghumanisthatweexperienceemotions.Now while that’s a good thing if the emotions felt are of a happy connotation, but is also the worst characteristic, as negativity gets to where it hurts. Alienation, frustration, depression – all plausible consequences of not giving an individual due respect and encouragement. These aren’t alien concepts, and each one of you reading this can link it to an incident you were subject-ed to, or inflicted upon someone elsewithin our very own beige and maroon walls. When you see that classmate who’s rather reserved, and keeps to himself, in the corner of the classroom, aloof from everyone else, ask yourself; why? An in-cident like the one you inflicted ontosomeone else could be the cause for this withdrawal. Or when you see that really chirpy girl who has stopped caring about what others say to the point that she ap-pears reckless – ask yourself again. Was it because your friends said things to her that affected her to the point that she couldn’t care less anymore?

‘Passive involvement is as bad as active involvement.’ The gravity of such incidents must be considered. It does not stop at shedding a tear or two, and feeling bad. When one enters ‘bullying effects’ ontheGooglesearchbar,theresultsarehorrific. ’16yearoldgirlkillsherself’’14yearoldsubjectedtocyberbullying,attempts suicide’ – this could be anybody. Thesixteen-year-oldgirlcouldbethatgirlinyourclasswhoyoumock for her frizzy hair. The fourteen-year-old boy could be that carefree boy who was mocked for his name. For students that post advertisements about dogs for adoption and planting trees, and reaching out to help those in need, we lack the basic sen-sitization. Look around you. Be aware. Don’t stay quiet. When you hear of an act of bullying and don’t purposefully stop it – you’re the bully too. Passive involvement is as bad as active involvement. At the end of the day, being mean, snide, rude, nasty and more amounts to bullying. When you hurt someone - it is bullying. When you watch someone get hurt and don’t do anything - it is bullying. As humans we are told that it is in school through bullying that we realize our strength, it is a part of life - a hurdle we must get over. We are told it is inevitable. Natural. Fatalistic. And that’s precisely the mindset we need to change. Bullying is not natural, it is not inevitable, it is not fatalistic. It can be ended. And it is that change we must look at bringing.

Ishita Malhotra, 12

Class 9: Speed Math 3Winner: Rishnav Thadani Well Done: Siddhant Gandhi, Prithvi Oak, Advait Iyer Class 12: Psychology Case Study Competition 1st Place: Kanishk Ali Khanna 2nd Place: Ishita Malhotra3rd Place: Ananya Jain Special Mention: Asees Kaur Class 8: Inter-house Math Quiz Blue House’s winning team:Anshuman Singh, Ansh Mehta, Katyayani Jha and Kavyini GarodiaClass 6: Inter-house Math QuizBlue House’s winning team:Darsh Puri, Sumaya Beri, Smit Bachan and Anant Veer BagrodiaVery Special Arts India Computer Competition (Junior Category) 1st Place: Aliesha Talwar 2nd Place: Mishti Sachdeva Class 7 : Softball Inter House CompetitionGreen House won the tournament against Blue House in the finals.Best player: Advaita SehgalBest Pitcher: Devanshi Sawhney Best Back Catcher: Chaya Paumier Green House team list:- Advaita Sehgal, Ambika Saklani, Suhanee Sinha, Shivani Sharma, Sukriti Jain, Kimaya Pasricha, Amaana Sikka, Vedika Sahni

SCHOOL WATCH

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE 2

INTER- HOUSE WESTERN MUSIC COMPETITION 2017

WhAt Do The Polls SAy:?

WHICH MUSICIAN ARE YOU? Find out which singer you are in your soul!

1. Which genre of music do you listen to most? A) SoulB) PopC) RapD) EDME) Jazz

2. How would you best describe yourself in one word? A) Laid-backB) ConfidentC) OutgoingD) BubblyE) Intense

3. Which instrument would like to accompany you while you’re singing? A) GuitarB) Nothing- my voice is my weaponC) Drums D) Synthesizer E) Saxophone

4. What is your favourite colour? A) RedB) WhiteC) GoldD) BlackE) Blue

5. What is your preferred holiday destination? A) The English countrysideB) ThailandC) Toronto D) Amsterdam E) Italy

If you got mostly A’s: Ed SheeranYou are someone with an enigmatic personality and limitless talent. Your forte is understanding the emotions that people find difficult to put in words. You are humble and your great-est strength lies within you.

If you got mostly B’s: Beyoncé You are indeed ruler material! Queen slays not only on, but off stage too. With distinct individualism, and strong ideals on var-

ious aspects like gender, race and creed, you are proud of who you are, and are not afraid to show it. You have high self

esteem and confidence levels out of this world, but well, perfec-tion must be flaunted right?

If you got mostly C’s: DrakeYou prefer working in an orderly and strategic manner and have very strong views about right and wrong. You are also persistent and do not give up easily on any problem you face. You have a kind and caring side and are not afraid to show it just like champagne papi himself!

If you got mostly D’s: Martin Garrix A musical sensation fresh out of your teenage years, you are the

definition of innovation in the postmodern music scene, with your nouveau compositions that keep the bass dropping in any night-club around the world

If you got mostly E’s: Frank SinatraA smooth style statement, dressed up to the nines, you are the jazz phenomenon of the 20th century, revolutionising the mu-sic and pop culture of your era just by using your swinging style

Sahir Singh, 11Sketches by Ananya Jain, 12

MARK D’SOUZA THROUGH THE YEARS It's that time of the year when passing by the western music room will result in hearing voices synchronising in (almost) perfect harmony. If done right, it'll give you real goosebumps listening to all-time favourite tunes being recreated within the walls of Vasant Valley. The Mark D'Souza Western Music Competition is symbolic of many traditions and feelings in school. The four categories - solo, duet, instrumental and group song - have been a long-standing source of buzz in the school. There's always been excitement about who is singing what for solo, what house is performing what for instrumental,

etc. There's always been and al-ways will be new hidden discov-ered in an unexpected group song audition and there'll definitely always be the people who lounge around the music room hoping to catch a break from a lesson.

Over the years, Mark D'Sou-za's legacy continues to evolve and become a further integrated part of Vasant Valley's journey

as a school. The competition becomes more fierce, the practice time decreases (ahem) and the level of performances on stage continue to grow better and better. But what all of this is really about, is what the competition really means to everyone who performs in it. It isn’t about who comes first, it isn’t about who messes up on stage; it’s about how everyone works together to put on a show which people remember for years to come. A guitarist from yellow house plays for a soloist from red house. A drummer from red house plays for a duet pair for green house. The teamwork, effort and ambience of friendly competitiveness is what makes the Western Music Competition one of a kind and com-pletely different from all other school events. It’ll be my last year performing in the competition as any musician at all, and more than the pleasure of singing on stage in front of one of the best audiences I know, I’ll miss the hours I spent behind the piano in the Western Music room with the people that make it pos-sible for that performance to go off well in the first place. Varun Vasudeva, 12

Red

GreenYellow

Blue

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE 3

Vasant Valley’s Poets Dear Father

The year was 2017The people did not careFor the trees were being chopped downAnimal skin they did wear

The year was 2025There were buildings touching the skiesThe world was a mere Dystopia filled with lies

The year was 2040And the animals had no homeWandering around in citiesWith nowhere left to go

The year was 2080The trees were no moreOxygen tanks were carried aroundThe earth, polluted to its core

The year was 2095And doomsday had been predictedThe hatred of mankind finally goneAs they realised that they were wrong

The year was 2100The people held their handsBlack and White, they all chanted...3...2...1And the world was no more

Armaan Gandhi, 9

Singing in The Rain

Confession

The droplets embraced the sagging earth As coral ivy wound its way, Through torn cracks on a withering branchAnd hazel nests left astray.

The barren earth seemed to be dressing;Touching up its tones and scent,

The arid, ample area turningTo a warmer apricot accent.

It poured as purity thundered Upon those lilac berries,A peek from behind a twig or twoSome fiddling beneath the cherries.

Drenched in clamoured skins of thoseFrogs coming out to play,

The processions of whimpering bloomsSwaying through the haze.

Shy simmering on sizzling trunksWaking up the jays,Singing squirrels with bushy tailsSniffing the earthly sprays.

Revolting rabid red their eyesAre now a pleased pale pink,

Rabbits slipping on glossy stones And a bubbling baffled mink.

Obligation; they say to show off their movesPeacocks mingling with the patter,While an otter cursed aloud to allHow his dinner had gone a-scatter!

Their eyes like fluorescent flashlights Fleeing through the mist,

The flames within their glassy wingsAblaze as the fireflies twist.

A chorus of cicadas Filling the hollow trunks,Like a taxidermist’s skilful fingersStuffing a pair of skunks.

Beyond my verandah lay this canvas On which these colours skied,

So pale and lifeless a minute agoWas now a masterpiece!

Through those old glum unpleasant daysA schism of joy and grief was beyond my brain,But now a dream I’d given up onWas creating a protective chain,And on cue just like my friends I’m singing in the rain!

Katyayini Jha, 8

As the day dawned upon us,and the skies began to darken.Your eyes turned a deep red,as the alcohol began to sharpen.

I watched you slam the door,inside the room there was hell.Mother came out very strong,

but crying, to the floor she fell.As I dressed up my best,and was ready to go.You looked me up and down,asked why I dressed like a whore.

You questioned my behaviour,or should I say my every action,

You were a prisoner of social norms,but I didn’t belong to that faction.

The way you spoke, so shameless,your presence we despised.Your spiteful comments made us ashamed,every time you objectified.

As mom would breathe heavily,cut glasses on the floor.

My heart would throb every time,that you would slam the door.

For all the times I kept quiet,and your voice over shone.For all the times I healed the bruises,to which mom was prone.

I had never known a father,just a monster in the night.

Not hands to wipe my tears,but claws that I had to fight.

I didn’t have a choice,the power always lied with you.You screamed over everyone else,and then the silence grew.

Dearest Father,Today the silence has spread,

all the way to my heart.As this rope tugs upon my neck,

I hang myself and wish for a new start.Sehej Kaur, 10

A sanctum within a sinners mind, vengeance and rage can make god’s men blind.The holiest of saints are made to lose focus,and bequeathing chaos unto the world, serves as their magnum opus.

A man who once relieved souls of their pain,lost his gift and was heartlessly endowed with this bane.

When he was corned and thrown into the shadows of society,

and found nothing but a sky of failures when he looked up,searching for his deity.

When in the epicentre of a relentless bloodbath,The bravest of soul unleash their wrath.When facing the pull of an all-consuming black-hole,hatred and rage consume their soul.

Eventually the man lost control of his mind, when the world he grew with, left him behind.

And the holiest of the saints gave into his pain,When the only shroud he possessed had his mothers blood

stained.He lost all control,and misused his power and mind. And made the most visionary church,a herd of the blind.

He was what he did,and tossed himself into an abyss,

He could either fight his life off to gain retention,or be met with death and accept Satan’s kiss.

He walked back on the path that he had destroyed,as he sought to recreate the holy grail;Greeted by the body of a dead priest,at first sight his heart was made frail.

His knees hit the ground, and the sinners heart pounded.

As the life was sucked out of his body,and a cloud of melancholy surrounded.

His body grew cold as hells symphonies continued to play,And his untold confession alongside his corpse de-cided to stay.

Shiv Juneja, 11

What helps us travel in time and looks like a sub-marine?You guessed it right, it’s a time machine!To fix your mistakes, you can go back in time,fix the wrong deeds of our ancestors which de-stroyed our lives.

Some people will tell you time machines aren’t ready,Don’t believe them, they’re made actually.How do you think all of Einstein’s theories were right?He’s not a genius, he just used our device.

I’ve actually travelled in time, I’m Queen Elizabeth I,Now I know what fate has in store for my own son.I even know who’ll be president of India in 2001,I know all the future, I know all our past,Scientists are right when they say our culture is very vast.

I’ll tell you how to use it if you won’t tell anyone.It might be complicated but I assure you that it’s fun.You press the red button and select a date,Then wait in silence as it begins to operate.

The directions are simple, but there’s a marvellous outcome,If you don’t believe me just ask anyone.It is the greatest invention and will always be,After all, it’s our favourite time machine.

Sanya Anand, 6

Time Machine

You found love deep inside your mistress’s eyes,Though you can compare not.You found sorrow in her deep sighs,Though you love your mistress not.

You found hate in your master’s eyes,Though you can compare not.You found anguish in his lies,Though you love your master not.

You found curiosity in the child’s eyes,Though you can compare not.You found fear in his eyes,How complex a mind a child’s got.

You see despair in your wife’s eyes,Though you can compare not.You found misery in her life.To this, you can compare.

In your eyes you see nothing,Nothing but a man doing his work.But why is there nothing,When God says happiness can be found?

Tanvir Sood, 7

FoundA Count Down

These are the best entries for the poetry writing competion. The other winning entries can be found on the website

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE 4Living a Dream: My most favourite sporting activity is to play soccer with my friends. I started liking the game when I was just turning four. My father was playing it with other people. I couldn’t understand much of it but I wanted to play the game. After I turned five my father started teach-ing me how to play. It also taught me how to play a team and how you can use your space. My favourite players were Paul Pogba who was a mid-fielder and Antoine Griezmann who was a sticker. Both the players are from France. Then after years, I finally got to know the rules and the games positions. I also started watching it live on T.V. I really liked it and now I also put up posters and like collecting cards about soccer. When I grow up I want to be a soccer player like Pogba and Griezmann and not be stuck just learning other subjects like Nuclear Physics and Optical Physics. Zaccheus Kalenga 5BMy favourite Hobby is crafting out of recycle material. I have created many objects, I call mas-terpieces. I have created a future generation, arm pad for generals of the army and laptops out of old cardboard boxes. I even made interesting masks using some old paper and cloth. When I am free I started crafting different things. The idea behind these models is to have a blue print for my future inventions. Rudra Sharma 5-

Poorna- The MovieThe story is about a young tribal girl named Poorna. She and her sister Priya were very poor, and their fathers could not afford to pay their fees. One day, Poorna came to know about a school which pro-vided free education. Both the sisters tried to run away but Priya was caught and was forced to get married. However, Poorna joined that school. There she met a welfare officer Praveen Kumar. He encouraged Poorna to join a rock climbing camp. She excelled in it and decided to climb Mount Everest. On the way she got news of her sister’s illness. She rushed back home but her sister died. Poorna was heartbro-ken, but was determined to achieve her goal. She went back and became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest.

Geetika Jain 5 - A

BooksHave you read all these books?She asked me, with one of her most curious looks,I love books, I don’t know why?The more books I read, the more books I buyI read everywhereHere, there just everywhereIn school, at home and in the busI can’t put books down without a fussI’d fill books in a whole suitcaseI embroided books on my hancky with laceIn my red armchair, reading , I hideAnd get a warm feeling inside.I really, really love to read!Oh Yes I do! Oh Yes indeed!Kaavya Mukherjee Saha and Meera Shukla IV - B

Dr ko maaro maMOnao Apnao Baa[- kao JaMJaaoD kr ]zayaa AaOr

bah gaussao sao baaolaa @yaa huAa vaIr tumhnao kao[- baura sapnaa

doKa @yaa Aba mauJao Ahsaasa hao gayaa qaa ik maOM laD,ka

nahI laD,kI h^MU. krta tao @yaa krta. maOMnao naha - Qaaokr ek gaulaabaI frak phnaI AaOr lamabao sauMdr baalaaoM pr ek laala fUla lagaa

idyaa. tBaI maa^M nao Aavaaja, lagaa dI baoTI jaldI krao hmaoM baoTI bacaaAao baoTI pZ,aAao AiBayaana ko ilae jaanaa hO. maorI maa^M ek samaa-

ja saoivaka hOM AaOr ]naka khnaa BaI kuC gajat nahI qaa. laD,ko AaOr laD,ikyaaoM maoM kuC frk nahI hO.yah baat maoro mana maoM Gar kr

ga[-. maorI maa^M kI [cCa maoro sapnaaoM maoM badla ga[-. maorI maa^M kI [cCa qaI ik ]nakao BaI ek baoTI haotI. Aar\yavaIr KaoDa 5 - sa

maorI maa^M ko sapnao

ek saubah maOM Acaanak sao ]za AaOr ifr maOMnao doKa ik

maOM maOM nahI qaa matlaba kI maOM laD,ka nahI qaa bailk ek

laD,kI qaI. yah pZnao mao bahut AjaIba laga rha haogaa pr

Apkao pta nahI ik maOM BaI iktnaI AjaIba isqait maoM h^MU.

Life Cycle of a Butterfly by Class 2A

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE 5

बाहुबली २ - कटप्ा ने बाहुबली को क्यों मारा दो सालों से राष्ट्र जानना चाहता था: कटटप्ा ने बाहूबली को क्यों मार दद्या? कुछ दर्शकों ने संभवत: इसका जवाब ढँूढ़ लल्या होगा, लेदकन ्यह ध्यान में रखते हुए दक बाहुबली 2 को इसी प्रश्न का स्ष्ट रू् से जवाब देने के ललए बना्या ग्या था, मैं इस समीक्ा को ललख रही हँू। ्यह द़िलम ्हले ्ाट्श की ववरासत को अ्ने कंधों ्र उठाती है । बाहुबली को ताकत और दहममत के प्रतीक के रू् में दरा्श्या ग्या है । प्रभास ने व्ता और ्तु्र दोनों की भलूमकाओ ंको बहुत अचछे से

लनभा्या है। खास बात ्यह है दक ्यह ्ाट्श उस सवाल का जवाब आखखरकार दे देगा जो सबको दो सालों से ्रेरान दकए हुए है। ्हली दिलम की तरह, ्यह भी एक ऐलतहालसक चललचत्र है। अब समीक्ा ललखते हुए प्रश्न ्यह उठता है दक इस चललचत्र में है क्या? इस ्ूरी द़िलम का एक ही मकसद है - एक बेटा अ्ने व्ता की हत्या का बदला लेना चाहता है। दकनतु बाहुबली 2 एक ववलरष्ट भारती्य दिलम है। ्यह द़िलम वासतव में वदैदक काल के भारत को अलतसनुदर रू् को प्रसततु करती है। दिलम में CGI और VFX के इसतेमाल से बना्ेय गए सीन आ्को अ्नी सीट से बांधकर रखने की ताकत रखते हैं और बाहुबली भी आ्को इमोरनल उतार-चढ़ाव में कैद कर ्ाने में सिल होता है। इस समीक्ा के अतं में, मैं श्ीमान राजमौली से धन्यवाद कहना चाहँूगी दक कम से कम तीन घंटे, मैं अतीत की भव्यता में झाँक ्ाई।

वेददका बागला, 9

A REVIEW OF THE SCHOOL REJUVENATION Change is unavoidable, whether it is in one’s personal life or in school/professional life. It does not necessarily negatively impact us, but in the words of Arnold Bennett, any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. The new school system is a case in point. The overhaul of the awards and grade sheets, with the introduction of feedback report cards, constitute a major change in the lives of Vasant Valley students. It not only affects how they have to approach their studies now, but also needs them to focus on fields of development such as social, cerebral, emotional and spiritual, that they might have neglected all this while. The initial reactions to this system were varied. Class 6 students were excited as they thought that this is a better system. Grade sheets did not show what they were doing wrong but in their opinion, the report cards and feedbacks will help them to improve in a more focused manner. Class 7 students felt the sudden exams were an eye opener as it helped them realign their priorities at the moment to performing better in academics. Class 8 students, on the other hand, felt shocked at such a sudden change and were even nervous as it created a lot of commotion. But overall, they felt they managed to perform well. When asked about their perspective on the impact this system will have on them, most students from all classes agreed that it has helped them to sharpen their skills. Even though there were no grades, they managed to stick to academics as their main focus. Although the long term results yielded by the new system can only be assessed at the end of the academic year, the short term response to this has been quite positive. Students have taken it in their stride and managed to make the most of it which is commendable. A more comprehensive impact will be visible once the new school system has taken roots and become routine to everyone.

Darinee Chandok, 10

The school has been working on developing five domains - Cerebral, Spiritual, Social, Physical and Emotional. These are being actively used to form goals to help students develop hollistically inn all spheres.

WORLD TODAYthe easiest way for you to ace a GK Quiz

April is now synonymous with a single event in the minds of every music fan all across the globe : Coachella, or to be precise- The Coach-ella Valley Music and Arts Festival which is held in Indio, the heart of the Colorado Desert. This is not only a music festival, but a cultural event that draws the attention of a variety of celebrities, floods social media and sparks new trends in fashion. This year, 2017 brought a new amount of energy in the air giving a total -126,000 people coming together to hear some of their favourite songs and singers live in action. Last minute fill ups, running from one venue to another, camping together and making unforgettable memories with your friends is all apart of the ‘Coachella experience.’ The line up for this year had Bastille, DJ Snake, Martin Garrix, DJ Khaled, Galantis, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar and many more talented artists among which Lady Gaga performed a medley of her hits including an acoustic version of “Edge of Glory,” which she dedicated to a friend battling cancer. During the performance, many stars were spotted in the crowd jiving to the music- Selena Gomez, The Weeknd, Orlando Bloom, Drake, Amber Rose , French Montana, Kylie Jenner,  Alessandra Ambrosio ,James Franco,Rihanna, Katy Perry, Kristen Stewart and Stella Maxwell watched the show together in the front rows of this musical extravagan-za. Small, dark, totally enclosed, and with the feeling of a discotheque in a dusty old library, the Yuma tent is the festivals best kept secret and is this areas hidden EDM passage. The unexpected surprises of The Weeknd bringing Kanye West and Solange bringing his sister Beyonce pleased the baying crowds with a cavalcade of amusements and familiar faces.“ We’d always talked about that as the pinnacle. If we played Coachella we could die happy.”- Lorde

Arushi Bhutani, 11

Emmanuel Macron is set to be the next President after defeating Marine Le Pen in the French elections.

India successfully launched the South Asia Communi-cation Satellite from Sriharikota.

Boko Haram militants exchanged 82 schoolgirls who they had kidnapped in 2014 in return for the release of imprisoned members of their group.

The US Congress passes a bill to repeal Obamacare, ex-President Obama’s Affordable Healthcare program.

२०१२ के लनभ्श्या बलातकार केस में चारों दोवि्यों को सप्रीम कोट्श द्ारा मौत की सजा दी गई है ।

भारत ने न्यू जीलैंड को हरा कर सलुतान अजलन राह हॉकी में ततृी्या सथान प्राप्त की ।

ददलली हाई कोट्श की ्हली मदहला न्या्याधीर जखसटस लेला सेठ मतृ्य ुको प्राप्त हो गई।

भारती्य सरकार ने ् रेू असम को संकोलचत जगह घोवित कर दद्या है ।

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE 6

Ms. Anita Nair is a famous author who has published over ten books for chil-

dren and adults in the past 2 decades. It was a privelage to meet and talk to her.

How do you manage to think of new, orig-inal plots?I usually think of my plots by looking at real-life incidences, and manifesting them into stories. But this does not mean that I takes the whole plot from real life; that would not make me an original writer. I take the characters from inspirations of people I might have encountered, and the settings from places I have been.

What made you start writing?Since I was a child, I have had bad eye-sight. My thick, fragile glasses restricted me from playing much sport. So in my free time, I would pick up the book my older brother would be reading. I developed an interest in books and this led to the emer-gence of a writer. It was a bit tough to proceed on my journey, though, because I come from a family of painters and artists.

Do you find any restrictions while writ-ing?There are restrictions while writing! For example, in my new book - ‘Muezza and Baby Jaan’, I realised that there would be a lot of controversy if I wrote something against the Quran or Muslim Religion. Such minuscule problems have to looked out for, so that I would not be crossing the border.

INTERVIEWING MS. ANITA NAIR

Collected by Prithvi Oak, Aryan Sadh

INTERVIEWING MS. MALLIKA ARYAAlumni of Vasant Valley School Ms. Mal-

lika Arya recently travelled to Antarctica to draw awareness to ecological problems. We had the chance to ask her a few questions.

What motivated you go on the International Ant-arctica Expedition? I did the ‘Teach for India’ fellowship from 2014-2016. It was during my fellowship and my inter-action with my students that I realised I wanted to do my masters in sustainability and environmental studies - as that is the need of the hour. Post the fellowship I took a gap year to travel and do some projects. While I was travelling I learned about the International Antarctic Expedition with Sir Robert Swan and his foundation- 2041. The foundation aims to work for the preservation and conserva-tion of Antarctica and as a part his work he takes a group of individuals every year to the 7th con-tinent. Our jobs when we come back is to spread awareness in our own countries about what is hap-pening there and what we can do to preserve the continent. Since I was on a gap year and looking to do environment based projects I decided to write to Robert Swan and ended up getting selected for his program.

What were the most amazing experiences you had on the expedition and what were the things you learnt. The most amazing experiences included seeing my first ice berg and the plethora of wildlife (whales, penguins, seals, sea birds etc). It was amazing to see the functioning of the fragile ecosystem up close and understand that nature works best with-out human interference. I learnt a lot from the geologists, glaciologists, biologists and other sci-entists on board. The most important thing I took away from my trip to the 7th continent was that we need to start be more conscious about our way of living back home - there is such a pristine place that still exists on our planet and our ways of life are going to destroy that soon if we don’t make changes.

Any advice to students who would like to also undertake the amazing journey you have just taken? The advice I would like to give is - 1) Know your facts. Read up and learn as much as you can! 2)If you want to go for an expedition like this, be very clear why you’re going and have a clear vision in your mind. What is it that you want to achieve once you’re back?

Collected by Zoya S. Hassan

INTERVIEWING MS. SUHASINI HAIDER

Ms. Suhasini Haider is the diplomatic editor of The Hindu, she has reported for television and print on conflict and foreign policy issues. We

had the chance to interview her.

There’s a lot of tension between countries that are nuclear powers and superpowers like the US and North Korea respectively. What is your opinion on the current scenario, and what do you think the future entails?I think nuclear power is always going to be something that frightens the whole world. After the nuclear bombs on Japan, the world saw what devastation can be caused. When a country like North Korea goes rogue, as it has over the last few years, there is an increasing worry. What we are seeing right now, it’s a very dynamic situation - things are changing, but what we do know is that North Korea has stayed away from doing the nuclear tests it was planning to do so far. What this particular flashpoint has become is an oppor-tunity for cooperation between countries. We see the Philippines’ president speaking to the Chinese president, we see the Chinese president speaking to the US president. These are relationships that have themselves been very tense over the last few years. If we are seeing new avenues for coopera-tion, if the world at least acknowledges that these are thrifts that the world cannot afford to have, then that at least shows some positive that has come out of a very troubling situation.

When we look at terrorism as a whole, could we say that terrorism is being derived from poverty and social exclusion?I don’t agree. There are many movements around the world that have been born out of a sense of inequality that have not turned violent. After all what is terrorism? Today we have this ability to name everything terrorism, and that’s why the world is so confused. Essentially terrorism is the ability to use soft targets: to send a message to terrorize the entire society. I would completely reject the idea that that could ever be a means to bring any kind of spotlight onto your own griev-ances. If you can’t understand the pain of the or-dinary person you are killing, how can you say that your pain must be looked at more seriously. Does terrorism come out of economic and social deprivation? I think terrorism finds fertile ground where there is a sense of grievance. Firstly, ter-rorism doesn’t fix it, was the LTT able to give equality and justice to its people? No, it wasn’t. In fact, the LTT killed more Tamils than the Sri Lankan forces did. We see even in Kashmir, I hear all the time people saying that this is job-less and that people are only coming out to do this because they don’t have work, but look at the people who are coming out. Some are students, some are lawyers, some have professions of dif-ferent sorts. You have to know where to draw the line. You cannot be using soft targets, or carrying out violent acts against the state. After all, the world has a system and there must be a system of having your grievances heard, and the world to-day is much more equitable than it was 100 years ago when we were looking at The World Wars, massacres for example in countries like Armenia and other countries in west Asia. So, compared to all that, I would say that the world is a more equitable place. Can you use us means that ter-rorists use to bring any kind of positive spotlight on your cause?

Collected by Nayna Puri, Kabir Singh

LEXICONsummer- the word ‘summer’ is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word ‘sama’ which means year.lackadaisical- lazy,especially in a casual or dreamy wayAlack is an old exclamation of regret and alack-a-day an obsolete one meaning ‘what a sad day it is’. From this implied sense of helplessness, comes the meaning of the modern adjective, itself derived from alack-a-day.bikini- a two-piece bathing costume for womenFirst used in France in 1947; the costume was previously named-erroneously- le minimum. However, this new name came from the atoll of Bikini, in the Marshall Islands of the Pacific, which had been the site of US atom-bomb tests the previous year. It is generally believed that the naming came about upon both their explosivenesses of effect. odyssey-long, eventful journeyThe definition of this word is an allusion to the great epic Greek poem The Odyssey, which describes the adventures of Odysseus during his ten-year return journey from the Trojan War to his kingdom of Ithaca.

Jay Jagannath, 12

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE 7

ववश्व नतृ्य ददवस ववश्व नतृ्य ददवस हर साल 29 अप्रैल को मना्या जाता है। ्ूयनेसको इंटरनेरनल लथ्ेयटर इंसटीट्यटू की अतंरा्शष्ट्री्य नतृ्य सलमलत द्ारा ्दोननलत के माध्यम से इसे 1982 में ररुू दक्या ग्या था। ्यह ददन एक नत्शकी/ नत्शक की सुंदरता, प्रलतभा, सम््शण, कडी मेहनत को मनाता है और हम सब को नतृ्य का आदर करना लसखाता है। हर नतृ्य दसूरे से लभनन होता है और एक अलग चमक के साथ दक्या जाता है। नतृ्य के लरक्कों के सममान में भी

मना्या जाता है, साथ ही वे ज्ान प्रदान करते हैं और अ्ने ववद्ालथ्श्यों को समलृद्ध और अनुग्रह प्राप्त करने में मदद करते हैं। भारत में, नतृ्य हमेरा से सांसकृलतक ्हचान का एक आतंररक दहससा रहा है। ्यह देवताओ ंके ललए आध्याखतमकता और प्ररंसा की अलभव्यवति के रू् में ररुू हुआ और प्राचीन के भारती्य ग्रथंों, ववरेिकर नाट्यरास्तों में बहुत लंबी अवलध तक वखण्शत दक्या ग्या है, खजसमें भारती्य नतृ्य रू्ों के मखु्य लसद्धांत भी रालमल हैं। अलधकांर भारती्य नतृ्य रू्ों को रास्ती्य और लोकनतृ्य में वगगीकृत दक्या जा सकता है। रास्ती्य रू् आठ नतृ्यों, ख जनमें भरतनाट्यम (तलमलनाडु), कतथक (उत्तर प्रदेर), कथकली (केरल), कुलच्डुी (आंध्र प्रदेर), ओदडसी (ओदडरा), मखण्ुरी (मखण्ुर), मोदहनी्याटटम (केरल) और सवत्र्या (असम)। दो मखु्य भागों रस (भावना) और भव (इरारा ्या चेहरे की अलभव्यवति) से बना ्ेय नतृ्य रू्। इन सभी रास्ती्य रू्ों में एक चीज समान है: वे वबना रबदों के कहने की कहानी की कला ्र आधाररत हैं। इरारों और अलभव्यवति्यों के माध्यम से ्ेय नतृ्य रू्, ववरेि रू् से ईश्वर के जीवन से उदाहरणों को बताने में सक्म हैं।

वान्या वासदेुवा

TRUMP COMPLETES A 100 DAYS Saturday, the 29th of April marked the hundredth day in office of the President with the lowest approval rat-ing of all time. Contrary to popular belief, Donald Trump has achieved some things, but his list of failures is much longer than his achievements. The big question is- what has he achieved? Some of the positive outcomes are that he has created job opportunities, by threatening to tax com-panies if ̄they manufactured abroad. In another bid to en-ergise the economy, he has lowered corporate taxes by 15% making America’s taxes one of the lowest in the world. In his attempt to fulfil his campaign slogan of “Make America Great Again” he has tried to implement a number of laws that have created ripples all over the world, which led to widespread criticism. One of his most infamous acts was to pass a bill

to ban citizens from 8 Muslim countries from entering the US. Thankfully the courts rejected this xenophobic bill, which if put in action, would have displaced many people, and further isolated the Islamic community. To boost busi-ness and economy, he rolled back 23 environmental laws, the most important of which being allowing coal miners to dump their toxic waste into streams. Even though the USA lacks funds, Trump is adamant about building a wall along the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration, not realis-ing that this will hurt the many Mexican migrant workers that power the economies of California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. What is the most personally distressing to me is his attitude towards women and talking down to them as well as poorly about them. Perhaps, the President of the most modern country in the world should get some mod-ern ideas, and, instead of tweeting about overrated celeb-rities and fake news, Mr Trump should focus on truly mak-ing America great again.

Sanaa Sharma, 9

The GST: An Overview We hear this term, see it flashing across news channels and sprawled across the pages of the morning paper and pay very little at-tention to it. With the Goods and Services Tax rolling out on July 1st let us delve into the topic and truly understand what the GST is. Any business must pay certain taxes such as an excise duty or a Value Added tax. But we generally see these taxes add up at the bottom of our bills. This is because the incidence of the tax has been passed on from the producer to the consumer. So technically we are paying their taxes on their behalf. These taxes are called indirect taxes, as they are not coming from he/she who is taxed but the person who buys the good or employs the service. The GST attempts to replace nearly all of these taxes. The point of levy for a tax under the GST is supply. This un-der the GST act has been defined as transfer, exchange, and barter, rent-al, lease and also a supply made to an agent or to a branch as well as the sale of goods and services. So if your business engages in any of these GST will replace all taxes paid by you on purchases, and mandate you to levy GST on your supply. Now that we know what the GST is in a broad sense and who falls under the GST let us understand the benefits of implementing this scheme: 1) Uniform taxation rate: Without getting muddled by in-ter-state taxes [currently different] and other such problems leading to hardship in businesses, the GST ensure that all indirect tax rates and structures are homogenous across the country. Since the problem of hidden costs increasing due to inter-state sale cascading of taxes also reduces significantly. 2) Improved competitiveness: reduction in transaction costs would lead to improved business and hence more competitiveness in trade and industry. 3) Gain to exporters/manufacturers: Due to the GST manu-facturing local goods and services becomes cheaper. This boosts man-ufacturers and further boosts the competitiveness of Indian goods and services in the international market and increases and supports Indian exports. In essence we see that the GST is a game changer and with it’s uniformity it will revolutionise Indian businesses and taxation.

Aryan Sadh, 11

२०१५ में सिलता के बाद, आम आदमी ्ाटटी की लोकवप्र्यता में एक बहुत ही गहरा उतार आ्या है। ्यह बात २०१७ की एम.्सी.डी चनुाव में आम आदमी ्ाटटी के रम्शनाक हार से स्ष्ट होती है। केजरीवाल के मफुत वबजली, मफुत ्ानी जसेै अन्य खोखले वादों का इस बार ददलली वालस्यों ्र कोई असर नहीं हुआ और आम आदमी ्ाटटी इन चनुाव में दसूरे सथान ् र रही। केजरीवाल का गोवा और ् ंजाब में चनुाव लडने के िैसले के कारण वे ददलली में कम ददखे खजसके वजह से ददलली वासी नाराज थे। भारती्य जनता ्ाटटी का कई नए चेहरों को चनुाव मदैान में उतारने का िैसला भी आम आदमी ् ाटटी ् र भारी ् डा. इस बरुी हार के बाद केजरीवाल और आम आदमी ्ाटटी के और नेता और का्य्शकता्श भी लचंलतत रहे और उनकी ्ाटटी में चचा्श जारी रही। एक मजबतू वव्क्, सवसथ सरकार और लोकताखनत्रक राष्ट्र के ललए बहुत ही आवश्यक है। उममीद करते हैं दक इस हार के बाद, आम आदमी ्ाटटी अ्नी गललत्यों को समझ कर सही ददरा में काम करने लगेगी।

प्रकृलत महाजन

आ् और एमसीडी एलेकरन

Vasant Valley Today // PAGE

EDITORIAL BOARDReana Soni, Sanaa Sharma, Siya Garg, Vedika Bagla

Anoushka Clays, Darinee Chandhok, Tanvi Bahl, Sanah Kapur, Aryan Sadh, Saahil Kumar, Rabiya Gupta, Aditi Singh, Arushi Bhutani, Ishita Malhotra, Aditya Kapur, Asees Kaur,

Jay Jaganaath, Ananya Jain

Editor- Zoya Siddiqi Hassan

Send all articles/suggestions to zoyasiddiqihassan@gmail.comOnline issue available at www.vasantvalley.org

8

THE INTERN (An Inside Experience) Summer is a time that each school student relates with no work however the summer of class 11 is a different one altogether. First there’s the task of finding the internship that’s right for you and next comes showing up for ‘work’. The first day is daunting and your unqualified self often feels lost amongst the sea of profession-als. Waking up early in the morning to get ready feels like a task and you often feel like it’s not worth the effort. However as time goes by, these people become your mentors . They’re waiting anxiously with you to receive your class 10 results and even celebrate your victory alongside you. My internship entailed running errands, visiting courts in 45 degree Delhi weather and even resulted in dehydration. But I wouldn’t exchange it was for any other experience. It gave me and hopefully will give each one of you a great insight into the profes-sion of your choice. An insight that that goes beyond the portrayal of

that job in movies and television shows. My advice would be to stay positive to thoroughly enjoy the experience and to chose a firm or company that’s preferably smaller in size to get individ-

ual attention about the functioning of the industry and have more to do then just bring coffee. This experience would hopefully be one that you remember fondly and might even help some of you confused ones help decide the profession you’d like to go into like it did for me.

Asees Kaur, 12

ग्रीषमावकार आइसक्ीम तरैना आम त्न आलस ठणडी लससी बि्श ग्रीषमकालीन

गलम्श्यों में रबद खोजConversations In Silence(continued from page 3)

She is the folkloric woman,Passed down from generation to generation.Body draped in a traditional kanjivaram sari

Or perhaps those so finely woven In holy Banaras

she is invoked as a GoddessDevi.

Reigning from the time That Sita rose from the earth

And Draupadi from the flames.‘Staining’,

The name of their husbandsThe words of the holy books - recited

In hushed whispersOf snakes and stains and women

As one.‘Oh Sita’, Rama said. ‘You are no longer fit to be my wife, having lived in the house of another man for so long.’ And Sita asked herself what justice this was to sentence an innocent woman abuducted against her will to a life of impurity and insularity.

She, who holds God in womb Isn’t allowed to enter the temple

When human life -Yet to be perfected

Is let go,In tidal waves of agony.

And when God’s cries resonate

With those of a newborn childThe stone statues

With flowers incense and prayers Littered at their feet,

Remain silent. 16 year old Shanta’s mother was dying. As she lifted her thick sari over her head, her thaali on her hand ready to offer marigold to the Gods so that they would save her, a hand stopped her. Pushed her back outside. Her grand-mother looked in disapproval. You cannot enter the temple in this state. Don’t you know you are impure at this time of month?

She bleeds a red river -The colour of her life every month

And yetWhen with silent approval

The vermillion in her partingand the tilak on a man’s forehead

Is acceptedThe red that flows and stains from in between legs

Is silenced.Rukmini watched as her father framed the CBSE certificate on the wall. He looked at her with a patronizing smile. ‘Padhai done. 12th pass.’ And then he tied the red cloth to her hand and the hand of an unknown man, marking her forhead with sindoor and his forhead with the red tika and the CBSE red seal was ignored. And when the night drew closer, it was forgotten that she was in pain and that she did not have the mental strength to go through what was expected.

Porcelain dolls turned BarbiesAnd the silences turned to those

Of unwanted hands - exploring the geography of her body.Syllables unspoken in shame.

The silent conversations that giggled With hypocrisy

Are transient And as she bleeds

Or when she is rapedIt is the screams in between her legs

On the hospital bedAnd the sound of heels

As she walks over Those who condemned her

The folkloric womanThe goddess

To a silence transientand now broken.

In honor of Nirbhaya, Bilkis Bano, every woman who has been raped and is unable to attain justice, every woman who strives for liberation. May you recieve the justice to those who condemn you, harm you, stop you and try to kill you. The conviction of the four Nirbhaya gang rapists is the first mile-stone to a long battle. May she and every other woman who is hurt or touched unwillingly be a reminder of a larger cause that we as citizens of a developing India fight for.

Zoya S. Hassan, 12

WHERE IS VASANT VALLEY TRAVELLING THIS SUMMER?Europe - 53.2%

India - 21%America - 19%

Asia - 14%Africa - 3%