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SCHOOL WATCH

· On Wednesday, 3rd March, the students of Class 6 visited Sultangarhi, a historical monument at Mehrauli.

· On Thursday, 4th of March, Class 1 visited Dilli Haat to see the Holi Mela.

· The students of Class 8 visited the National Science Centre on Friday, the 5th of March.

· Spicmacay organized a Bharatnatyam performance by the renowned dancer Sonal Mansingh on Friday, 5th March.

· On Wednesday, 3rd March, Jasjit Mansingh spoke to students of Class 9 about her daughter Oona and the books she has written.

· The ‘Kaun Banega Book Millionaire’ programme was launched by Mr Kapur on 10th March.

· On 8th March, the class 6-8 Inter House Girls Hockey Final was held between Blue and Red House and was won by Red House by 3-0.

· The students of Class 3 went to Jantar Mantar on 9th March.

· The students of class 12 appeared on the television show "The Big Fight" on 6th March and "We The People" on 29th February .

The students of class 12 went to the American Centre for an exclusive premiere of documentary movies on the issues of women's rights on the occasion of Woman's Day

POLL

Should the BJP be re-elected in the up-coming elections?

YES: 59%
NO: 24%
CAN'T SAY: 17%

Class 7 Visit Ugrasen Ki Baoli

On the 18th of February 2004, class 7 visited a step well in the middle of Delhi. One of the stories behind the well is that Maharaja Agrasen of the Aggarwal community built it. Another version alleges it was a resting place for travellers from Peshawar to Bengal on the Legendary Grand Trunk Road. The children
had a great time walking down the steps of the Baoli that is now abandoned and needs restoration. But the surprising fact was how our present urban skyline had overshadowed the humble Baoli of the past.
Neena Mathur, Bhagirathy, Sabu Joseph and Sukumar Kolley

Class 10 Visit To Tughlaqabad and Qutab Complex

On the 21st of February 2004 class 10 went for a wonderful visit to Tughlaqabad and later to the Qutab Complex. The students left from school and reached the ruins of the erstwhile Tughlaqabad fort that looked splendid in the morning sun. However one was appalled by the condition of the monument that was in immediate need of restoration and attention. Some portions were under work by the archeological Survey Of India. After seeing Delhi from atop a small hill one could actually see where some of the vanishing greenery of Delhi existed. Then the children saw the Qutab Minar and the Iron Pillar. One could also see the Alai Minar as it stood incomplete yet resplendent. The children also enjoyed the lush green grounds of the Complex as they feed grapes to the squirrels.
Sreela Mitra, Neena Mathur, Bhagirathy, Vijay Trivedi, Ahmed Raza and Sadhna Keshava

Trek From VVS to Mehrauli

26 students and 3 teachers started off at the crack of dawn on the 6th of March 2004 for a trek to the Qutab Minar. We walked through the jungle of JNU and Sanjay Van before we reached the busy labyrinth of Mehrauli’s mean streets. It took us only about one and half hours to cover 4 kms of the trek at a leisurely pace. We could soak up the good air and sounds of the morning, we look forward to more such rewarding treks.
Bhagirathy, Vijay Trivedi, Sabu Joseph

A Special Occasion…For A Special Cause

We had never experienced such a wonderful event in our entire lives. None of us had ever interacted with so many special children before. Our assignment was to take the participants to the tracks and back and of course to cheer them on. Watching their determined faces break into a smile as they crossed the finish line, one couldn’t help but smile one self! Their goal was not to win, but to show that they could be somebody. All the participants had hidden talents… like singing, dancing, art and not to forget…running.
During half time Silk Route and Parikrama came to perform for the enthusiastic participants, their love for dance shone as they moved to the music. After the performance by both the bands and the children it was back to business. But as the games went on the day slipped by and it was time to say adieu. We left the stadium feeling that we had left a part of ourselves behind. But in the end the fact that shone through was that no matter how the result was each of the participants went home happy…went home as a champion.
Sheena Alva, Ria Sen and Talisa Oberoi IX-A

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ARE WE ALONE?

Black skies beyond,
Stars countless, peaceful, and infinite,
Orbits bound,
By imagination’s sight.

But then back on Mother Earth,
Chaos reigns,
There is the birth
Of the insane.

Brothers against brothers,
Children against their parents,
Are we going to bother?
Are we aliens in a cruel experiment?

Are we alone in this fight?
Are we alone in this world?
Is there no one who might,
Act out the herald?

Something has been set amongst us,
Someone has left madness to run loose.
Can we be left to trust?
Can we still believe in what is true?

Is it a strange unknown from universes undiscovered,
Or is it one among us,
Responsible for losses incurred,
Is it one among us?

Curses of evil, virtues of good,
Now know no difference,
It is the presence of the dark mood,
That has left us no inference.

Are we alone in this fight?
Are we alone in this world?
Is there no one who might,
Act out the herald?

By Svati Goyal X -B

Get Fishy With Shapes
Vaidehi Dalmia 3 - A

A tiny fish am I,
I don’t know how to fly,
But I can multiply,
I am going home good bye.
Vasudha . G. Dixit 3C

A tiny fish am I,
The big fish are sly,
Got to get smart very fast
Or I will get caught in a cast.
Shome Advani 3C

A tiny fish am I,
Please don’t ask me why,
A tiny fish am I,
So I can’t touch the sky.

Pia Kochhar 3C

God Created This Little Girl

God created this little girl,
Who from the start could twirl,
Her face was as round as white as a pearl,
She wore her hair in curls,
For God created this little girl.

Her eyelashes rather long,
Her eyes soft and brown,
On her head she seemed to wear a golden crown,
God created this little girl.

She’s pretty and very nice,
In her there is not a bit of spice,
She can work, hop, jump, skip and play.
Inside her there is a most delightful way,
To make every single day,
Extremely happy and gay,
God created this little girl.

She has this sweetness inside her,
Which god created from the very start,
She has a pleading look,
Which captures every heart,
Who do you think this is?
Obvious isn’t it?
My Younger Sister Kyra.

Rhea BhallaVI-B

The night crept stealthily along
Just a silent caress in the dark
A bat flattered nearby
And in the distance cried a lark…

Beyond the cold and murky green lake,
In a looming house on a cliff
A candlelight shivered in the soft breeze
And the pale ghost of a man lay stiff.

The shadows played a game of hide and seek
A game that was supposed to be fun,
But the day the man lay in bed
There was to be no rising sun.

For the shadows of death
Had stumbled across the path of life
And haunted the man in his bed
Never pulling him out of his strife.

The following morning
The soul moved on
The shadows receded
And gave way to a new dawn

Moved on to create more grief,
Moved on to haunt another man
Always running away from there,
Moved on to another land.

And as the souls receded,
Gave up their hope,
The shadows became stronger, and
Soon life they began to grope.

Until one smart man
In an ancient village knew
A curse- using ingredients
Of the clever mind's brew.

Philosophically he said
“Shadows are just a concoction of the mind
Imprints of sadness and weakness on the heart
With love and forgiveness you will find
Shadows are a mere obstacle in your path.

Death will for eternity show its face
But never must we succumb to the shadow's chase
For if life(the ephemeral) is the foreword of this poem,
Then death, as an epilogue will always roam…..

Varini Sharma X - A

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No one talks to me. I am a loser. I can’t do anything.
Hi! My name is James. I am a special child. I can’t see and I sit on a wheelchair. I know some people try to make me laugh, I laugh on the outside but never can laugh from inside. I want to play tennis but I can’t see or walk…so I cannot also do that. Some people are very mean to me but I never say anything to them. If I do, they will start hitting me.

You must be thinking about how I got to know about tennis. When my father watches tennis on the TV, I just listen to the commentary. I wish I wasn’t blind. My father has got me a beginner’s tennis racquet with which I hit two or three balls. Now I have to try to become a tennis player. I asked my father if he could buy me a book on how to play tennis. He bought that book and now reads a page to me every night before going to bed. I take my racquet and practice what he has read. Just before I go to sleep I say a prayer to God to make me a tennis player before I turn nineteen. Now, by practicing a lot I know most of the moves by heart. One day, I showed them to my dad. He was so impressed by me that he started sending me to the best coach in town. The coach was very kind to me because he knew I was a special child. He told me that if I played with a lot of effort, I could play in the next tournament. I asked him, “ How would I know where the ball is going and how will I run for the ball?”

“I will teach you how to do that. See, you may be blind but your sense of hearing is very good. You just hear where the opponent has hit the ball and run where you think the ball is going to bounce. Reach that spot before it tips on your side.” When my coach said this, I knew I had to play this tournament.

My coach gave me the toughest training ever. Finally, after all that training, he let me play in the tournament. I was thrilled on the first day of my match. In that one-set match I was losing 0-5 and 0-40 in the last game. My opponent had a triple match point. Then I came back. I brought the score to a tie-break and won the match 7-6. My other matches were easy to win but the final was the easiest because I got a walk-over. From that day I was known as the ‘Comeback Master’.

On my 18th birthday, I got a call that I was chosen as a member of the Indian tennis team to the Special Olympics. On that day I learnt that whatever I want to do, I can.

Nirbhay Bakshi 4-B

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A Rendezvous With Sonal Mansingh

On Thursday, the 26th of February, the students at Vasant Valley had a rare chance to meet Mrs. Sonal Mansingh, who performed with her troupe in a performance cum interactive teaching session. A famous Bharatnatyam and Odissi dancer, we asked her about her ups and downs in the treacherous road to fame. Following are a few excerpts from our interview.

Q- When did you get interested in dance?
A- At a very small age of maybe 6 or 7 years. My parents sent me for dance classes. Since then I have been interested in dance.

Q- How can dance contribute to a person leading a complete life?
A- Since dance is in itself a form of art, it breeds culture and aesthetics in a person. Dance as it self lends the person excellent health, and the physical training and balance needed in dance guarantees freedom from back problems, sight problems, problems in the joints and the like.

Q- Why is the world appreciating and adopting facets of Indian culture while we refuse to induct it in our youth?
A- It is indeed a disturbing problem where our culture threatens to die in our own country. The cause of it is partly the fact that negative globalisation is taking place where the West as we know it absorbs our best ideas and thoughts while we absorb their shortcomings and faults, turning a blind eye to our culture which we consider inferior for no reason whatsoever.

Q- How do we change the priorities of the youth to sensitise them to the above?
A- The problem above may be dangerously complicated but has a simple solution, in the form of correct teaching of culture at the school and the role of parents and family in showing the way to their children to correct their priorities.

Q- You had an unfortunate accident in Europe where you were very badly hurt yet you returned to dance very quickly. Many never even learn to walk after accidents what inspired you to go the distance?
A- My dance was my calling and it inspired me to recover and return to dancing I had never entertained thoughts of quitting dance in my mind.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Svati Goyal, Rishab Sareen,
Saranya Misra, Abhik Ghosh,
Arnav Sharma, Varini Sharma, Rati Seth
Alysha Sidhartha, Ashish Aggarwal and 
Yaman Verma

Sports Desk

Rohan Arora

Editor
Ashotosh Kumar

Busted

I’ll call you up and slap you!”
Amanat Dugal with a hilarious threat.

“I’m a dead skeleton…so kill me again!”
Mallika Sadh’s dead brain cells hoping to show some signs of life.

“I’ll get dead. I said that purposely by mistake.”
Karan Goenka facing ‘some’ grammatical trouble.

“Bongoo, your father is my mother!”
Shivani Aggarwal trying so very hard to get the relationship she shares with her cousin

–Rohan Bhandari

TOUCHE

For years, the newsletter has been doing the talking. Thanks to your silence, we have reigned supreme.
Now, the “voice of the people” gets a chance to speak out. After this period of journalistic imperialism, read on to witness verbal pain inflicted on us. Revenge is sweet, Enjoy!

· “Every issue, all I look forward to is the busted column. This is a school newspaper, not a national daily…it should be more fun.” -R.N.J aidev
· “It’s a great newsletter, and keeps one updated about the events happening in school” –Mrs.Marya
· “The comic strip should feature more frequently” –Chandni Chopra

Comment Of The Issue
“zzzzzzzz(snore!)zzzzzzzzz” -Rohan Panjiar

Sports

In the Junior Interhouse Hockey Tournament, Red House won the girl's final (3-0) and Blue House won the boy's final (1-0)

The Vasant Valley Soccer and Basketball Teams beat British School in a recent Soccer and Basketball tournament.

Congratulations!

And what about the ongoing Indo- Pak cricket series? The Sports Desk has the stats.

At Karachi

After posting a mammoth total of 349/7 against a strong Pakistani pace attack, the Indians were given quite a fright when the Pakistanis came tantalisingly close with a healthy score of 344/8. Most Indians hearts were in their mouths in the final over when images of Miandad's six of the last ball in 1986 almost came back to haunt us.
All in all it was a great start to a series which promises a lot more action.