NEWSLETTER
1st April 2006

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SCHOOL WATCH

13th March, Monday: Business Case Studies Competition held for class XII. 1st prize: Sanya Mahajan, Raseel Bakshi, Sakshi Chopra, Devika Deshpande.
Talk by Osama bin Laden on George Bush.
16th March, Thursday: Talk by Navjet Johar to classes XI and X about Urban Design.
Terrorist attack on school due to unsuccessful talk on Monday Inter-house Social science competition held: 1st prize: Blue house (Nikhil Pandhi, Suvira Chadha, Zara Adil)
17th March, Friday: Class XII students were given a talk by Pavan Vaish.
Inter-house Indian Music Competition held in class IX: 1st prize: Unnati Pawar
Ishan Raghuvanshi was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.
19th March, Sunday: Children from Grace church school, New York, arrived to VVS for an exchange program.
20th March, Monday: Presentation about India shown to classes VII and VIII, and exchange students.
Inter-house Mathematics Competition held, winners given below:

VI : Yellow house
VII : Yellow house
VIII : Green house

Inter-house Cricket matches began.
Inter-house Basketball matches began (Sub Jr. Boys)
Inter-house Soccer matches began (Sub Jr. Girls)
Teachers removed from school- all power given to Aditya Khanna.
21st March, Tuesday: Class III visited Tughlakabad Fort.
Class V visited Indira Gandhi Memorial.
Uniform rules were abolished by our new head, Aditya Khanna.
22nd March, Wednesday: Teachers from Grace Church school teachers showed classes VI to IX a presentation on their school in New York.
Class X was given a talk by King Kong on ‘keeping our city clean’.
23rd March, Thursday: Psychology Case Study Competition was held for class XII: 1st prize: Sahiba Siddhu
All other school rules were abolished by Aditya Khanna.
Poster-making competition on Consumer Awareness was held for Class X.
Blue House won the Inter-house soccer tournament (Sub Jr. Girls)
24th March, Friday: Inter-house Social Science quiz was held in Class IV: 1st prize: Blue house
Class XII was given a talk on Secularism by Adolf Hitler.
27th March, Monday: Inter-house Science quiz was held in classes VI-VII: Green house won.
It has been decided that CBSE Board Examinations will be cancelled for all classes after 2007.
31st March, Friday: Selected students went on a cycling expedition to Mohammed Ahir, Gurgaon.
1st April, Saturday: Vasant Valley School was closed down by our new head Aditya Khanna.
Diva Gujral 10

Headlines

Standard Test made written tests from now on: The yearly tests of athletic ability, the standard tests have been made written tests from now on due to lack of intellectual inputs in sports.
April exams cancelled : Due to surmounting stress and pressure the School has decided, keeping the interests of the students as their foremost prerogative, that the Half Yearly Exams will be cancelled.
Rohan Bhandari new Head boy: The new Head boy instated in place of Shiv Mohan Dutt due to his inadequate performance in the administration of our fine institution. Sakhshi Mahajan too is going to be replaced by Diva Gujral. I wonder why?...
Bird Flu spreads to vegetables: For all you vegetarians out there snickering under your breath as your poultry eating brethren cough and sputter, bird flu has spread to vegetables too due to a large amount of poultry coming in close contact with vegetables. We recommend you try out clay delicately peppered with sand and worms…hey it’s an interesting alternative.
Yellow House Wins : the Sports Day 2003 2004 2005 due to minor miscalculations the data was presented differently. The School apologizes for the inconvenience.
Cafeteria to open in school : Due to lamentation by the student body for over a decade now, the school administration has decided to open a cafeteria with the squash court as the pantry and Aabhas Sharma as the janitor and Himmat Singh as the cook.
Gautam Surya caught eating live pigeon: In a startling observation by a group of class 12 students, during the ‘test-meal’ session of the new cafeteria, Gautam Surya overlooked the fact that he was required to eat the food on the menu and not whatever he pleased.
Quiz team gets new jerseys: The soccer and basket ball teams aren’t the only ones on the block with jerseys, the quiz teams are getting Jerseys too. That was urgently required anyway…
Nivedita Venkatesh, Samad Ali, Soumya Dasgupta.

April Fool’s Day: The Origin!

Everyone knows how we celebrate April fool’s day: by going crazy playing pranks on our friends, family, and sometimes even random strangers. But do we know why we do so?
The answer is simple: nobody really knows. In recorded history, there is no direct origin of April fool’s day. No one knows when it was first celebrated, who was the genius behind the creation of such a fabulous day, and what was the story that caused the origin of this day. There are, however, several celebrations in the past that could be the source of this festivity. The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved to January 1. However, ‘communications’ being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more obstinate crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. These backward folk were called ‘fools’ by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on ‘fool’s errands’ or were made the butt of other practical jokes.
Jahan Adil 10
*Happy April Fool's Day!

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Books

Sitting in my little nook,
I love to read a book.
All by myself,
Just below a shelf.
I like reading books with a story,
That talk about ghosts that are gory,
Witches that fly on a broomstick,
And candles that burn without a wick.
My mother likes to read books with recipes,
And one day she made a dish called cerapies,
Which turned out wonderfully well.
And she called me to the table by ringing a bell.
My grandpa likes biographies,
Especially on achievers who have won trophies.
He likes to know about their lives,
And shares with us so we don’t remain naive.
We are a family of book lovers,
Who do not judge books by their covers.
We like to read page by page,
And the reading goes up as we age.
Aditya Sehgal VII-C

World Water Day:
22nd March

Precious as it is
Humans depend on it,
We need water
As we run stand or sit.
Wasting water
Is a crime
And if we’re not careful,
Then there will be no water after some time
To prevent this from happening
We should use these tips
If we all follow this
Then we can take of water free sips.
1) Keep the tap shut while brushing or shaving
2) Take a bath with a bucket and not in the shower
3) Wash your car with a bucket
4) Turn off the sprinkler when not in use.
Aditi Banerjee 6 A

Water we all need to save
And that is because it’s a gift god gave
Thank God1 We have some left
Everyone wastes water, that’s a theft
Re-use water so we can have some more
Don’t waste water cause that’s what living things adore
And how I hope you may
Yes save water today
Radhika Puri 6 A

Career launcher

An age old question you’ve been asked over and over again? Though it may seem irritating to some kids, it truly is the most important aspect of your future. So what do you want to become? A doctor, an engineer or a lawyer? These are more like your parents answers than yours. So what do we truly want to do? Well if I had the choice than I’d sit at home all day and get fat but I haven’t won the lottery so I have to do something “productive”(as my mom says).
I’m confused. I look at the newspaper for help. I skip through the millions of call centre ads coming at me like a pop-up and get to the more interesting stuff. Do I want to be an engineer like the rest of the pack or do something more dangerous? Or do I want to to live a life of complacent inaction with a job which at the end of the day leaves me with a broken spirit. So I think of something that would be able to support my parents at their old age (that won’t be cheap) and something that wouldn’t leave me with no life. So I keep searching, is there any job where people would look at me in awe that wouldn’t kill me? The truth, sadly is no. We can never truly not toil over work and be looked up at by everyone. You can choose to not do anything with your life but will you be respected by people, moreover will you respect youself?
But instead of pondering over this and bothering about things I shouldn’t, right now I fold the newspaper up, put it down and get back to what I really should be doing at my age, watching TV.
Anandini Rathore (9)


Reflections

One look in the looking glass I see,
A reflection-A projection of me
It is how I do see myself,
One can say it is how I wish to be.

An innocent soldier is what I see,
For that is how I wish to be,
But alas, it is a blood thirsty terror,
That is how the world sees me.

They made me think and I did believe
What they said, so they changed me.
But that is not how I wish to be.
It is but a mere reflection of me.

I am made to kill, but I find it mean,
A Jehadi, a warrior, they call me
I hide from the good & fight for he bad,
But it's a reflection-A projection of me

I prefer not to kill but they force it on me,
They say I must fight for my country,
The mirrors reflect a projection of me,
For that is how I wish to be.
Kunal Datta 9

 


The Talk with Mr. Pavan Vaish

Maybe its because of a resume which boasts of IIT and Stanford alumni, maybe its because he studied and taught at the Doon School, maybe its because this multi millionaire seemed as down to earth as a friendly parent but when Mr.Pavan Vaish COO Daksh Processing Services IBM spoke all 90 class 12 students listened...and listened hard.
Mr. Vaish gave us the lowdown on how good education is the backbone to a successful career, on how important it is to NOT compromise on your values and ethics, not count on your parents “chickens” and basically how being level headed through all your enterprises helps. Being a student of the Doon School and being taught buy our very own Mr. Kapoor (Who apparently was a lot of fun!) he could relate to student life
perfectly and although he along with two colleagues set up Daksh Processing Services, a BPO that has known been bought by IBM for over a billion dollars, and grew the company from a 3 manned enterprise to a over 20000 employee company he still holds teaching at the Doon School as his favorite occupation. Over anecdotes on how his father in law was ever so speculative about his success to the fun he had at his school he managed to impart valuable knowledge to us. Right from the fact that after a point every incremental rupee has no worth, to the fact that hard work has no substitute to the fact that mechanical engineering has NO relation to setting up a business Mr.Vaish got his point across. The session was not however a monologue as students posed their queries to Mr. Vaish he tackled each question with ease and made the students understand his point. Right from why he named his enterprise Daksh (because all English U.R.Ls were taken..!!) to how he would compare Indian education to Foreign studies he answered them all.
So in the end I would like to say Mr.Vaish was one of the BEST speakers we have ever listened to. (and there have been quite a few!)
By Nivedita Venkateish
(12 C)

 
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I Bluffed You!

This sentence is one every student of Class 12 and a few others in school hears quite frequently. It is the famous conclusion to one of our star students’ jokes. Yes, you guessed it; I’m talking about Ritunjay Gupta.
Those less privileged to have missed out on hearing these hilarious jokes need not feel bad, bluff your sadness as here we go:
“Ritunjay, are you staying back?”
“No, I bluffed the back ‘coz I’m staying in front.”
“I bluffed the food, I’m hungry but I’m not eating!”
“I bluffed the stairs ‘coz I took the ramp.”
“Ï bluffed the water, I drank Pepsi.”
He hits someone and says, “Look, I’m hitting on you.”
This genius of ours even managed to bluff the River Ganga! For he jumped into it in the bitter cold and felt warm.
So for those of you who didn’t think much of these jokes, we bluffed you as we didn’t either!
Jaagriti Seth 12

Kid of the Week

We all know her as the girl who left us rolling on the floor, the one who left us with stitches…yes you guessed right, the girl who performed ‘Jack and Jill’ Indian style: Avani Sharma the girl from class 10, the extrovert of extroverts.......
NL: So what inspired you to do your ‘Jack and Jill’ routine? What was the driving force?
AS: Arun Uncle- he’s a family friend. His daughter teaches in Foundation. He’s a really funny man.
NL: My sources have told me that you have excessive stage fright, which is accompanied by terrible fits of laughter. How come we didn’t see any of that on the day of your Class Activity?
AS: I was concentrating on the routine, and not on making a fool of myself. I didn’t think of anything else. What helped a lot was the fact that I wasn’t wearing my glasses, so I couldn’t see anyone in the audience...Haha...
NL: So how does it feel to be the kid of the week?
AS: It feels good, man! People actually know my real side now, not the quiet Avani Sharma who sits and listens to the teachers in class.
NL: Is there anything else you would like to say?
AS: Yeah… I would like to thank my parents, my friends and family- Nicole, Bhai, Don donna, Chubbs, and how could I forget my dear teachers.
NL: Thanks for talking to us.
AS: No problem.
Mahi Titus (10

 

“So, so you think you can tell, Heaven from hell,
Blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field,
From a cold steel rail, A smile from a veil,
So you think you can tell…”

Poetry and music have a way of creating an almost magical kind of synergy, the culmination of two intricate and exquisite art forms that leads to the genesis of a means of expression completely different in its entirety, a perspective new age music has purportedly failed to advocate. The ‘new music is bad’ cliché is rather dubious though, considering the fact that popular culture promotes this very kind of music and the artistes who can capitalize on that are the ones who land up topping the charts. Its only when tastes mature beyond the confines of popular culture that the true essence of music is recognized and its existence as a form of art is appreciated. At the very iota of the concept of art, is the fact that it relies as much on the spectator as it does on the artiste, the creator tries to establish an intimate connection with the onlooker and hence the two identities not only complement each other, but owe their very existence to the symbiotic relationship that exists between them. If there’s one aspect where newer artistes have failed it is this, for let alone trying to establish that connection they often don’t even intend to do so, resulting in the sacrifice of quality for popularity. Lately, realization of this has led to the popularization and rediscovery of music from the earlier days fuelled by the nostalgic euphoria characteristic to anything classified as ‘oldies’.
The attribute of music of the 70s and 80s that appeals most to listeners is the way in which it plays with emotions, giving it a certain depth and meaning; this comes out not only in the lyrics but also in the melody, making it easy to relate the two and giving the sound a particular identity of its own. The real beauty however comes from the interpretation of a song, something the listener is completely open to do on his own, to satisfy his own needs and cater to the emotions enkindled within him. That apparently is a reality that constitutes the crux of art, the fact that one is free to derive meaning from it, a meaning which often may not even be intended by the artiste, but gives a completeness to the idea, fulfilling not only the role of the artiste but also that of the spectator. Bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Guns n’ Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others constitute an entirely different category of music, being a cut above the rest because of the extraordinary and prodigal talent of their band members. Floyd’s lyrics are probably what recently got them voted as the best rock band ever. The blues genre is evergreen with the likes of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. The best guitarists ever to live belong to the old rock era, from Hendrix to Jimmy Page; it is impossible to come across talent of the sort nowadays. When it comes to vocals, the likes of Robert Plant will always be remembered. Ian Paice is probably the best drummer the world has ever seen. The list of names is practically endless.
“Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts…” I hope we aren’t trading our heroes for ghosts. Old is gold and always will be, so here’s to reliving the spirit of classic rock!
Minhaj Adil 12

Unhealthy is Healthy

I love junk food, and am not ashamed to admit it .Right from guzzling glasses of coke to pigging out on Mc D burgers, they are all up my alley. But the one philosophy that separates me from the junk addicted masses is my theory on how the so called unhealthy food is actually healthy. Confused?.. read on..
What is unhealthy food?.. Carbonated drinks, saturated fat chips?..Here is to all you non-believers, the advantages of junk . Cola actually benefits your brain power ,chocolates are a well known anti-depressant, coffee prevents cancer and potato is the single most nourishing vegetable. So basically if you eat small quantities of unhealthy food all it does is improve your system. Now the goodies dont stop here. Unhealthy food refines your taste buds. I'm sorry for offending the views of healthy eaters but if you lived all your life eating plants and veggies would you ever realize the spiciness of Tabasco sauce on pizzas, the sourness of a sour punk , the sweet ness of a jelly bean or the subtle taste of sour cream on chips? The answer to all of these is a resonant NO . Another benefit of eating unhealthy is the emotional support it offers. When you're feeling a tad low would you approach a box of chocolates and a celery stick with the same amount of love? When you're in need for a desperate energy boost wouldn't candy do the trick much faster than a bunch of fruits that aren't even concentrated in their sugar composition? And last but not the least when you HAVE to study for an exam the next day would you rely on some good ol' coffee to do the trick or would you turn to an apple? I think the answer is pretty obvious Be it in the less known benefits(which our parents have tried to hide from us!!!), their importance in nurturing our taste buds or as a support system in times of need, unhealthy food(which we should stop referring to it as, since its benefits far overshadow those of its healthier counterparts) never fails us, SO keep hogging !! It helps...
Nivedita Venkateish 12
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CLASS 12 VISIT TO NIGAMBODH GHAT

Armed with Origami paper, drawing sheets and two boxes of crayons, eight of us made our way to Nigambodh Ghat, a ‘ basti’ near the notorious River Yamuna, accompanied by Ms. Karishma Handa, to teach art and paper folding (origami) to the children there. Though some of us were just desperate to finish our ‘ 50 hours of outreach’, some wanted to see what the Ghat was like, after hearing about it from friends who had already made a trip there.
On reaching there, we were first introduced to the kids as four Didis and two Bhaiyas (it was a different matter altogether that Didi soon became Ma’am-ji and Bhaiya became Sir-ji), by Ms. Handa. The group was then divided into two, with half engaging themselves in drawing and colouring, while the other half was engaged in the day’s big hit: Origami.
Headed by our master Origami artist, Adithiya Jeet, the kids ran all over the place learning complicated folds, and ‘placing orders’ for boxes, balloons and birds (yes, the one’s with flapping wings). It was evident that we were the ones honing and bettering our origami skills, as the whole activity yielded around thirty of each (phew!!).
My report will be incomplete without the mention of a new friend that I made there, one who bonded with me right from our arrival there, and sat next to me while I tried to teach the other kids how to make balloons and boxes (as I informed them, birds were Arjun ‘Sir-ji’ Khanna’s department), talking in a mystical language which I did not understand (it turned out to be Toddler Talk!). Yes, my friend Farmaan is a 4 year old and he’s really cool! He seemed to have discovered that I’m really ticklish and did not leave me at peace after his great discovery (Gudgudee hoti hai na?).
Our visit there ended at around noon with Farmaan chasing Charvi Singh around our work area, despite the art equipment which was lying all over (don’t worry, we cleaned that up) and numerous Namaste’s and cheerful Bye’s, with promises to return in a few weeks, armed again, this time with their orders for birds, boxes and balloons made of paper.
By Malini Patnaik 12

Visit to the Parliament

The Political Science students of Class 12 were given an opportunity to visit the Parliament House during its question answer session on the 17th of March. This trip was quite exciting from the very beginning. We first had to change into our home clothes as we were going as individuals and not a group. Our first stop was 1, Safdarjung Road also known as the Indira Gandhi Memorial where we saw a display of photographs and her belongings (including her attire on the day of her assassination with bullet holes visible). We also saw the path she was taking before the assassination that is now covered with crystals and a plain glass sheet indicating the spot where she collapsed.
At the Parliament, we were given passes and allowed inside with strict and efficient security; we were stopped after every five minutes and had to go through the entire scanning process! Before entering the main hall, we were briefed on the rules and conduct expected from us (which included not talking, leaning or straining to look down at the members and not crossing our legs even!). The interiors of the building were quite impressive and we were seated in a balcony overlooking the proceedings. We spotted eminent politicians among those present such as Somnath Chatterjee (the Speaker), Maneka Gandhi, Omar Abdullah (who barely looked up from his ThinkPad), Sachin Pilot (he sat slumped in his seat), Navin Jindal (who arrived late), our Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and many others. This visit to the Parliament really was quite enriching as it gave us a hands on demonstration of how our government functions and was thoroughly enjoyable due the snide comments and criticisms being directed by the Opposition to the ruling government and vice versa.
As members expressed their views and discontentment, we witnessed tempers rising as some arguments got a little out of hand saved only by the Speaker. This trip also removed the preconceived notion we had about the members of Parliament (heart of hearts, we all imagined a hall full of old deranged, uncouth “fuddy duddies” but I was proud to see that that was not the case). The only disappointment was that not all the seats were occupied and just ten minutes after we left, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi entered the Parliament House.
Jaagriti Seth 12

Your Pathetic Future
(This doesn’t have to be. You can still change it)

When the world explodes or implodes (whichever one it feels like doing), I will be long gone. The sun will become so hot and big that if we stay on earth we will fry…or we should fly away in our silver space-ships to some other planet or moon. There is a moon that goes around Saturn (I forget the name) and the heat will melt its ice layer (the heat is from the sun, if those who are dumb didn’t get it) and we will have an atmosphere on that moon (not as great as the one we have now, but still pretty decent.) and we can live the rest of our merry lives until we also overpopulate that little ball of rock, water and ice too.
Or we could just sit here and wait till we fry on our good old mother earth (she is quite old; over ten billion years) which will be devoid of all types of trees and animals by then. This might be our sad future. Whatever it is, I’m glad that I’ll be dead before it happens, and I pray that my descendants (whoever they are) will figure something out, as it would be embarrassing for my family tree to end up frying like a piece of bacon on a giant frying pan (that would be earth, by the way).
I don’t know when it will happen, but I know it won’t happen for at least a million years, so to those in the future who might come across this article, please go to this moon that orbits around Saturn (STILL can’t remember the name) and live a full happy life, instead of frying like an egg. The last thing I want are aliens gossiping and laughing about ‘those puny earthlings who got killed be their main source of energy’ (the sun). Wouldn’t that be sad? To be killed by what you depend upon? So don’t have a pathetic future. Go, and survive. You deserve it (though I’m not sure why).
Jahan Nargolwala 10

Poisson d’Avril

It is a common sight in France on the first of April to see a sweet little old lady sprinting down the street, bent under the weight of her little shopping bag, with about a dozen schoolchildren chasing her, brandishing menacing looking multicoloured fish in their hands like a weapon.
They call it “Poisson d’Avril” (April’s Fish). Kids in France spend the entire night of the 31st of March cutting up paper fish. Then they wake up real early the next day and stick double-sided tape to the backs of their fish. Those who can’t find it, or whose dog got tangled up in it the night before wake up even earlier to fold up normal Scotch tape in some mysterious fashion, and stick that on instead, after making sure it adheres both ways. Then they skip off to school, slapping fish into the backs of people on the way, yelling out “Poisson d’Avril!” every time someone looks around. Some prefer to stick to the original idea behind the concept – which is that the victim should not know there is a fish on his or her back, hence suggesting that the fish-sticker should sneak up to his victim, rather than run all the way, accompanied by well executed war-cries and drum beats. There are some unwritten rules to Poisson d’Avril: You may use chewing gum if the tape is nowhere to be found, you may target the hair of your victim, you may stalk your victim through the town for hours before springing up on them, you may NOT steal a fellow fish sticker’s weapons, although if you are too lazy to make your own, you may pick abandoned fish up from the floor and make use of those – they’re all over the place. So the Romans celebrated April Fools’ Day with dancing, drinking and general merrymaking. People exchanged gifts, slaves were allowed to pretend they ruled their masters and a mock king, the Saturnalicius princeps (Lord of Misrule) reigned for the day. In North Europe, celebrants elected a mock pope and parodied church rituals. Other merrymakers focused their attention on Mardi Gras and carnival; dressing up as fools, complete with the multicoloured robe, scepter, horned hat, and bauble. I have a friend who might say “that is just plain random.” But even he agrees that nothing beats the French.
Sara Chatterjee 9
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Ironic Inglish

We decided to explore the English language a bit…..to show you how a lay man might interpret the language of the ‘sophisticated’.
When you sneeze cover your mouth: Aside from the obvious hygienic reason, people believe that if you sneeze without covering your mouth an evil spirit will enter you and possess you “oooh … I’m scared”. If that were true then I must be possessed by about a 100 ‘evil spirits’.
Opening an umbrella indoors brings bad luck: Okay this one makes sense. Anyone who opens an umbrella inside is bound to poke someone’s eye out or maybe even spill coffee over the Persian rug.
Break a Leg: This I don’t agree with. Say your about to play the finals of a basketball match and, you want to win (duh!). But to win you need to be in good form. Then just before your match your friend means to wish you good luck and does so by telling you to break a leg. Now that doesn’t show off your intellect!
If your left hand itches you will receive money: This one is just plain cruel. If this superstition was true we’d all be Bill Gates.
Every Cloud has a silver lining: Lies, all lies. If clouds do have silver linings then why don’t airplanes go up white and come down silver?
It’s no use crying over spilt milk: Who are the grownups trying to kid? Themselves? No child in their right state of mind ‘cries over spilt milk’.
You can lead a horse to the water but you can’t make it drink: Well obviously! If the horse doesn’t want to drink it’s not going to…..so why waste your time trying?
What goes around comes around: This is what friends want you to think when they ask you for money.
If you can’t beat them join them: This one is a sure way to get killed. If you try to beat up a group of people, trust me you’re the one who’s going to be ‘beat’.
When it rains it pours: Well duh! Isn’t that the point of rain?
There’s nothing to fear but fear itself: I would take that as a given, considering everything you’re scared of usually is related to fear.
Avanti Gupta and Mahi Titus (10)

Book Review

The Manticore’s Secret By Samit Basu 4.5/5
Finally, the sequel to Simoquin Prophecies has arrived. The adventurous lives of Kirin, Maya and Asvin continue in this thrilling book. A host of new characters as well as a few old ones contrive to make the plot more exciting than ever before. Samit Basu has outdone himself. This book is a must read for everyone and for those who have already read the prequel, it is a must buy. Filled with action, suspense, love, drama, and above all, a humongous amount of wit and humour, this book is THE book.
As the immortal Raivans send three of their greatest warriors to prepare for their homecoming, the new Dark-Lord, Kirin, settles into his new position as the head of the Greatest army on the surface of the Earth. But all is not what it seems, because not too many people want the return of the ‘heroes’ of the past and are happy that the mindless demons finally have a sensible leader. The band of courageous heroes dedicated to eradicating the Dark Lord have gone into retirement and settled down in the magnificent city of Kol... But the calm is over, and the storm arrives. War is coming, lives will be lost, and a frog named sweetie-croak is about to pop. But most interesting is that they are all part of a game, a game that will change their lives. Loved and respected by already so many, the Manticore’s Secret is a fitting sequel.
Jahan Adil Nargolwala and Siddhartha Banerjee

Carpe Dien

Too soon the raging fire diminishes to its last dying ember,
Too soon must what we do, or will do, become something we remember.
As Time’s mended wings that take flight,
Aspiring they discover a future so bright.
The future that soon becomes history’s past.
Too fast the last stage of life is into death cast.
We live for today and only today,
For thought and action may falter, but time will never sway.
And time lost will never be returned.
Such mistakes of the past, the future has learned.
Samvida Nanda 12

Foolish Pride

“Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever” - Charles Lamb
April is the month for little fools. But if you think about it, our world is pretty foolish throughout the year, and sometimes things happen to us which make us feel a little…silly.
What I am about to tell you happened to me a year or so ago. I was at Priya with my friends. We had probably just watched a movie, filled up on exorbitantly priced popcorn and coke, and stopped of at McDonald’s to stuff whatever little place that was left in our stomachs with some burgers, fries and maybe a softie. We were walking the length of the complex, making our way through the sea of people, admiring the exquisitely attractive window displays of book shops and shoe stores, when I felt a little tap on my shoulder.
I turned around and saw that it was one of those kids who offer to polish your shoes for a few rupees. I winced at his touch and started applying the usual tactic of ignorance to try to shake him off. He persisted, and I was forced to stop and address him. I told him that I had no money to give him (the movie and food had left my wallet empty), and that I didn’t want my floaters polished anyway. Yet the relentless fellow continued to ask me for some spare change.
Getting a little tired of this charade, I took out my wallet and showed him that it was absolutely empty and added “agar tere paas kuch extra paise hain, to tu mujhe dede, pyaas lag rahi hain, main coke kharid loonga”, (if you have any extra money, you can give it to me, because I’m feeling thirsty and will buy myself a coke.) for dramatic effect. Convinced that I had gotten rid of him, I resumed my walk, only to feel another tap on my shoulder a few steps down the line.
But this time instead of him sticking out his hand in eager anticipation, the boy bent down and took out a crumpled up twenty rupee note from inside his left sock and pushed it into my listless hand, and proceeded to walk away and loose himself in the crowd. I stood their motionless. Silent.
The shoe polish boy had managed not only to leave me dazed and humbled but also feeling foolish. The reason I felt foolish was because as I held the small piece of paper in my hand I realized that the little boy had been able to buy his self respect, a respect which I initially was unwilling to give him. In our lives we all do foolish things, but if we can do them with our heads held high, we can fool the world into believing that it is them, and not us who are the fools.
(P.S. - we found the boy and returned him his twenty rupees along with some more money so that he could treat himself to a glass of coke)
By Nakul Dev (12)

Famous Last Words

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” - Albert Einstein

“The internet is a great way to get on the net.” - Bob Dole, Republican presidential candidate
“For most people, death comes at the end of their lives.”
- Radio broadcaster, UK
“But what ... is it good for?” -Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
-Western Union internal memo, 1876.
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
-Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
“Everything that can be invented has been invented.”
-Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899

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!BUSTED!

“Isn’t your birthday on the 30th of Feb.?”
Kalyani Krishnan… someone’s a very good chronologist
“I want to be April’s fool”
Jahan Nargolwala…someone is a fool already.
“Bird flu gives you wiiings.”
Pratyush Nanda……eh?
“It’s so sad that Leonardo DiCaprio died in Titanic”
“He should have worn a sweater…no a waterproof sweater” Sakshi Chopra… take a lesson on disaster management.
“You smile like a duck”
“At least I’m not a bird”
Gautam Surya and Jaagriti Seth’s witty repartee.
“You can get your eyes checked by an optimician”
“It’s an optimist”
Shivani Agrawal and Nivedita Venkateish….an eye for an eye.
“I failed my standard tests”
Kalyani Krishnan….how do you do that?
“It’s a people where people are buried”
Ragini Ahluwalia makes a grave mistake.
“I can’t pick me up”
Pratyush Nanda… I wonder why
“Medha is older than you”
“No I’m younger than her”
Pratyush Nanda… the age old confusion.
“How dare you have the cheeks to ask me that?!”
Anonymous…no comment
“I just winked at myself”
Shivani Agrawal…someone is a little self-obsessed.
“It was a tip of the slung.”
Diva Gujral… try using your tongue ?
“The drain overflew.”
Kalyani Krishnan…her control over the English language going down the gutter.
“If I don’t come I’m not coming:”
Saksham Karwal is going places.
“Is it scented deo.?"
Kalyani Krishnan…. I’m sure it is.
“How long do you have to speak for in just a minute?"
Ragini Ahluwalia…. leading the way
“My pinks aren’t cheek!"
Diva Gujral…are you sure about that?
“Can you talk without saying anything?"
Ragini Ahluwalia… once again we shall follow your lead.
“My dog is a goldfish.”
Ragini Ahluwalia is excellent with animals.
“Can you fast forward the message?”
Trisha Sharma… this message is going to reach earlier than usual.
“We’ll split the money I’ll take 60% you take 70%”
Svati Goyal…splitting it straight down the middle.
“Shivraj Singh Chauhan is the chief minister of India”
“So what?”
Ananya Gupta and Svati Goyal… are the ministers of political science.
“That’s the place where the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda”
“Who’s Bhagirathi”
Natasha Uppal showing off her love for geography
Comments by Akbar Iqbal 10

If God and Devil were Roommates?

They have power, they have followers by the millions, they have the universe’s very design twisting itself to suit their needs and they have immortality. So, they better start getting used to each other. After all, spending an eternity damning each other doesn’t seem to be the most productive activity to me. And at the end of the day, the Devil (a.k.a Lucifer) is God’s renegade angel, so one would think they would at least be on talking terms. So we, as concerned citizens (puny mortals) decided to throw together the forces of good and evil in the ultimate test of resilience and courage. Yes, you guessed right, we made them roomies!
It was hard at first, both insisted on behaving like juvenile delinquents, neither acknowledging the presence of the other. However, they realised they shared some common ground (sending phoney messages in the form of premonitions to the Pope, watching Jeopardy at 7:00, making funny twisted shapes out of halos and horns and selling them as the latest Archies gift item, deciding which days in the calendar to name after themselves, etc.)
More importantly, they realised that their very significance in this world was due to the presence of the other. At the end of the day, who would need a God if there wasn’t a Devil. It wouldn’t be that great a miracle to watch Him admonishing an angel for badly ironed robes. At the end of this two week stint, each finally realised the value of the other and resigned themselves to a mere loathing instead of an all consuming divine hatred, the unquenchable of all flames, the unbeatable of all battles, the…I am running out of metaphors. They still meet occasionally to discuss the deeper meaning of the “Godyssey and the Devilliad” by Pushkin and the rare game of Jeopardy.
Note: No animals, humans or algae were harmed in any way due to this experiment. There might be a notable and sudden disappearance of baleen whales off the Pacific coast, but that had nothing to do with us.
Svati Goyal 12

Inter-house Senior Cricket Tournament

It had all the ingredients required to constitute a hard-hitting, closely fought, down to the wire, entertaining day of cricket. I am referring to the finals of the inter house senior cricket tournament between green and red house. Even those who aren’t particularly drawn to the game of cricket were made curious by the grandiose and somewhat professional proceedings. To start with it was interesting to see two imposing white side-screens on either side of the field, despite the fact that the side-screens were rendered useless by countless students milling about in front of them. The PE department had also arranged for two external and thus neutral umpires to proceed over the match to ensure there would be no post-match controversies.
Green house set an impressive total of 186 in only 26 overs with both Saksham and Aarudra, captain and vice-captain, setting the tone for the day with half centuries each. A quick fire 27, peppered with fours and sixes, from Ritunjay Gupta helped put green in the driver’s seat. Subsequently red got off to a flying start, until Shatrunjay Devrat lost his wicket but not before making a valuable contribution of 41 runs. It’s always tough to chase with a daunting run-rate hanging over one’s head but red house should be given due credit, Gautam Surya and Himmat Singh getting red to within 5 runs of the green house total. Aarudra Ramaswamy walked off with a well deserved man of the match and man of the series while Arjun Khanna was the surprise bowler of the tournament. All in all it was a good day’s play with brilliant cricket all around.
By Arjun Srihari (12)

EDITORIAL BOARD
Anandini Rathore, Ashrika Kohli, Bhavik Singh, Kunal Datta, Sara Chatterjee,
Vanshika Wadhwa, Akbar Iqbal, Avanti Gupta, Diva Gujral, Jahan Nargolwala, Mahi Titus, Soumya Dasgupta, Tarunima Prabhakar, Minhaj Adil, Jaagriti Seth, Nakul Dev,
Nivedita Venkateish, Samad Ali, Saranya Misra

Sports Desk: Arjun Srihari

Editor: Svati Goyal