The March Examinations came to an end on Friday, the 19^th of March. The Art Department organised a number of activities for the students of classes VI, VII and VIII.

Red House won the Inter-House Debate on the 26^th of February. In the Senior Section the quiz was won by Amitayush Bahri and Sheila Khaled, while Avni Birla and Zain Khan claimed first place in the Junior Section. We are sorry to report this news so late, as it somehow slipped our attention.

Did you know that our school had air-conditioned classes? We also have digital blackboards that can sense the teachers thoughts. Another wild thing that happens in our school is that everybody comes to school either skateboarding or rollerblading. And if you don’t have at least an Opel Astra, you can’t join this school. I have this on very good authority. My neighbour told me.

I tried to explain to him that if I tried to get to school on my blades (which are in a permanent state of disuse) I would die of exhaustion on the way, right before I got run over by a truck. I also tried to explain that though I wouldn’t kill for an Astra, I would definitely consider grand larceny. As for digital blackboards, that was as laughable as the Air Conditioning. I mean, in all my seven years in this school, the only Air Conditioning I have seen is in Mr.Kapur’s, Ms.Duttagupta’s and Ms.Narang’s offices along with the Computer Room. Why do you think there is such a zeal for the Computer Class in the summer months? I told him this and he smiled at me, quite knowingly. "Oh I know all you guys have been told to keep it a secret, but you can tell me. I won’t tell anyone." I tried again but in vain. The rumour mill is stronger than the forces of one man.

But what I’m trying to say by this article is that our school is known as the snob squad of Delhi (along with Shri Ram School). We are the children who don’t associate with the other Delhi schools. This reputation is more than false, it is completely baseless. After all our school goes for as many inter-school competitions as any other school, be it debating, quizzing, soccer or music. We don’t allow children, even those above 18, to drive to school. I am in Class XI now, and though there were many children in Class XII who did drive, I didn’t hear of anybody who had been bought a car. But my sister (who was in C.J.M.-that epitome of "holier than thou" schools) told me of three girls who had been bought a 5 series BMW, a C-class Mercedes, and a bumped-up, customised Jeep Cherokee for their 16^th birthdays.

So what is it with our school? What have we done to excite such gossip? First of all ours is a new school, and we have already been accepted into the mainstream of schools in Delhi, which is quite an achievement. This is bound to cause envy. But the fact remains that our school had this aura about it right from the beginning. Maybe our admission test was on the more difficult side because we wanted only the best students. And being such a small school there were bound to be more than a few applicants who were rejected. This caused people to think that we were selecting kids more on the basis of cars they owned than anything else.

We aren’t really snobs and we haven’t done anything that would cause us to be thought of as snobs. We have to console ourselves with the knowledge that the best has always caused envy and will continue to do so.

XI-C

Which can drive me very far

I can step on the speed

Whenever in need

It runs simply on air

and so I have no care

When caught in a jam

I put on the fan

And away I fly

Over buses, trucks and man

Whenever I am sad

and think life is bad

A button I press

And out goes the stress

As music floats out

From the car’s magical snout

VI-C

On the 4^th of March, Class VI went to the India Habitat Centre. There we saw many things. We started out at 10:15 AM and arrived there at approximately 11:20 AM. There we saw a group of elegant buildings surrounded by water fountains and manicured lawns. We went inside a building and saw an exhibition about the mysterious Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt. A person some time later came and talked to us about her and Discovery Channel’s adventure trip to Alexandria to uncover Cleopatra’s sunken palace. He told us many things about her. The exhibition was also informative. Lastly he told is to watch the program Cleopatra’s palace during Egypt week (March 8^th to 14^th) on 14^th March 9 PM-10 PM. I hope you will also watch with the world.

VI A

Prof. Prasad conducted a very effective discussion with Class XI on the 22^nd of March. The professor, who currently resides in California, did his Ph.D. in Physics at I.I.T. He has done extensive work with computers. He still works with students and is currently researching the learning process in human beings. With his experience in this field he was able to address many of the issues currently flooding the minds of the individuals in Class XI.

He further explained that learning is maximum in two scenarios, when there is a definite aspiration and when we must learn in a crisis situation. Learning is best done through practicality and if we able to create a context for something it is easier to learn. In difficult situations that has two conflicting ideas, it is an intelligent mind which can arrive at a higher plane rather than a compromise.

In his life, Professor Prasad was humbled by failure. When he went through a period of reflecting on his life he realised that his greatest limitation was believing that he knows. He says that once you decide that you don't know and have the courage to ask questions you become a greater person. He developed a great respect for people who realised and admitted that they did not know every thing. A good questioner is the best learner. A person who can remove himself from his ego and seek answers will benefit the most. For you can only receive good answers if you ask good questions. So go ahead question what is taught, do not just accept.

This is a quote which Prof. Prasad recited to us which made many minds start ticking:

"If you think you can, you're right,

If you think you can't, you're right."

- Ford

Well although now its been more than a month after Michael Jeffrey Jordan has retired the question at the is that will the NBA survive without him? Although new talent like Kobe Bryant have taken over the game the majority feels that the game does not have that much of excitement that it used to have with ‘His Airness’ on the court.

The former coach of Chicago Bulls Phil Jackson and MJ’s personal trainer feel that MJ did the right thing by retiring as they say that he was getting tired much faster after the last season’s games because of his age. MJ says that he had made a decision to quit the game last season but he stayed due to Phil Jackson’s last year in the NBA as the coach of the Chicago Bulls.

The critics say that MJ used to profit the NBA four million dollars for every ten million that the NBA got in the start of the season and this year without MJ the start was quite slow.

Scottie Pippen personally feels that every major actor in a play has to exit some time – "like first" he says that "it was ‘Dr.J’, then it was ‘Magic’ Johnson and Larry Bird and then came the turn of Michael Jordan and so the cycle will continue in the future."

For the Michael Jordan fans it is not over as they will be soon seeing him in a golf tournament teaming up with Tiger Woods.

BOOKS SUGGESTED: "The Second Coming" and "Jordan Rules" by Sam Smith

Mubarak Ahmed Bhat, IX C

In an age when winning is something which is very important I question Sharad’s views in a previous article about Sachin Tendulkar’s run out. The very force which inspired the Pakistani’s to appeal for that run out is one which we lack. This killer instinct, which we lack, is the reason our cricket is where it is. A captain who smiles when we lose belongs on the cover of a toothpaste packet.

If to win is a hunger then we are constipated. Rather than cry about what the Pakistani’s did let us learn from them and feel the need to win. It is time to go out there and win our country the World Cup.

There are no prizes for being nice, making friends, or coming second, as our team, especially the captain, would do well to believe.

DECKS&DRUMS&

While I have been told that new sections like Wired and Sports Today are popular, they have not been able to grow because of a lack of input. Music is something everybody has some feeling or the other about. Write in. We are here to express your views.

Music Today is a new section the Editorial Board is hoping to make regular, but it needs inputs from you, the students. While I will try to keep it fair and not have all the articles insulting the Backstreet Boys, it is sometimes difficult. I hope that last line will generate enough antagonism among the hordes of boy band fans (God help you) to make a few of you write in.

The first article is about the greatest band ever (biased view-I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped). I hope you enjoy it.

Editor

Desperation is a tender trap,

It gets you every time

You put your lips to her lips

To stop the lie

These lines just give you a taste of the depth and inner melody possessed by all the songs in this album. The band U2 is made up of four guys, Bono (lead vocals and guitar), The Edge (lead guitar and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar and keyboards) and Larry Mullen (drums and percussion). Bono writes most of the lyrics, which is some of the greatest poetry written in the modern era. There is unsurpassable depth in the lyrics, which causes the internal melody in all the songs. An internal melody is that melody can be felt in the words of the songs. It’s an inner feeling that can only be experienced not explained. All there songs have a sense of reality and there is no sweet, beautiful boy band bakwaas. These guys believe in what they sing and their intense feeling for their songs make their songs more powerful. That feeling can be found in any U2 fan.

The band redefines the term music. The deep guitaring, perfect rhythm and amazing vocals produce a brand of music that lies in a league by itself. It can be classified as rock, not hard nor soft but their music should actually be given a category by itself. The music actually possesses you and once hooked there’s no escape. Their music lifts you off the ground and puts you into a totally unique dimension. As far as Bono’s voice goes, its full of meaning and passion mixed with a style that is beyond the reach of any mortal.

In the album all the songs can be individually called as classics with the exception of "Zoo Station". If you had to pick the greatest song out of this album of classics it would probably be "One". With killer lyrics and amazing music this song can be heard thousands of times continuously, your love for the song increasing every time. Songs like " Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", "Mysterious Ways", "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" and "So Cruel", do not lie far behind "One". Books can be written on each song in the album. They cannot be called songs, they are pure poetry.

There is no excuse for not having this album as a part of your collection. Ownership of this album is a basic human necessity. U2 will lift you off the ground and keep and taking you up until you realise going up only takes you closer to a ground that can’t be reached.