Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

28th February 2007

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School Watch

9th January – School Reopens – performance by the “Family”
22nd January
– VVS Mini Soccer League
- Girls – VVS wins
- Boys – Modern School wins
25th January - Class 12 Farewell Class Act & Party
2nd February – Escapades for classes 6 to 12
24th February - Telebridge talk with Sunita Williams
28th February – Science Day

We ARE the School
(An account on the Prefect Army in all its glory)

The first day of class 12 brought with it a great deal of anxiety, with everyone waiting for the big announcements of the prefect council. Will they make me a prefect? Will I get what I deserve? Was I good enough last year? I hope I didn’t mess it up for myself in class 11! These were just some of the thoughts in many students’ minds as they walked into school on the 9th of January. You could feel the excitement in the air and could see the eagerness in each person. To the dismay of many, there was no joint assembly which meant no Prefect announcements.
As days went by, rumours had started to go around. Everyone had their own opinion on why they weren’t announcing the prefects. Some said “They’re still deciding, it’s much tougher for them to choose this year”, while some said “There are no prefects this year, our batch is just useless”. Many started believing that this year something different was going to happen, which caused even more disarray and we started asking every person we thought who might have the answer, but to no avail. The teachers had done a great (?!) job by keeping everything so secretive and acting as if they were clueless too.
After a long and tiring wait, the prefects were finally announced on the 1st of February. There was a mixture of many emotions which could be seen on the faces of those who were on stage and those who weren’t. “I felt like all my hard work had paid off. It was the most touching moment of my life,” was the reaction of the head boy, Amit Khandeparker. “It feels great. This is all I’ve wanted to be,” said the editor, Akanksha Chawla, while Talisa Oberoi, the Blue House Captain, exclaimed “I feel on top of the world!”
With such decisions come disappointments, and most of the time, there may be a reason for it, yet sometimes there are no answers. That is when a person shows real character and strength – when there’s no reason to give yourself. Maybe you weren’t visible enough but that shouldn’t matter. Our school has given us so much in the last 13 years, we are what we are because of the environment the school creates for us and we need to realize that we should create the same environment for others still realizing their potential.
Prefect or not, we will make our school proud!
Arjun Bajaj 12-A

Staring Into Space wth Sunita Williams

On Saturday, 24th Feb, 2007, our school had the rare chance to make contact with Astronaut Sunita Williams aboard the International Space Station (ISS) at 2.20 pm local time. This historic tele-bridge talk was an interactive session with questions framed by the students. The talk was moderated by Will Marchant from California State University, Berkley and Nancy Rocheleau from Amateur Radio Station, Honolulu, Hawaii. Parents and students of our school, as well as students from neighbouring schools waited with bated breaths while contact with ISS was established.
It began with an introduction about the school by the Head Boy, Amit Khandeparkar. Then each student asked Sunita Williams their questions directly and the answers were given in a friendly and informal manner. Two questions that she found good were, “What would happen to a bullet when fired in space?” and “How do you manage in space with limited resources?” Cdr. Willams also revealed that the most memorable moment of her space walk was when she saw “the curvature of the Earth and it looked beautifully blue and green from so far away”. She also said that she e-mailed and spoke to her family from the ISS often.
The interaction lasted for 9 minutes 20 seconds, uninterrupted by any glitches. Cdr. Williams said that their experiments at ISS were the “stepping-stones” of mankind’s relationship with outer space. When questioned about the food they ate, she replied that she enjoyed eating “halwa” and candidly expressed her desire to eat “samosas”.
Making contact with someone orbiting in space was an overwhelming experience for all present. This event will remain a moment of pride for Vasant Valley forever as Will Marchant "now Vasant Valley is a part of NASA’s space programme"!
Ujwalla Bhandari 12 A

Deep (in) Thought

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Shaheed hi Hindustani Nahin

Patriotism, loyalty and lifelong dedication to your nation are what most people would think of when they hear or read the word nationalism. But to me, nationalism is just a feeling, be it intense devotion or so small it is seemingly insignificant in your life. The feeling of belonging.
The classic image of Indian nationalism is Bhagat Singh – a fearless Sikh who died fighting for his country and for what he believed in. Most people would believe that anyone who feels any less strongly about their country does not contain that feeling of nationalism. However, even the average tailor on the road, who may not have fought, or even had the incentive to fight or sacrifice even his job for his country, may have had a stronger feeling of nationalism than any shaheed.
Today, only those who take part in movements or revolutions are considered nationalists in the eyes of the population. In fact, all people who take part in movements may be nationalists, but it is a very small percentage of all nationalists who take any action in the line of their beliefs at all.
It is the feeling of nationalism, of belonging to a common society that holds countries together. Without it, we are all just people without an identity.
“Nations whose nationalism is destroyed are subject to ruin” Muammar Qaddafi
(b. 1938), Libyan leader, colonel.
-Kunal Datta, X

The Oscars: The Good,
the Bad and the Ugly

They are the most prominent, most watched and most prestigious film award ceremony worldwide -yes, it is the Oscars I’m referring to. The Oscars (aka the academy awards) recognize excellence in motion picture making, but off late it seems as though the academy have been awarding films based on the most controversial issues arising in the world today. Babel, Crash, The Departed, North Country-These are merely a few examples of films based on current affairs which have been rather popular at the Oscars. Could it be that instead of concentrating on brilliance of movies, the academy awards are becoming progressively reserved for movies that would impact the thinking of society, or is it co-incidental that most of the above movies happen to deal with racism, sexism or violent breakouts? Could it be that what is believed to be the most impartial academy for films is also being influenced by the social significance of movies? Well, I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to these questions. I do, for one however know that on the 25th of February, 2007, I was glued to the television screen, and here's hoping you did the same.
-Rhea Sadh, X

The fox and the cat

Once, upon a time a little brown cat,
Looked in the mirror and realized she was getting fat.
She could hardly see her tail,
Her stomach bulged out like a male.
She almost looked like a balloon,
And decided something must be done soon.
So she wobbled along to clever fox, her neighbour,
And asked him whether he could do her a favour.
“My dear cat, you look just fine.
But I guess if I help you, you’ll look divine.”
“Thank you fox, I owe you one.
Now tell me, what it is it that must be done.”
“The solution is quite easy,
You must cut down on the sugar and cheesie.
Excersise regularly in the gym,
And soon you shall be slim and trim.”
So she acted upon his instruction,
And excersised with complete devotion.
Soon a month passed, then two,
But there was no change and she didn’t know what to do.
“Oh fox! Oh fox!”, she cries,
“Look at me, just look at my size.”
“Calm down my dear lady,
I’m a clever fox, as you can see.
I shall make you such a potion,
That will, in your body, cause a sensation.
After drinking it you’ll be fit,
‘The Thinomata’ is what I call it.”
He mixed some salt in a solution of honey.
Then he added three hairs from the tail of a bunny.
The eye of an eagle was added too,
Before he mixed a martini into the stew.
With a few move ingredients the potion was ready.
And to call the cat, he sent his servant Freddie.
As soon as she drank Thinomata,
The cat became much thinner.
But before she could say thank you,
The fox remembered that something was missing in his stew.
It was too late, there was nothing he could do.
Before his eyes, the little cat grew.
The brown colour became orange and her stripes became blacker.
Thus a new species was created and was called – the Tiger.
Kanika Vohra 10A

The next time you're stereotyping...

What if I told you that my idol is Jim Morrison - especially when he was under the effects of LSD- man, was he brilliant or what! What if I told you that I can’t say I’m the most hardworking or moral person you’ve ever met, but I get by? What if I told you that I want to get plastered and ride a Harley-Davidson on a giant ramp with millions of adoring fans watching? On the other hand, if I put out that my idol is Mother Teresa, that I’m absolutely honest, and nothing is more important to me that doing my work and reaching my ‘full academic potential’, I wouldn’t be surprised if I landed up as the valedictorian in Harvard Law School.
This dichotomy is something that most people have to face as students. It has more serious portents – where does creativity begin, and where does acceptability end? This problem is there not just in school essays, but also in public performances/ interviews, etc. Levels of acceptability in the existing power structures (I don’t mean these in an authoritarian but more in an ‘establishment’ kind of sense) border on the commonplace for an adolescent. This brings me to the main point of this piece- how can you put corsets of acceptability on creativity. The adolescents need to stake out their identity, rebellion is needed –it acts as a growth hormone. Don’t take this just as a complaint and shelve it, but from my experience a treasure of ideas are automatically scrapped everyday because they won’t be ‘accepted’. The best example of this is of course the CBSE curriculum. How can you have a format on how to write an article or an essay?
Okay- this is not just another piece about adolescent angst. I do agree about the needs for justifiable limits. But, where exactly is that limit? Where does something different become outrageous, and finally obscene? I would like to point out that this debate isn’t something trivial, which happens year after year. The point I am making is that in our present situation there is no consensus on where that limit should be. From my personal point of view, the normal limits of acceptance today are on the tight side, and do not make allowances for differing perceptions. In fact people should be allowed to sustain their own limits, because that’s the only way they
can reach their own potential, and I’m very sorry to say, that’s not what I see around me. At the end of our academic grind we may be accepted, but we may also lose our inner creativity. I don’t pretend to be correct however, that just contradicts the point of this article. If you feel that things should be different, let yourself be heard and quit worrying whether it’ll be accepted or not.
Dhritiman Murti XII- B

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The Maus Series
(By Art Spiegelman)
Welcome to the comic novel

For those of you like me who remained in the dark, let me welcome you to a literary revolution. The comic novel (and this is a view I cannot claim to be my own) is a new “art form” and let me just say, the Maus series by Art Spiegelman, winner of the Pulitzer prize(1996) will be one hell of an introduction.
The comic book has been reduced in our minds to something of leisure, an Archies or a Calvin & Hobbes to unwind on a lazy Sunday— but this book shakes you up from your ignorance by showing you the impact a comic novel has, while telling a story, as opposed to an ordinary one. It is dark, humorous but in a very ironic, satirical way and most importantly more powerful than any you would have read before.
The story has two main threads. The first book (My father bleeds history) is the true story of Holocaust survivor Vladek Spiegelman’s experiences as a young Jewish man during the horrors leading up to and including his confinement in Auschwitz.
The second intertwining story (And Here My Troubles Began) is about Vladek as an old man, recounting his history to his son Art, the author of the book, and the complicated relationship between the two of them. The story swings between two platforms, one being Vladek’s harrowing tale of surviving against all odds. The other is the author’s complicated relationship with his father, struggling to remain patient with his eccentricities.
So this novel has a story within one, a story of the author himself, Art, dealing with his own life while trying to capture his father’s. The book gives you the feeling of writing the story with him, and really, living his experience.
But undoubtedly what hits you first and as the most unique aspect of this novel is the added surrealism of the different ethnicities both in the present and in the past rendered as different species of animals: Jews are mice (thus the title of the series, Maus); Poles are pigs; Americans are dogs; Germans are cats; the French, not present in the first part of the collection, are later drawn as frogs.
The reasons for selection of these animals have been controversial and much debated. I wondered, are they masks, trying to create divisions among human beings, who are really the same?
Read it, enter its world, ask your own questions and discover your story within it. And when you’re done, urge others to enter it too. At least I can say I tried.
-Amba U Kak 12 C

Vasant Valley Poll
Do the students actually read the Newsletter?
YES-52%
NO-48%

The Tale of a Survivor: Sara Atzmon

‘She reminds us of a period in history that in some ways we want to forget, but in others we want to remember, as we can learn so much from it.’ These were the introductory words spoken by Mr. Kapur to introduce a living representative of that era in history, Sara Atzmon. Through her broken English and sad eyes, Sara told the class 12 students a story of survival that made our petty struggles seem so trivial and so petty. Her tale, which began in Hungary and ended in Israel, narrated events of an era of pandemonium. The Nazis wanted to eradicate the Jewish people, and in this attempt to end all the Jews, Sara, who was only 11 happened to suffer and be taken to the most dreaded death camp ever established, Auschwitz. Her impressionable mind bore the brunt of having to see piles of dead bodies. Her father and countless relatives were lost in these death camps and she just kept hanging on to hope. For her the world didn’t extend beyond the barbed wires. All that she could repeat again and again was a simple plea, ‘We weren’t bad people’.
Today however, much as humanity wants to forget and eradicate Hitler and his holocaust from our memories, struggles like those of Sara keep it alive. The holocaust for me till now was only the sort of thing that was read about, or seen on television. But upon interacting with Sara, the holocaust is so much more. It isn’t about figures, that 6 million Jews were killed, it is about thinking that each Jew suffered what Sara did, and only few like her emerged with their lives. Sara today through art represents her memories. She expresses her childhood on canvas, and lets us know what it means to survive the holocaust. What moved all of us in the room was her love for humanity. Her struggle brought to light the value of every human life. I will end by quoting Sara herself, ‘Where do you look in times of trouble? God is not a policeman, God resides between me and you, but that is only if you BELIEVE that He resides between us’
-Shaman Marya, XII

The Jesus phone

Every billion years, man comes out with something completely brilliant which makes half the world dance around a bonfire completely naked shouting ‘Halleluiah!’ Okay, maybe that’s a little over exaggerated, but if anyone can do it it’s Steve Jobs and his teams at Apple. First they came out with the mouse, an amazing bitmap object on a computer screen which allowed the user to control the computer any way he wishes. This made Bill Gates pass out with awe and rip it off, adding another button to it.
Then he came out with the iPod, changing the way we think about listening to music on the go. This made good old Bill copy it and give it a distasteful name starting with Z... Finally Apple looked up to heaven for help and God blessed them with the iphone. But this time Bill Gates pulled out his hair and resigned from his post as head of Microsoft.
The iphone, simply put, is a masterpiece. It combines a computer, a phone and an ipod into one small, handheld, easy- to- use system. To operate it, one requires nothing more than his finger, and to witness the beautiful 320 by 480 at 160 pp, their eyes.
With its multitouch interface we can, with our ringers Hip down through songs, expand and contract an image, flip album an and make calls without the fuss usually required for such operations. The phone also has an ama/ing accelerometcr giving us a new range of options when turned horizontally. It has sensors all over its body so it doesn’t turn on while in your pocket.
Available in 4 GB and 8 GB models, (he iphone is releasing in the US around June or July. Its 2 mega pixel camera with video recording offers enough camera time needed on a phone with up to 5 hours talking, video or internet browsing, and 16 hours audio playback. It is way ahead of its league and is one of the slimmest phones on the market.
The iphone is beautiful, and basically gives reason to my undeniable love lor everything Apple and is the only piece of technology that makes me all squeamish inside. However, those of us in India will have to fly out to the US to get one in June, or wait till next year to get it here, because with the high security at Apple only Steve Jobs will have one before that. Oh and Aman Anand, or so 1 have heard.
Bhavik Singh

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Election Week-Your vote counts

I was sitting at home watching a movie called Berkeley in the 60’s and its being all about political activism led to an idea striking me like a sudden bolt of lightning. One conference call led to another. And two weeks later, the idea was born.
Welcome to Election Week 2007!
Three teams of two, (1 boy and 1 girl) stand for elections. Candidates are selected on the basis of their manifestos. The 3 selected teams run for elections. The teams make posters to show their class what they will do if elected and they present their manifestos to their classes.
The role of the class speakers is very important as they have been given the opportunity to take greater responsibility, from organizing inter section competitions to being your voice to the teachers or any of your other peers. Any problems that you have can be taken to your class speakers. Now that you have elected them, it is up to you to demand your results.
It’s all about learning how important you are and how your vote is valuable.
Election week brought many interesting issues to light. Class 7 saw an unexpected outcome; some class 7 candidates worked extremely hard making posters and even printing flyers. In class 8 we witnessed a show of unity where candidates imbibed the spirit of friendly competition. It was really encouraging to see that they enjoyed election week.
In class 9, the meek became strong, voicing their opinions and actually standing up for themselves. Class 10 on the other hand was the exact opposite; we saw the ugly side of politics where it created divisions and unnecessary tension.
For the future we hope, that election will continues to be a great experience and a time to unite not to divide.
Praavita Kashyap 12-C

ERAGON- MOVIE REVIEW

One Star
In a time of darkness, under the evil reign of King Galbatorix, a hero shall rise. But lo, there will be little rejoicing, for this dragon rider is but a nancy boy, somehow in possession of the only soap and clean clothes in all the land. (This despite being a humble farmer.)
“Eragon” takes place in the fantasy land of Alagaësia, where dragons soar, wizards cast spells and clichés grow on trees. As Eragon, a boy who finds a dragon egg and discovers his destiny is to ride atop the fire-breathing beast (to be honest, I’ve seen scarier sock puppets) that hatches from it and lead an army of rebels to overthrow an evil king. Along the way, they face obstacles of the usual sort, including visitations by the creepy “shade” Durza.
Amidst this seemingly “original” plot, there are many moments of disappointment, and in some cases, even unintended humor. When Eragon discovers his fate, his face contorts into a “shock” expression you might find in a middle-school drama. More believable looks of bewilderment can be found on the faces of your fellow viewers, who have confronted their destiny to endure 99 minutes of awful acting. Eragon’s activities involve squealing in wrestling matches with his touchy-feely cousin, idiotic conversations with his doltish mentor, Brom, and, most entertainingly, telepathic conversations with his pet dragon. And when Eragon and Saphira “speak” to each other, it’s the greatest.
The boy stares at the computer-rendered creature with a blank stare and closed mouth as his voiceover booms in the theater speakers. This is comical enough itself, but when Saphira talks back it’s even better. There’s something about a soft, feminine voice emitting from a fire-breathing monster that’s inherently funny.
Much wailing and gnashing of teeth will ensue, especially when singer Joss Stone tries to play a fortune telling Gypsy, while songs by Avril Lavigne and Jem manifest upon the soundtrack.
Overall, I would much rather watch Cruella Devil decapitating a hundred little dogs rather than keep my eyelids open to watch this shameless mish-mash of every Hero Myth ever conceived riding the back of a dragon while whooping and cheering.
- Devika Agrawal. 9-A

Have no fear, them heroes are here!

What would you do if you woke up one morning with superpowers? Well, that’s the dilemma the main characters on the intriguing new show “HEROES” face. It is centred around 6 individuals who are not directly related in any way, but are soon to find out that their lives are intertwined, in the most unimaginable way.
The story begins with Mohinder Suresh travelling all the way from Madras to New York, to complete the research of his late father, who for years tried to identify these individuals and their genetic structures. These characters, must identify and save each other, in order to save the world from an atomic blast…very much like HIRO-shima...
From a Japanese man teleporting himself to New York, a congressman who can fly, a druggie that can paint the future, to an “unbreakable” cheerleader- this show has it all!
Catch this gripping new show at 9:30 (though you have to stay tuned to Star World- how hard is that- to know the ‘new’ time, as its always changing.) on Wednesdays. And be prepared to find the ‘Hero’ in you!
- Krutika Menon and Talisa Oberoi XII

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Trinity College Summer School 2006: An unforgettable experience!!

As we boarded the plane, we had mixed feelings about this trip. We were excited, yet somewhere down the line we felt that this trip may not end up meeting our expectations, which were very high, to say the least. After a long flight we finally reached the Trinity campus and were greeted by the ever-smiling Vincent, the director of the Summer School.
The lush green campus, the magnificent stone buildings, the mentors tormenting us for losing our keys and seeing the director Vincent smile throughout the day are just some of the things that we have taken back home with us. Our two-week stay in Australia was absolutely fabulous leaving an indelible impression o in our hearts.
When we first signed up for the programme we must confess that we were rather skeptical about what we were getting into. We thought it would be another one of those boring workshops but we’re glad to say we were wrong.The summer school was a great learning experience for us both academically as well as socially. We got a chance to interact with students from Malaysia, Singapore, Peru, Bombay and not to forget Australia. This was one of the highlights of the Summer School as we had an opportunity to interact and learn form other cultures. Although we must admit that on numerous occasions we felt a bit of a culture shock, we soon developed a sense of respect and love for our comrades.
Now moving on to the classes, the academic course provided by Trinity in the creative thinking summer school was quite different and unique in its own way. The interactive classes and various excursions really helped to facilitate our learning and has also broadened our perspective and opened a window to a whole new set of issues.
The science summer school was a great learning experience as we had hands on experience of everything being taught. We actually looked forward to going to every lecture as every lecturer was unique and there was so much to learn. They offered every bit of knowledge they had, even though that was the first and last time we would see them. Apart from the theory classes, practicals and excursions, which made science enjoyable along with making the concepts much clearer, we also visited many labs and performed various experiments. We got to see the working of a real human shoulder and got to see what goes on in a biomechanics lab, something which many people don’t get a chance to see in their entire life.
We never knew that there were so many fields and so many courses for us to take in college. This trip has provided us with the necessary information to give us confidence and consolidation in our choice for the right college and right career option—perhaps the most important of our lives.
Life is not about the number of breaths we take, but about the moments that take our breaths away, and this trip has truly taken all our breaths away.
Amit Khandeparkar & Arjun Bajaj, XII

Walls

And as my pathetic oblivion begins to gnaw me
I sit still, wondering how much longer it’s going to be.
I stare at my walls. They’re a blanket of darkness and of light
They protect me from myself, every day and every night.

My forgotten hopes are buried deep in the graves of my thoughts
My irate dreams are sunk on the sea bed of my desires
I continue reflecting upon my melancholic existence,
Wondering if the walls are protecting me more from without than within.

Wondering whom I’ve been hiding from,
Wondering how much longer there is to hide,
Wondering if my walls are thick enough to protect me from myself
Wondering when I built the fence of comfort and complacency that environs me
Wondering whose walls these are anyway.

There seems to be no ceiling overhead.
I ponder on how I disconnected my thoughts from my mind,
My silence from my words,
My reflections from my mirrors.
I wonder where my ceiling’s vanished to,
I wonder what it portrays… only to realize it shows that my thoughts are but empty.

My emotions are worthless. Yet my walls cease to collapse.
My walls cease to crumble. They are firmer than my soul.
My walls, my boundaries; they envelop me from the world,
They protect me, keep my head on my shoulders, and guard me from it all.
There are times when the walls seem too high, when the walls seem too hard
There are times when they seem like metaphorical chains
There are times when it seems like my walls aren’t built of bricks, they’re built of lies
Then I realize it’s the lies that are guarding me from the night crawling around me.

And on my way to heaven, I’m hoping my walls carve my way
I’m hoping my walls surround me and bind me to my vision of the world
I’m hoping my walls don’t give way to let me stumble into infinite space,
But most of all,
I’m hoping I don’t lose myself on my journey,
Or find what was lost and forgotten halfway there.
Akanksha Chawla, XII

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Teacher Of The Week: Mr V. K. Sharma

Selecting a kid of the week for this issue proving to be an even more difficult task than it used to, we resorted to interviewing a teacher, for this issue of the newsletter, instead. Here’s an interview of Mr. VK Sharma – our first teacher of the week!
NL: Mr. Sharma, why is Sanskrit such an integral part of the Physics syllabus?
MR S: Sanskrit is basically quite competent to explain the laws of physics, because it is a very exact language. It is very compact – I would say it is a scientific language – and a single shlok can explain one concept very well.
NL: Tell us about your love for poetry.
MR S: When you’re doing a subject as dry as physics, you need a way to express your creativity. For me, poetry is the lease out of high mental activity. That is why I head the Poetry Hobby.
NL: Why did you study Law?
MR S (smiles): Well, I am interested in the laws of nature! I wanted to study the co-relation between the laws of nature, and the laws made by man.
NL: Why do you think you have been chosen to be the Teacher of the Week?
MR S: Obviously because my students love me so much!
NL: What do you think sets you apart from other teachers?
MR S: I don’t want to set myself apart. I am a part and parcel of the VVS team. A teacher is a teacher.
NL: Who is/was your favourite student?
MR S: Any student who tries to go into the depths of the subject is my favourite.
NL: Why physics?
MR S: Physics is the key to nature. When nature solidifies, it is power – nature is nothing but the expression of power, and to me, physics is the link. Need I say more?
Interviewed by Kunal Dutta

BUSTED!

“Tell the teacher I’m the linesman for the cricket match.
Or, wait, I think I’m the thirdman.”
Yajusheel Khosla, we absolutely agree.
Krutika: “Did she call you up using the phone?”
Akanksha: “Er. Who is Tanvie talking to?”
Krutika: “The phone!”
Alexander Graham Bell must be spinning in his grave.
“All the class act play boys did a good job!”
Anonymous. Aye!
“Are you on the Newsletter or on the Editorial Board?”
Amit Khandeparker, head boy for many reasons—some of which include his general awareness.
“In Afghanistan, you can get free guns for two bucks”
We’d never have guessed free guns cost money, Jai Juneja.
“My eyes are crying!”
And are your lips laughing, at that, Ashwat Sehgal?
“Millions of people die everyday, out of which half lose their lives.”
Akanksha Singh, your economical skills are almost as good as your biological—er, language, at that.

Bush-ISMS

Who hasn’t heard of George W. Bush? He is the President of the United States of America, is currently sanctioning a war that the majority of the world is against, and is probably the one leader who nearly always manages to get his foot in his mouth the second he opens it. Here are a few ‘bushisms’ that are sure to make you learn more about him, or at least make you laugh your head off.
“It is white.” —after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 2001
[No kidding, really! I could have SWORN it was multicolored, guessing by its name!]
“For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It’s just unacceptable. And we’re going to do something about it.” —Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001
[So we assume you want more fatalities? Keep it up Mr. Bush, your thirst for blood continues...]
“I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right.” —Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001
[Wow! We didn’t know you spoke a variation of Gibberish as well!]
“They misunderestimated me.” –George W. Bush (November 6, 2000 in Bentonville, Arkansas.)
[Oh dear. They did, did they? Do you think it might have something to do with your non-existent vocabulary? But no! Perish the thought!!]
“I know the human being and fish can co-exist peacefully.” – Saginaw, Michigan.
[You cannot grace this masterpiece with a comment!]
AND NOW.... THE GRAND FINALE:
“I think we agree, the past is over.” – May 10, 2000
[Er.]
Comments by Ayesha Malik, 9 A

Please forward all your suggestions and feedback to newsletter@vasantvalley.org. Feel free to contribute articles and reviews via this email id.

EDITORIAL BOARD
Ayesha Malik, Devika Agrawal, Nikhil Pandhi, Sanjana Malhotra, Arushi Kumar, Meghna Mann, Sara Chatterjee, Rhea Sadh, Kunal Datta, Bhavik Singh, Amba Kak, Arjun Bajaj,
Dhritiman Murti, Praavita Kashyap, Ujwalla Bhandari, Shaman Marya

Editor: Akanksha Chawla