Books come to Life

I was sitting at home getting bored one day,
My parents were out; my sister had gone to play.
Everything was quiet not a single soul in sight.
I decided to go and read in the library,
I reached out and picked up a book that was scary,
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash,
I thought I saw Harry Potter making a dash.
Then suddenly Lord Voldemort pulled out a knife,
It was then that I realized that he books had come to life!
Cinderella and Prince Charming,
Snow white and the seven dwarfs,
Goldilocks and the three bears,
Nancy Drew with George and Bess.
Voldemort was now chasing me,
While Snow white and the dwarfs were dancing with glee.
Goldilocks and the bears were singing with pride,
And Prince Charming was asking Cinderella to be his bride.
The Lord Voldemort’s glance stopped on Nancy,
Thank my stars to her he took fancy.
Suddenly I woke up and saw,
That I had been asleep, lying on the floor.
What a lovely dream it had been,
What wonderful sights I had seen!
When my parents came back in,
They asked me why on my face was a grin,
They thought I had something up my sleeve.
But when I told them my story,
I knew they wouldn’t believe!
By Ishita Sethi 6 -A

Our River – Yamuna
The river Yamuna flows through the capital of our country, Delhi. If your mind has started imagining a sight similar to that of the river Thames flowing through London then you are grossly mistaken. We can still see its wide banks and imagine its past glory. But now this river is no more than a narrow channel and now more than water the dirt and scum are visible. The sight is pitiful. There was a time when the Yamuna was a boon to the people of Delhi. Delhi sprang up where it did because of the Yamuna, but today it is no more than shame for the less concerned citizens of the city and a cause of great distress to the more concerned. It is clear to us all that a solution must be found to this problem as it is unhygienic and the odor and sight is unbearable.
Almost everyday a new NGO springs up in the city, claiming to have the single goal of cleaning up the Yamuna River. But what are these negligible numbers to the tons of dirt produced by the metropolis everyday? Not to forget the faithful Hindus who don’t cease to dump all their idols, flowers, ashes etc. into the river every day. They all claim that we can “all” do something to clean the river, but what are we supposed to do? Should we stop using our lavatories to keep the river clean? Or should we all join this regiment of air headed, irrational environmentalists and pick up mops and clean the Yamuna?
With the medias highlighting the issue furthermore the government is forced to waste precious and manual resources in attempting to clean the Yamuna, which could easily be put to a better use.
I have come up with a simple solution, one which would not require us to clean the Yamuna. Very simply- the government should declare the Yamuna to be a drain, instead of a river. A sewage canal, which would carry all of Delhi’s garbage away. This is the most logical answer to this very grave problem. It by all means is very advantageous. Most importantly it is very easy to implement as truly the Yamuna isn’t any more than a drain even as we speak.
There are numerous advantages of this proposal. Firstly, it will stop all NGO workers from attempting to clean the Yamuna, and they would seek better employment. This would in turn put them in a better and more profitable solution where they will, at least earn a salary. Even devout Hindus will stop polluting t since they are only supposed to immerse their idols in running water and not in running drains.
The government itself won’t have to waste precious resources in cleaning the Yamuna. And can divert these resources to much more important issues like poverty and underdevelopment. Converting the Yamuna into a drain will solve another

one of the cities major problems – improper sanitation. Many areas like Senik Farms have poor drainage systems. But with the coming of a new main drain the MCD will have to do no more than connect these areas to the main drain.
This drain will cause reduction in diseases spread by pest like mosquitos because very simply they won’t be near us. They will just live and breed in the Yamuna as some intelligent mosquito households already do. The mosquito’s hovering around garbage dumps in Delhi will surely follow the superior of their race to the Yamuna.
Factories in the vicinity add all their chemical and industrial waste in the river, illegally. But the making the act legal would be catalyst in the industrial growth of the state. And this exponential growth of industries is always welcome in a developing nation.
Thus, I consider the legal conversion of the Yamuna into a drain of utmost importance and sincerely hope that the government of India will look upon the matter seriously and take instantaneous action. But, if there id any delay or hesitation on their part I urge my friends and fellow citizens to join hands and work with me for his noble cause. The process has begun, but it is our responsibility now, to go to the very end and ensure that Yamuna becomes a drain.
- Ridhika Agarwal, IX- B

“Rose Bowl Concert”

On Saturday 2nd of April, the students of our school got a chance to watch the Doon School Orchestra and choir in a concert held with the aim of raising money for the Rose Bowl , the Doon’s school amphitheatre . It was heartening to see the Doon School Old boys Society team up with the present students and give us a memorable performance.
The guitarists and drummers rocked together in a medley of sorts leaving us all hoping for more.. The sitars , flutes and tables played together complementing each other to give a treat for the ears. The presenter informed us that 11% of the schools students were on stage and all of the compositions were their own leaving us agape.. These performers really set a new standard for all of us and we wish them all the luck for their stint in Dubai !

JUNIOR SCHOOL vs
SENIOR SCHOOL

This week, we spoke to a Aneesha Bhandari, Sharanya Thakur, Kabir Chatwal and Arnav Nath from class 4 and heard their views on Senior School.
NL: So what do you think Senior School is all about?
AB: I think it’s mostly about fun and freedom and doing what you like.
ST: I feel that it is more about serious studying but fun at the same time. Its kind of like a party .
KC: I like the things that the students do in Senior School that we can’t do in Junior school. But I don’t think I will ever bunk classes.
AN: I think it’s about kids bullying other kids, and especially bunking!
NL: What do you feel are the pros and cons of Junior School?
PROS
AB: There is no partiality in Junior School, all students are equal. I like my teachers a lot as well.
ST: I find the studies easy and the teachers teach in great detail as well. I really like my teachers.
KC: The teachers are sweet. The studies are easy!!
AN: The teachers are really sweet. They are the best part!
CONS
AB: I get pressured a lot by my teachers because everyone feels that we should do exceptionally well in Junior School.
ST: I also feel pressured in Junior School. But otherwise I like it.
KC: I hate punishments that the teachers give in Junior School..
AN: You can’t bunk any classes and the studies are difficult.
Well, after having that enlightening conversation with these kids and having a few laughs on the way as well, I think it’s a pretty close contest between Junior School and Senior School.

The Dark World

Wishing I could see the light
Never changed a thing
Wanting the world colorful and bright
I remained in darkness a King.
People told me of the blue sea
I imagined it calm from the sound
But if this was true, was never clear to me
Because my sight could not be found.
My vision of the world is mine alone
No-one shares my views
They will never see life through my eyes
These eyes that have never seen views.
Shaurya Dhir, V-C

Spring was in the air
I could smell it, feel it,
but couldn’t see it;
Darkness had captured my eyes.
The crackle of dry leaves under my feet made me want to sing and dance
The sounds of nature in the park-
Birds, bees and the scent of
flowers brought a smile to my lips
I thanked the Lord for keeping
my senses alive.
Ishani Singh, V-C

Ron Wedderman , the organizer of World Special Olympics, started out as a volunteer in 1972, and since then has been steadily working towards the cause for the last 33 years.
We got a chance to interact with him in a brief interview.

NL : Why did you decide to devote yourself to this cause ?
RW : I have always wanted to do something related to education for the benefit of young people . My grandmother and aunt, were very strongly compassionate towards special persons and spread acceptance for them . This greatly influenced my decision to opt for this cause.

NL : How did you find our response , here at VVS towards the special kids?
RW : Fantastic! I feel that the integration of the special section with the students is brilliant yet it is worth mentioning, quite unusual. Though in the US, most schools are integrated

NL : How is the attitude here different from the one in the US ?
RW : I feel that children in the US are more exposed and educated about children with special needs. Research even showed that children in the US are much more sensitive in understanding these kids as compared to those in Japan and India.

NL : Tell us something about the 2007 Shanghai Games ?
RW : Well its going to be on a massive scale , with 10000 athletes , 150 countries participating , 18 different sports and more than 30,000 volunteers. Just as other Special Olympics the Shanghai Games aims at changing attitudes all over the world.
by Arushi Chak and Amba Kak

Interview with S.K. Appachu

S.K. Appachu had recently come to school and considering he was the school’s first editor the editorial board was dying to get his views on school and the newsletter. Here’s what he had to say.
NL: Now that you’re back in school what do you find different?
SK: From what I have seen so far, it looks to me like everything is far more relaxed. Students seem to be hanging around doing nothing. I was quite impressed to see the upcoming tennis and squash courts as well as the floodlights and swimming pool.
NL: You were our school’s first editor, what changes can you see in the newsletter?
SK: The first change I noticed when I saw the new newsletter was the logo. The logo that my editorial team had devised included the large VVS pillars. I was also happy to see some new additions like the BUSTED and INTERVIEW sections.
NL. What was your newsletter like?
SK: As I mentioned before we were very proud of our logo, and it featured prominently on the front page. Our school watch was much more detailed. We had a special section dedicated to all writing pieces called ‘EXPRESSIONS’. Expressions included essays, reports, jokes etc.
NL: How did the newsletter operate when you were in charge?
SK: I used to consult with Mrs. Katyal constantly. All articles and pieces written by the editorial board or a student had to go through my editing process before they were included in the newsletter.
NL: What would you suggest we change in our newsletter?
SK: I know I’ve gone on and on about our logo, but I really think you should get it back. I also feel you should introduce the system of a weekly newsletter.