NEWSLETTER
30th March 2007

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School Watch

23rd February – VVS participated in 49th Annual Flower Show VVS won prizes in the following categories:
- Best maintained green area of a senior secondary
school flower
- Pots of pansy – Highly Commended
- Flower pots of double dahlia – Second prize
- Hanging basket - Second prize
27th February - Senior Girls Interhouse Softball Tournament
- Yellow House wins
13th March – Sub junior Girls Interhouse Softball Tournament
- Red House wins
5th March – Inter House Computer Quiz (Classes 6 – 8)
- Green House wins
- Senior Boys Interhouse Cricket finals
- Blue House wins
- Adventure Camps Begin
14th March – film on ‘Tibet through the eyes of a child’
-Science Just-a- minute competition
1st – Tejasvita Singh
2nd – Ishita Sethi
3rd – Mallika Pal, Saddat Salim
15th March - Inter House Computer Quiz (Classes 9-12)
- Yellow House wins
19th March- Visit to Badarpur power sation for class 10
20th March - Business case study competition
1st - Rishiraj Kessar, Ritwik Bhattacharya, Varun Sood and
Amit Khandeparkar
2nd - Aishani Gupta, Amrita Singh, Aarushi Jain and Pranai
Aggarwal
- Science Workshop
- Biotechnology workshop for class 10
22nd March - UNESCO Water Poster Making Competition
1st – Ishaan Bharat
Special mention – Tarannum Marya
23rd March – Indian Music Rendezvous

When We Became “Friends of Tibet”

This was one of those experiences which made me feel privileged to be a part of this school. In an attempt to sensitize (and for many of us, enlighten) us to the issue of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the organization “Friends Of Tibet” held discussions, film screenings and a cartoon exhibition in our very own school with classes 6-12.
The Exhibition titled “Indian Cartoonists On Tibet” consisted of about 15 cartoons on the Tibet issue and the tumultuous Indo Chinese-relations by many renowned cartoonists like Shankar, RK Laxman etc.
Today, we are living in the era of mass media and communication, but cartoons, with their element of humor still convey a strong message and these cartoons were a perfect introduction to our learning of Indo-Tibetan relations.
Following the exhibition, class 12 students watched a film centred on a group of Tibetan refugees in an attempt to cross the border to India to escape the dictatorial and oppressive Chinese regime. Telling the story of so many other Tibetans who risk their lives to escape the conditions they are forced to live in, we were all left moved by their plight. The discussion that followed opened our eyes to human rights violations against the Tibetan people which go unchallenged by the world and the importance of global support on this issue.
There are some experiences which remind you of the plight in the world outside your own sheltered one as well as the importance of your support, however small. This was one of them.
-Amba U Kak, Class 12

Man’s Ex-Best Friend?

I’m writing this just a few days before my Science exam, which has got to be my weakest subject. Writing this was necessary because this issue has been eating me up from inside for the past THREE weeks. I really need a way to vent out these feelings.
I’m sure that by now, everybody must be aware of the happenings in Bangalore, the culling of street dogs by not only the municipal corporation, but by ordinary people too. It all started when a child was mauled to death by a pack of street dogs. Since then, the Health Minister of Karnataka, R.Ashok, said that they would be merciless in the killing of street dogs, and that all 76,000 street dogs in Bangalore would be put down within a month.
And that is exactly what is happening.
Municipal workers have been rounding up street dogs all over Bangalore, taking them to undisclosed locations, and killing them. However, this is not all. The ordinary citizens I have mentioned above cannot be called ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. These very residents of India’s most hi-tech city have been cornering street dogs and beating them up with sticks, metal rods and leaving them to bleed to death. It may be gory, but it’s the gory truth, which everyone must be aware of.
I have been a dog lover from the day I was born. I have been surrounded by dogs all my life. Where I currently live, there are about 30 street dogs, all of whom I meet when I take my dog for a walk. These dogs only crave for food, and a little affection-which is in the nature of all canines. They are almost never aggressive towards humans. These particular street dogs come up to me every morning to get a scratch behind their ears, maybe get a bite to eat, and go back to their usual rounds.
Now, coming back to this incident, I do not wish to be disrespectful to the family of the deceased child, but there are certain things which must be set straight. If the boy was allowed to play outside alone at the age of four, without any parental supervision, in an area where street dogs freely roam around, and was never ever attacked before by any dog, then it really does make you wonder. Did the child taunt these dogs? Did these dogs perhaps have a mental illness, which is by all means no fault of theirs and can be controlled quite easily? The main blame for the death of that child should not lie with the dogs, but with the society itself. It is given in the Fundamental Duties of the citizens of India, that it shall be the duty of every citizen of India ‘to protect and improve natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wild life and to have compassion for living creatures’. One does think that the situation is much like how a sting ray ended the life of the ever popular Steve Irwin. After news of his death spread, many sting rays were just slaughtered. Steve’s life’s ambition was the betterment of the cause of animals, no matter what they were. He proclaimed publicly that he began his life helping animals and that his life would end protecting animals. This type of merciless slaughter of animals is unjustified, inhuman and just plain wrong, especially if it’s the slaughter of the creature, who has come to be known as ‘Man’s Best Friend.’  
Soumya Dasgupta
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Take One: Ambala

We did sand modeling, wall climbing, river crossing, wentfor tonga rides, tractor rides, for a nature walk and playedwith the dog. We saw the rice mill and brick kiln. We played soccer too. If you had gone, you would have had fun too!
Kaamya Sharma and Meher Mehta 3- C

The camping trip for class three was fun for all of us. Rock climbing was challenging and sand modeling was very exciting. I’d love to go for camp again!. It would be all fun (and no pain!)
Anchal Sharma 3- C

A M B A L A
A amazing
M masterpiece
B ballistic
A awesome
L lovely
A artistic

Camp Jim Corbett

When we were leaving school for camp, I was nervous and a bit excited. But the nervousness soon faded. At lunch time we stopped at a Dhaba, called Tadka and had excellent food. Time passed quickly as we sat in the bus singing songs and soon we reached Jim Corbett. That day we had an activity called “Ëgg Hunt” which was great fun. The following day different groups of children went for a jungle safari and some of them to meet the villagers. On returning we were divided into eight groups and did four different activities- Rappling, River Crossing, Bakery and Body Surfing. The last day, we came back after activities and went for an excellent river bath. The return journey was equally fun and I would love to go for more adventure camps like this.
Sukhmani Bedi 4- B

Stopping for Breath

starlit tug o'war

Beasi, a bittersweet experience

Finally the day had arrived! With thumping hearts and a bus full of songs we began the journey towards our camp which was a long one.On reaching Beasi, we were left stunned! Our camp was the most beautiful sight ever! The magnificent Ganga was flowing just opposite our campsite and gorgeous mountains with lush forests guarded our little camp like tall guardians.After a scrumptious lunch we were allotted our tents. It was also a lot of fun playing games like soccer, cricket, volleyball, rugby and that too on sparkling sand that was everywhere! When it came to trekking, we all thought it would be boring and exhausting, but it turned out to be the most fun thing we ever did! Especially, if you are surrounded by wild, exotic birds and beats on all sides! Obviously the rafting was amazing. Plenty of swishing rapids left me stunned and left my heart thumping! We also had a sand- castle making competition and had a talent show by the bonfire every night.And just after four days of riveting excitement, we found ourselves making it back home, just the same ways we had come. The only difference was that four days ago our mind looked forward to the fun coming our way, now, our mind was full of beautiful memories that we shall cherish forever!
Pranav Hari Singhania and Ahaan Karha, Class 5

Biotechnology Unleashed

If someone asked me what I knew about Biotechnology, I’d mutter “Technological application...biological system…living organisms?” and run. That’s why I wasn’t too enthusiastic about spending an entire day at a Biotechnology workshop.
Now if I was given the chance, I’d spend months there.
Our day spent working on DNA fingerprinting (to figure out which suspect had committed the crime on each crime scene), modifying a species (by adding a “glow” gene from a jellyfish to a culture of bacteria), and watching an exceptionally well-made documentary on genetics was enriching, not only in the sense that we realised that experiments like these aren’t as complicated and inaccessible as they may seem, but also in the sense that the workshop– the movie, in particular – opened our eyes to the number of lives our progress made in the field of Biotechnology can save (and consequently, whether or not it should be used to save lives, or whether one should let nature take its course.)
We’d like to thank the teachers who put together this workshop for expanding our knowledge of this vast subject, with an instructive yet fun filled workshop, which was definitely one of the highlights of this term, and for familiarising us with Biotechnology to such an extent that I think I might even begin to call it “Bio-tech” now. J
Sara Chatterjee (X)

 
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Beach Blues

Camp or What?

Camp? I don’t even think that this year’s class six trip to Shivpuri can be called just a camp! It was an overall learning experience and an unforgettable trip. However, there was one thing that happened that I think in itself left an indelible mark in our minds forever.
“Hang on for dear life!” were the first words that left our mouths when we were hit by the fierce rapid, “Three Blind Mice”. Oh boy, were we washed out! Waves came from here, waves came from there and yes, waves came from everywhere but we sailed through the rapid with the confidence of a sailor who sails the wild ocean!
Of course, when our guide warned us about the danger of crocodiles, we thought it was utter nonsense. But things changed when we felt something tickling our toes. Suddenly something green shot up in the distance and started coming towards us. Instantly injected with panic, we started swimming towards the shore, forgetting that our raft was actually closer.
Finally, seeing the next rapid approach, our raft guide steered the raft towards us and pulled us out of the water. Then, to our surprise and sheer bemusement, he told us that he had been playing the fool and that what we had seen must have been algae or something to that effect. We were so relieved that we forgot to be angry and enjoyed the rest of our rafting adventure to the fullest!
Namrata Narula 6C

breezin along

And the Award Goes To…

Well, the first thing you’d probably expect when it comes to camp is a long description about our stay. But breaking away from the normal routine, I’d like to highlight upon the most interesting events in camp this year. And undoubtedly, of course I have to say, it was a rejuvenating and absolutely awesome experience!
Probably the most exciting event this year at the Dak Pathar camp, was the rather bizarre but hilarious award ceremony presented by Ishan Sardesai, Tulsi Sharma and Vivan Marwah.
They presented a bunch of rather unexpected (but fun filled) awards, which really left the whole of class seven laughing their lungs out and making merry with the ‘awardees’!
Anish Asthana was hysterical with laughter after getting the party animal award and as for Pranoy Koul and Abhinav Rai, they left the ‘podium’ with rather embarrassed faces after getting the two of a kind award.
There were many other uproarious awards such as the disco jalebi and the Jodi no.1, apart from the usual most popular boy and girl award and the God’s gift to men and women award.
There were also some new awards such as the cricket star and the soccer stud award, which left Vir Chopra, Udai Chawla, Viraj Nanda, Annuvrat Munjal and Shaurya Dhir something to boast about all the way back to Delhi.
But lest you think that’s all, there’s more, even the host of the Dak Pathar camp, Capt. Ambar, had his own share of awards to present that were the best camper girl and boy award, which went to Ananya Trehan and me, for showing remarkable camping spirit and doing extremely well in all the camp activities! To add to our excitement, we were awarded two books written by Ruskin Bond. Thus the Dak Pathar camp’07 was really an experience that has etched its share of nostalgia in all our minds!

Rishabh Prakash 7-C

bon appetit!

 
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E : Exceeded Expectations
(Class 8 Camp)

This year’s camp wasn’t so much as an adventure as it was a wild unison- a chance for us to go crazy, together. Being the disruptive batch that we are, we just couldn’t resist- the white, sandy beaches, the endless river, it all seemed a little too perfect for our liking. The place had it’s own personal touches, such as the good-humoured camp instructors , the running hot water in the bathrooms and the mirrors inside the tents. And when things got a little too strenuous for us, we could always go to the Resort and have a dip in the pool or play a relaxing game of water polo. Along with having the time of our lives, we also learnt some very valuable lessons, such as a special helmet was made for Brad Pitt when went rafting here, the lyrics to Tokyo Drift are actually ‘Drift, Drift, Drift’ not ‘Dip, Dip, Dip’ (as we thought- a startling discovery), and that boys will cry if you pull their hair too hard. We also learnt that the Hindi way of saying ‘Forgive me’ is ‘Kshama Kijiye’, river water gives you a free perm and Maggi Sauces- are different. With innocent smiles plastered on our faces, we took complete advantage of our teachers, wetting, teasing and annoying them to the limit. At night, we’d scream at our adjacent tent until our voices were hoarse, stole oil lamps from where they belonged (because we’re so cool) and planned to play pranks on everybody else (such as the classic ‘finger-in-glass-of-water’) but never ended up doing it, because we got tired from all the excitement of our ingenious plot. At the end of it all- I have to admit, despite our preconceived notions, camp really did live up to our expectations. And trust me, our expectations were very, very high.
Mallika Pal, Class 8

Rukmani’s Secret

Well, this year’s camp for us was nothing like the ones before… for many reasons. As you read on, you shall perhaps notice why Camp Purple was simply different (the camp wasn’t really purple, only the dustbins were!!).
Hmm…. so we were around seventy of us, hoarded with humungous suitcases and bags. Our heterogeneous cavalcade, made its way like gracious loyalty toward the platform from where we were to board. But soon (predictably enough) we succumbed to boredom as our enthusiasm was reduced to pulp when there was no sign of our train for miles. Yet, as they say every cloud has a silver lining, and so the train made it somehow and we jumped into the bogies making the scene seem no less than one possibly seen when a striking model makes a riveting appearance on stage!
Many were crippled, many were hurt…but by the time we settled in for the night, groans filled the air as our impressionable minds saw what Indian railway stations, or trains for that matter, really are. An enraged lady barged into our compartment, and forced us to vacate our seats. We did so; more out of pity for the woman (who was having serious palpitations and may have collapsed at any time). But the woman was an evil one! Seeing that we had made room, she summoned her friend who came pushing her way through and hauled her suitcase onto my head…
….Days passed, we continued doing the things we usually do at camp. But everything changed the night we did levitation. We had already been telling each other grotesque ghost stories, so the whole levitation event was like icing on the cake. That night, the moon had adorned a cheesy hue; some of our peers were led into a garden of some sort, on a higher altitude. They had already been gone for what felt like a few hours, and all we heard were piercing screams. As the people returned from levitation one by one, they all seemed to be “possessed by Rukmani’s soul”. Out of the blue, someone came out flapping his hands and acting (rather horribly), terrifying many who had not levitated. Supposedly, Rajan and Rukmani had possessed the souls of those who had levitated. It was during this time that we noticed how prominent the teachers’ alter egos were. Many of them even resorted to physical harm to prove that they were “possessed”!
Nikhil Pandhi & Sanjana Malhotra Class 9


good times!

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Camp, a serious and
blatant account

Camp, for most people is just a word. But for ninety students of class 10, the word is enough to make us jump with joy, go all squeamish inside and “cry” when it rains.
This time camp was, simply put, OUTSTANDING. We left as the sun set on the 5th of March and rumbled along in the train until we reached Haridwar early the next morning. After that it was a two hour drive up to the Shivpuri forest camp where we unloaded our clothes into amazingly florescent bin bags and changed into our rafting gear. As we sat in our rafts, eagerly awaiting the first rapid, we were told that for the first day, there were going to be none. This might dampen the liveliest spirit, but this was camp, and we took it in full stride as we sang our way to the first camp.
The first night we slept soundly in the pre-made tents that we were so used to and awoke early next morning to begin our rafting. We were expecting a quiet, peaceful night but when we say the campsite we realized it wasn’t to be. There were no tents set up and no bathrooms to use. Our guide called it “survival night” but to us it was more like our doom. Temporary tents were made by tilting our rafts to one side and covering it with plastic sheets to stop us getting wet. The bathrooms were about a two minute walk away and were, basically, holes in the ground. However, surprisingly, the night was great fun, and as we slept under the stars and stepped on the ashes of the bonfire, we realized that we actually enjoyed it.
So we awoke the next morning ready for our big day of rafting and the rapids ahead of us. We soon found out that we were to embark on a journey over “Daniel’s dip.” As we paddled hard, trying not to capsize we were met by a rock face and, well, it seemed like Doomsville was near. However we suddenly turned and crashed into the water sending waves over our head and soaking us. So, after fifteen minutes we were told to stop on a bank and were confronted with the most exciting, anticipated rapid in the history of our school. The “WALL” is probably the most hyped section of a river to ever exist, and as we say our kayaker flipped over a total of six times, we understood why. Before us, two rapids capsized and as we went through, eyes gleaming with anticipation, we came out completely dry. We were amazed to not have a single drop of water on us and slightly disappointed as well. As we came to the end, it dawned upon us that it was all over and as we boarded the bus to base camp, and then the bus to Haridwar and the train home we realized that the worst part about camp was it having to end.
Bhavik Singh. 10-B

CHAMBA!!!

Sitting on the centre steps for the last time before our camp departure we realised that it was something we were attached to and yet we had the unmistakable signs of a mixed reaction. This was probably to do with the fact that it was going to be a non-rafting camp; it wasn’t tried and tested by our reliable seniors and we had so many expectations from this last and final installment of the trips we’ve been on since class 4.
The feelings intensified as we reached our alleged campsite.
“Um, hello? Isn’t it a little bit on the road?
“This campsite sucks yaar.”
“THIS is our last camp?”
The above lines are extracts from an array of disappointed conversations that immediately sparked. But then came something to confuse us a little more and possibly (hopefully) change our minds. A shrill whistle blew three times.
“ My name is Rocky. You can call me Rocky, Sir, Your Highness or anything of that sort. I’m going to be your camp instructor.”
We couldn’t help but smile. His Highness Mr. Rocky started to give instructions in a style that immediately diverted our thoughts from the campsite. He managed to make us laugh involuntarily which (for our batch!) is a rather large feat. Though the criticism continued, it became more or less sporadic because all of us were intent on having fun. Most class 12 students felt the activities weren’t ‘challenging’ enough (“Even the escapades were tougher!), but just the fact that we were together for the last time like this was enough to make us all enjoy to the fullest. Of course all the valuable time spent doing funny and foolish things that we’ll probably always remember made the experience an unforgettable one.
Besides doing Flying Fox, River Crossing, Burma Bridge and Rappelling, which we’ve done many times before, we did THE trek. Though people may argue that we’ve also been on innumerable treks, there has never been one like this. THE trek happened to be a beautiful 6 kilometer trudge, which led us roughly 50 meters above our campsite. Despite the foolishness we all felt, there were moments of victory and greatness that were priceless. Also you could see us precariously balancing off mountain ledges with backpacks approximately one fourth our weight. Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration. But those backpacks were insanely heavy. We cribbed (“I really think I’m going to die doing this. Tell my mother I love her”), we panted but we loved every moment of it. Well, in the larger sense. That night we cooked our own food (Shiv Saini and Ritwija’s daal deserves a special mention!), brought our own firewood, washed our own plates with water we had carried, and basically felt exhilarated and self sufficient.
With a breathtaking view of snowcapped mountains, pink cherry blossom trees and lush green valleys, our last camp may not have been all we ever wanted, but was memorable in an unusual way.
As we arrived four days later at Delhi, tired, sad and nostalgic; things had changed a bit. There was only one reaction ‘I miss camp already yaar.’
Shaman Marya & Ujwalla Bhandari XII

The final trip

 

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BUSTED

“He looks like one of the characteristics from Honeymoon Travels.”
-Arushi Gupta
So what the are characters that those kind of people have, Arushi?
“Why are you so self-obsessed with my face?”
-Sonya Bhan
Hmm.
Sara: Is Megha with you?
Megha Rawla: Which one?
The one with the functional brain, surely.
Meghna: The cockroaches can fly here!
Arushi: They’re called fish Meghna.
Yes, Arushi, and the things that swim in the sea are butterflies.
Viraj Shastri: When you wash your hair, put a shower cap on.
We really should try the same sometime.
Harkirat Badal: When I wear these shorts it makes me feel like a shirt.
So when you where socks do you feel like a heel?
Nirbhay Bakshi: I saw the Sadhu wearing naked clothes.
Yes, they do have an annoying habit of doing that, Nirbhay.
Teesta Bhandare: Ady’s so dumb he spells dumb like D-U-M-B!
Teesta! How could you forget the spelling of your most prominent characteristic?!
Sumer Kandhari: Nikhil and I are going to play a solo together.
Yes, Sumer, just like I’m going to sing a duet all by myself!
Arushi Kesar: She fractured my foot.
Well done!
Archit Khandpur: Netherlands beat the Dutch.
Oh that’s really bad, Archit! Do you know if India beat the Indians??
Navraj Singh: What’s the spelling of NBA?
Babek Sawhney: Let me think.
Try the spelling of “really smart?”
Ratan Dhawan: I’ll kill you if you die!
We'll join you, Ratan.
Comments by Ayesha Malik and Akanksha Chawla

 

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

It Happens Only In VVS!

We chanced to put together all the whacky moments that added the INSANITY factor to our lives (or, well, the lives of the utterly bored batch of 2008, anyway) and came across the following highlights which don’t hold the promise of fading away. In the next few years, anyway. Or heck, make that forever,
1. While Akanksha Chawla, our beloved editor was calmly crossing the depressing hallway of class 12, three eager young lads, Varun Sood, Aman Singh and Ritwik Bhattacharya descended upon her and forewarned her not to roam around sweater-less because apparently it wasn’t ‘safe’ anymore... We pondered over what the sinister prediction meant but left it thinking that it was one of the crazy things that one cannot comprehend in this lifetime. And for good reason, really.
2. In 2005, Shaman Marya (the one and the only) came up with a unique and never-seen before zany dance... Donning his wreath, made of shiny paper clips, he vigorously danced to the beat of his silent song. The “Caesar dance”, he called it. Sigh. It sure broke the monotony of class 10 for a fleeting moment. A rather refreshing break...
3. Some hungry, rather famished souls rummaged into a smart alec’s bag and chanced upon a treasure trove of food...glorious food!!! A TIFFIN! Ahh, how they eagerly awaited the delicious grub. They put morsels of the food in their hungry mouths and chocked on DOG FOOD!!! Yes, an ingenious way to deter the Tiffin thieves. Note to self-keep in mind for the future.
4. How many afternoons have whizzed passed whereby one watches weird videos all day?? Well, now the notorious site has a VVS connection. Our batch and their rib-tickling videos are worth the wait! Fantastic stuff...
5. Early in the morning...it’s the usual lot, stuck to the desk, notebook in hand and pen furiously racing across reams of paper...COPYING! The hoards of children upholding their bibles...the books they copy off. Some things never change...
By-Ria Sen and Akanksha Chawla, 12

Movie Report: Freedom Writers

Following the Rodney King race riots of 1992 in California, the US government started an education integration program. that integrated people of all strata of society in the class rooms of public high schools. This led to a 75% drop out rate of white kids who felt ‘insecure’ in the company of African American, Asian and Hispanic children. Freedom Writers starts in 1994 with a new freshman and sophomore year teacher called Erin Grueller. Erin at first faces racial violence in the classroom; after conquering that she must face tribulations from the authorities. Finally after raising the money and permission, she managed to fund trips and books for her students, but faced a much lager problem. She had to help the numerous children to conquer self doubt and moral issues, some even relating to law and order. With a spectacular performance by Hillary Swank as Erin Grueller, Freedom Writers captivates the viewer. With a powerful message and apt music the true story of Erin Grueller and the Freedom Writers is an inspiring one, narrated beautifully by director Richard LaGravenese. Freedom Writers opens our minds to a completely new view of racism and gang violence.
Shaman Marya, 12

 

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

Editor: Akanksha Chawla