Tamaso Maa Jyotirgamaya

The bright and beautiful festival of lights just concluded. In the pleasant chill of October, it gave many of us the warmth of togetherness. On the darkest night of the month of Kartik, it made the sky turn blindingly bright with light. In our hectic and hurried lifestyles, it gave us the gift of togetherness with our near and dear ones. Diwali also unveiled for us an opportunity to revisit our collective cultural heritage, which is a mix of mythological legends, religious beliefs and divine lessons unravelled on all of humanity. Besides observing rituals and sitting down in prayer, Diwali has a lot of teachings to give us. Did you take back some lessons for yourself from this celebration lost under the incessant din of firecrackers?

The festive air pervades the days falling before and after Diwali. Among many other legends, the strongest story which defines Diwali is the homecoming of Lord Rama after fourteen years spent in exile. However, the meaning of Diwali, or Deepavali, is larger than just the homecoming which caused the entire city of Ayodhya to erupt in joyous celebrations. On the darkest night, the Prince of Ayodhya returned to help secure for his praja, his subjects, a future full of prosperity. For fourteen years, a Kingdom had been deprived of the shade of a Guardian, a King, who is like a father looking after their welfare. Rama was the greatest scion of the Raghukula, a King who sacrificed his personal happiness so as not to incur the blemish of mistrust from his subjects. Does leave us with any message about our roles and responsibilities in the context of our society?

A Sense of Purpose and Responsibility is among the core values we uphold and try to inculcate in our students. Festivals with rich stories as their backdrop make for interesting instruction grounds to teach students the relevance being a purposeful and responsible person. The epic of Ramayana is replete with characters who epitomise a particular familial or social role – Ideal King, ideal husband, ideal wife, ideal brother, ideal follower, et al. An awareness of one’s duties is critical to enjoy the fruits of freedom. Responsible behaviour is a daily act. For the festival of Deepavali, we hope you all fulfilled your duty towards the environment, by not contributing to air and noise pollution. On the morning after Diwali, it is not pretty to see the streets littered with waste from the night before. If Shri Rama were to wake up to such an Ayodhya, he would not have been proud of his subjects.

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The message of illumination is also inherent in the festival of Deepavali, which literally means ‘a row of light’. Light and dark are both metaphorical terms. The act of lighting a diya on a dark night is symbolically nudging people to allow their inner darkness to be eliminated under the glow of the earthen lamp. Our world is full of darker shades of existence – lack of amenities, loneliness, poverty, hunger, disease. Diwali is the time to shed some light of kindness on these problems that all of humanity is dealing with.

Light is also associated with wisdom. Along with Goddess Laxmi, it is Lord Ganesha whom we all offered prayers during Diwali pooja. It is important to reflect why. Lord Ganesha, besides being hailed as the ‘Remover of Obstacles’, is also the God associated with intellect and wisdom. Along with his two wives, Riddhi and Siddi, he embodies Enlightenment, which comes from inner exploration and knowledge. It is only when we open our minds and broaden our horizons, do we understand the value of harmonious living and don’t see people for their petty differences, but for the beautiful unity they constitute.

We are all put on this planet to fulfil our own unique purpose, to travel down our own distinct road. We hope Deepavali served its purpose in reminding you to constantly move away from darkness, towards light. Our Upanishads put this message succinctly – Tamaso Maa Jyotirgamaya.

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Towards a Breathable Tomorrow

I was looking up at the sky two days before Diwali, and surprisingly, this year, it was clear. The sound of crackers wasn’t threatening to decapitate my ears and my grandparents did not have to rush out of town just to stay alive. I remembered gazing intently at the same sky last Diwali. It was hazy, dark clouds had perpetually shrouded Delhi NCR, obscuring the sun, and submerging my hometown in a seemingly incessant gloom. I sighed and snapped out of my reverie, still wondering, whether banning the sale of crackers in Delhi had been the right thing to do.
– Tvisha Raj (Grade 6, Shiv Nadar School, Noida)

We hope your Diwali was a time when warmth was shared between family members, when old stories of our culture were revisited and when light was spread in all corners of the home and the heart. Diwali is a grand and glorious festival, when people come together to rejoice, pray and spread smiles. Unfortunately, however, in the recent past, Diwali has also become a day which makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. It is a day when massive amounts of noxious fumes descend over different places, all because of unscrupulous burning and bursting of crackers, which other than polluting the air, are also a source of high decibels of noise. The fumes and noise pollution put together are potent of causing different kinds of health issues, in both, humans and animals.

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This year, the judiciary of the country also got active and banned the sale of crackers in the hope that pollution levels could be controlled. This ban on sale, did not, however, lead to a complete elimination of crackers from the Diwali celebration. The after-effects of the same, are still getting recorded and reported.

As the Diwali time neared, Shiv Nadar School increased its efforts towards spreading awareness about the ill-effects of cracker bursting, along with letting students know the true essence of the festival of lights. Schools and students have known to be at the forefront of leading anti-cracker movements, and in many ways, are successful in their efforts. Students of grade 6, Shiv Nadar School, Noida, however, decided to take this movement beyond the usual campaigns. They added a scientific twist to their awareness campaign, and addressed the specific issue of respiratory health while telling people about the perils of Diwali related pollution.

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‘Find Your Lung Capacity’ – announced a stall in the main corridor of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, a few days before the Diwali break. Our young scientists had set up an apparatus that helped determine how actually your lungs were affected under the influence of Diwali cracker bursting. Avani Aggarwal, a student of grade 6, explains,

“We took a 5L bottle, a measuring cup and a marker and marked units of 250 ml on the bottle. Then, we filled the bottle with water, and turned it upside down in a container. After that we inserted a pipe into the mouth of the container. What we asked people to do is, take their deepest breath in, place their mouth on the pipe and blow into it. (Don’t worry! we had it properly sanitized!) The amount of water that got displaced is your lung capacity.”

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She also explained why such an experiment was being conducted –

“The basic reason for conducting this simple, yet effective test was to spread awareness about the deteriorating air quality due to different causes like smoke from vehicles, fire crackers, pollution emanating from factories, etc. We decided to do it before and after Diwali as it was near and this is the time when pollution rates go higher due to fire crackers! The vital capacity of lungs for a child should be 3.6L, a woman 4.2L and a man 6L. What shocked people was the fact that even before Diwali, their lung capacities were way less than what it should be!! For example, children ranging from 10-12 years had the lung capacity of 1.25L on an average.”

The approach students took to tackling the issue at hand was innovative, and it generated a lot of curiosity among passers-by. The experiment is not yet complete. Once the school re-opens post Diwali, the same procedure will be conducted to check for signs of visible differences in the lung capacity caused by Diwali-related pollution.

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The young scientists of the school were supported by the artists as performers, who put up posters and conceptualised a play, highlighting the same issue. All of them were happy with their effort, and the response they received. Shared, in their own words,

“We believe we were able to pass on our message. When people checked their lung capacities, it really got them wondering whether they should be burning firecrackers this year and cause more pollution to the already extremely polluted region Delhi NCR is!

SPECTRUM Speaker Series – Justice Leila Seth’s Visit

Three children were called by a wise man, and given a challenge. The man gave each of them a 1000 rupees and asked them to use it for buying something which could fill an entire room. The first child went to the market and bought a cartload of grass with the thousand rupees, but it was insufficient to fill the room. The second child went to the market and bought cotton with a part of the money. With the leftover part of the money he got the same cotton fluffed up to a larger volume. Even this fluffed cotton was insufficient to fill the wise man’s room. The third child went to the market and with ten rupees, he bought an earthen lamp and a wick. Coming back to the wise man’s room, he lit the wick and the entire room was filled with the light of the lamp. Thus, by investing thought and creativity in his action, the child was able to fulfil the wise man’s task, as well as preserve 990 rupees for himself.

Among the many parables that Justice Leila Seth narrated to the eager students of Shiv Nadar School, the above was one which kids fondly remembered. In the form a simple puzzle like story, the veteran conversationalist that Mrs. Seth is, she was able to convey to the young minds the important of innovative thinking and creativity in order to stand tall in the face of challenges thrown by life.

On the morning of 14th July, a distinctive buzz was palpable in the air of Shiv Nadar School. The school was readying itself to receive a personality whose achievements were too many to be listed, and whose very aura commanded respect. Justice Leila Seth had consented to deliver the Inaugural Lecture in SPECTRUM Speaker Series, guiding little learners on the path of good and conscientious citizenship. At the core of her lecture were supposed to be the basics of the Indian Constitution – the one meticulously drafted document which guides, regulates and inspires the collective existence of Indians.

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​Inviting Justice Seth to interact with kids was a part of our larger aim of making education practical, live and experiential. We firmly believe that the horizons of little minds cannot be broadened while being constrained within the four walls of the classroom. To enhance their exposure to the various hues in which life teaches us, we conceptualised the SPECTRUM Speaker Series, where in we intend to invite people of eminence, coming from different fields and backgrounds, each with a unique story from which students can extract learnings for a lifetime.

Justice Leila Seth, in all her graceful humility, proved to be a glorious source of knowledge for our children. The woman who stands tall in the annuls of history as the first woman Chief Justice of a High Court in India, was more than eager to get lost in a flurry of questions which kids enthusiastically bounced at her. Having authored a book in the tone of our Preamble, “We, The Children of India”, she precisely understood the language in which little minds could be stimulated. While explaining a subject as complex and vast as the Constitution, Justice Seth was able to excite curiosity by simplifying the subject matter, peppering her

narrative with lots of stories.​

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The imagination of kids was excited most by the fact that the lady sitting in front of them had been born before India got independence, and had hence experienced what life was like under the British Raj. A number of questions were put up by students about the kind of rules and restrictions which the British imposed on India, trying to fathom an era which is our common heritage as Indians. Kids left from her lecture as a joyous bunch, after hearing Justice Seth recite a poem from her book. Tia Chopra, our student, summed up the experience in the following words –

“Apart from understanding the constitution better, the part that impacted me the most was when she told us we should choose right path and not give up, in spite of all the twists and turns that come, even if others are not following the right path.  She also saidt that the right path can be taken by one so what if they aren't many to start off with ... people will follow if it is the right path.”

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The Verve To Serve

The world around us comprises of people and elements, which though intrinsic to our existence, are often invisible to the naked eye. This happens not out of callousness, but because of the fact that our hearts are seldom sensitized to acknowledging and appreciating silent workers who toil to make our lives liveable. We are also rarely conscious of the multitudes relegated to the margins, languishing in sub-human conditions.

At Shiv Nadar School, we think it is important to have our children become sensitive to the yawning gaps which exist in the privileges accorded to different sections of the society. Empathy, respect and values cannot be cultivated without making children understand the worth of sharing love and happiness. To attain this precise goal, the Joy of Sharing Week was celebrated from 7th to 12th July, 2014, in both our schools.

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Keeping in mind the spirit of volunteerism and awareness of social responsibilities, a week long event, called 'Joy of Sharing' week was organized, comprising of a cornucopia of activities via which kids could engage with their environment. It was an endearing site to observe little hands dole out breakfast to the bhaiyas and didis, who otherwise ran errands to make the students comfortable in school premises. The spirit of service was infectious, and it went beyond the school premises to organizations like Goonj and The Earth Saviours. While on a visit to The Earth Saviour foundation, few faces came back coloured with sadness. It were the same faces which, with time, acquired a determined look focussed in the direction of bringing about positive shifts in the lives of the lesser fortunate.

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Children serving breakfast to bhaiyas and didis

Joy multiplies when shared with our grandparents, and kids experienced the same when they played board games and heard stories rich with wisdom from their grandmas and grandpas. Since we understand and appreciate the value of reading, efforts were made to build an entire library for children at Chaprauli village. Above 3000 books became a part of this library, collected by kids as gifts of knowledge for those whose circumstances prevented access to quality reading material. Our little responsible citizens from the Noida school also camped at a petrol station next to GIP,  to raise awareness against ‘tailgating’ and motivated commuters to follow lane driving norms.

Our tiny tots gave vent to their creativity and innovation by fashioning board games out of raw material collected over the week. These board games were the result of collaborative thinking, and the kids are excited to share the same with neighbouring village school children.

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Sharing the gift of knowledge

The excitement of the entire week culminated into a bright, cheerful day at the Gurgaon school, which organized a fundraiser, nudging the entrepreneurial vein in young brains. The zeal to serve was met with a high spirits of our parents, who happily guzzled drinks and packed away little curios made by our kids. An affable air was generated around the karaoke and games stalls, and people of all ages mingled with each other to unite for a good cause. The collections during the sale went up to a whooping Rs. 1,59,000, surpassing any pre-set expectations. This display of generosity will go a long in improving the living conditions of inmates at Earth Saviours foundation.

Our kids looked like purposeful individuals, as they moved around selling both, the goods, and the concept of Joy of Sharing to parents. A quick dialogue with them could convince anyone of their belief in the larger purpose of their actions. Nothing gives us more satisfaction than translating our vision into actionable reality. In the form of love, skills, empathy, materials and smiles, we all got together to give back to our world, making it a slightly more joyful place to live in.

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Infectious Joy of Sharing!

Understanding Cyber Space

The internet is an all-encompassing reality of our world today. No matter the age, background or aptitude of a person, to eschew the power and influence of the internet is nigh impossible. This vast expanse of information has no noticeable horizons, entering and influencing those parts of our life and minds which often escape our attention. The medium has its perks – it has revolutionised our lives, our tastes, our relationship and our thought processes. However, like all good things, even overtly positive aspects of the cyber-space need to be taken with a pinch of salt.  The same was explored in a workshop conducted by Cyber Security expert, Mr. Rakshit Tandon last weekend at our school.

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For a child, the internet is like a candy shop – aglow with all flavours and colours of sweets a kid would drool over. Here are games to play, social media sites to mingle with your friends and to make new friends, free and easy access to all kinds of videos and songs. To put it briefly, internet is an entire world converged in your screen, which can be explored at a mere click. The pervasive growth of smart phones has further enhanced the access to this explosion of information. This candy shop, however, has its own risks when its services are consumed non-judiciously and in excess.

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Mr. Rakshit Tandon is a cyber-security expert, who pioneered the ‘Safe Surfing Campaign’ for schools. In a highly interactive session, he gave the kids and their parents a complete lowdown on the corners of threat which exist in the otherwise fancy world of internet. Inappropriate content, ill-suited to certain age groups, only requires some taps on the keyboard to gain access to. Addiction to online games can have adverse health effects, and certain games can also leave a violent impact on the psyche of children. Cyber-bullying is increasingly become a concern-inducing virtual phenomenon. Children, as well as their parents need to be sensitized to such issues, and Mr. Tandon addressed all of these with the ease of a veteran. He threw light on the perils of posting too much information about ourselves online, which can be misappropriated by virtual trouble makers.

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Nothing impacts the imagination of young minds like stories do. Mr. Tandon, hence related a lot of real life cases, eloquently woven in the form of narratives with a lesson, which the kids could grasp with ease. He gave numerous examples of crimes committed against innocent persons using social networking sites, online shopping sites, playing online games, using credit / ATM cards and internet banking. He explained in simple terms how cyber hackers operate to extract information leading to defamation, ID theft and bank frauds. He also demystified technical terms like phishing, card cloning, geomapping and WIFI hacking. His talk, while focussing on the problem, also gave out solutions and precautions – some basic cyber etiquettes and hygiene factors - which should be remembered by all to be able to use internet as a helpful and resourceful medium.

We will always hope for our children to remain responsible in their activities and interactions online, safe from any threats that the cyber-space might present to them.

A Tryst With Sufi Music

Have you ever had the good fortune of listening to voices steeped in divine fervour, belting out melody after melody, addressed to the Creator? Have you ever felt a part of the stupor which overtakes a being when love-filled songs reverberate in his surroundings? Have you ever heard the music, the mere aura created by which infuses in your philosophies of love, secularism, devotion and peace? The students of Shiv Nadar School, Noida became the fortunate audience to precisely this kind of a musical extravaganza on the afternoon of 29th July. A Qawwalli baithak was organized under the aegis of SPIC MACAY's All India Virasat Series 2014, where Yousuf Khan Nizami sahab performed along with his entourage of vocalists and instrumentalists

Yousuf Khan Nizami sahab was born in 1974 and is widely recognized among the leading vocalists in sufi style, as well as the modern tradition of Qawwali singing. He is an illustrious singer from the Sikandrabad Gharana, which has given India other legendary singers like Ustad Qudratullah Khan sahab and Ustad Kiyafatullah Khan sahab. His command over Qawwalis and Sufiyana qalams is impeccable.

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​Appreciation of arts is an essential part of the curriculum at Shiv Nadar School. We feel it is important to make our children recognize and associate with the rich cultural traditions which are a part of our collective ancestryIn this endeavour, it was a matter of privilege to partner with an organization like SPIC MACAY, “The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth”, which is devoted to sensitizing the younger generation towards our rich and glorious heritage of performing arts and culture.

Nizami sahab began his performance with what is called a ‘Hamd’ – a type of invocation to the almighty, for his blessings should be sought to make any endeavour auspicious and successful. This Hamd contained praises of the Almighty, hailing him as the essence pervading the world, as the One who exists when nothing else does. This divine fervour led way to a sufiyana qalaam, penned by Hazrat Amir Khusrau, the famous poet, musician and philosopher, who carried with him the message of communal harmony.

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​Nizami sahab also engaged the audience in a mini-quiz on Hazrat Khusrau in an attempt to educate children about the great feats this thirteenth century Sufi accomplished in his life time. Since Khusrau is known for having invented the Tabla, Nizami sahab’s performance contained a section where his percussionist did a solo Tabla instrumental, playing the instrument not just with him fingers, but also his elbow! The energy levels created by Nizami sahab and his entourage were unbelievable, and the audience could not help but sway and clap with the music.

The last song performed was the stupendously famous ‘Damadam Mast Qalandar’, a perfect end to an hour long session of overwhelming musical fervour. Nizami sahab was thanked by students, teachers and the Principal, Mrs. Shashi Banerjee, for giving students not just entertainment, but knowledge of their craft and teaching them values of devotion, love and peace for humanity.

Hearing From Our CEO!

Colonel Gopal Karunakaran, our newly appointed CEO, completed four glorious and successful years in our system last week. In Colonel Gopal, Shiv Nadar School has found a leader who is loved and respected by all. His way of leading includes engagement  and interaction with each person involved in the functioning of our school, be it parents, teachers, management, or even students! At his heart, Colonel Gopal remains a teacher. He engages with our students in very interesting classroom lectures to keep the teacher within him alive, and kicking! It is no surprise then that students write to him heartwarming letters, full of appreciation for the way he makes them look at life.

Colonel Gopal was once stopped by a little girl in the school premises, who left him baffled by her short, but profound query. She asked, “Gopal sir, do you know who you are?” While he mulled over a possible answer to the same, she continued, “I am asking this to you, because I don’t know who I am.” This little thought provoking conversation led to a lovely ‘Who Am I’ session which Colonel Gopal conducted with the students, inspiring their thinking towards solving questions of existence in little, innocent ways.

Upon the completion of four years, these are the thoughts Colonel Copal penned down – thoughts worth drawing optimism, caution and inspiration from.

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“I have completed four momentous, happy, eventful and satisfying years at Shiv Nadar School.

 As we are in the space of looking into the future - so that we are able to prepare our children to easily slip into the unknown - I share with you my perspective of how the world has changed and is changing and how it will impact young adults of the future.

1. Demographic explosion across the developing world - from 1 billion people in 1800 - we are 7.4 billion today - a 7 fold increase in 200 years. That has the resultant effect of a scramble for resources - water- natural fuels- natural resources - wars - and poverty - and the challenge of governance

 2. The degradation of the environment - a consequence of the human population explosion, we need more trees to be cut, more soil from river basins, more air-conditioning and more buildings, fuel, to support this sudden burst of population - this has caused unbelievable environmental degradation that will impact the future of earth if not mitigated. 

 3. Technology -  The impact of the stunning developments in technology - most obvious being the all-pervasive nature of the internet – has made the world a connected space. Information and knowledge is freely available (“mugging" is therefore out!).

4.  Brain Science -  Technology - brain scans - have made us understand better how our brains work, how people are different, what impacts them. It’s strange that it was all guess work before! It will say many things to educators on how to deal with children. 

5. Universal-ism as opposed to Nationalism. The world of the future and the people of the future will not respond as much to patriotic beats as compared to universal values and beliefs. Human rights, women’s rights, poverty, environmental concerns - all will override patriotic feelings. Patriotic ideas are going to be passe!   

 6. Rise of China - China's rise has changed the direction of the global economy and so learning Chinese may be a very good idea! 

 The occasion of the four year birthday was just an excuse to write to the educators of Shiv Nadar School and beyond. I hope the journey we all are undertaking is a long and strong one, and it balances the needs of today with the demands of the future. I hope we all arrive at an enhanced understanding of the uniqueness each child and each adult carries within himself.”

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Understanding Freedom

Freedom is a difficult word to define, much less understand. Everyone has their own notions of the word; but all these notions point towards the same essence. This essence borders on self-determination, free of imposed constraints, in an enabling society. Broken down into simple terms, we all aspire to be free individuals, doing things that we want to do, without anyone stopping us.

As citizens of free India, we are granted this gift by our Constitution, which establishes principles of justice, equality and freedom as the foundation stones of Indian polity and society. This, however, was always not the case. A long, gory battle was fought with the British Raj by successive generations of Indian leaders and masses to bring us out of a condition of subjugation which the colonial rule imposed on us. In those days, opportunities were limited and speech heavily regulated. Today, we are liberated enough to air our views on anything, to appreciate and castigate, to love and express hatred – but such enormous capabilities come with concomitant cautionary note. And so, while the Constitution gives us the opportunity for blossoming to our full capacity via Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy, it also keeps us in check through reasonable restrictions and Fundamental Duties.

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At Shiv Nadar School, education happens through investigation, and hence, our endeavour is for children to find out the meaning of freedom and responsibility themselves. This effort continues round the year, through activities as well as interactions with eminent personalities. A few weeks ago, Justice Leila Seth taught a lesson in good citizenship to our students in the Gurgaon school, on which the students reflected and came up with interpretations of their own. In the words of Ms. Shashi Banerjee, Principal of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, ‘It is our endeavour to seek for ourselves the meaning of 'freedom' and 'gratitude'.’

This Independence Day, we decided to gift them something unique. On 13th August, in the Noida branch of our school, we inaugurated a Paper Recycling Unit. This inauguration is a step towards putting another of our values into action. All of us want to leave the world a better place for the next generation. While it sometimes feels like we don’t have much control over what happens down the line, one of the best ways to ensure that there will be a healthy planet for future generations is to teach little ones about recycling now so that now so that they grow up with awareness about waste and an appreciation for preserving resources. Schools use piles of stationery every day, which can, if planned judiciously, can be used to create usable everyday materials that would reduce our carbon footprint and our running costs!

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​It is our take on the essence of the word ‘independence’. Doing our bit for the society is always a liberating experience, and we have to make sure that we inculcate in our young ones a sense that prevents them from impinging on the freedom of others while enjoying their own. And then, these words by the Mahatma inspire us to always act with a sense of purpose – “Be the change you want to see in others.”

Kicking Up Some Excitement!

The evening of 24th September, 2014, will be remembered by students and teachers of Shiv Nadar School Gurgaon for a long time to come. After all, it did not happen daily that a star soccer player made his way to the school to interact with his young fans. This star was none other than Pedro Miguel Pauleta, a legend from the world of football, who made appearance at the school as a part of our partnership with the PSG Football Academy, India. The grass on our football field suddenly started looking more inviting than ever! And why not - this retired football player had the charms and talent to inspire an entire generation of budding football players! Our event with him is definitely an example to go by.

​The PSG-Football Academy has been in existence at the Shiv Nadar School since past two months, but the official launch of the same happened with Pauleta’s visit to our school. We are proud to be the first school in India where the French Club’s Academy is launched!

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Shiv Nadar School students greeted Pauleta with a traditional Indian welcome, complete with garlands adding the beauty of what was to transform into a truly wonderful day. Our students then took him on a tour of the school, proudly displaying the facilities which have been put in place to build the best possible learning environment for them. The most exciting part of the entire event was when Pauleta stepped into the Football field, sharing some kicks and tricks with the young football enthusiasts. The shutterbugs did not cease clicking, as Pauleta awarded memorabilia to many of our students.

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Pauleta with Mr. Shikhar Malhotra, our Trustee

Sports are an integral part of the curriculum at Shiv Nadar School – they challenge the mind and body, and provide many positive opportunities for children. Football, specially, is a game which is fun, challenging, thrilling and disciplining.The constructive aspects of football are even more visible when the game is introduced earlier on in a child’s life. Development of motor skills, sharp mental activity and healthy team spirit are the basic aspects of an individual which football helps nurture.

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Excellence in sports is derived from diligence, perseverance and discipline – but the fun, support and motivation that came with Pauleta’s visit will go a long way in making students take up the football more seriously. Who knows, the next international football star might be one of these young footballers who shook hands with Pauleta!

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Exploring Our Artistic Side

On Monday, 13th October, we started on our journey of cultural and artistic exploration by launching the Funkaar Week – a much awaited week-long immersion into the lesser discovered domains of art and culture. At the heart of Funkaar Week lies our integrated approach to teaching. Here, by taking the co-scholastic route, we try to fulfil the objectives of the scholastic curriculum. Today, after a week of some exciting activities, workshops, lectures and demonstrations, we know we have come a long way in gifting our students a wealth of knowledge, a lot of which will have practical application in their lives.

Learning through stories

The term ‘Fun-kaar’ has been coined to include the elements of fun that accompanies the exploration of arts. This is the time when we delve deep into our heritage and make children come in close contact with aspects of tradition which are otherwise overlooked under the demands of modern living. A large part of what we are today and what our future will look like derives from our past. One of the prime focus areas of Funkaar is to make this past come alive. This has been done by unveiling for our students the magic of ancient mathematical puzzles, or by putting on display martial art forms being practiced in distant corners of our country since ages.

​Understanding Underwater Evolution - Life of a Starfish!

Besides establishing contact with our past, Funkaar Week strongly brings out our educational approach of giving students more hands-on and experiential opportunity for learning. Students learnt measurements by visiting the sports ground and they understood the importance of waste disposal by adapting the issue to a stage play. These are, of course, only a few examples from the plethora of activities being conducted in the school during this week.

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Getting Crafty!

The harmony that arises out of fusing forms of art is also an area our students will have the privilege of exploring. How would a classical dance form like Kathak look when performed with a folk dance form like Chhau? Well, ask our students, because they attended a workshop on the same this week. The joy on the faces of the students as they see shadows gesturing to tell a story, or puppets dancing to the tune of folk music is unmistakable. More profound is their joy when involved in the process of creation, during the many art and craft sessions organized for them.

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Fusing Dance Forms - Kathak with Chhau

Students are our school are currently fine tuning their oratorical skills, their dancing capability, they musical prowess and their painting aptitude. Aside from these visible skills, such diverse exposure also nourishes the mind and soul of a child. These activities help bring about social and emotional development, a spirit of collaboration, a richer understanding of our collective heritage and lend the power of spontaneity and creativity to students. And not just students, but our very enthusiastic teachers have also been seen living their passions in the school, by doing activities they were always keen to explore.

Our CEO, Colonel Gopal Karunakaran had once remarked, "For everything we do in our life, there is a bit of what you are inherently, and there is a large amount of what you make yourself to be. We are interested in identifying that inherent element to prepare children better for the race of life."Among the many initiatives integrated into our year long curriculum, Funkaar Week is one effort to help children identify that inherent element, and to discover the artist inside them. If the smiles of our students are anything to go by, we’re well on track to achieving the said goal!