T O D A YT O D A YT O D A YT O D A YT O D A YMay, 2014

"Leaders have done wonders with massmedia, using humour strategically placedin between cricket broadcasts, and ribtickling radio ads."

"Despite all the criticism, we’re obviouslydoing something right, because there hasbeen a growing trend of democraticparticipation in the last decade or so."

School WatchENGLISH TALL TALE COMPETITION CLASS61st- Joel Shibi2nd- Arav Kumar3rd- Armaan Gandhi and Kabir RebelloSPEED MATHS FOR CLASS 7Winner- Shubham KalantriDone Well- Dhruv Ratan Nashier, Dhruv SinghChauhan and Arusha NirvanSHLOK LEKHAN PRATIYOGITACLASS 61st- Kabir Rebello2nd- Armaan Gandhi3rd- Siddhant GandhiCLASS 71st- Aadya Chaudhary, Amaaya Vijay Arora2nd- Saiesha Gupta, Asmita Shah3rd- Anantveer Singh Badal, Dhruv Ratan Nashier,Shubham Kalantri.CLASS 81st- Rabiya Gupta2nd- Arushi Bhutani

corrupt, and our voteutterly pointless in thescheme of things, so weabstained from thepractice altogether. Butthis election, we stood upto claim our Adultsuffrage, to express ourviews regarding the running of our nation, and touphold our most intrinsic right, not as an option, butas a duty. Despite all the criticism, we’re obviouslydoing something right, because there has been agrowing trend of democratic participation in the lastdecade or so. Last year, an underpaid civil servantdecided that he wanted to be the Chief Minister ofDelhi, and guess what? He did manage to assumethe reins. For a while. So what if flappy bird lastedlonger than him? The point is that he wasn’t borninto politics. He had faith in the system, and hebelieved that as a citizen, he could make a change.Rakhi Sawant started a party, for Gods sakes. Thevery fact that she harbours the notion that she canbecome an elected representative of the country is atestament to our democracy. In conclusion, these

8.2 million votes may lead to astable government, they maynot. But at least 8.2 million Dilli-wallas believe that their voicematters. And on 14th April, these8.2 million citizens set an

example as voters from the capital of the world’slargest existing democracy.

Ricky T. George, 11

8.2 million. That’s the number of people who showed up to votein the Delhi Lok Sabha elections held on last month. Numerically,that’s the highest turnout the capital has ever witnessed. As perpercentages, the only time we have ever been topped, is in the1977 elections, which is understandable, considering that it wasimmediately after the Emergency.Now, as to what caused this spike in turnout, one can onlyspeculate. Some say it is because the capital has been ‘Modi-fied’.The Election Commission claims it is due to their modernapproach to elections, and their enlistment of anybody famousthey can get their hands on, as an electoral ambassador (Amoderately known RJ and a cricketer). The social media wasundoubtedly a major player. It was abuzz with election feverlong before polling day Ab ki baar….(Seriously, that’s all I get inmy newsfeed anymore). And the parties too, deserve some credit.While some still rely on last minute photo shoots with thecountry’s ‘Yuva’, others have done wonders with mass media,using humour strategically placed in between cricket broadcasts,and rib tickling radio ads which catch you completely off guard.In the end, though, the one place the credit most deservinglylies, is with us Dilli-wallas. In most elections, the parties allseemed the same, the politicians all seemed equally

AB KI baar,VOTE KARNA yaarThe general elections have shown a rise in the number of voters

and more efficient parties. Could this mean a better future for

India?

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Battling snow, nippy air, and subzerotemperatures, the Batch of 2016 emergedvictorious at the source of the river,Yamunotri, Maybe it was the fact that wecompleted the trek together, the fact that therewas a steaming hot sulphur spring to greet us,or the fact that it was the true, secondbeginning of the Yatra. We finally ‘broke theice’, and despite the cold wave, most of uswould’ve cherished another night here (Hadthe Subway been operational)

The accommodations at the various stops distinctlycontrasted with our luxurious lives. We were all humbledon this trip behaving as coolies, cleaning and cooking justabout edible food. I can confidently proclaim that nonauseating sight could possibly surprise any of us after thestate of the toilets.

YAMUNA YATRA 2014

YAMUNOTRI

CAR-TOONS

Chow caaT caaT caaT caaT caaT & causkIcauskIcauskIcauskIcauskI

We are certainly leaving as adaptable young adults with extremely strongstomachs. From junk food sagas, novel cooking experiences; and chaatbinges, we can definitely claim that our taste buds were thoroughly jostled.After homely food in the hills that never let us get homesick, our batchdemolished all food production at Savoy Greens Food Court in Karnal.The ravenous rampaging bunch decimated the chaat stalls of Vrindavan,with people eating up to 55 gol gappas! We clearly ate to our hearts’...and stomachs’content!

The car rides began with casual, polite conversationsprogressed to deepening of bonds and then digressedinto sheer delirium. By the time we reached the hills,we were quite prepared to slaughter one another invarious creative ways. Our drivers were very patientwith the deteriorating quality of our jokes and singing,and we were soon very comfortable with one another’sidiosyncrasies. (From fear of possibly havingsomeone’s socks on your face when asleep.)

VASANT VALLEY TODAY PAGE - 3

From the last village before the Indian border, to a flourishing, agro-basedcommunity on the foothills of the Himalayas, Yamuna Yatra 14’provided aninsight into the lives of people who were an intrinsic aspect of the river,through its journey from Yamunotri to its confluence at Prayag. Through thetwelve days of this unforgettable journey, we interacted with locals fromtwo main villages, traversing the snow bound hamlet of Kharsali and thecultured and cultivated Than Gaon. At Kharsali, we found priests whoroutinely trekked up the trail to Yamunotri and practiced rites and rituals offthe riparian fringes of the Yamuna.They opened their hearts and hearthsto us. However, in both villages, casteinequalities were a part of their dailyroutines.

Our minds are like parachutes- they don’t work well untilopened. Seeing the same river; pure and potable, clear andcrystalline- and then veiled, pitch black, was definitely hard tobelieve. The water we consumed was consumed wholly by ouroblivious actions, dying a sad death. While looking for the riveralong its course, we found ourselves, we realised how importanteach action is, and the problems at hand.

Life is not a race it’s a journey, with many a milestone,With new memories to cherish, and friendships to hone.Let’s never say ¡Hasta la vista!And it’s like, “KUMLA KUMLA KUMLA VISTA!”

eo nadI eo nadI eo nadI eo nadI eo nadI!

caaya lao laa,,o caaya lao laa,,o Aap khaÐ sao hao caaya lao laa,,o caaya lao laa,,o Aap khaÐ sao hao caaya lao laa,,o caaya lao laa,,o Aap khaÐ sao hao caaya lao laa,,o caaya lao laa,,o Aap khaÐ sao hao caaya lao laa,,o caaya lao laa,,o Aap khaÐ sao hao?

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On March 28th, 2014, Ms. Achala Upendran, an avid fan ofHarry Potter, conducted a discussion on Harry Potter. We wentthere expecting a talk about the series, its brilliant author andits everlasting appeal. However, when we reached, we werecaught by surprise, as we were greeted with a presentation onHarry Potter fanfiction. For those who do not know whatfanfiction is, it refers to stories about the characters of a certain

book, TV show, movie or graphicnovel, written by fans. Thus, Ms.Upendran introduced us to the‘slash’ fanfiction genre withinHarry Potter fanfiction.Slash fanfiction is the pairing oftwo male characters in a fanfic.She discussed some theories on

why this was so popular a genre, particularly with womenwriters. She herself was writing afanfic about Remus Lupin andSirius Black. The talk led to someheated discussions between thosewho supported and those whoopposed the idea of playing withthe world of the original text, andthe fascinating possibilities thatfanfiction opens up. Thus, thediscussion opened us to the wealthof literature that stems from thededication and imagination of the

fans of a series, and to some amazing works of fanfiction thatare we were previously unaware of.

Jahanvi Srinivasan 12A

Fascinating Fanfiction

What is TED TALKS?Is a platform for extraordinaryexperiences to be voiced andinterpreted by over 500 million peopleall over the globe in over 100 languages.Be it entertainment, technology, foodor just the art of hacking a computerTED has something that can catch anyindividual’s eye.

Can I give my own TED talk?TED has had a range of incredible speakers at theirconferences including the most talented musicians, CEO’s,noble laureates and philanthropists. Though theythemselves seek out speakers all year round, a trip of theirwebsite and filling their recommendation form may getyou to this very privileged association.How did TED begin? Who is the founder?Richard Saul Wurman created TED as a nonprofitorganization in 1984, in an attempt to converge theperpetually progressing fields of technology, design andentertainment.

Have YOU met TED?

One fine morning I decided to read the newspaper for a

change. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but as I progressed

from the first page to the last I was utterly shocked. I don’t

restrict this news only from India, but from ALL across the

world.What does a democracy really mean to teenagers like

us? Through rote learning the average teenager can recite a

simplistic definition; democracy is for the people, by the

people and of the people. Does anyone remember the last

time they read a newspaper when the front page was not full

of politicians? How then is this notion of democracy inclusive

of the common man?

"News of corruption, scams, rape and the failure of

the entire law / legislative system upset me to no

end."

I strongly believe

that most of the

current leaders of

our world have failed

us. When Mahatma

Gandhi envisioned

India sixty-five years

ago, he kept in mind

the diversity, tried to alleviate barriers in society and also

strived to unite the country as a whole. But how do we react

to diversity? We condemn it. Whether its our classmate from

a different part of the country, or a Northeastern being openly

raped in the streets of Delhi on the basis of racial

discrimination or whether it is simply a Muslim being falsely

accused of a crime because of his birth origin. When Nelson

Mandela spent several years in jail he persevered only for

equality and justice, not fame. The candidates who run for

elections today are primarily concerned with making money,

using unfair means to win and further dividing Indians with

their radical views on a particular sect of society. They want

fame and fortune which they create through a cult ideology.

If I, as a citizen of India, have to elect one of these worthless

candidates I would much rather prefer the option of “none of

the above” than let my vote go towards a candidate

undeserving of his power. Today, with an astute rise in

corruption, we barely know ‘everything’ about any candidate.

In this case I would prefer to be on the safer side by electing

none. Who can I blame for this? We’re all part of the same

virtuous cycle. It ’s a

democratic illusion. Under

the banner of ‘democracy’

many crimes have been

forgiven, many laws have

been enforced, many

empty speeches have been

made, many lives been

sacrificed. But is it worth it?

Time for another revolution

it seems. And hopefully this one will gather momentum easily

from the youth it sympathizes with.

Anya Bharadwaj, 12

The Democratic Illusion

We have no respect for diversity. As hypocritical as

it sounds, what our textbook and society and

government preaches is contrary to how they act."

VASANT VALLEY TODAY PAGE - 5

Class III- Camp Diary - Camp

BotanixDay 1:

Wednesday March 20, 2013

One beautiful morning I woke up

excited because it was my first

camping trip. I reached school with

a smile on my face and a feeling of

adventure in my heart. The bus left

school at 7:30am and at 9:10am we

reached Camp Botanix. We were

welcomed with Lassi. After that we

headed to the conference hall and

ate our breakfast.. Then we were

taken for a nature walk and saw

beautiful plants. After finishing with

the activities,we heard a story from

Mrs. Kacker. Soon we were served

pakoras and then played musical

chairs. A bonfire was lit at the main

campsite where we also ate dinner

and then slept.

Day 2:

Thursday March 20, 2013

We woke up at 8a.m. to hot

chocolate and biscuits. We went for

a nature walk to Damdama Lake near

Camp Botanix. We then went for a

walk to see village life. After

breakfast we had a treasure hunt and

3A won. We also had a rain dance

which was lot of fun. We saw the

movie 'Dunston Checks In' which

was very funny . Then we performed

around the bonfire and ate dinner

and slept.

Day 3:

Friday March 22, 2013

We woke up early at 7a.m. and had

haldi kesar milk and cookies. Then we

went for warm up exercise and the

'Zorbing Ball'. We ate lunch, packed

our bags and returned to Delhi safe.

Udhay Aman Chopra III - A

Class IV - Fun Frolic in the

Forest

Eager to go I am up at four,

To Rajaji where I have never been be-

fore.

With teachers and friends it will never

be a bore.

A bus full of friends,

So no one will snore.

In a few hours our journey is done,

Into our tents we all make a run.

At 6 a.m. our day began,

Drinking Hot chocolate was never so

yum.

Climbing the mountain was

our mission,

Trekking was now my favourite occupa-

tion.

A cricket match in camp was a surprise,

4A deserved to win a prize.

The jeep safari was amazing,

Elephants, boars and deer all grazing.

Rappelling felt like a big dare,

A few bruises gave me no scare!

All the fun was coming to an end,

I did miss my home,

I will not pretend.

My brother too will be back,

Together we will have

So many stories to tell.

Shaurya Chandna IV - A

Our Trip to Mughal Garden

and Lodhi GardenWe sat in a bus and went to Mughal

Garden. We saw

many flowers like

roses. We also

saw Rashtrapati

Bhavan. We sat in

the bus again to

go to Lodhi Gar-

den. We ate Poori Aaloo.

Diksha Sen and Asmara Dang I - C

kxaa paMca iSaivar yaa~akxaa paMca iSaivar yaa~akxaa paMca iSaivar yaa~akxaa paMca iSaivar yaa~akxaa paMca iSaivar yaa~asaubah caar bajao ]zkr mana hI mana ]%sauk hao rha qaa ikAaja hma iSaivar yaa~a ko ilae iSavapurI jaa rho hOM. maOMjaldI sao tOyaar hao kr skUla cala idyaa. Aaz GaMTo kosafr maoM hmanao maUlacaMd maoM Apnaa naaSta ikyaa AaOr pUrasamaya baatoM krto rho. AaiKrkar hma iSavapurI phuMcagae . vahaM hmanao gaMgaa kao par ikyaa AaOr jaba hma vahaMphu^Mcao tao hmaarI Aa^MKoM KulaI kI KulaI rh ga[-.vaha^M TO/mapaolaIna, , vaaOlaIvaaOla kaoT- AaOr baODimanTna

You can go to many places for

adventure,

The experiences you gain you always

cherish and treasure.

Sahara Desert, Amazon Rain Forest

K 2 and Mt. Everest.

Have wisdom and go to the depth,

So that you can perform your best.

You have to have a daring soul,

And be prepared to confront a tiger on

prowl.

You can fall off MT. Everest ,

And get caught in quick sand in a rain

forest.

Have knowledge of facts ,

So that at time of need you can act.

If you want to be an expert,

You should be prepared for any danger

and be alert.

You should have quality like bravery,

strength and ability of sacrifice,

Endurance and show no cowardice.

Rappelling , rafting , bungee jumping

Makes adrenaline in our system rushing.

My family and I all like adventure,

As we all are attached to nature.

I think I have it in my genes ,

As my father started adventure in early

teens.

It’s a childhood passion ,

To be an astronaut and do my nation

proud.

Varun Vir Kharb V-B

kaoT- qaa. Saama haonao pr hma Aaga ko saamanao baOzkrbaatoM kr rho qao. ]sako baad rat ka Kanaa Kakrhma saaonao calao gayao. dUsaro idna hmanao 'ArNya' maoMKanaa Kayaa AaOr rafiTMga ko ilae cala idyao.rafiTMga maoM hma paMca ' rOipDsa' maoM gayao. jaba hmalaaOTo tao Saama hao caukI qaI. ]sa idna hmanao Armaanaka janma idna BaI manaayaa qaa.AaiKrI idna saubahko naaSto ko baad byaasaI maoM rafiTMga ko ilayao gayaovahaM hmaarI raFT plaTnaoo hI vaalaI qaI pr kuC nahIMhuAa. jaba hma laaOTo tao vaha^ @yaaikga kI AaOr tOroBaI, ]sako baad vana maoM rissayaaoM pr hmanao barmaaiba`ja,, Flaaiyanja faO@sa, AaOr ijaplaa[-na ikyaa.AaiKrI idna kao[- BaI vaapsa nahIM jaanaa caahtaqaa. Aaz bajao ko Andr hma saaro kama inapTakrbasa maoM baOz gayao. hmanao sabakao Alaivada kr idyaa.vaapsa jaato va@t hmanao daophr ka Kanaa maUlacaMd maoMKayaa. baakI ka rasta maOMnao saao kr ibatayaa AaOrpta hI nahIM calaa ik kba hma skUla phuMca gayao hMO.maOMnao Apnaa baOga ilayaa AaOr Gar calaa gayaa.

EaIjaIt kaolao paMca - A

MY ADVENTURE

VASANT VALLEY TODAY PAGE - 6

Editorial Board

Online issue: http://www.vasantvalley.org/vasantvalley/archives/newsletterarc Please send all articles to :

newsletter@vasantvalley.org

iPaClao saPtah‚ hmaaro ivaValaya maoM ivaBanna sadnaaoM ko baIca naR%ya saMGaYa-Aayaaoijat hu[- qaI.Saas~Iya naR%ya SaOlaI‚ laaok naR%ya AaOr Anaok trh konaR%ya SaOilayaaoM ko imaEaNa maoM saBaI EaoiNayaaoM maoM bahut ]<ama str ka naR%yapoSa ikyaa gayaa qaa. naIlaa phlao, ,rha iWtIya AaOr pIlaa sadna tR%aIyasqaana pr rho. maorI bahna ,sanjarI klaM~I nao Saas~Iya EaoNaI maoM phlaaAaOr laaok EaoNaI maoM dUsara sqaana jaIta. ApnaI bahna ko Avvala Aanaopr mauJao KuSaI hu[- pr maora sadna dUsara Aayaa‚ [sa baat pr bahut duKBaI huAa.maQaur saMgaIt pr iqarkto GauMGa$AaoM nao eosaa samaa baaMQaa‚ iksaba maM~-maugQa hao gae. maOM tao ABaI sao Agalao saala kI p‘ityaaoigatadoKnao ko ilae ]%sauk hUÐ.

SauBama\ klaM~I , 7

naR%ya kI ]BartI klaanaR%ya kI ]BartI klaanaR%ya kI ]BartI klaanaR%ya kI ]BartI klaanaR%ya kI ]BartI klaa

It was a Sunday Afternoon when I was Watching the India-Pakistan Match in the 2014

Asia Cup. It was just then when I saw a familiar face on TV. Sir

Donald George Bradman! The greatest Test batsmen ever! He

smirked at me and threw his cap towards me. I caught it and

before I knew it, I was at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium in

Australia! The date was 1928. If I had recalled correctly, that was

the first Test match in which ‘’The Don’’ scored a century.

The match had just started when I saw Donald Bradman walk

onto the field, holding his bat and practicing his shots. Who would

have ever known that this man would be knighted by the

Queen?Normally, a person who has got teleported to the past

would be scared, but I, being a huge cricket fan was sort of

enjoying myself.I could make out the technology differences

between that era and our time- all the pictures and videos were

black and white, when there was a run out controversy, we had to wait at least five minutes

for the argument to be finished as there was no option of a video playback in slow motion.I

started cheering when I saw Bradman score his century. There was applause all around

the ground. I was standing up , clapping, when something caught my eye. There was a

man three rows in front of me pointing a pistes at Don Bradman! I

ran towards him as quickly as my legs could take me, but I

was unfortunately too late. The Don was no more.The police had

caught the man but the nation was saddened. They had lost their

hero. However, I couldn’t let this happen.I thought, “What made me

go back in time?” I pictured the whole sequence of events from the

time I was watching the India-Pakistan match till now. I suddenly remembered that by catching Bradman’s cap,

I had ended up in the stadium!I ran towards Bradman’s body which took a lot of pushing and shoving. However,

i finally picked up Bradman’s cap. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself

in the pre-historic age. I was almost eaten by a dinosaur when I caught the cap again.

I was zoomed back to the period when the Big Bang happened.That’s when I realised that this cap can only

take you to the past. Now how was I supposed to get back to the future? Just then I saw a switch which turned

the cap into future mode. The cap took me exactly to when Bradman made his century.I jumped across the

seats and finally reached the assassin. I kicked the gun out of his hands in time and the police arrested him. I

finally had the pleasure of watching my hero score a century.I reached home safely with Bradman’s cap and I

kept it in my safe drawer.If it was to get into the wrong hands it could lead to serious trouble.

Jai Kapoor, 6

The Assasination

Like a red rose,

It begins as a bud

With all the incitements

it grows,

Emerging from the mud.

Attracting you with its beauty,

Hypnotizing you with its design

Trapping you with its scent

And in your head,

You’re confined.

For with the splendor and the ap-

peal,

There’s something else that grew

Below the scarlet,

The soft petals,

The thorns you never knew.

Like the dark and all its demons,

Who come out for you at dusk

It’ll entice with cheap pleasures

And now for it,

You lust.

As the sun goes down,

And the light recedes

The blackness only grows

Until it becomes

All you need.

But with darkness comes some-

thing.

What you can’t see or control

So turn on the lights

Escape the addiction

Before it swallows you whole.

- Saieeshaa Sethi 11A

Addiction

Aditya Kapur, Asees Kaur, Devika Vir, Ishita Malhotra, Zoya Hassan, Jahnvi Arvika Nagpal, Kaamya

Sharma, Kamya Yadav, Riya Kothari, Sarina Mittal,Ananya Gupta, Arman Puri, Noor Dhingra, Rishabh

Chatterjee, Serena Nanda, Aakanksha Jadhav, Ananya Jain, Indraneel Roy, Riddhima Wahi,

Editor: Tarini Sardesai