The British School Alumni Magazine | Issue 12, Summer 2018

What’s Inside

What’s Inside

TBS Pride Reunion 2018

Alumni Cricket Match

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International University Collaborations

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From Poland, with Love #beautifullyme

5My Vote My Voice

7th Period

9

Top British School!

3

Dear Alumni

2

Alumni News

11

Give Peace a Chance

6

Decoding Architecture

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@bs is the magazine for friends and alumni of The British School. It is published twice a year by the Alumni Office. The opinions expressed in @bs are those of individual contributors and may not necessarily reflect the views of The British School.Inside front cover: Fragments of My Childhood by Aanavi Sinha, class of 2017 Media: Photo collagePhotographs: Staff, students and alumni of the school, and Sahil Fotos (sahilfotosv10@gmail.com)Editor: Navneet Kaur (n.kaur@british-school.org)Design: www.crocusdesign.inPrint: Solar Print Process Pvt Ltd, New Delhi (solar@spppl.in)The magazine is available in a downloadable format at www.british-school.org.The Alumni Office can be contacted at alumni@british-school.org and +91 11 40664168.

Dear AlumniIt has been a year of awards for us!

We are thrilled to have been conferred the top British International School at the British International School Awards in London earlier this year. We were also awarded Outstanding Initiative for Supporting Student Safeguarding. The awards recognise excellence in initiatives spearheaded by British schools and educators overseas who help to strengthen the British education brand globally.

We were also recognised in Fortune India's Future 50 Schools Shaping Success. Schools were evaluated by a select jury of distinguished educationalists against parameters that included efforts put in by schools to shape careers and their subsequent effect on the success of their students. The certification is a unique, one of its kind recognition to honour schools that prepare students for the 21st century and have a vision to craft student success.

Yet another award we received was the GRIHA award for Passive Architectural Design for our building. We were also named first runners up in Energy Management. The awards were issued by GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), India's national rating system for green buildings.

Indeed, none of this would have been possible without the continued support of our community, commitment of our staff and the vision of the leadership team for TBS to achieve excellence. We would like to thank and congratulate each one of you for being our pillars of strength and a part of our journey.

I want to make a special mention of our alumna, Alisar Awwad from the class of 2015, who has started a photo campaign to change the hegemonic ideals of beauty. An undergraduate student of theatre and communications, Alisar questions the socially constructed standards of beauty that ask people to conform to a set of, often unattainable, physical attributes. She aims for people to be open and accepting of beauty in all its forms instead of striving to achieve its cultural ideal. Please do read more about it inside.

Have a great summer.

Navneet Kaur Alumni and Marketing Officer

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We are proud to announce that TBS won two prestigious awards presented by the British International School Awards (BISA) in London in January 2018.

The first award was the Outstanding Initiative to Support Student Safeguarding award which recognises the school's stellar work in digital citizenship and child protection. Our digital citizenship outreach supports web-based safeguarding for both students and parents. It has been independently accredited by the Common Sense Education Accreditation Team which describes our dedication to teaching young people how to be safe and responsible digital citizens as inspirational.

The second award, and the biggest one of the evening, was the Top British International School of the Year 2018 award. Vanita Uppal OBE, Director, received the award and called it a recognition of our commitment to providing student-centred, high quality education.

Senior leaders and educators from well established international schools around the world attended the award ceremony. The jury comprised an esteemed panel of distinguished educators from across the globe.

BISA celebrates innovation in strategic, financial and educational projects in qualifying schools. The awards recognised the many truly astounding and inspirational achievements of British schools overseas. They are organised by the British International Schools magazine with the support of ISC Research. Nominations were received from top schools from 38 countries.

BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARDS

We are the top British International School of the Year!

The next Alumni Reunion will take place on Friday, 21 December 2018 at the school. Details will follow closer to the date of the event.

Meet our alumni who have done a full circle of the journey from graduating as students and then returning to pursue their careers at their alma mater.

From left: Sean Adams (class of 2003), Assistant Head of Enrichment Programme | Narjis Abedi (class of 1997), Art teacher | Monisha Nathani Singh (class of 1989), Curriculum Leader–Human & Social/ Business Studies teacher | Neha Grewal (class of 2007), Art teacher | Naila Grewal (class of 2013), Drama teacher

TBS Pride

Alumni vs Parents – Raising Funds for a Cause

Save the Date

Reu

nion

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18

5

From Poland, with Love It was the summer of 1976 when school ended for me. I vividly remember the moment l put my A level history exam paper on the desk in front of Madame Sen and exited the room. I knew then that the most wonderful part of my life, my childhood, had come to an end.

The political turbulence of the 70s touched us all in some way as many of us were affected by it. Unlike today, political debate was our favourite pass time in school. We spent a lot of time with friends, both in and outside school, discussing current affairs, politics and international relations.

Our teachers inspired us to work hard and pursue success in every walk of life. That impermanence is the way of life was instilled in us along with readiness to adapt to change both within ourselves and the world around us. My school years played a crucial role all through my professional career. Having been raised in an international environment, I could understand and embrace different cultures with an open mind–all thanks to The British School and India.

I left India after five wonderful and memorable years. I graduated from Warsaw University with a Masters degree in Sociology and was admitted to the Polish Academy of Sciences as a research fellow. Soon after, politics caught up with me again when martial law was introduced in Poland, following which I had to leave my country and move to Australia. Later, my career took me to all parts of the world–Brazil, New Zealand, South Africa, New Caledonia, Poland and even back to India.

42 years passed and I landed at the doorstep of The British School again in 2018. Accompanied by my two grown up sons, I looked up at this beautiful new building and remembered times gone by. Things change; nothing is permanent–I saw the old motto of our teachers and mentors come true yet again. Things changed for the school, for the better. From a small institution established for international students, it has developed into a fantastic, modern and open school, fit to educate future citizens of the world. Congratulations!

Robert Czarnecki Class of 1978

#beautifullyme‘Growing up, I always believed my curly hair, body type and thick eyebrows were ugly. I straightened my hair, struggled with body image and threaded my eyebrows. Essentially, I tried to erase everything about myself that did not fit the beauty standard of a skinny, straight-haired girl. I have changed my standards of beauty.’

With this thought Alisar Awwad, class of 2015, set off to start a campaign to showcase beauty in people of all colours, features and races. ‘We have been brainwashed into believing that only certain types of physical attributes can be beautiful. Through this project, I am trying to change that cerebration’, she explains.

Alisar interviews people struggling with body image and, in the process, helps them leave their insecurities behind. Participants talk about their idea of the concept of beauty, the prejudices they faced while growing up and what makes them feel beautiful.

She shares these stories on social media to inspire others to highlight their experiences in order to challenge culturally accepted beauty standards.

‘I want everyone to know that they are beautiful in their own way’, she says.

Alisar is an undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Theatre and Communication Studies at Ithaca College.

More details about the project can be found on the links below: facebook.com/alisarawwad instagram.com/alisarawwad1

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Shillong Chamber Choir has been hugely successful and continues to reach new heights. How did it come about? The multi-genre choir was founded in 2001. Today we have 25 members, including 15 singers; I continue to be the conductor of the choir.

One of our first big achievements was winning the reality TV show, India’s Got Talent, in 2010. The same year also saw us being awarded three gold honours at the 6th World Choir Games held in China.

Our aim is to give the audience a wholesome experience through our repertoire of western classical, opera, jazz, rock and gospel combined with popular Bollywood and Khasi folk songs.

‘Cultured and disciplined’ is how we are often described and our music is said to move even the strongest to tears. I believe one of the main reasons for our success thus far has been our unity and the strength to go through the highs and lows together as a team. It takes immense amount of perseverance, discipline and hours of practice to gain admiration and love from the public and we are ever so grateful to them. Humility, faith and believing in miracles keeps us going!

We also remain close to our roots and never lose sight of the purpose for which we came together–to bring people close to one another.

We never actually aimed for fame or popularity. The idea of the choir came about when I returned from the UK.

Give Peacea Chance

‘Music is an expression of who are within’, says Neil Nongkynrih, class of 1989.

As the founder, conductor and composer of Shillong Chamber Choir, Neil has led the journey of the choir from a little known ensemble of talented youngsters to one that has held the nation spellbound and won laurels for their state and the country.

From performing for the Obamas and former presidents of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to collaborating with big names in the Indian film industry, contributing to societal causes and building intercultural relations, the choir has achieved exceptional success.

Neil has been bestowed with two prestigious civilian and state honours–Padma Shri and U Tirot Singh Award. In addition, he has numerous accolades to his claim–Forbes Person of the Year, CNN IBN Indian of the Year, ICC Musician of the Year and at least a dozen more notable awards and honours.

Having performed for the British Royalty and produced a series of successful concerts in Oxford at a young age, he moved back to India and set out to bring solace to his home town, Shillong, that was reeling under conflict and turmoil. We spoke to Neil about his musical journey and why he thinks fame is only incidental.

The unrest in the North East really troubled me and I vowed to change it. I wish to replace the sound of guns with the sound of music and will continue to work towards that end.

You have recently been appointed a member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Tell us about it. CBFC is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that regulates public exhibition of films. The committee has 12 members and is chaired by Prasoon Joshi. Members are based across India and each of us is responsible for films released in our region.

It is interesting to note that we don’t personally watch every film before its release, as may be the common perception. Film screening is usually done by an advisory panel comprising people from different walks of life such as education, social science, technology and law as well as home makers and artists, plus a government representative. Films are sent to us only in case of a controversy or if the film maker is unhappy with the certification. Matters can be pursued up to the Supreme Court in case the committee is unable to sort them.

I am enjoying my role as a member of CBFC. There is a lot to learn as it opens your mind to new concepts and makes you look at different perspectives.

What inspired you to write a book for children? The book is based on a shadow play I

wrote for Christmas with music by Shillong Chamber Choir. I didn’t

write it with the intention of publishing it but someone I know chanced upon the manuscript later and decided to publish it. The Only Begotten Son should really have been part of a

collection of short stories but I am happy at its reception by readers. I

would like to write more but it’s hard

to do so as I have very little time.

You take a keen interest in working with the youth to empower them. What prompted you to take up the cause? We must invest in our youth and children for a bright future. I believe the best medium to do this is through the language that everyone understands–music. It has immense potential to bring about positive changes and touch hearts across borders.

I am particularly interested in building inclusivity for people of the North East with the rest of India. It is incumbent on not only the government but also the people of our country to embrace diversity and explore sustainable solutions to achieve peace and prosperity. Today, the soothing sounds of the choir echo in the hills but there is a lot more that needs to be done.

What do you remember fondly from your school days? I remember TBS as always being ahead of its time. Even back then, it encouraged students to pursue their interests and explore what were often not considered serious subjects. My teachers encouraged me to study music in a way I couldn’t have done anywhere

else. Playing the piano was regarded not just as a hobby but also an integral part of learning through which to develop both logic and creativity.

What are your plans for the future? Film projects, music collaborations and live shows are in the pipeline for the choir, but most of all, we will continue to spread warmth and love through our music.

I have also formed my own orchestra called The European Concert Orchestra that premiered with Amitabh Bachchan for the opening act of the Coldplay concert in 2016. I plan to take the ensemble all over the world and make some great music. Further, I wish to preserve and promote our little known native language, Khasi, through folk opera.

Also on my list is performing at The British School in the new auditorium!

7th Period

TBS students and soon to be alumni, Siya Malhotra and Noor Takkar, are running a campaign to educate migrant workers and their families about their voting rights as Indian citizens. The campaign, called My Vote My Voice, has now been running for over two years and has helped over 100 people obtain their voter identity cards.

The idea first occurred to the students during one of their visits to the settlement across the school where they taught children as part of a CSR project. ‘We observed that many of the residents spent their days earning a living, leaving them with little time or avenues to learn about their rights as citizens’, said Siya.

The pair started by conducting workshops for the residents and making them understand why their voice matters. This was followed by detailed discussions with community leaders to identify ways of reaching out to more people. However, simply talking about adult franchise was not enough since the people did not know where to begin the process. ‘We helped them through the registration process–gathering the required documents, filling in forms and answering their questions’, Noor added.

The settlement is home to a number of migrant workers who travelled to New Delhi from different parts of India to earn a livelihood. Their response to the awareness programme and the voter registration drive has been overwhelming.

In addition, the duo conducted a special drive at the National Association for the Blind for visually impaired students who had just turned 18. Handouts were converted to Braille for easy access allowing students to share information with their friends and peers independently. This helped them reach out to those with disabilities.

‘The campaign is about more than just getting people enrolled as voters. It is about empowering them, giving them a voice and making them feel valued and heard’, explained Siya.

Soon after their IB exams, Noor and Siya plan to work with student volunteers from other schools and expand the reach of the campaign to areas where migrant workers are in substantial numbers. ‘We wish to

educate as many people as possible before we leave for university later during the year’, concluded Noor.

At the age of 16, Ananya Maskara is fighting the stigma among women about periods and menstrual hygiene. ‘Learning that 88% women in India do not have access to sanitary hygiene products really shocked me’, says Ananya. The Year 11 student has started a social initiative called 7th Period to provide sanitary pads every month to girls at Khushi, a Delhi based NGO.

Ananya works closely with Sampoorn Swatchhta, a not-for-profit organisation that employs disabled women to make biodegradable pads. She raises money by helping to make scented candles and selling them at exhibitions and farmers’ markets.

‘I wish to remove the stigma and prejudice associated with the subject so that women can talk about it openly’, explains Ananya. Her plans for the future are to extend the reach of the initiative to rural areas around Delhi to empower girls with both knowledge and accessibility.

Ananya was recently awarded the Young Leaders Creating a Better World for All award by the Women Economic Forum.

7th Period

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My Vote My Voice

If your alumni membership card was made before June 2012, it may have expired. Please email us to get a new one made.

We are now making life time cards so that you can continue to avail of benefits and perks without any interruption.

A complete list of benefits available to alumni can be found on our website www.british-school.org. To get your membership card made, please email us at alumni@british-school.org.

International University

Has your Membership Card expired?

In an exclusive and first ever collaboration in the region, The British School and the University of Cambridge came together to offer IB Masterclasses in Maths to TBS students. The lectures, designed specially for our Year 12 maths students, were delivered by academics from The Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at The University of Cambridge.

The academically rigorous course aimed at encouraging independent thought on various topics in mathematics, with a special emphasis on the ability to build on intuition to construct a logical argument. The programme was part of a series of initiatives through which we aim to enhance the quality of education at TBS as well as widen the avenues for our students to learn from.

The upcoming Delhi Warwick Summer School will also provide students with the opportunity to experience UK university education right here in New Delhi. For the fourth year in a row, TBS has joined hands with the University of

Warwick to present the much sought after summer school. The unique course, Introduction to Economics with Finance, will be taught by renowned faculty from the University of

Warwick.

The programme, suitable for students who have completed Year 10 or equivalent, attracts students from all across India as well as South

East Asia and the Middle East.

Classes will run from 25 June to 29 June at The British School. For information and registration,

please visit warwick.ac.uk/delhiwess or email us at a.puri@british-school.org.

Through initiatives such as these, we wish to continue to present our students with invaluable learning opportunities across curriculum areas to enhance not only their classroom learning but also the knowledge

of the world around them.

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Collaborations

Alumni NewsSiddharth Mathur, class of 1994, was awarded Best Food Consultant and Business Mentor at the Indian Restaurant Awards 2017. Siddharth is Director & Founder of Secret Ingredient and Director & Head of Food at Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality Pvt Ltd.

Mrinalini Dayal, class of 2010, was selected amongst top 20 young leaders for the Commonwealth Youth Awards for her work in the field of gender equality. Mrinalini is the Campaign Leader for Health Over Stigma and Senior Strategist at a grassroots campaigning organisation, Haiyya.

Nikita Gill published two books of her selected poems: Your Soul is a River (ISBN 13: 978-0996487139 and ISBN-10: 0996487131) Wild Embers (ISBN-10: 1409173925 and ISBN-13: 978-1409173922) NIkita is from the class of 2006.

Tania Khosla Taneja and her husband, Kabir, had a baby boy, Jahan, in October 2017. Tania is from the class of 2004 and runs a wedding and party décor company.

Eshita Sethi married Hardik Kohli in November 2017. Eshita is from the class of 2007 and works at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New York.

Kruti Bharucha, class of 1995, was named amongst 26 achievers featured on The Economic Times Women Ahead listing. Kruti is the CEO of Peepul, a non-profit that aims to

transform children’s lives through quality education.

Soha Ali Khan, class of 1996, published her first book, The Perils of Being Moderately Famous (ISBN-10 0143439960 and ISBN-13 978-0143439967).

Soha and her husband, Kunal, had a baby girl, Inaaya, in September 2017.

Anika Mandla published her paper, Being Bipolar: A Qualitative Analysis of the Experience of Bipolar Disorder as Described in Internet Blogs. Anika is from

the class of 2010 and has recently completed her MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at University College London.

Neha Grewal married Shashwat Shukla in January 2018. Neha is from the class of 2007 and currently teaches art at TBS.

‘I want to create experiences people

haven’t imagined yet’, says Ayesha Singh, class of 2009 and graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art and the School of

the Art Institute of Chicago. Being

awarded the Art and Science Initiative

Grant for a collaborative project alongside political

scientist, Elisabeth Davies, Ayesha is presently researching the

connotations of the façade in state architecture in her home city, New Delhi and Eastman, Georgia. She credits her ability to perceive art as a means of communication, critique and self-inquiry to her TBS teachers, Ms Michael and Mr Shukla, who encouraged her to study the subject in detail and influenced her choice to pursue fine art.

Ayesha’s interests lie in the potential for two-dimensional processes to be expressed and experienced three-dimensionally. ‘My work investigates evidences of colonialism and hierarchy that are embedded in architectural pastiches that construct our cities and our homes. Through photography, drawing, video and installation, it challenges perceived values embodied by appropriated constructions in cities where I have resided and questions how far architecture defines our identities’, she elaborates.

As an artist, Ayesha enjoys playing with perception and her most recent work, Ghost Lines, looks at illusory objects that can be created using moving and rotating lines. She wishes to apply the history of our built environment to bring to fore the hybridity of cultures that form our understanding and recognition of self within an urban landscape.

‘Most of my memories from school reside in the yellow building. I distinctly remember the scent of the porta cabins when the air conditioning was switched on’, she smiles. Basketball practice on gloomy winter mornings, rajma chawal at the canteen and school trips to Rishikesh are some of the other memories she shared with us, along with a piece of trivia: The red house was named Vulcan while she was its captain.

‘The school provided me a safe space to explore my interests and presented a system that enabled me to realise my ideas. It gave me the foundation to create innovative content, experiment with new concepts and allow those to materialise in the physical and virtual space,’ she concludes.

Decoding Architecture

Caring

Thinkers

Principled

Knowledgeable

Inquirers

Balanced

Com

mun

icat

ors

Risk-takers

Open-m

inded

Enjoy,engage and

achieveas webecome

We respect, reflect and inspire to achieve excellence.

THRIVE BELIEVE SUCCEED

At The British School, New Delhi, we as a community:• live the TBS Learner Profile; • respect ourselves and each other and embrace our diverse local, national and international community; • foster a culture of high expectations, and strive for excellence in ourselves and others; • nourish social, intellectual, physical and creative skills; and • take individual and collective responsibility to achieve our common goals.

MISSION

VALUES

VISION

Adapted from the IB Learner Profile

Dr Jose P Rizal Marg , Chanakyapuri New Delhi - 110021 INDIA

T: +91 11 40664166 E: thebritishschool@british-school.org

W: www.british-school.org

The Road to AcceptanceFrom the day you enter high school to the day you graduate work hard towards college and it will be worth the wait!

Do your research and reflect on what you want to be. Be a painter, lawyer, actor you have the world at your feet!

Remember to give the necessary SATs and ACTs. They are tough but important to get your college degrees.

Write your college essays in time - Commonapp and supplementary - so you have the time to edit them as much as necessary.

Complete your application process then review and submit! Now, for the most trying time wait for your college of best fit…

Then in March you’ll get the mail that’ll make your work worthwhile. Some rejections, but some acceptances That’ll leave you with a smile!

No matter where you finally go there is one thing you should know: College will be the time for you to reap the rewards of what you sow!

And on this road to acceptance behind a foliage of trees You would have found something precious: The person that you want to be!

Sanjana Bhambhani Class of 2018