Volume 4
Student’s Editorial Board: Yamin Mushtaq (Head) Babra Shafiqui Mehak Nissar
“That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air… Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year’s mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”
Mohammad Tazeem
Patron: Ms. Saira Raza
Designed By: Musheer ul Islam
Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
CAMPUS ROUNDUP The school re-opened for the students and normal classes started in the Junior College after the summer break, when students took a break from the stress of exams. A group of students journeyed to the beautiful land of Ladakh with the school on a trip that lasted for almost two weeks. Dazzled by the stark beauty of Leh, the serpentine never ending Indus following them all through and mesmerized by the experience of visiting the Pangong Lake, they surely have created memories. These memories will remain with them forever even after they graduate from the school next year. Now, moving on to other activities. The number of competitions, sports matches, and other activities and events held in the month of August was greater than any other school could even fit in their schedule in the entire year! The U-19 Inter-House Football and Basketball matches started on the first day of August. 8 matches were played in the first week (4 Football and 4 Basketball) and students showed great determination on the field, proudly representing their respective Houses. The group stage ended but sadly the qualifiers had to be postponed because of bad weather. After that an Inter-House Debate was held in the school Indoor Stadium on 9th August where students debated about our Freedom of Speech and "Is India still a Democracy?" Many valid points were raised from both sides, some argued that we're losing our freedom while others disagreed and shared their own views. We were exposed to a lot of new talent and felt proud that our school possesses so many gems in each field. Meanwhile, while all of this was happening in Srinagar, a group of our students were on their way to Mumbai for the II-MUN. Our team did us proud by bagging a silver in this prestigious competition. The month also saw the Work Experience Activity. An event much welcomed by all the students. This gave them an opportunity to experiment with willow work, papier machie, cooking, carpentry, pottery etc. The young students were full of concentration and amazed to see their own creative side. This involved a 100% participation and the exhibition was much appreciated by one and all. Visits and interaction with celebrities go side by side with academics in our institution. Author and consultant, Mr. Suhel Seth, visited the school on 18th August where he received a warm welcome by the Principal, Mr. Alistair R A Freese, Vice-Principal Mrs. Shafaq Afshan and the Chairman of the school Mr. Vijay Dhar. Mr. Seth addressed an assembly of students where he spoke about our Special Educational Needs (S.E.N) department and appreciated the efforts of the school for the betterment of all students, regardless of their individual needs. Mr. Seth is all set to open a catering facility inside the school and also an airline training facility for aspiring stewards and stewardesses. On the same day, 18th August, the "Largest tech event for schools in Jammu & Kashmir" was held in the school premises. Tech Know, an event about technological know-how (as the name suggests) is held in the school every year where students from various institutions visit and get a chance to learn coding, hardware assembly, graphics designing and a plethora of other things by workshops where the students of our IT club guide them. Needless it is to say it was a huge success. Even after all of the above mentioned events, more are still planned for the coming weeks ranging from hockey and tennis competitions, to music and art. The race is on for the No. 1 Rank and soon we'll find out who the "Cock House" will be.
Yamin Mushtaq – XII C
Junior College Activities of the Month
Children Engrossed in Pottery Making
Techknow 2018 - A huge success!
Mr. Suhel Seth being welcomed
Students enjoying willow work
Football enthusiasts getting ready for U-19 Football Match
Junior College Debate (Asma Shakeel voicing her views)
THE ACHING SEPTEMBER
September Is a gullible host, For the autumn wind that comes blowing towards the hearth of her bosom. Where she cradles The longing memories of her blossomed bud To a cherished petal falling, one by one towards her chest. Oh how more of a woman can she be? How feminine her heart as it shelters her own robbers With linen sheets, to cover them from the coming cold. But she knows not, That the wind brings the winter Thieving the leaves off your home. Oh she cries over the rivers of pain and forgetfulness As the Autumn ferries her somber memory away. And these winds I’ve known to be blithe, Running around with their open promiscuity. But Autumn is just an accomplice in the crimes of her heart So do you know how to talk to the seasons? How to convince Autumn to leave something behind. For the winter is too far away for September to freeze her pains.
Babra Shafiqi – XII D2
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes called machine intelligence, is the intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals. In computer science AI research is defined as the study of "intelligent agents" that is any device that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of successfully achieving its goals. Colloquially, the term "artificial intelligence" is applied when a machine mimics "cognitive" functions that humans associate with other human minds, such as "learning" and "problem solving". The scope of AI is disputed: as machines become increasingly capable, tasks considered as requiring "intelligence" are often removed from the definition, a phenomenon known as the AI effect, leading to the quip, "AI is whatever hasn't been done yet". For instance, optical character recognition is frequently excluded from "artificial intelligence", having become a routine technology. Capabilities generally classified as AI as of 2017 include successfully understanding human speech, competing at the highest level in strategic game systems (such as chess), autonomous cars, intelligent routing in content delivery network and military simulations. Artificial intelligence was founded as an academic discipline in 1956, and in the years since has experienced several waves of optimism, followed by disappointment and the loss of funding (known as an "AI winter") followed by new approaches, success and renewed funding. For most of its history, AI research has been divided into subfields that often fail to communicate with each other. These sub-fields are based on technical considerations, such as particular goals (e.g. "robotics" or "machine learning"),the use of particular tools ("logic or artificial neural networks), or deep philosophical differences .Subfields have also been based on social factors (particular institutions or the work of particular researchers). The traditional problems (or goals) of AI research include reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, learning, natural language processing, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects. General intelligence is among the field's long-term goals. Approaches include statistical methods, computational intelligence, and traditional symbolic AI. Many tools are used in AI, including versions of search and mathematical optimization, artificial neural networks, and methods based on statistics, probability and economics. The AI field draws upon computer science, mathematics, psychology, linguistics, philosophy and many others. The field was founded on the claim that human intelligence "can be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it". This raises philosophical arguments about the nature of the mind and the ethics of creating artificial beings endowed with human-like intelligence which are issues that have been explored by myth, fiction and philosophy since antiquity. Some people also consider AI to be a danger to humanity if it progresses unabatedly. Others believe that AI, unlike previous technological revolutions, will create risk of mass unemployment. The twenty-first century, AI techniques have experienced a resurgence following concurrent advances in computer power, large amounts of data, and theoretical understanding; and AI techniques have become an essential part of the technology industry, helping to solve many challenging problems in computer science.
Mehshid Farooq – XII B1
SHAKESPEARE……A SECOND COMING
Coming back after 602 years is a bitter sweet experience. My past life came in front of my eyes like a kaleidoscope of memories. Things have changed, buildings have vanished, people are dead but the trace of poetry still lingers. My time was different, language was charismatic and leaders were faithful, however Brutus was then and Brutus is now. Plays and poetry written by me in my past life are still read and preserved however there still exists countless disparities between the delivery of thoughts; the modern age has lost its essence and rhythm. Technological changes such as the invention of printing press and mobile phones has created a wide lag between the past and the present. I recently watched one of my works come to life through an adaptation in the form of a movie. Unfortunately people prefer to spend their hours staring at the screens rather than the sweetly scented, crisply bounded pages of a book. My language and themes were in iambic pentameter and I used fresh, rich, universal and extraordinary themes however writers today are absolutely self-centered and poetry lacks meaning. A famous quote which I wrote about life which revolves in my head right now is ''And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe; and then from hour to hour, we rot and rot, and thereby hangs a tale. '' The Jacobian Era saw the emergence of great leaders like Queen Elizabeth, who despite massacres and tensions, chose to stabilize the kingdom by cooperative policies rather than violent and inhuman methods and also pushed forth the golden era and the world witnessed glorious and prosperous periods one after the other however when I look at the leadership today, I observe that the uneducated, uncivilized, corrupt goons and gangsters occupy the ruling class and the world I walk around lacks progress and prosperity. The transitions that this world has experienced are heartbreaking hence ''To be or not to be, that is the question'. Still the fact is that there are certain good poets left which reawakens my faith for the upcoming generations. At the end, I would conclude by remembering one of my favourite quotes which men of this period have forgotten. ''O, call back yesterday, bid time return''
Mahak Nasir – XII D2
THE OBLIGATORY IDENTITY
"Who am I?" This is a question that we may come across not only during our adolescent years but, if we maintain the same zest for life while thoroughly analyzing, throughout life. Many people think that our identity, once it is formed or found, is set in stone. They also think that our identity is majorly characterized by only our names, physical appearance, family, career and residence. All those things do play an important role but do they entirely and inherently define us? As far as I know, human beings are far too complex to be defined by such mere characteristics. When I look around myself, I see many people who try to act according to the so called Rule Book of Social Life for the 21st Century but they do not quite identify with what they project. The question of identity that starts popping up in our mind once we approach the threshold between childhood and adulthood, is one of the major tasks to be tackled. But once we develop a rational sense and try to use our mind as our own, many external and social limitations prevent exploration of the hidden treasure that exists in the depths of our minds and needs conscious effort to be found. These limits are not an existing natural entity but have been set by the society and as a result of the fear of crossing the line of supposed normalcy, the true and essential personality lurks beneath layers of falsity. In today's world, extroversion has become a sort of widely accepted "norm�. Moreover, we are required to choose between extremes and vices. We are either cowards or make rash decisions. We are either stingy or extravagant, indolent or greedy, shy or proud and confident, morose or buffoons, indecisive or impulsive, and extroverts or introverts. We have got to fit into one of the quotients. Do we really? Perhaps we brush aside the fact that we can be courageous, liberal, ambitious, modest, honest, and humorous, have self-control or be an ambivert without ever fitting into any of these categories. The desire to be categorized seems quite absurd and pathetic. Why not embrace being different? It isn't that we cannot be naturally more inclined towards a particular quality but it is not necessary for us to lean towards any one quality. Apart from this, there is the issue of the fear of change. The society does not readily accept change which could be the reason for turning down different perceptions. But no matter how much we resist the truth, people do change, for worse or for the better. Change is the only constant in life. So, instead of fearing the beautiful process of change, we should embrace it. We should not be let down by our unique qualities or imperfections for these are what make us beautiful and perfect. People who enjoy solitude, people who move gently through life, often are thought of as weird, alone or even depressed. Quietness is taken for weakness and chatter for power. But how much can we rely on the definition of "normal" even though it is just an idea and how much do we let social conventions govern our decisions of treading a particular path? You decide. While writing this article, I was reminded of what Paul McCartney once said. "I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird." It is important to think the article through in order to come up with different opinion as my objective is not to impose my views but mainly to challenge our perception of the prevailing social order and situation. Aayat Fatima - XI D2
IS INDIA STILL A DEMOCRACY?
Have you ever stopped to ponder the amount of blood spilled, the volume of tears shed and degree of pain and anguish endured just so we as individuals might have a say in the government? Yes, India is still a democracy and we do have the freedom to speak what we want. The nation-state of India has quite a few things to flaunt and be proud of, it’s rich legacy of democracy being one of them. In fact, since independence, democracy has perhaps been India’s greatest asset, the magic that has kept the country’s dizzying array of linguistic, ethnic and religious groups together as a nation. Without any doubt, India, today has been regarded as the largest functioning democracy in the world and has made itself felt strongly in the global economic arena as well. This well-developed and fully evolved form of democracy that we witness today has matured over a long span of time. It has faced both ups and downs, has waxed and waned but has somehow managed to survive. And the very fact that ours is the largest growing democracy in the world shows that there’s more to it than meets the batting of the eyes. However, there is a widespread belief that the kind of democratic system in which we operate is failing us. For those who believe so, might I remind them that we have taken democracy in India simply from the parliament and the state assemblies and taken it right down to the grassroots and given it to the very citizens of the country. And for those who go to the extent of calling democracy in India a sham, I hope they realise that it is by the very virtue of a democracy that they are able to speak their minds despite of it being seditious or highly anti-India. I hope they realise the consequences of these very words of theirs if they were to be in any non-democratic nation of the world. If the claim is that Indian constitution fails to provide its people the freedom of speech that they deserve, then how does one explain Freedom of Silence- National Anthem Case? How does one explain Freedom of Speech and Sedition Case? How does one explain the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) vs Union of India case? Article19 of the Indian constitution does provide us freedom to express our views and opinions. But should we exploit it? Do we go on degrading it? Can hate speech ever be called as free speech? Well, my dear friends, I firmly believe that Freedom of Speech is not a license to abuse. It, instead, is a responsibility on the shoulders of us citizens. If there’s one thing that echoes from this colloquium, then let it be that democracy is India’s destiny, given its diversity, disparity and size, it cannot be managed by anything other than a democratic system and there’s no denying to the fact that we as a democratic nation have grown and will continue to grow till we reach the level of perfection. That being said, India is still the largest functioning democracy in the face of the Earth. Asma - XI D2
MOTHER
Mother: She gives us life And makes everything look nice. She is a friend, a teacher and a guide, And always teaches us what is right. She sometimes scolds us, But her love is the most precious. She makes us feel special, And with her everything seems possible. She always supports us, And is always there encouraging us. Her love is the purest, And she truly is the best. Her love is such, That she comforts us just with one touch. Such position had been given to her, That paradise lies beneath the feet of our mother.
Ayiesha – XI D1
SCARRED
A tormenting cloud squeezes above my house, I can see you forsake without completing my poems. My pens have dried. And the heavy locket of timeless touches, Hurts my core with its stench of betrayal. Memories infinite between the earth and the heavens. I roam around them, Like a blind kingfisher preying on reefs. So now I am passionless. Frozen, as is my inkpot's colour. As dead as my garment's fibres. So permit me to rub your still eyes. The empty perfume bottles stand, In my translucent closet. Now I won't have to venture to Shangri-la, To refill the heartful holders of sweetness.
Ahmed Shehzad Khan – XI B3
The Hues of Creativity - Fine Arts
THE FRAGMENTS OF TIME Half saccharine and half excruciate time between the incubator to the limelight is what we call life. Sounds like a beautiful philosophy of a saint but has the deepest heartfelt meanings and indeed a painful truth. Our lifetime lapses like the grains of sand, during this brief time period we make a cabin full of memories deep inside our hearts that contain both joyful and painful memories, memories that make you and memories that break you. Pragmatically, while living the beautiful memories we feel watching reveries and living life on the seventh sky, we enjoy it and rejoice to live it, but sooner or later the same joys of our lives act like burdening scars of heart that you are unable to heal and deal; sometimes it leads to fatal circumstances. I call this period THE PHASE OF DARKNESS when we have to be patient deal with pain and start living with the recollected tales of our past .prior to this phase is THE PHASE OF SACCHARINE where we make memories and that is followed by phase of darkness whereby we regret for making such blissful memories. Without reministic and souvenir remembrances, life is a barren land but when they get into the cabin of burden they are like barren lands frozen with snow. While passing the phase the only thing in our heart is the nourishing thought of THIS TOO SHALL PASS and we all start looking forward to the happiness hour, where we again want to make joyous memories and start living the same happy life again. But life is a cycle, the ecstasies of today become unforgettable and heart wrenching load for tomorrow.
Sama Fatima – XI D1
DAL TURNING DULL According to Wikipedia, The Dal Lake is located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the second largest lake in the state and is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir. It is named ‘Jewel in the crown of Kashmir’. The lake is also an important source of commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting. But according to us, The Kashmiri’s the iconic Dal Lake is not just located in Srinagar but it is also located in our hearts. It might not be the largest but it is the most famous lake of the state and one of the most beautiful and picturesque lakes in the world. The Dal is divided by causeways into four basins, called Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal and Nagin. It receives its water supply from the mountain lake Mar Sar.
Situated in the heart of the city, The Dal is incorporated by a boulevard lined with beautiful gardens built by the Mughals, known as The Mughal gardens, delightful parks, artistic houseboats and some amazing hotels. You can also enjoy great Scenic views of the lake from the Mughal gardens, such as Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and from houseboats cruising along the lake and in the colourful Shikaras. It also gives the visitor a 360° view of the mighty Himalayas. During the winter season, the temperature sometimes dips down and reaches −11 °C (12 °F), freezing the lake, you can also have the pleasure of enjoying some skiing on its frozen surface. Even cricket and football is played but it’s always dicey as the ice can crack and break anytime and there is a chance of drowning. Still people can’t help themselves from enjoying the astonishing water body. The gorgeous lake also has floating gardens covered with different flowers of different varieties. The floating gardens, known as "Radh" in Kashmiri, blossom with lotus flowers during July and August. There is also a lot of vegetation across the lake. You will find the trees like Pine, cupressus, celtis to mention a few.
There is a whole new world out there, the butcher shops, the vegetable shops, shops selling gorgeous handicrafts, people selling chai, coffee and specially the Kehwa on the boats, children boating on and off to schools, on boat photographers ready to shoot amazing pictures of you and if the heat is too hot to handle you can buy some ice-creams and softies to kill the burn on the go as well. Birds like kingfishers and heron add to its beauty. Apart from all these activities one can also enjoy kayaking, canoeing, water surfing and licensed angling on the lake. The Dal can’t be described in words. The experience you have here is quite astonishing and indescribable. Every time you visit it you fall in love with this place more and more. It simply is a delight for the eyes and the soul. There is a local saying which proclaims that the water of Dal Lake has the ability to cool down any boiling tension in the air. It is the source of income for hundreds and thousands of people. The shikara owners, the houseboat owners, the shopkeepers etc. The summer capitol receives millions of tourists every year regardless of the happenings in this part of the world, most of which have the Dal Lake on top of their list. Over 13 lakh tourists visited Srinagar in 2015 alone. A few decades ago The Dal water was so clean and crystal clear that one could see the bottom of the Dal while standing on the last stair of any ghat. This water was even drinkable. A few days ago I was going through twitter and I was shocked to see pictures of people defecating in the Dal Lake. It is not just the tourists but the locals are also responsible for this cowardly act. The continuous and never ending flow of wastes into the lake from locals is a bigger culprit. The total area of the Dal has shrunk a fair amount as compared to before. The lake which once covered 75 square kilometers has shrunk to just 12 square kilometres in the last twenty years. Its depth has also come down by almost 12 meters .The houseboats are nearer to the Boulevard road now a days. Besides the house boats a lot of filling has been done and proper houses have been built by Hanjis- the dwellers of the lake. In certain parts of the lake, algae growth has made the water green. Excessive usage of Dal Lake by locals has hampered it significantly. According to the Project Report prepared by the University of Roorkee’s Alternate Hydro Energy Centre, the sewage brings with it nitrogen and phosphorus which has changed physical and chemical properties of Dal waters. And it is a grave sign of dangers the Dal faces. Massive investments are being made by the government to save and restore the lake into its original magnificence but if the never-ending pollution does not stop in the first place what is the fun of doing all this paraphernalia and if things keep on staying like this, I’m afraid nothing much is going to happen and we are going to lose this splendidly splendid gift of nature by our own nonsensical and cowardly activities. The Government needs to take some steps and be observant in how they approach the worried situation and must ensure that the violators of the lake are severely punished.
Mohammad Tazeem – XI D2