Volume 06
Student’s Editorial Board: Yamin Mushtaq (Head) Babra Shafiqui
Mehak Nissar Mohammad Tazeem
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” — John Steinbeck
Patron: Ms. Saira Raza
Designed By: Musheer ul Islam
Delhi Public School, Srinagar
Campus Roundup October marks the start of fall, when the cold sets in and the nice, warm, and fuzzy feeling of lazy summer days comes to a halt. For the city of Srinagar, fall can easily be mistaken for mid-winter by an outsider because the temperature drops rapidly and intensely. The sportspersons of DPS Srinagar. did not seem to be affected one bit by the harsh weather; players of DPS FC would show up for training everyday at 7:30 in the morning and persevered in their quest to achieve even more than they already have. Once again they made our school proud by securing the 2nd runner up position in the InterSchool Football Tournament held in Faridabad. Euzair Tak of class 11th won the award for best goalkeeper; his third consecutive win in this category in all competitions. The Inter-House football tournament also came to an end. Maple House won the final match in a goal fest where they scored 4 goals while also maintaining a clean sheet (0 goals conceded). Chinar House came in 2nd place and the 3rd position was shared between the other 2 semi-finalists- Poplar House and Willow House. Fardeen Hilal of class 11th was the top scorer of the tournament netting in 6 goals overall. Meanwhile, the Inter-House Cricket Tournament also took place in the next couple of weeks. Deodar House emerged victorious, defeating Chinar House. Before the end of October, 2 other tournaments started- The Inter-House Badminton (girls) and The Inter-House Basketball (boys). The first matches were played on October 30th and October 31st respectively. While all of our athletes were pushing their bodies to the limit and training, our tech gurus attended a National competitive even for IT, “IT Exun Clan”, in DPS R.K Puram where more than 150 schools from all over India participated. Our school secured a number of positions in different categories. You can read all about it in the dedicated article for the event included in the newsletter. With all that said and done; now the seniors of Junior College are preparing for the external exams, followed by the Pre-Board exams. So, after spending more than a decade in this school, this journey is finally about to end for them. But for now, best of luck to everyone for their exams as that is priority number one. I hope all of you do well!
Yamin Mushtaq — 12 C1
To live is The Rarest Thing Living in the cabin of our heads, making our body a transport system of it ,we live and that’s our life. Right away from the genesis to paramount lapse of existence and being, we postpone. Living life as if we are left with hundred thousand years, we start putting off our happy moments ,the memory making hour ,the learning period and finally the life itself. Designating certain lapses of time to certain designations we compartmentalize and departmentalize our life, the lifetime gets divided into parts. During childhood, we pray and crave for our aim ,that is a busy tomorrow, adulthood for Harvard and Cambridge degrees (or any) ,youth to immense stress and workload ,finally few years of old age are reserved for completing the remaining dreams and desires. Complex is the art of understanding the human apparatus, the living creatures who themselves are in a crazy virtual reality fight with themselves. Innumerable times, it is that they prioritize their money gifting jobs over memory gifting journeys ,bundles of times the trips and picnics get cancelled by the money grubbers. From the bosom of their childhood to the ultimate phase of life, they create an artificial heaven for themselves, which in realistic ground swallows their personal lives and is the cause of unwelcomed degree of violence in their lives, but ironically they are still happy with it. Besides this, it also vanishes the unbridled happiness and rejoiced moments from their lives ,in place gifts them with stress and strife, conflicts and resentments and finally a heart full of regrets. Hitherto all the outcomes, they are happy that they accomplished their aim and have turned it into reality. But, is our dream/aim a happiness sucking monster and cause of all catastrophe ,contrite and remorse in our lives? Or is it that our actions and paths coerce it to act this way? The point, at the very heart of matter is ,why spend our entire life in piles of office files and your departuring hour in piles of regretful milieu, rather lets focus on collecting luggage of treasured memories for hereafter. Like most of us we are juggling with a number of roles in life, feels like being a multipersonality but balancing the quality of multipersonality makes us the person we needed as kids. So, lets celebrate our lives out of the human made cabins to vast aura of happiness around, and lets be the wanderers of our joys ,dreams and desires ; to actually live life to fullest. It is rightly said by Oscar Wilde.
'To live is the rarest thing in the world .Most people just exist.
Sama Zehra — 11D1
STORY UNTOLD This land has lost its precious blood And it drips from every nook and cranny The smears still lay there Speckled on the walls Portraying the picture Of their perpetual forfeit. Echoing are the vows And echoing are their sacrifices
They made for their people They made for their nation Piercing the hearts now and again. Many have gone and many yet to go Many , still waiting. Waiting for the rays of freedom
To reach it's horizon.
Jaezlan Jahan — 11B3
The Ultimate Fight 6 October 2018, T-Mobile arena, Las Vegas witnessed arguably the biggest fight in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history. It was of course Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor. The fight saw McGregor – aka ‘The Notorious’ – return to the octagon after his defeat to Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring in August 2017 locking horns with The Russian beast Khabib Nurmagomedov – aka ‘The Eagle’. And boy! What a match it was. After much drama it was time for one of the most anticipated events in UFC history the undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and the former featherweight and light weight champion Conor McGregor. Khabib did brilliantly in the long long awaited grudge match in splendid fashion. Both were all fired up for this massive event but Khabibs smothering wrestling game was way too much to handle for McGregor, some heavy groundand-pound and a fight-ending choke was enough to kill the brawl. The Russian stayed disciplined and scored a great finish.
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Connor McGregor by Submission via Rear-Naked Choke at 3:03 of Round 4. But this was not it. Khabib was not just done yet. In a wild and rough scene at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas in front of 20,034 odd people and million watching around the globe, Khabib stepped away from his defeated opponent and instantly pointed at the Irishman’s corner, shouting and throwing his mouthpiece. He then hurled himself over the top of the cage of the octagon, across the officials’ table and jumped on to the floor in order to teach a word or two with his fists to Conor’s jiu-jitsu coach, Dillion Danis. The pair exchanged some blows and were eventually separated by police officers. Meanwhile three of Khabib’s training partners scaled the top of the fence and attacked Conor from all angles and one of them delivered surprise blows from behind to Conor’s skull before they were dragged away. Later the three Nurmagomedov team members were detained but the trio was soon released as Conor refused to press any charges, according to the UFC president, Dana White. And when the official match result was finally announced neither of the two fighting giants were present in the bloodied octagon; both had long since been scurried out by the security. Later Khabib publically apologised for his rash actions and said that he Russian president, Vladimir Putin also called and congratulated him. “I know this is not my best side…I am a human being. I don’t understand how people can talk about [how] I jump over the cage…. He [ Conor Mcgregor] talk about my religion, he talk about my country [Russia], he talk about my mother, he come to Brooklyn and he broke bus. He almost kill a couple of people. What about this… Why are people talking about me umping over the cage?....My father taught me you have to always be respectful…..i know my father is going to smash me when I go home” Khabib had previously said that he doesn’t understand Conor’s language [ Irish accent], I don’t like his promotion of alcohol, use of bad language because many young people watch UFC, follow Conor, follow me and I don’t want to be a bad example for young generation and leave a bad impact. Of course we have to promote the fight and make money but by the end of the day we have to think about the young generation I don’t know about him but I want to be a good role model. Nobody is perfect everybody makes mistakes but I want to be a good role model. With all said and done; Khabib Nurmagomedov reportedly earned 2,000,000 USD (no win bonus)* and Conor McGregor filled his pocket with 3,000,000 USD. The event drew an attendance of 20,034 fans, generating a live gate revenue of 17.2 million USD. It set the record for the highest ever MMA attendance and live gate in Nevada.
Mohammad Tazeem - 11B4
FROM LOVE TO LOYALTY Me n ye, like a seed dwell in garden, Together we cared under a cordon Known to none, but to a few, Under the soil and frozen dew. Like a lovely fragrant rose, may we grow, A path for the generation to show. Stepped out of the mighty moon, Subdued my mind with your might. Of innocence and experience, the mouth piece To raise the height of hope and peace.
Salahia Bashir— 11B3
I am a Traveller I am a traveller and know my destination..... But I haven't learnt to travel yet..... I want to freeze the Kilauea....... But i haven't found the way yet ...... I Want to convert poison into nectar..... But i haven't understood the difference yet.. I want to change hatred to love ..... But i haven't learnt to love yet.......... I want to erase the boundaries of world...... But i haven't understood boundaries yet.... I am a traveller and know my destination..... But i haven't learnt to travel yet.....
Iqra Jan — 11D1
Reservations in India: a mockery? No one has been able to decide if untouchability is a touch or a colour; an idea or a feeling. Whether it resides in the one who touches or the one who is touched. Tell me, dear readers, how to shake off untouchability with a single dip in water and a change of clothes? All of us have consumed the freedom struggle stories of India as children. We showed the world how to shed shackles of Imperialism and face innumerable hardships to be free. But what does freedom actually mean? Does it mean to be mercilessly thrashed for not doing jobs like skinning dead animals because that’s what the caste you were born into demands? I fail to understand how this could explain the term freedom. For how many centuries now, these so called untouchables have ploughed our fields, reaped our corn, grazed our cattle, carried our daughters in palanquins, stitched our shoes and cleaned our filthy drains. How many centuries more will we continue to allow these horrendous caste crimes go unpunished? It makes a mockery of everything our freedom fighters died for. Must Dalits fight alone? Or will we decent Indians stand with them? I very well know what we’ll do, instead of encouraging them, we will crib about the reservation system. Yes, the reservation system that has been and is their only hope. 75% of the total population of India comprises of schedule caste and schedule tribe along with other backward classes. These, however, take up only 49% of the total jobs available. While on the other hand, the upper castes and the Brahmins who make up only the 28%, share the remaining 51% of jobs. It is as if a person who is slicing a pizza for everyone, first keeps a big slice for himself and an even bigger one for his friends leaving out just the crumbs for people from SC’s and ST’s and that too with an angry face. What I don’t understand is that why people care too much about the reservations when in reality only 49% of the seats are available for backward classes. Can’t these so called dominant classes get into the remaining 51% of seats available? If these upper castes are not ready that a SC person be buried next to them. Not ready that a SC person eats besides them. Not ready to marry a SC person. Then they should stop cribbing about the reservation system and instead start working their way up. Moreover, 25% of the Brahmins have salaried jobs whereas the corresponding percentage for SC and other minority groups is 15%. If the claim is that there is no inequality faced by backward classes in India, then how does one explain this big difference, in numbers? Once, we accept that there is a problem, reservation comes as a way to address it. Till the utopia is achieved, reservation has to continue. And let’s just stop calling it reservation instead let’s start calling it representation, representation of the discriminated. And let it be said, that there’s only one caste, the caste of humanity and no matter how powerful you feel you are, we all came in equal by birth and shall return equal in death.
Asma Shakeel — Xl D2
Painting Activity [October 2018]
Children busy painting in open nature
Misbah - 12th
Sajid - 12th
Maria - 12th
Misbah - 12th
Zia - 12th
Junior College Students Win Big in National IT event Technology is the future and the heart and soul of the modern world, DPS Sgr. aims to be at the top of this field and is actively promoting IT studies. Projects like The Atal Tinkering Lab and the Cyber Crew provide students with all the necessary tools and knowledge that is needed to be at the top level TechKnow, the biggest and one of the only school IT events in Kashmir, is held every year and many schools from all over Kashmir are invited to this event to spread this knowledge of all things related to IT that is important to survive in the modern world. The IT event “Exun Clan” was held in DPS R.K Puram on 27th and 28th October 2018. Students of DPS, Srinagar’s Junior College participated in this national competitive event along with more than 2000 participants from 150 schools from various parts of India.
The seeds that were planted by our seniors back in the day in the shape of CyberCrew prove fruitful once again; students of DPS Sgr. achieved another milestone as they bagged the award for the Best School outside NCR. Mr. Saleet Bhat, the IT teacher of our Junior College guided the students in preparation for the event and also accompanied them as their mentor at the event. The MX+C line follower event was won by our school, defeating the other 21 teams. Our students competed and won against Rs. 1,50,000 worth of tech equipment (robotics) with their own basic and simple gadgets, which only proves that hard work always beats money. They also participated in the Space Tech event and qualified the preliminary level.
The participants were Haider Parvez from class 11, Absar Ahmed from class 9, Basar Qari from class 12, and Saad Sadat from class 11. We are sure they’ll continue to impress and make the school proud in the future and wish them all luck. They are an inspiration to all of us. DPS has just started its journey into the techland and we hope it continues at the same pace and quality for a long time.
Yamin Mushtaq - 12 C1
Activities of the Month [October 2018]
Our Team at Mun [Dehra Doon]
Basketball Tournament (Girls)
Newspaper Fashion Designing Activity
Tuition Centres: Exploring the Faultlines For quite some time now I have been intrigued by the pace at which our society can be swayed in to follow different trends at different points in time. If your neighbour has a Dish TV connection, it becomes almost‘ obligatory’ for you to have one as well. If your friend’s kid has a laptop, yours must have one too. The endless trail of examples can go on and on. In this list of trends, the latest induction is the tuition centre ‘mania’. Although, I do understand that in this day and age, for a student to excel in his/her studies, it becomes almost imperative to search for alternative options, other than schools, which have just become a source of formality now. But are tuition centers really that necessary? And can they effectively make up for the inadequacy of teaching at schools today? Every delirium has a certain limit, but tuition centers are slowly becoming an obsession for the students and parents. It is not long before they become a compulsion. Analysing tuition centers Although, several people claim that tuition centers can redress all difficulties that a student might face while he/she studies in school, but can that be true for all students? Every person has a different psyche and it is not bound to adapt to all kinds of environments. Some people are boldly social and can easily mingle with others, while some are shy and reserved and generally don’t prefer to be part of groups. When such a reserved person attends a tuition class, it becomes quite difficult for him or her to adapt to the new surroundings and bond with other people present there. Hence, it is considerably hard for him/her to focus on studies in such an alien environment. Also another, serious point of contention is the student-to-teacher ratio in tuition centers. Generally, there used to be maximum 40-50 students in a class room, but now-a-days the numbers have sky-rocketed and several tuition centers have enrolments in hundreds. It’s obvious that a single teacher cannot possibly cater to the needs of every single student, and hence many are left behind. Furthermore, most tuition centers do not provide additional classes for doubt-clearance which are essential for the academically weaker students. Also, many students are left hanging in an awkward situation if they repeatedly ask the teacher for clarifications. The other students and sometimes even the teacher himself may think he/she is incapable. It is this fear of embarrassment which prevents student from asking questions and clearing their doubts. My afore-made argument is reinforced by the findings of a survey conducted by The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) reveals that 65 percent of the students attend tuition centers only because most of their friends do so, and they don’t want to be left behind. But what is good for one can’t necessarily be good for all. Moreover, today a lot of senior students attend multiple tuition centers for different subjects. This means that they have no time left for other activities like socializing, playing or simply enjoying their lives. As the saying goes, “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”. One cannot but ignore the possibility of such a hectic schedule having adverse implications on the social lives of children. Facilities over Education The past few decades have seen a notable change in the mind-sets of people. We tend to look for more and more sources of comfort in order to make our work easier and tuition centers are not privy to this.
Now-a-days all tuition centers are trying to upgrade and improve their seating and lighting facilities, bringing in heating and cooling systems and also introducing digital media like projectors, etc. Both parents and students get lured by the expensive furniture and lights they see inside these classrooms and seldom pay any heed to what is actually being taught there. Although, there is nothing wrong in the provision of A-class facilities to students, but at the same time, the quality of education imparted in such centers shouldn’t be put on the back burner. Today there is a lot of hue and cry over the lack of proper heating arrangements in the tuition centers, while education plays second fiddle to such issues. Moreover, it has become a common practice in tuition centers that the teachers tend to teach topics of much higher levels than what the students actually require. And mind you, this does not help the students in any possible way! In fact it has a potentially negative effect on the minds of students who are unable to understand what the teacher tries to convey; and finally end up hating the very subject that they had gone to study.
Most tuition centers are result-oriented like the parents who send their children to study there. They have slowly evolved into some sort of business corporations now. “Give us so-and-so amount of money, and your son will get top marks”. Although, it does sound very catchy and attractive, the net result for the students’ overall development is little more than getting an A in his/her exams. The concept of attainment of knowledge for the better of the society is vanishing fast. Today knowledge is limited only to the report cards of the students, which officially decide how capable and intelligent they really are. This, if anything, is a grave black mark on the entire system of education. Inter-tuition rivalry Rivalry, competition and mud-slinging among the builders of the nation themselves, would be the last thing a society needs. Sadly, Kashmir is not privy to such phenomena. Inter-tuition rivalry is very much real, and it has grossly contaminated the educational environs of our society. Tuition centers in uptown Srinagar, in particular are infamous for their almost never-ending competition and rivalry. We have several instances where the teachers at one institute have expressed immense grudge against students who happen to study somewhere else, especially at their rivals’. Tail Piece Although, the tuition centers have done a great service in field of education but they could have done it in a much better and improved manner. They could have tried to restore the loving teacher-student relationship. But they couldn’t do so, or perhaps didn’t want to do so. They could have revolutionised the system of education by introducing new methods and techniques of teaching, but they stuck to the age-old means of teaching with very few creative variations. At the very end, I would simply like to say that the tuition centers should change their policies and immediately cry halt to their acting as business corporations. If these centers are ready to introduce such reforms, only then would their existence be justified and of some benefit to the society. Malik Babar Bilal — 12D