The Doon School Information Review (DSIR) Autumn 2017

D THE

SIR

IS SU E NO. 41 AUTUMN 2017

Cover art by Robson Michel Designed by Kushagra Kar Printed by Sterling Preffered Printing

EDITORIAL Here we are; at the end of our journey. After months of preparation and innumerable drafts, I find comfort in knowing that the DSIR is complete. This editorial, much like the rest of the issue, has gone through multiple re-writes and drafts, always bettering what we had exponentially. Our strife for perfection set us on a path which has always demanded every ounce of our attention, something we hope to have succeeded in.

What does success for us mean then? Would success be limited to your (the reader) enjoyment, or does it mean more? As an Editorial Team, we defined success for ourselves in May this year. What set the edition apart from all those before it, was its unequivocal demand for the highest quality articles. Despite suffering drawbacks in print, our readership responded with zeal, proving that our efforts weren’t in vain. As much as it was, and is, our job to aid the reader through the perfect visual supplement to the reviews, in many ways, we failed to bring the most we could.

The answer to this was simple: raise the benchmark, and until it is met, maintain status quo even if it meant that the product of hours of work was a blank page. Only then is success even imaginable.

Seeing as the final product is where it needs to be - your hands - I might as well explain what our purpose was with the design this time. Firstly, we have replaced our conventional Adobe Garamond Pro with a much more reader friendly font: Chaparral Pro. In our endeavor to make each read light, informative and universally enjoyable, we felt it was essential to make the articles

more legible. To supplement this change in font, we have implemented certain crucial design aspects which add to the feel of the issue. Among other points, we have implemented some ‘EMPIRE-esque’ features, the most recognizable of which is the arrow at the start of some articles. We felt that this provides a sense of direction and overall tightness in the spreads where it has been used.

Moreover, we have done away with the concept of bylines, and instead resorted to the term ‘words’; something we felt was self-explanatory and concise. Despite these minute details which create a pan-issue continuity, we created separate designs for each article, giving the page a sense of context in relation to the article. Our usage of different fonts as headings and their varied placement allow for visual relief without necessarily using a graphic component. I owe a great deal to a very close friend and talented designer, Lakshman, who gave me his unwavering support and input despite his late entry on the design team. For the record, half of these pages were designed solely by him, a burden he bore with great grace and professionalism.

A trend I noticed while deciding the content this time was the overwhelming dominance of television as opposed to film. It dawned on me that the entire notion of entertainment has undergone a revolution of sorts. Much like live performances in theatres were replaced by the more visual and accessible media of film, episodic-sagas have taken the entertainment spectrum by storm. Shows such as CW’s ‘The Flash’ or Netflix’s Marvel

ensemble have begun to employ CGI comparable to big budget enterprises. The fact that individual episodes of most shows tend to be anything from 45 minutes to an hour and a half shows viewer willingness to invest that time in television.

Shows such as Game of Thrones have gone to the extent that the book series it is based on is lagging behind the televised version. While Game of Thrones thrives on its unparalleled scale and originality, others such as Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why are based on the same premise of ‘death in a high school’. Not to say that these shows lack originality, but one begins to wonder where it ends.

Commercialization, a concept expanded upon by Ms. Malvika Kala on p26, has resulted in mass media outputs. Ideas tend to be rehashed or dragged on till every ounce of their worth has been leached. Television is at a crossroads where it stands the risk of falling prey to this, and where it chooses to go will decide the future of entertainment. With Riverdale (review on p34) and 13 Reasons Why (review on p13) soon to premiere their second seasons, we can only hope they know when to stop.

My vision for this issue entails two things: the first being the creation of a new benchmark in School publications, and the second being a reminder of all there is to enjoy out there.

I hope this issue gives you a direction in which to look for your next novel, film, video game or television series. Music fanatics needn’t worry because p32 has you covered. As always, feedback and criticism are welcome. See you on the other side.

Kushagra Kar Editor-in-Chief

CONTENTS

6 12 14 27 32 10

Literature

1984 Ansh Raj

Sputnik Sweetheart Karan Sampath

Inheritance Cycle Bhavtegh Gill

The Age of Kali Divyansh Nautiyal

Here I am Matthew Raggett

Video Game

Assassins’ Creed Aviral Kumar

Movies

9 13 19 22 28 30 34

American History X

Ansh Raj

Jagga Jasoos Kanishkh Kanodia

37 15 16 18 20 24 36

One Last Light Shashwat Bansal

Television

13 Reasons Why Devang Laddha

The Founder Armaan Verma

Vertigo Ritvik Kar

Toni Erdmann Malvika Kala

Logan

Kushagra Kar

Music

DSIR Selects Playlist

Last Week Tonight Arjun Singh

That 70’s Show Aayush Chowdhry

Breaking Bad Vir Bhatia

Game of Thrones Aayush Chowdhry

Riverdale Nirvair Singh

Words Ansh Raj

War is Peace.

Freedom is Slavery.

Ignorance is Strength.

THESE LINES AREN’T JUST any set of oxymorons, rather, they reflect the tight grasp which the ruling Party in Oceania had developed over its society’s psyche, in George Orwell’s undying classic ‘1984’.

Satirising Joseph Stalin’s historic reign over Soviet Russia, ‘1984’ is a story which evokes the deepest human emotion of fear, and questions the credibility of the privilege that we as individuals enjoy.

The plot revolves around the life of Winston Smith, a worker for the ruling Party of Oceania (a fictitious place which bears striking similarities with Stalin’s USSR). It begins with Winston finally retaliating to the extreme control the State is exercising over him. The loss of his individuality results in him maintaining a journal of his rebellious thoughts, 6 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

something which is considered the worst crime in Big Brother’s (the apparent leader) regime. The story unfolds with Winston furthering his rebellion by indulging in a sexual relationship with a fellow worker (the romance being the central theme), and attempting to join a group of outcasts called ‘Brotherhood’. However, within these attempts he realises that he has been trapped in a plan which was laid by the ruling party to catch rebels, and is immediately brought under persecution. In the end, his spirit finally succumbs to the endless agony, which ultimately compels him to realise his love for Big Brother, and the state.

The central idea being portrayed in 1984 is the notion of a government which has managed to establish its absolute authority over the state. The plot gives the answers to how a complete domination can be established and how, if successfully carried through, it can destroy anything which poses a

Image Credits: Crawfordpostal Live, Audiobook Store and Reddit

threat, Winston’s rebellion in this case. Limitless propaganda of the state’s success serves as an aid to its agenda of brainwashing its citizens and laying the foundations for an ever-expanding regime. Its first step is to create an individual figure, which is meant to have supreme power over the country, which in 1984, is portrayed by Big Brother. The figure in itself, is quite irrelevant, as the readers later find out, when they realise a person called Big Brother may not have existed in the first place. The idea of Big Brother, on the other hand, is a crucial element which is mandatory for the ruling party to hold, in order to maintain its position. It is an entity which, among others, can predict what the future holds, and has always secured conflicts and aggressions (both external and internal) with a victory. Later, through the eyes of Winston, it is discovered that neither of these characteristics are true - that they were just illusive facts which had undergone incessant

media moulding (not reporting), to suit the party’s capricious political agenda.

The second manoeuvre involves the state establishing a hegemony over its citizens’ lives. By putting the citizens under constant surveillance, the state is able use fear as a mechanism of ensuring the citizens’ psychological oppression. It is best displayed when the authorities, being aware of Winston’s weakness of rodents, use them to completely break his spirit of rebellion.

The combination of these aspects presents itself as one of the most terrifying forms of gaining control and oppression over the masses. On the one hand, the masses live under the pretence that they are happy citizens of a successful nation, and on the other hand, they are aware that if they don’t conform by the set conventions and laws, extremely strict actions will be taken against them. It is this synthesis which had allowed Oceania to stand as an imperishable state, and Big Brother as an undefeatable force.

1984 may have also been intended by Orwell as a medium to convey two important messages to society. The first message is that of the importance of media in moulding societal mindsets. Media is not only a tool which reflects the society: it is an instrument which can be used to shape the society’s outlook. This innately puts media in a position where it has to shoulder a staggering responsibility.

1984 mirrors the case where the media abuses its responsibility to such an extent that its reporting almost becomes synonymous with the act of brainwashing. Subsequently, the government uses this attribute to suit its own purpose of enforcing its contd. overleaf Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 7

contd. from previous page portrait over the citizens.

The other, and perhaps more important, message which Orwell puts across in 1984 is the relationship between the state and the individual. He outlines the relationship as one in which equilibrium needs to be maintained, so that both the stakeholders can function smoothly. A specific term, known as a social contract, has also been coined to explain this mutual dependence. If the citizens, in an attempt to enjoy their own freedom, impede over the freedom of others, it would result in anarchy. If, on the other hand, the government overrides the basic privileges and rights over its citizens, it breeds a tyrannical and oppressive regime. 1984 explores the worst extent of the latter case, where all individual activity is monitored and the development of individual thoughts and perceptions is a crime of the highest degree.

The entire plot had been set against a backdrop of fear; however, this fear slowly develops through the course of the plot, and occupies the limelight when Winston is being subjected to extreme mental agony.

Fear’s actual prowess is seen when it overwhelms the 8 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

(apparent) strongest emotion of love- when Winston finally yields to his mental anguish and asks the prisoner to throw the rodents (his greatest fear) at his lover, Julia, instead of him. It unveils a realistic appearance of fear, which has conventionally been categorised as an emotion which can be defeated by love. As a result, 1984 ends with a different conclusion, in which the individual, or in more mainstream terms, the protagonist loses everything to the antagonist, the state.

The book had been written to satirise Stalin’s repressive rule over the USSR. In this regard, 1984 also parallels another classic Orwell satire, Animal Farm. The characters in 1984 like Big Brother and Emmanuel Goldstein (the leader of the Brotherhood) strikingly correspond to Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky respectively. Moreover, the book holds special relevance in the contemporary world as well.

The global community unfortunately stands at the threshold of distrust and enmity. Trends increasingly show the failures of democratic principles and the simultaneous rise of totalitarian principles regimes.

If we continue at the same pace, 1984 may not remain just a distant nightmare.

AMERICAN HISTORY Words Aryan Chabra Image Credits: Fanart.tv

RACE RELATIONS HAS ALWAYS BEEN a contentious topic in America. As a student of history, I have had an opportunity to study various events like the Jim Crow laws or the rise of the Ku Klux Klan - all of which point towards the troubled history this nation has had. When one looks at what happened at Charlottesville, one cannot help but spot the similarities between the past and the present. It is in this context that a movie like American History X becomes especially relevant and engaging. Through the brilliant acting of Edward Norton and Edward Furlong, American History X explores the complex theme of racism in America and, as is said by Janet Maslin of the New York Times, shows the darkest chambers of a nation’s soul.

The plot follows the life of Derek Vinyard, a neoNazi skinhead who loses his father to racial violence.

Most of his views about race and affirmative action are formed from his father. The loss of his father prompts a remarkable change in Derek and we see his progression from an innocent, soft-spoken individual to a buffy, scowling adult intolerant of other communities and joining a white supremacist organisation. Their attacks on people of different ethnicities have an uncanny similarity with reallife organisations like the Ku Klux Klan. Eventually, Derek lands up in prison due to voluntary manslaughter. While initially he joins the Aryan Brotherhood inside prison, which serves to augment his existing views, he gradually gets disillusioned by the movement when he sees the brotherhood’s ties with other gangs of different ethnicities. He isolates himself from the brotherhood and gets subsequently ‘punished’ by the brotherhood in the form of sodomy and physical torture.

It is here that we see a change in Derek. He gradually realizes the shortcoming of his views and through the books sent by Sweeney (his school teacher), he undergoes a significant paradigm shift.

He serves his prison sentence and returns home, now a changed man. Realizing the futility of anger and hate that marked his daily life, he tries to discourage his younger brother, Danny, from going down the same path.

The film derives its name from a special class for Danny assigned to him after he writes a paper on Adolf Hitler for an assignment that dealt with writing about personalities related to the promotion of human rights. This special class is called American History X and Danny’s new homework is to write a paper on Derek. Through the writing of this paper, we see the basis of change in Danny. Initially lauding his brother’s accomplishments, Danny later due to the efforts of his brother realizes the flaws that exist in Nazi values and beliefs. Thus, instead of writing the paper as a glorification of neo-Nazi beliefs, something he set out to do, he reflects on Nazi values and critiques it as something inhumane and unjust.

What sets this movie apart from other great movies other than the marvellous acting, brilliant direction as well as a great storyline is its sheer relevance to daily life. Race struggle has always been an issue in America.

Right from the controversial affirmative action to various white supremacist groups gaining ground in the present day, race continues to be a topic of strife.

In such a world, a movie like American History X not only serves as a great source of entertainment but it also reminds us of the importance to be tolerant and understanding. Through the character of Derek Vinyard, the film shows the metamorphosis of an angry, disillusioned person going through the proper intuitional framework to become an understanding and responsible adult.

Personally, the part of the movie that appealed to me the most was when Sweeney asks Derek the ever more important question, “Has anything you’ve done made your life better?” Derek’s response reeks with guilt, capturing his worst fears and evoking considerable sympathy from the viewer. From the fear of revealing spoilers, I will stay silent on the ending but let’s suffice it to say that it while being tragic serves as a fitting end to this blockbuster.

It is a must watch for our generation, not only to understand the rise of right-wing ideologies in the west but also perhaps as a reminder of what happens when people shun logic and reason in exchange for their narrow national self interest and other artificial divides.

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Assassins’ Creed Words Aviral Kumar Image Credits: Ubisoft, Syfy, Digital Spy

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INSTANCES in the gaming industry, when a developer releases a game, assuming it to be just another one. In truth, these games seem to realise some hidden potential, becoming breakout hits and spawning entirely new franchises, much to the shock of their creators.

Developer Ubisoft’s flagship title, Assassin’s Creed, was not one of those. An action-adventure game with a historical fiction setting, the first Assassin’s Creed saw its players enter a simulation of the Middle East during the height of the Crusades, in order to assassinate various members of the Templars, a fictionalised version of the Knights Templar, across various locations in the Holy Land such as Jerusalem and Damasucus. With a medieval setting not unheard of, and excellent visuals and mechanics bogged down by highly repetitive gameplay, the game was certainly received well, but by no means well enough to have the potential to birth a franchise.

Fortunately, Ubisoft didn’t abandon the idea, and decided to release a sequel. Thus, in 2009, Assassin’s Creed II was released, taking the market by storm.

Ubisoft had taken in the feedback they received from 10 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

the first game, and utilised it to polish their sequel to near perfection, rectifying almost all the issues the predecessor had. Assassin’s Creed II (AC II) took the series to Renaissance Italy, a far more interesting setting, not to mention introducing a far more charming and likeable protagonist in the form of series icon Ezio Auditore, a disgraced noble seeking redemption. A far more relatable plot, updated game engine and refined mechanics all came together to fill up the shortcomings of the first game, and AC II became both critically and commercially acclaimed, finally giving Ubisoft the support and fan base they required to create a full-fledged series.

It has been 8 years since then. In this time, Assassin’s Creed has turned from a mediocre adventure game to a global gaming phenomenon, becoming not only Ubisoft’s most commercially successful series, but one of the industry’s as a whole. Today, the game is instantly recognisable by gamers everywhere, and has garnered a huge following. Over these years, there have been over nine more entries, with each building on the narrative and taking players to new and unique settings. From the plazas of Rome to the bazaars of Constantinople, the Caribbean seas and even the American Revolution, the series has seen it all. On almost an annual basis, Ubisoft has released game after game, expanding the franchise with additional media such as novels, comics and even a recently released movie. Unfortunately, Ubisoft have been riding this wave of success for so long, that they seem to have forgotten that too much of anything is

“

Nothing is true. everything is permitted.

The Assassin Brotherhood

bad. So many of these titles have been released lately, that too with little more than a year between them, that even a company as experienced as Ubisoft have had trouble bringing something new and innovative to each new title, something that sets it apart from the one before it, and this problem is only getting worse. The last Assassin’s Creed game to actually gain acclaim that could do justice to what the second game achieved was Assassin’s Creed IV, and there have been three more games since then. Each has received less and less of a positive reception, with Assassin’s Creed Unity being called downright unplayable, and this is unacceptable. Ubisoft have become complacent year by year, relying on the name of the franchise to make profit, instead of attempting to reach for the same

level of quality they once did, and slowly but surely, even gamers are realising this. Games that were once eagerly devoured by fans are now being put aside in favour of higher quality titles. However, all is not lost.

Ubisoft has recently revealed the newest entry – a ‘soft reboot’ in the form of Assassin’s Creed Origins, which is set in Ptolemaic Egypt. While many call this a last ditch attempt and lack of ideas, others realise that this is the most originality the series has seen in years. The Ancient Egyptian setting is the first truly unique one in a while, but only time will tell if this has the potential to be a series saver, or be the beginning of the end for Ubisoft’s storied franchise.

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SPUTNIK SWEETHEART

By Haruki Murakami

another, so while K and Sumire maintain a platonic one, Sumire and Miu maintain a physical one. This adds new dimensions and avenues to how one views relationships, beyond the typical ‘one true love’ and instead towards the maintenance of relationships for a particular purpose.

It is Sumire, however, who will leave a lasting impact on me. Her Bohemian lifestyle, lack of connection to society and dreams, which never get fulfilled, often resemble us in certain situations when we feel lost and need someone to talk to. Her 4 AM telephone booth calls to K about the most trivial of matters, her apathy towards feminine attitudes and her intrinsic loneliness make her someone we do not find in society today, and therefore, unique. Furthermore, it is the change her character undergoes which makes her truly special. From her first encounter with Miu, when Miu mispronounced ‘Beatnik’ as ‘Sputnik’, to when she disappears, accepting that her love for Miu can never be reciprocated, Sumire will forever entrance readers. The person she was before her eventful meeting with Miu (an aimless struggling writer) was very different from the person she became after the meeting (a driven and purposeful secretary), and it is this change which is fascinating for any reader to observe and infer from.

All in all, this book will always remain etched in my memory simply because of two words: ‘Sputnik’ and ‘Sweetheart’. However ridiculous this sounds, it is the title, at the end of the day, which is the crux of the whole book. Haruki Murakami has created Sumire and Miu, two individual sputnik satellites, much like humans, lonely and in need of companionship, spinning alone in the vast emptiness of space.

THE ISSUE WITH REVIEWING a book which has enough reviews with differing opinions is that the differences are on the most fundamental aspects of the book. Sputnik Sweetheart is a breathtaking novel which qualifies as unconventional at best, and sacrilegious at worst (from an English Master’s point of view) It is this mindboggling characteristic, however, that makes this masterpiece one of a kind, and makes it do the one thing every fictional book should- force the reader to introspect, and explore new regions and aspects of of the mind.

Sputnik Sweetheart has a few qualities which make it stand out, and foremost among them being the intimacy one feels with the characters. The description is raw, and this lack of refinement is what makes it honest. When ‘K’, the narrator, describes his inner sexual urges towards Sumire, the author makes it a point to avoid any subtleties, making it all the more believable. Similarly, the reader is often offered a window into the inner thoughts of each character, whether it is in Sumire’s essays, or K’s narration. Examples of this is seen when K admits he doubts Sumire ‘knows that bras come in different sizes’. This simple, clean writing makes the reader compare themselves with each character, knowing the most private details about each one.

Words Karan Sampath The second aspect of this book which has truly left me in awe is the its characters. Sumire, the protagonist, is a millennial who does not care about societal rules or customs. The other two important characters are K, the narrator, and Miu, an older Korean woman. The story opens with Sumire falling in love with Miu, shedding light on the genius of Haruki Murakami, who, in true Japanese fashion, has not made this an issue at all, utterly disregarding the social taboos present against such a relationship.

This thought is then developed, with Sumire finding herself unable to express her love for Miu, and K being unable to do the same for Sumire. This convoluted scenario adds complexity to the story, with the love now transcending sexuality, with both heterosexual and homosexual love in the picture. This affects the relationships these three characters have with one 12 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

Image Credits: Pintrest and Penguin Books

Kanodia anishkh K s rd o W ltana redit: Ba Image C

Jagga Jasoos NEVER BEFORE HAVE I COME ACROSS A Bollywood movie that intertwines a thrilling mystery with shades of romantic-comedy as intricately as Jagga Jasoos does. This musical mystery thriller is one of the first of its kind. Director Anurag Basu’s dream project, Jagga Jasoos takes the audience to a fantasyland where an eighteen-year old sleuth, Jagga (Ranbir), embarks on an adventure with an ill-fated journalist, Shruti (Katrina), to search for his foster father, “Tutti Frutti”.

From the outset of the movie, the audience is made to believe that this is not the quotidian Bollywood movie one generally expects- because in this everything has rhythm and beat to it! From the cacophony of news panels to the clutter of utensils to the simple act of brushing the teeth, music finds its place everywhere and keeps the three-hour movie alive. What also accentuates the musical feel is the substitution of Jagga’s dialogues with ballads. At the outset of the movie itself, the audience is acquainted with one of the zany habits of Jagga: stammering. To quell his stammering, he resorts to singing instead of speaking. This usage of structured rhythmic poetry constantly flows through the movie, serving as one the main elements in defining the ‘fantasy’ aspect of the movie.

Apart from dialogues and background music, an essential element of cinema is that of cinematography.

Shot in the picturesque valley of Darjeeling and the barren desert lands of North Africa, the director

uses backdrops in effectively defining the genre of the movie. Much like all the Tintins in which one would see the protagonist go to a far-off remote land in the middle of nowhere, Jagga Jasoos also takes us to arid Africa in the final leg of the movie. In that remote land one could see Jagga and Shruti ride on an ostrich, fly a plane, secretly enter a circus train, dance on the streets to earn a few pennies and, of course, run away from the bad guys to search for ‘Tutti Frutti’. The dynamics of the movie in the latter half of the movie constantly changes at a rapid pace preventing the movie from being a monotonous drag.

While on the face of it the movie might just look like a light-hearted dream world, it is not. The subplot revolves around the earnest issue of illegal smuggling of arms around the globe. Jagga’s foster father had, in fact, fallen prey to this vicious nexus of dealers. Thus, the simultaneous running of these two main plots (Jagga’s search and the arms deal) throughout the movie provides the balance between fantasy and reality. However, at places Anurag Basu stretches the realms of realities and voyages into showing unrealistic scenes and actions. For instance, the ease with which Jagga escapes the cartel of the smugglers, not once, not twice but thrice forces the audiences to make the quotidian remark that “at the end of the day it is a Bollywood movie”.

However, I would not go on to say that Anurag Basu’s gamble was able to awestruck the Indian audience. Since it was the first time Indian audience was reveled to a completely new genre, the movie was not able to connect with people. The entire concept of a musical still seems alien to the spectators, making the movie redundant and banal. Still, it was successful in making the audience fall in love with the goofy and eccentric Jagga. What also accentuates his character as the hero of this fantasyland is the comic-book touch to the movie. In fact, the entire movie is narrated from the perspective of a storyteller (who is coincidently Shruti) staging a play on the comic-series ‘The Adventures of Jagga’. Truly, Ranbir Kapoor did keep the entire movie alive with his pantomimic dramatisations and idiosyncrasies.

To conclude, although the film failed to make a profound impact on the majority of Indians, it did lay the foundation for Broadway style musicals in India.

It did the ever-vital job introducing a new genre to the larger portion of our nation. As for me, I loved every single element of the movie. For me, it was a cauldron of the perfect ingredients required for any movie, brewing the flawless mesmerising potion.

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The Inheritance Cycle Words Bhavtegh Gill Image Credits: Quotemaster, Quality Book Covers

THE INHERITANCE CYCLE IS A FAVOURITE OF FANTASY fiction lovers everywhere. At the age of 15, Christopher Paolini, wrote the first book of the Inheritance Cycle, Eragon, later moving on to become international bestseller. Originally published in 2002, it was followed by the sequels Eldest, Brisingr and lastly, Inheritance.

The novel is set in the land of Alagaesia, a world of dwarves, elves, dragons and many other magical creatures. It revolves around a farm boy, Eragon, who while hunting for food for his family is stunned when he notices that in the middle of the crater of an explosion is a polished blue stone. On returning home after a few days, the stone begins to crack and a very peculiar creature comes out; one with scales, wings of a sparkling blue colour, one of the likes that has not been seen for decades. This endangered species, Eragon later gets to know from the village storyteller, Brom, is a Dragon and Eragon is its rider. Eragon names the sparkling blue dragon, Saphira, the namesake of an earlier, much older dragon. Eragon and Saphira are linked through a very deep bond of love, respect and appreciation, 14 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

and they communicate through words, thoughts and emotions. Throughout the series, the reader is told of the amazing adventures of the two, along with ther friends they find on the way. From the hunt of the Ra’zac, the ruthless, cannibal murderers of Eragon’s uncle, to their rescuing of Arya, an elf blueblood ambassador. These events, however, all lead up to the climax of the series, to overthrow the tyrant and dragon rider, Galbatorix, who, after losing his Dragon, went mad with grief, and free the land from his influence.

The first book of this exceptional series was adapted into a movie as well and was largely based on it. However, I personally feel that the movie does not do justice to the book. Such was the case with many of the other fans. There was a great amount of information excluded, which was required to understand the main storyline. Only the main events from the story were included, which gave the movie a very shallow and unrelated appearance. Even though it produced a good turnout in the international boxoffice, a budget to make a sequel was not given.

The book deals with themes like family and responsibility as well as loss and rejection. This diversity of themes gives this seemingly simple fantasy-fiction book a mature side. Christopher Paolini has captured many interesting thoughts along with making the novel a suspense-filled thriller. It is a brilliant read for teenagers who are interested in such novels. Although it has some bad reviews, personally I believe this is a very well-written book and I recommend this to teenagers from 12-15 years old. It is along the line of books such as Harry Potter perhaps of the same standard as well. This story is in my opinion a collection of many smaller stories and should be read by those who can understand and appreciate such mature reads.

13 Reasons Why

Words Devang Laddha Image Credits: Feededigno

13 tapes, 13 people, 13 reasons.

KNOWN TO BE ONE OF the most controversial shows of the year, ‘13 Reasons Why’ has been the latest Netflix original to shake its audiences. Based on the book by Jay Asher, the teen drama tells the riveting story of the death of Hannah Baker. Showing the toxic environment of an average high school, the show has offered a very different take of what many consider to be the best years of their lives. Portraying the brutality of adolescence and highlighting the lows of high school, the show captures the experience of being a teenager with heart wrenching honesty.

The show begins with Hannah’s death and the entire school grieving her loss. Her friend, Clay soon finds a mysterious box of tapes on his porch. The tapes are recorded by Hannah and at the beginning of the tapes she promises two things. One, that she is going to explain the reasons behind her suicide and second, whether the listener is one of the reasons.

Thereafter ensues the journey of Clay Jensen as he tries to deal with the riveting tale of Hannah’s life.

Set in a suburban American High school, the series shows the evils of high school and how disastrous they can be. Touching on issues ranging from the abuse of social media to the two-facedness and stereotypes in high school, it depicts high school as never before. It shows the kind of things people write and say about each other in closed spaces, the damaging effect that rumours can have and how easily a person can be broken.

The most shocking and moving part of the series, however, is the honesty surrounding it. The events shown can happen at nearly any high school. While

the show does run on stereotypes, the fact is that it is true in parts of the world. Today, even in our school, people who play sports are considered to be ‘studs’ and academics are known as nerds. Regardless, adolescence is a tough time for any teenager, one where a person has to constantly adapt, struggle with one’s emotions and ‘13 Reasons Why’ shows this experience with all its brutality. The fact that adolescence is tough must be worked upon in schools across the world. We continue to lose many Hannah Bakers to depression year after year. While some do indeed commit suicide, most remain unhappy throughout their teenage years.

The fact that ‘13 Reasons Why’ manages to capture all this makes it stand as a modern masterpiece.

Depicting the evils prevalent in our schooling system, the show clearly highlights areas we all need to improve in. Moreover, these actions are not just limited to school but flow into all areas of social interaction. Rather than being self-absorbed, we should look into the lives of others and look hard, past the exterior, to see their problems. It shows the lack of support systems that exist in our lives and the consequences it can have. Further, it teaches how people should act to suicide, highlighting what not to do. Meanwhile, the show also has its share of problems, with its depiction of suicide still a matter of debate. So, do watch this show for it tells a tale like no other, but do watch carefully, giving serious thought to what you see. As viewers wait for the tale of Hannah Baker to continue, ‘13 Reasons Why’ continues to remind the world about the haunting experience adolescence can be.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 15

LAST WEEK TONIGHT With John Oliver

Words Arjun Singh Image Credits: Nerdist, Salon, TIME Magazine, Amazon ‘THE TONIGHT SHOW, TONIGHT!’ starring Steve Allen first premiered in 1954. With flamboyant musicals, wet-and-dry humour, celebrity interviews and background laughter; the show packed both glamour and energy that made it an instant hit with American audiences. More importantly, though, it served as one of the pioneers the genre of latenight talk shows, which have since risen to become one of the crown jewels of modern television.

Over fifty years after Allen, however, arrived the legendary Jon Stewart – who with ‘The Daily Show’ rekindled the died-down enthusiasm of talk shows with a 21st Century design. Sitting first at his newsdesk, Stewart set the high bar for talk shows’ dive into the ‘infotainment’ phase – combining political satire with an argumentative line, and importantly, shifting focus to real time news for a generation connected across the global hyperspace. Amassing a reputation over decade, his retirement in 2015 was hailed by many as the end of that revival.

Enter John Oliver: today, Stewart’s successor as the undisputed alpha male of late-night talk-show television with his signature feature ‘Last Week Tonight’ on HBO. Being a Stewart protégé, Oliver first distinguished himself during a one-time fill-in for his boss – where his affable and light demeanour, easy British accent and gift for humour (especially the crude type) shed the limelight that attracted his current HBO producers; not to mention a Primetime Emmy for screenwriting work on The Daily Show.

In retaining the same format, Last Week Tonight brought viewers the important news of the week – but 16 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

packed with satire; crude, cultural, scathing humour and, above all – the impassioned and memorable host who’s invited the massive viewership garner a whopping average of 4.1 million views per episode.

Oliver’s chief ingredient – the key to public television success – is his personality. His nimble ability to deliver a joke (albeit followed by studio audience laughter) forms a major part of this when interspersed across segments of videotaped content or graphics. Indeed, the choices of Oliver’s humour on the show are sought from a pool including popculture as well as political history, with a right balance being struck between refined humour and common jokes – appealing to a wider class of viewers. Perhaps the greatest element of his comedy, however, is the ‘bare-bones’ attitude he adopts, with Oliver’s incisiveness often going no-holds-barred to satirise the topics (and often, himself) in scathing detail.

The perfectly timed and toned expletives, allegories that render the subject ludicrous or even his selfdeprecating humour are the key features that let him reduce entities to laughingstock. Be it Oliver’s founding of a Christian denomination (Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption) to highlight legal loopholes with Churches, or forgiving $15 Million in medical debt in a jibe at lenders; the extent to which Oliver goes to scathe only entices viewers. All the while, his wry expression and cheeky, soft smile gives the animated Oliver a measured ‘groove’ of a T.V. host – an irresistible combination for most.

But behind his effective comedy, however, is the underlying content that really draws viewers in the

modern age. While Jon Stewart highlighted sociopolitical occurrences, episodes of Last Week Tonight – as the name suggests – highlight a single major issue over the week that viewers would naturally be aware of: the militarisation of police, sugar, civil asset forfeiture, the Republican Party and India’s General Elections being but a prominent few. While taping the show, Oliver maintains a consistent line of argument to as he critiques the subject, leaving one impressively convince by the end of an episode. The cases are undoubtedly well researched and detailed clearly with facts that effectively convince viewers of Oliver’s claims, often contradicting those made by politicians and others (in comic style, of course).

Indeed this feature gives Last Week Tonight its investigative journalism tilt, which has surprisingly developed as a reliable source of information - the show being acclaimed for its accuracy. This however represents, at a macro level, the greater effect of Last Week Tonight and other such shows for spreading information in society. In today’s world where distrust of government and the media (‘fake news’) is greater than ever before, the rise in such shows’

interest suggests a desire to gain both accurate information and, more importantly, perspective on consequential matters. The humorous nature of such shows only engages viewers on these matters in ways traditional news media fails to do.

Overall, Oliver’s fusion of these strategies has catapulted Last Week Tonight to the top rankings of late-night television, with over 1 Billion hits on YouTube. The show’s popularity today dwarfs that of comparables like Trevor Noah (Stewart’s replacement), Stephen Colbert or even Bill Maher.

However, while Oliver has been earned relative success with his modus operandi, the show’s progression should be at an onset. More special invitees (like the one-time appearance of Edward Snowden) and increased versatility - possibly interviews (such as Oliver’s with NSA Director Keith Alexander) would be welcomed as a natural expansion of the show, providing viewers with a greater variety while increasing the show’s relevance. For the moment, however, John Oliver continues to dominate the talk-show arena, with millions of viewers to eagerly await the next episode of Last Week Tonight.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 17

That 70’s Show

Words Aayush Chowdhry

“

Image Credits: Movies Pics

‘I can’t believe that any of you can walk into a church without bursting into flames.’ –Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman THE ABOVE QUOTATION HAS actually, very aptly summed up the nature of probably all characters of the show. That 70’s Show can easily be called an insight into an American grandfather’s teenage life, or call it a crazy teen show (it’s all the same).

This show is an absolute personal favourite, easily trumping Friends and Seinfeld and all the rest (that is something coming from a guy who gets 20/20 in Friends trivia every time). The plot itself is so unique that the show is bound to be funny. The kernel is formed by the geeky son Eric Forman (Topher Grace) of a grumpy war veteran Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith). It revolves around his family and friends but every character is distinctly crazy. Donna (Laura Prepon) is the archetypal neighbour girl while Jackie (Mila Kunis) is a typical narcissistic, materialist and popular high school junior. Hyde (Danny Masterson) is your typical junkie while Fez (William Valderemma) is the foreign, and awkwardly enough, rather sexually excited weirdo. Aston Kutcher defines what it means to be dumb in the form of Micheal Kelso and the best for last, Debra Jo Rupp’s psychotic ‘supposed-to-beperfect’ mother. I think that says enough about the kind of drama/comedy to expect, doesn’t it?

Well actually you have absolutely no idea of how much more the show is. Set in the 70’s, a time of romanticism and Zepplin, this show takes humour to a whole other level. This show is unique in not only the plot but also in its episode structure. Every episode has the weirdest scene breakers and the iconic ‘circle’ scene (one camera in the centre and 4-5 of the main characters sitting in a circle higher than kites). Eric and Donna’s relationship is the pivot around which the show revolves and Jackie 18 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

ends up dating almost everyone else. Eric Forman’s basement being the analogous to Mc Laren’s from ‘How I Met Your Mother’, the show generates tons of laughter while showing the journey of this group from sophomores to adults. The Forman family in itself is the most insane family ever to feature on television. Now, bear with me as I try to explain it in PG-13. Kitty Forman’s psychotic alcoholism, Red Forman’s foot up people’s posteriors and name calling (precisely: dumb donkeys), their marriage of years’ yet, active desires and their daughter Laurie’s ‘popularity among the men’ of the whole city probably is what makes the show so special. Words don’t do justice when I tell you how plain and simply funny the show is.

The thing that makes this show so special for me is how relatable it is. I know it’s based in the 70s and I might be a loser to find a 70s American teenager life relatable but I’ll chalk it off as India modernised later.

Anyway, the fact that the problems are similar with a rather witty twist is one of my favourite parts of the show. Despite all of this, I found Season 8 to be a big letdown. Topher Grace quit the show and hence, the show had no Eric who was, as earlier mentioned, the kernel of the show.

To conclude, I guess its clichéd to tell you this is a must watch show. But honestly, it’s really tough for me to write such an appreciative article. I mean, I wrote a scrutinising article on Sherlock season 4; so the point is, this show is definitely a must watch.

Excluding Season 8, the show is pure teenage comedy and I feel it will really strike a chord with Doscos.

To push you to watch this show I would end with a typical dialogue in the show by Red; ‘When my time comes I want to be buried face down. That way whoever doesn’t like me can kiss my…. posterior’

THE

FOUNDER Words: Armaan Verma Image Credit: Indie Wire

AS YOU TAKE A SEAT TO WATCH The Founder on Netflix, you will no doubt experience the familiar fuzzy feeling that accompanies being surrounded by your family. Of course, that is precisely what this is: a family movie. After all, what could symbolize familial congregation more than a good old-fashioned McDonald’s meal? The Founder follows Ray Kroc (played by Michael Keaton), a workaholic and failing entrepreneur, as he stumbles upon the McDonald brothers and their culinary operation that charmed the residents of 1950s San Bernardino. The core of the McDonald’s principle remains unchanged as we know it, as portrayed by the movie; the swift and succinct order and delivery of food. The concept is revolutionary at a time when drive-ins were all the rage and customers ate their meals in parked cars, served by waitresses on roller skates in outrageously short skirts.

Mac and Dick McDonald, however are the polar opposite of Ray Kroc and all he propagates. The duo harbors not the slightest interest in either expansion nor profit. Kroc, on the other hand, sees in McDonald’s what others cannot. He sees the potential to establish an empire nurtured merely from the seedling of an idea. This is where the movie presents the stark distinction between characters, eventually bringing forth an ever more distinct conflict of interests. Every heated phone call between the McDonald brothers and Kroc—who often appear to be rivals—highlights the conflict between convention and novelty; prudence and boldness; contentment and innovation.

The franchise continues to grow (as Kroc begins to seize more and more control over the operation) while The McDonald brothers remain invariably stagnant in their approach to the creation of a franchise every step of the

way. As you sit there, however, sprawled on your living room couch, you cannot help but feel something unsettling encroaching on your comfort; something telling you that Mac and Dick McDonald have been cheated by an overambitious businessman with little hair and even lesser familial priorities. You also cannot help but be bogged down by the mire of conflicting moral stands you wish you could take. Did the McDonald brothers deserve for their creation to be adopted and dominated by another? And was this caused by their incessant rejection of new ideas and lack of pragmatism? Or were they and their establishment the victims of a cold and harsh world of business they had no way of anticipating? The movie’s portrayal of their plight is heart-rendering, as fleeting shots show their joy interrupted by Ray Kroc and his commercial glitz. On the other hand, it still stands by Kroc’s mission to franchise and does not falter in how it clearly supports what Kroc does just because of the manner in which he chooses to do it.

From the moment the notion of a franchise is conceived, there is something markedly American about every aspect of the film. In fact, Kroc himself represents the enterprising American citizen, unable to miss an opportunity that comes his way. The fashion in which he goes about his work is also unique to the American people.

It is hurried, exciting, informal, yet grand. He recognizes the American icon that McDonald’s has the potential of becoming and ascends to a level of near obsession to place it on that pedestal.

Thus, in many ways, The Founder is a celebration of the American spirit, while also exhibiting the devastating effects on the stability and comfort of small-time ventures that dreaming big can sometimes have.

The Founder

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 19

Breaking bad Words Vir Bhatia Image Credits: Screener, Mental Floss

WHEN WALTER WHITE IS FACED WITH the news of lung cancer, he wants nothing more than to leave his family in a comfortable situation after his passing. Aided by former student Jesse Pinkman, he endeavors into the unforgivable methamphetamine trade to do just that.

The show reflects the desperation and self-hatred born out of helplessness. Walter (played by Bryan Cranston) feels powerless due to his looming health problems and his underwhelming financial status.

This vulnerability leaves him with an urge to do what he can to ease the future of his family, no matter what it takes. His frustration reaches alarming heights as he must juggle his wife’s insecurities, his relations with his dealing associates and the pressures of keeping his extraordinarily unstable lifestyle discreet.

This hit AMC network television series has accomplished unfathomable amounts of success and critical acclaim since its pilot episode in early 2008. It is among the most watched shows in American Cable Television history. The show has received countless awards and honors including sixteen Primetime Emmy Awards, eight Satellite Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabody Awards, four Television Critics’ Association Awards and two Critics’ Choice Awards. Additionally, Cranston’s performance earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series on four separate occasions. Aaron Paul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series three times as Jesse Pinkman and Anna Gunn won the Primetime Emmy Award for

“

You don’t need a criminal lawyer.

You need a CRIMINAL LAWYER! Jesse pinkman 20 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series twice for her role as Skyler White. In 2013, Breaking Bad entered the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed show of all time.

Such a degree of success can only come after tentative research and guidance into the subject of the show. Vince Gilligan, creator and director of Breaking Bad, stated in an interview that the show was receiving technical advice from a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Oklahoma to serve as a consultant for chemistry-orientated aspects of the script. Furthermore, a chemical specialist within the DEA in Dallas is known to have aided the writing team in terms of factual awareness.

This is something that can only be commended, considering the immense role that the DEA plays throughout the series.

Gilligan’s direction of the television series was widely regarded as a masterclass. When conceptualizing the show, Gilligan claims that he wanted a story in which the protagonist takes on the role of the antagonist (although at times, one could say Walter was both). Apparently, the idea of the plot came from a discussion with a fellow screenwriter in which Vince joked about their unemployment at the time. He stated that the solution was to “put a meth lab in the back of an RV and drive around the country selling meth and making money”. Gilligan has also expressed just how much thought went into the character development of Walter White. He described Walter’s “dark and odd” journey of learning he’d rather be on the upper hand than otherwise in

his industry.

The production team comprised a well-qualified cinematography unit. Nearly all members of the crew have over a decade of experience in their fields and have worked on prior movies and television series’. The decision to shoot the entire series in Albuquerque, New Mexico where the actual story is based brought a realism and believable aspect to the story. Perhaps the standout figure of the team is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Film Production course, Nelson Cragg. Cragg has worked in a number of large projects apart from Breaking Bad, most notably the American spy thriller, Homeland.

The team was helped by the formation of a stellar cast. Bryan Cranston is known for his performances in hit shows, ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ and ‘Seinfeld’.

The former having earned him three nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Anna Gunn joined Cranston with a special guest appearance on Seinfeld in the fifth season. She also famously published an op-ed piece in The New York Times to address the public dislike towards her character in the show. Aaron Paul acted in several major film productions such as Mission Impossible III, Need For Speed and Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Additionally, he voices the character of Todd Chavez in the popular animated Netflix series, BoJack Horseman.

A number of spin-off media articles and merchandise have prevailed over the years including talk shows, games, comic books and toys however the most notable is Gilligan’s own prequel show; ‘Better Call Saul!’ The show is named after a popular catchphrase of Saul Goodman (who we later learn is actually named Jimmy McGill), a self-promoted lawyer who assisted Walter and Jesse through legal

issues. It covers Saul’s journey from an employee at Cinnabon to becoming a profitable lawyer and also presents insight into his relationships with Mike Ehrmantraut and Gus Fring, two prominent characters in the Breaking Bad universe.

Breaking Bad provides very little context or background for Saul’s character, in spite of which he charms his audience with his confidence and quick wit. The show always portrayed him to be experienced, aware, and always one step ahead of the opposition. His knack for problem-solving— amongst other qualities—has sprung from humble beginnings and a painstakingly long journey to the top.

Many have claimed that the show is not only impressive as a prequel, but as a show in itself. Bob Odenkirk, a fan favorite, was awarded the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series on two separate occasions. Gilligan won the Satellite Award for Best Television Series and was showered with praise for sticking to his artistic grim and dark style in the spin-off series which currently has three seasons and AMC has guaranteed a fourth soon.

In conclusion, Breaking Bad is a television series with scientific accuracy, thrilling storytelling and spectacular direction, production and acting. It is supported brilliantly by an equally fantastic prequel, which gives the parent show a new lens through which it can be viewed, and a context and backstory into a journey that was, simply put, stunning.

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Alfred Hitchcock’s

VERTIGO The usage of colors in character development.

Words Ritvik Kar Image Credits: Body Height Weight, Canny Seniors, Cinephilia and Beyonf, A Lost Film, The Wonderful World of Cinema

WATCHING HITCHCOCK’S VERTIGO FOR THE FIRST time, I was mesmerised but the sheer visual quality of the film. The various little but significant choices made over the course of the film keep the viewer engaged and help give deeper meaning to the on-screen action. One of the choices that stood out to me was the powerful emphasis the movie placed on colours, giving each character a certain colour combination and playing with that as the characters develop. A lot can be covered on how colours play a role in defining Madeleine/Judy, Midge, and Scottie but the colour I want to focus on is green.

Green is the colour associated most closely with Madeleine’s character. Over the course of the film, Madeleine becomes the center of Scottie’s fixation and throughout, the colour green persists. The first time we see Madeleine, she’s wearing a black and green dress, the green prominently around her neck.

We see a side profile close-up shot of her, setting a sharp contrast against the red background. From this point on, the colour green follows Madeleine through her scenes. Her car, obsessively followed by Scottie, is green. While following Madeleine’s car, we have a moment where Scottie follows two identical green cars, a disconcerting moment for Scotty and a possible foreshadow of the dual nature of Madeleine’s character. The greenery persists in front of the Palace of the Legion of Honor Art Gallery, the florist’s shop, the graveyard and the deep green water of the San Francisco bay.

Back in Scottie’s apartment, Scottie is seen wearing a light green sweater. He offers Madeleine clothing of his own choice, a red robe, that is also the colour associated with his character. This is the only time where Madeleine is completely under Scottie’s 22 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

control, and she’s wearing his colours. We see this again later on in the film when Scottie dresses up Judy in Madeleine’s colour scheme, gray, and green.

After the scene between Scottie and Madeleine in Scottie’s apartment, Scottie begins to wear a graygreen sweater, undergoing Madeleine’s spell and beginning his steep descent into madness. Madeleine and Scottie profess their love to each other in the dark green setting of the California Redwoods, the red and green contrast showing up again.

Judy’s introduction is similar to Madeleine’s, such that they both have right side profile mediumclose shots and are both wearing green dresses. In the next scene, where Judy reveals to the audience the mystery behind Madeleine’s death, Judy is still wearing a green dress, a remnant of Madeleine’s character. Judy tries to develop her own character by wearing a lavender outfit for her first date with Scottie but soon realizes that Scottie’s obsession with Madeleine isn’t limited to her personality but also to her colour scheme. The climax of this struggle is when Judy is fully converted into Madeleine, wearing her gray suit and her hair tied up in the same style.

As she emerges from the bathroom, she is wrapped in the green light from the neon sign outside and surrounded by a haze, much like a resurrection.

Scottie is finally satisfied with this beauty and his character completes its path to becoming a fetish psychopath. At this point, Scottie has successfully transformed Judy into Madeleine.

As evident, green is embedded into some of the most crucial scenes of Vertigo and its evolution through Scottie and Madeleine/Judy seems leads to a deeper understanding of their respective character arcs. What’s peculiar about the colour is that it’s

always being used on characters who are under someone else’s control. Madeleine is Gavin Elster’s puppet, Scottie is Madeleine’s, and eventually, Judy is Scottie’s. For instance, after Madeleine’s death, Scottie has a mental breakdown which starts out with flashes of blue, purple, yellow, and red. As the dream progresses though, all the other colours fade away and the red goes from orange to bright red. Scottie reaches his breaking point when all the colours are eventually saturated by a green light, flashing on Scottie’s face, evidence that Madeleine still controls his psyche. Even the first time we see Judy, she’s wearing her green dress. All three characters to have been associated with the colour green were molded into a desirable form by their puppeteer, and eventually left broken or dead once their purpose was fulfilled.

Vertigo displays colour as a tool, unlike any movie I’ve come across. Most modern movies simply use colour to display realism and everything is tinted by that colour. There is no real intentionality behind it, apart from it being present. Hitchcock portrays the extra dimension one can add to the viewing experience by wielding colour as a powerful tool.

The movie follows its various characters go through various levels of manipulation and Hitchcock reinforces that feeling with the way he uses colour.

There can be much said about the social significance of these colours but even without that interpretation, Hitchcock does a convincing job of using the colour within the context of the film and gives it a meaning of its own.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 23

Game

of

T hrones Season 7

Words Aayush Chowdhry Image Credits: Tower Records, Maison Magloyuan

Warning: The following content contains major spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 7. If you have abided by the rules of the school or the laws of the nation and haven’t watched it yet, I suggest you do not proceed; however, you should probably end your life in exile and touch base with the modern world first.

IN WESTEROS, A LAND WHERE COMMUTING time doesn’t exist and people choose family over the human race, Season 7 took ‘Game of Thrones’, the bench mark for pop cultural literacy, to a whole another level. Fitting aptly the popular convention of the ‘geeky fan’, I went wild with each episode.

What with the zombie dragon, or Jon Snow being the legitimate heir to the throne, or Robert Baratheon’s rebellion being a lie, or the wall coming down; each episode had me going crazier than the last. However, that is because I am a Game of Thrones fanatic and anything with the label of ‘GoT’ on it will drive me crazy.

The ‘finer’ end of the school community also showed their fervor in the ways they could. Many toiled to download the leaked episode at 3 AM, finally resorting to the Game of Thrones cartel of school (aka Kashmir house). The episodes were obviously worth the search. With the kind of things that took place, they appealed to the fan base much more than the other seasons; a little too much. Even though I had been going insane with each release, it was rather obvious that this season catered too much to the fan base. When one major player met another, in the previous seasons, it was the rarest and the most sacred thing for a fan. However this season, as the directors forgot to address the concept of commuting, the hype for the meeting wasn’t created whatsoever. For example: it took a half a season for Stannis to travel from Storm’s End to King’s Landing on a fully fledged ship but Tyrion and Davos made the trip and return in the span of an episode.

24 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

Similarly, Brienne and Jamie took almost a season from Winterfell to King’s Landing and yet, Jon Snow makes trips from Winterfell to Storm’s End and then to beyond the wall between episodes while, other characters experience continuous time.

But, as an accommodating fan base, we get it, right?

I mean, so close to culmination, one has to expect that things like journeys aren’t really as important as the destination. It is one of those things we accept in a world of dragons and dead men; sometimes even alive dead men. However, I, personally, liked those journeys and the creation of bonds such as that between Jorah Mormont and Tyrion. The directors, though, did smartly include this aspect in episode 6. On their way to capture a ‘Wight’, Jon Snow and Beric Dondarrion converse about Rhollor and how being resurrected indicates a clandestine purpose; the gap between Tormund and the Hound is bridged by their acquaintance of Brienne and Jorah and Jon grow close due to the Mormont heirloom Longclaw.

This did create important relations we must keep in mind for the future but, was overshadowed by the major complication introduced: Danaerys and Jon. If family works the way we assume it does in Westeros, Danaerys is Jon’s aunt; we knew that Targaryens had incestuous tendencies but still, this was unforeseen. The reveal, that was in sync with the expression of love between Jon and Danaerys, was notwithstanding, ameliorated by some clever directing as Missandei’s talk with Davos and Jon about bastards created a foreboding in viewers. With Bran’s prior knowledge of Jon’s birth, Samwell Tarly

was brought into play effectively as he came across the truth about Jon’s lineage at the Citadel.

Along with me, people from all across the globe lost it at this point of the episode, and guess what?

This wasn’t the important bit. In the very next scene, and the last scene of the season, the dragon burnt down the wall. However, does an ice dragon breathe fire or super-strong ice? I am a little confused.

Whatever it was, regardless, got the wall to crack and gave the fans the direction they needed for the hype that must be created for the ultimate season of the show. Yet, after the conclusion of the season many accused Game of Thrones of being something that it was perceived to be most distant from: clichéd.

If one really thinks about it, keeping aside all the politics (made irrelevant) of the previous seasons and filtering through all the elements that make Game of Thrones special, and focuses only on the story, some of these accusations do (even after my playing the devil’s advocate) hold up. Let’s look at it: an undermined ‘good guy’, always different from the rest, and the exiled beautiful ‘good girl’ fall in love.

They join arms with the living to fight an army of the dead with the ‘good guy’ secretly being the actual leader of the living. But, if we boil most things down it is always the clichéd dyadic pair of good and evil and to classify Game of Thrones as a cliché would be rather unfair. I mean, after an ice dragon I don’t think we can really make that leap.

One can’t deny the absolute genius behind the story; it is what makes this show a fan favorite, but one also can’t deny the various lapses in the direction

of this year’s season. We were left with many loose ends and rather unexplained events by the end of it. The biggest example of this was how Jaime did not die while sinking with his armor. Furthermore, how did he not get captured by Danaerys and reach King’s Landing at the same time that Randyll Tarly and the others were captured and burned? Another absurdity was Benjen Stark popping out of nowhere to save Jon Snow and stopping the entire army of the dead from chasing after Jon. Loose ends on the other part of Westeros were also apparent, such as if Cersei’s gold was burnt by Danaerys what happened to her deal with the Iron Bank or if Cersei is having another child and marrying Euron Greyjoy, how will it exactly work?

These questions only serve to add to the curiosity created by the season, and because I (being an obsessive fanatic) need to ignore the imperfections in Game of Thrones, I do come up with my own justifications. It is fair that we do so; an elaborate fantasy like Game of Thrones does need room to breathe. However, let’s hope the end of the show (and the end of an era) leaves us with a knotted up story. With the extended wait, all of the ‘finer’ men and women in the universe and the illegally-watching teens, like me, grow persistently impatient for the story’s conclusion and yet, none of us want the show to end. It is safe to say that the only expectation Season 8 will cater to are that of quality and not of story, but until January 2019 us Game of Thrones addicts must live in our drought.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 25

Game of T hrones

Fan T heories Words Aviral Kumar Image Credits: Wired, The Telegraph

KINGS, QUEENS, KNIGHTS and knaves all vie for the Iron Throne. Fire has arrived in Westeros, and the White Walkers have brought winter to the North for the first time in several millennia. Jon Snow is a Targaryen, and has newfound love with the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys. The Wall has crumbled, and along with it numerous myths that have surrounded the global phenomenon that is Game of Thrones. As the show’s seventh season dawned upon us, fans eagerly devoured its every moment, scrutinizing every scene to unveil a plethora of secrets and theories. Unfortunately, most of these are either too far-fetched, or already disproven to hold any credibility, but regardless, a few have managed to stand the test of time. So here we are, these are Game of Thrones’ two most prevalent fan-theories: 1. Bran has warged through every Bran in Stark History.

This theory recently gained some ground after Brandon Stark, or Bran, was given more screen time and character development within the last few seasons. To understand it, one must first understand the unique combination of powers Bran possesses.

As long time fans of the show would know, Bran is a warg, an individual who can project his consciousness into another being, allowing him to control them.

Most wargs can only perform this on animals, but Bran is unique in that he can control humans. On top of this, Bran also has greensight, an inherent intuition that allows him to have prophetic dreams and visions of the past. Put all this together, and Bran essentially becomes Westeros’ very own time machine, evidenced by when he travelled back in time to tell a young Wylis to ‘Hold the Door’, initiating his transformation into Hodor. As for the theory itself, it states that the numerous Brans across the Stark bloodline (Brandon being a common name, even belonging to Brandon the Builder, the architect of the Wall) are all in fact Bran, who has been warging through time, across each Bran, to finally reach his own body, so that he may aid a fractured Westeros against the White Walkers. This also lends meaning to the commonly used phrase “There must always be Stark in Winterfell” – The first Starks must’ve been informed, presumably by a warging Bran himself, to ensure the continuation of the Starks, so that one day the true Bran may be born in the flesh.

2. Bran is the Night King.

This theory shares several key points with the first theory, and has recently become the most discussed theory amongst fans, especially after the previous season. The theory goes that Bran, having witnessed 26 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

the horrifying outcome of the Great War, advocated going back in time to prevent the White Walkers from being created in the first place. Supposedly, the voice that plagued the Mad King, Aerys II, which pleaded him to ‘Burn them all.’, was Bran’s, and was his first warging attempt. While Bran meant burn the White Walkers, who at this time would’ve just began stirring, and would pose little resistance against a united Westeros, his voice drove Aerys to insanity, who instead opted to burn his own people.

Next, Bran attempted to go further back to the Long Night, the apocalyptic war between humanity and the Walkers, instead showing up at its climax. Here, he was within the body of Brandon the Builder (a point this theory shares with the first), and built the Wall to protect Westeros against the Others. Seeing no other option, Bran finally decided to warg back to the moment the Walkers were created, inhabiting the body of the man soon to become the first of them.

Unfortunately, as his mentor the Three-Eyed Raven stated, stay too long within a vessel, and you remain trapped, and Bran could not warg out as his host became a White Walker, inadvertently becoming the Night King. This could be why the Night King didn’t kill Jon Snow outright at Hardhome, because somewhere, Bran still existed within him, and he felt remorse upon seeing someone from his family after so long, or perhaps because he knew that Jon would be the one to end him. The Night King being Bran could also be why he noticed the current timeline’s Bran warging amongst his troops, and was able to brand him with his mark. All in all, the Bran/Night King theory is as feasible as it is absurd and if true, could bring a chilling conclusion to the acclaimed saga.

The Age Of Kali Words Divyansh Nautiyal

Image Credits: Amazon.com

PUBLISHED IN 1998, THE AGE OF KALI by William Dalrymple is a rare treat for the eyes. A travelogue in nature, it has been presented in the form of essays where the author has covered his travels spanning over a decade in the Indian subcontinent.

Before the content of the book is reviewed, I would like to give my opinion on the aptness of the title chosen for the book. Throughout the course of the book, the readers are being shown how the world is gradually progressing into the phase of Kali Yug (a term in Hindu mythology indicating the onset of a time when evil in society flourishes and the world is on the brink of complete annihilation). The accounts of the book highlight the deep rooted problems of corruption and racism present within the region and hence the title – The Age of Kali.

In the book, Dalrymple has excellently penned down his experiences of travelling the Indian subcontinent and exploring the problems prevalent in the societies of different regions within the area. The author has brought forth the dirty and life threatening politics that is played in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where criminals have become synonymous with politicians. Moreover, he has talked of the caste ridden and dogmatic beliefs of people living in the interiors of Rajasthan.

The atrocities brought down upon the widows of Vrindavan, or the extreme nationalistic and religious ideologies of organizations and political parties like RSS and BJP have been covered by the author is his travels across India. He explores the culture of the growing cosmopolitan cities of Bombay and Bangalore and the decay of the same in Hyderabad and Lucknow. Moving on south, he gives his accounts of the rich cultural and religious beliefs of South India and presents an India which is in stark contrast with North India. His daring explorations also lead him into the jungles of Sri Lanka and the interiors of Pakistan where laws don’t exist and wars are waged on a daily basis.

In his essays which are full of interviews which he has taken and his real life experiences, one gets to see the raw version of problems within these areas.

His essays are unaffected by any biases or sentiments or a particular ideology. Perhaps, the reason why the book stands out amongst the rest is because of the

aforementioned reason. Moreover, the interviews and the experiences of the author in his essays have done their best to make the reader connect and understand the gravity of the innumerable issues he has brought up in his book.

What makes the book extremely engaging is the fact that Dalrymple dared to go places where people hesitate to go to due to safety issues. He went to the interiors of Pakistan where laws were absent and managed to interview their politicians and warlords.

In Sri Lanka, he managed to get a peek into the lives of the Tamil Tigers and their ways of functioning.

The interviews of individuals from such areas taken by the author definitely make for an interesting read.

While the author does present such grave issues, his writing style kept them light, humorous and even entertaining. Moreover, the author has been extremely straightforward and blunt about issues and hasn’t euphemized them in any manner in his writing. As the book progresses, it is observed that the author has tried to present India in its truest form. A country that is constantly developing but still haunted by problems of caste, racism and corruption. Although the book has little analysis of these problems, they surely provide the reader with an insight to them. However, the book seemed to go off track as the author went on to cover his travels in Reunion in one of his essays. Though his accounts showed it as a peculiarly interesting island in the Indian Ocean in terms of its diversity, it however seemed out of place with his other essays that pointed out to the onset of the Kali Yug. As one reads the book, they will surely be exposed to eye opening problems that are prevalent in our society but still tend to go unnoticed. After reading about the problems which the public of Pakistan faces or the miserable lives of the widows of Vrindavan, one is sure to give a second thought about these issues. In my view, this book has been a successful attempt by the author to show the depth to which some problems have gone into our society and how the era of Kali Yug is on the horizon.

This book has further ignited an interest in me towards the genre. For anyone who is even remotely interested in knowing the Indian subcontinent, this book will not fail to impress you. For the ones who are already into this genre, add this book to your list!

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 27

Words Malvika Kala Image Credits: Youtube,Slash Film, BBC, Reece Wykes

Toni Erdmann WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU thought of watching a German comedy? The question seems almost rhetorical since German and comedy appear to be incongrous if not downright paradoxical.

Whether it is 2004’s Goodbye, Lenin about revising history for the sake of family or 1992’s Schtonk!, a farce on Hitler’s diaries, the fate of German comedies as being no laughing matter, has been sealed. The director of “Toni Erdman” Maren Ade adds to the confusion when she says “This will not be a comedy”, belying the labelling of her film as a comedy. The film with the runtime of 162 minutes is indeed not a definitive comedy- atleast not like the ones we are used to. No, this father- daughter drama provokes grins, grimaces and tears, while balancing the absurd with an underlying melancholy.

The two protagonists don’t belong in this world.

They live in their fantasies and seem too indecisive, vulnerable and very very embarrassing. But the story is a story for now- that takes on the strained relationship between a father and his daughter through a brilliantly smart and radically penetrating lens. The father is the 68 year old former music teacher Winfried Conradi, a romantic, for whom time has stopped. His home looks like a personal history museum containing relics of his past, and anything remotely modern like a crashed computer leaves him as helpless as a child. It is the death of his old beloved dog that shakes him out of his reverie.

His daughter Ines is a successful management consultant in Bucharest working her way up the professional ladder. So, it is there where he suddenly appears, on the pretext of giving her a birthday present, sideswiping her business meeting with a 28 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

client. She humours him briefly only to find that they have very less in common, but he refuses to play ball and when he is supposed to have left, he reappears in a new avatar- with a shaggy wig and buck teeth and introduces himself to her colleagues as Toni Erdmann- a “life coach“.

As 60s post war idealism meets the 21st century cynicism and neo-liberalism, the ties in a dysfunctional family come to light and old wounds re-appear. On the one hand, Toni Erdmann can be seen as a hardhitting satire on European capitalism and can be read as a warning to the alienation effect of globalisation. However, while such a socioeconomic subtext is hardly underplayed, it is the embarrassingly intimate interplay between the estranged father and daughter, that makes this tragi-comedy ultimately heartening. It is Ade’s adept handling of each scene and the mesmerising performances by the lead actors Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller, that does not let the characters slip into grotesque caricatures, instead portraying them with empathy into lifelike figures.

It is the story of two generations- the baby boomers and hippies born out of the post war euphoria, and their children born out of years of disillusionment, for whom lessons from the past are but a distant memory, and who refuse to let politics and social reality get in their way to success. Neither understands the language of the other. It is ironic that they meet each other in Bucharest, the land of the declining Eastern Modernity. Here, Ines handles an Outsourcing project that makes her culpable for the laying off of hundreds of Romanian employees to increase the cost-efficiency of her business client.

This restructuring of the workforce or ChangeManagement is a significant feature of Capitalism that produces a multitude of expendable human labour. Winfried, of course, owing to the curse of his generation, is sympathetic to the cause of the workers. Ines believes in the power of free will and like many in her generation will testify, is in no way, a free person. It is her father’s alter ego Toni Erdmann that forces an exasperated Ines to confront her egocentric cynical side. Erdmann- literally meaning earth man is no lunar-loony prankster, he is rather very much a terrestrial who gazes atop a cliff at the sea, wherein his daughter lies drowning in her own insecurities.

Among all superhero films that we have been deluged with in the past couple of years, this remains the most absurdly congrous. Instead of a masked crusader protecting the downtrodden from suffering under an unscrupulous crime lord, this one has a solitary old man donning a wig and grotesque frontal prosthetic teeth to save his daughter from her righteous ignominy of being normal amidst chaos and apathy, and indeed, save her he does. The film ends surreally with the father and daughter coming together amidst the strains of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All”, a creature out of Bulgarian folklore and an iconic all nude party.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 29

LOGAN Words Kushagra Kar Image Credits: Pop Sugar, Anon Craft, Marvel Movies Wikia

MOST CONVENTIONAL CINEMATIC SWAN songs are prone to expressing the greatest degree of grandeur possible. Extravagant set-pieces and ridiculous budgets are equally important in such endeavors. The goal which must be met is to make the ‘biggest’ and most lively installment in the franchise.

This formula, by an large, seems to work. To deviate from any proven method is a risk on its own, but to succeed in doing so is revolutionary. Such was the success met by James Mangold’s ‘Logan’.

Logan, being the final film in which Hugh Jackman would hold the mantle of The Wolverine, is the third installment in the character’s solo franchise. The first film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), is based in the years preceding Logan’s entry into the X-Men. The film performed poorly both critically and commercially, marking the lowest point in Wolverine’s cinematic history. Matters weren’t helped by the rather disturbing version of Deadpool which saw the ‘Merc with a Mouth’ having his mouth sown shut. The second solo film brought Logan to Japan, where he faces off against a dying World War 2 Veteran who was saved by Logan during the Hiroshima bombing. The Wolverine (2013) is a much more compelling story, and it brings a greater degree of humanity to the character who till then had been compared to an animal. The film does a phenomenal job drawing these parallels, going so far as to show Logan living in the woods in an attempt to escape from humanity. Moreover, the additional weakness of having lost his healing abilities makes the character more vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. We watch as he suffers from visions of 30 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

the death and destruction which has followed him his entire life and learn to sympathize with him. The film ends by setting up the next entry in the series, which would be X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).

It is important to mention Days of Future Past, simply because it helps us understand the trauma faced by Logan. The basis of his mutation is that he can heal any injury. The one injury he cannot heal is psychological, and he has plenty of that. In the 17 years we have seen Hugh Jackman on screen, Logan has lived for 197 years. He has, in this time, killed his father, fought in most notable wars in this period, lost his memory, killed the love of his life, Jean Grey, watched as everyone else he knows are killed by robots known as sentinels, altered the timeline to avoid that future and watched as everyone he knows is killed once again. This is, of course, just to name a few things. The result of this trauma being that Logan is as mentally unstable as it gets. At the age of 197, being an alcoholic who has given up on the world is the least of his concerns.

We now find ourselves at Logan (2017). The film, titled after the main character, can be defined as a mix between an old western and a family road trip (with equal parts death and destruction). Professor Charles Xavier (reprised by Sir Patrick Stewart OBE) is now an old man suffering from dementia.

Logan finds that his healing abilities have dulled, resulting in it taking much longer than normal for him to heal. The film opens to find a drunk Logan, originally James Howlett passed out in the back seat of his car, when a group of thugs attempts to steal his wheels. Logan reluctantly fights them off, giving

the audience its first look at the gore it would grow accustomed to over the next two hours. The story proceeds to introduce us to Laura Howlett (played

by Dafne Keen), or X-23, who is Logan’s daughter.

She was created using Logan’s DNA and has all his abilities. The adventure takes us across the United States as Logan and Charles try to take her to a supposed safe haven known as ‘Eden’.

Though the story is quite elementary, the depth with which it delves into its characters is not. The fact that we have seen both Jackman and Stewart play their characters to their greatest potential over the years makes this film all the more gripping. It is, in many ways, horrifying to see the calming force of the series as an unstable psychic who has no control over his powers. It is even more disconcerting to see his regret for having potentially killed the X-Men. As our guts wrench at the horror of this realization, X-24, a clone of Logan, stabs Charles in the chest.

The pillar of stability and the beacon of safety in the series dies as he confesses and repents for his mistake. The viewer is now put in Logan’s shoes. The character who has guided Logan and has literally held his hand through the series is dead. Much like Logan throughout the film, the viewer is left lost and hopeless. The true sorrow felt simply because of the circumstances of the death, the music and the setting is incredible. The master-crafted scene is one I would classify under the most breath-taking ones in any film. The scene encapsulates the beauty of this film by focusing on the characters and paying homage

to them as opposed to glorifying them any further.

As a viewer, you are compelled to understand their motives and logic. This stroke of cinematic genius is what it means to tell a story, something made especially tough when it is an exclusively visual platform.

This is a modest tale about how a father saves the life of his daughter, and learns to love again, even after everything he’s been through. This it does by creating a small, yet high staked, world which is self contained in its own issues. The reality that no one will ever know that The Wolverine’s body is buried under a tree in North Dakota makes this subtle tale all the more romantic. Its unconventional ‘R-Rating’ allows it to feel real in its use of blood and strong language. The sense of disgust felt each time blood spatters across the screen is something we share in common with Logan. The knowledge of why his life has been so miserable is what takes the story to another level. Unlike Deadpool, which used its rating for comic relief, Logan uses it to show what real life can be. In a a film which captures its characters in their rawest and most brilliant form, Hugh Jackman manages to stand out with his potential magnum opus.

To conclude what has been a rather long piece, I wouldn’t just recommend this film, but would classify it as a classic. For the simple fact that it has revolutionized what a film, forget superhero film, can be. A swan song which has done justice to its potential; is there a better way to go?

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 31

HERE I AM

BY JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER

Words Matthew Raggett Image Credits: Williamette Week, Jewish Week

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THINGS being age appropriate in education we often think about how suitable an activity, a book or an expectation might be for a child given their developmental stage. It probably isn’t sensible to get a group of 3rd Grade students to read Lord of the Flies or expect the D Formers to go on a private mid-term because they have not yet acquired the skills necessary to participate in these activities. For some time now I have been thinking about age appropriateness from a different perspective and reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s most recent novel, Here I am, has got hold of me in a very age appropriate way.

There are some songs, films, novels and pieces of art that I have come to think of as companions, friends even, because of the very age appropriate nature I share with them.

Pulp’s, Common People (1995), was a song that shot to No. 1 in the UK charts challenging every obnoxious student and social tourist in the country to get over themselves and stop pretending. It summed up a section of British society at the time and it was aimed squarely at my age group; 22, recently graduated from college and starting work in 32 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

some profession or other. When I hear the opening bars, I’m 22 again and that feeling of living in a postThatcher Britain on the verge of electing a Labour government for the first time in years, society in tatters, comes rushing back.

When I first saw Richard Linklater’s film, Before Sunrise, set in Vienna and telling the retrospective story of a couple meeting on a train, getting off in the city and falling in love, I was the age of the characters and I was living in the that city. When he made the sequel, Before Sunset, about the same characters, Jesse and Celine, meeting ten years later in Paris, they were still my age and had shared some of the adult experience I had gone through in that time; getting married, having children, moving to another country. He made the film ten years later; Linklater loves to work with time in his films, as anyone who has seen Boyhood will understand. Before Midnight, made another ten years later was more poignant still for the reflection that comes with the failure, compromise and resentment that Jesse and Celine have to navigate as a couple who are dealing with the administration of a marriage and a family.

This is where Foer’s novel begins, and again, the characters are my age now, in 2017, their children the age of my children and their parents are getting older and losing the purpose and place they once

had in a world that is starting to forget them. Good literature, like good teaching, holds up a mirror and turns it into a window through which we see the world. Great literature does this in a way that exposes the human condition for all its tragedy and heroism. This is a story of family, culture, society and expectation that is both heart breaking, comic and honest. It lays open what relationships are in a way that can be shown to us but is so often unsaid in reality. The wisdom of the older characters, the moral certainty provided by the therapist, the rabbi and the children in the book and the existential crisis delivered by an earthquake that brings Israel to its knees, all serve to provide a frame through which relationships of love, kinship, co-parenting and professionalism are explored. I think that for anyone bound to the characters by age or stage, this book is one that will leave you feeling that it was written for you by someone who climbed into your mind, looked to the very corners and came out asking questions.

When we look at age appropriateness in literature I think that this is what we need to find, particularly if we want to use literature as a tool to take us places and walk in the shoes of others. Having a book or song feel like it was written for you is a very powerful pull into the world that it invites you to examine. Having a painting, film or TV series resonate in the same way amplifies meaning and can lead to all sorts of self-realization and discovery. So what books, films, songs and pieces of art do we assemble and share with the Doscos here, at this age and in this part of the world? This is a question that our literature teachers in English and Hindi will be asking themselves every year. Of course we study and learn from the classics but the relevance and immediacy of new fiction has to be shared. Suggestions please.

I am sure that a child who reads will become an adult who thinks, which is why developing a habit of reading is an essential part of lifelong learning and is why we place such emphasis on reading when we look at our admissions. When we ask potential Doscos what the value of reading is, the thing that we hear most often is that reading broadens our vocabulary and helps us improve our spelling. I am sure it does, but really, if that was all it did we might as well read a dictionary. I have recently got to know five 17 year-old students for whom reading is not something habitual, regular or enjoyable and I can see the effect that this literary dead-end has had on them. We invented language to transmit and share knowledge, we have collective systems of knowledge that transcend time and place because there is so much to know that none of us could

accumulate it and get to the point at which we find ourselves in a single life time. Without a means to access this collective knowledge, we are bound by our own experience and the tragedy of this is that, like comfort food and a news feed that knows our browsing habits, we become trapped in our own self-satisfying bubble, unable to believe that others see things differently or experience another reality.

We lose the capacity to reason, evaluate and frame an argument, leading us to find the ideas of others as alien as a foreign language. We render ourselves unfit to join a team of thinkers and equipped only to consume more of the empty intellectual calories that have become so reassuringly addictive.

For a long time I have thought that the most valuable thing a parent can give a child is enthusiasm and curiosity; to that I will now add a disposition to read.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 33

DSIR SELECTS Our favorite songs, albums and artists from the last 27 years

RCA Records

Youtube

There is Nothing Left to Lose Learn to Fly Foo Fighters 1999

Days of Thunder Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door Guns N’ Roses 1990

KQED

Riff You

Spice Wanna Be Spice Girls 1996

Nevermind Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana 1991

Imgur

Youtube

Where the Light Is Free Fallin’ John Mayer 2008

History: Past, Present and Future Book 1 They Don’t Really Care Baout Us Michael Jackson 1995

MTV Rock

2048

Encore Mockingbird Eminem 2004

34 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

One Hot Minute Aeroplane Red Hot Chili Peppers 1995

Meloman

Amazon

Imgur

Crush It’s My Life Bon Jovi 2000

Mylo Xyloto Paradise Coldplay

2011 Amazon

Riff You

American Idiot American Idiot Green Day 2004

#3 Hall of Fame The Script 2012

So So Active

Last FM

The Eminem Show Cleanin’ Out My Closet Eminem 2004

Night Visions Demons Imagine Dragons 2012

M4 Life

Amazon UK

The Element of Freedom Empire State of Mind Alicia Keys 2009

X Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran 2014

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 35

RIVERDALE Words Nirvair Singh Image Credit: Turbine

“NEEDLESS TO SAY, THERE were no fireworks in Riverdale that night…”

When the news of the death of Jason Blossom, a popular high-school senior, dawns on the innocent citizens of Riverdale, what lies in the shadows of this sleepy town comes to the surface; the town beneath the town. This unexpected event changed the forever unchanged time capsule Riverdale was living in. With secrets being unravelled each day, a group of highschool seniors: Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper and Kevin Keller, try to find what friendship really means while struggling to come to terms with the realities of the town.

Riverdale as a series is essentially an attempt to use the characters and setting of the Archie Comics and what happens to the city in a time of modern day crisis. Almost 75 years later, in todays’ day and age, a lot has changed in Riverdale. Archie Andrews is no longer the average high-school senior juggling between two girls, nor is Jughead Jones the sarcastic, socially awkward kid, who has a food obsession.

However, Betty Cooper still remains the innocent blonde next door and Veronica, too, is that silver tongued rich brat she was. Archie is a complicated kid who’s into music and his music teacher. While trying to dig himself out of the trouble he creates, we find that his whole heartedness from the comics still exists. Jughead is now a serious and emotionless kid, due to what he goes through with his father, FP Jones. FP was the hit man accused of the murder.

He narrates the story of Riverdale in a book he is writing, his only source of solace. It is as though the series has recreated who these characters are when compared to the Archie Comics.

Riverdale, on the whole, is graphically impeccable and the scenes, songs and location is thought out to the tee, creating the apt effect of this mix of the 36 | The Doon School Information Review Autumn Issue

old and new. It is very relatable to the average young adult, especially considering all the love disputes and quintessential high-school drama; the innocence that comes with the gravitas of a murder. A major issue it looks at, which catches the teenage eye, is the way Betty and Veronica deal with the haughty playboys of Riverdale High and teach them a lesson by creating a honey trap. It is as though, almost a century later, the Archie Comic characters have returned to relate to the teenagers of this age, like it did when it initially released in 1941. However, at times the show feels like it is bogged down under the weight of its many subplots and the main plot gets concealed. With high-school romance, closet cases and murder investigations in a single show it is confusing and diverts from its premise many a times.

A take on the good old Archie Comic characters in today’s world, Riverdale, has left many awestruck and longing for more. It has been successful in highlighting how a small town handles a time of such distress.

Dirt was being unveiled daily and controversies were escalating, building on the intensity of the issue. The past is revisited many a times in a series of flashbacks that add to the plot. Bringing out the true characters of people and showing to the viewers that with change in circumstance people show various aspects of themselves. Riverdale was an attempt at bringing out the shades of the innocent comic characters in times of trouble. It also displays the development in the people who are somehow involved in a crisis like this and also showcases how their surrounding compels them to act maturely and as responsible members of the community. This, in my opinion, is the beauty of Riverdale. It develops the readers’ empathy and understanding, ushering them to practice what it preaches.

ONE LAST LIGHT Words Shashwat Bansal Image Credits: Amazon.com

Linkin Park was my childhood. They were the ones who dared to combine rap with rock, producing masterpieces the likes of which the world had never heard before. Bennington’s ear-piercing shrieks still ring in my ears from the first time I heard them, holding emotion which I have never heard any other artist communicate successfully.

I’m have to admit, much like the common listener, I wasn’t the biggest fan of their new album ‘One More Light’ when it came in May this year. It was just another mainstream pop album which meant nothing to me. However, it did leave me wondering, why did they switch to pop? I did not spend much time thinking about it, and moved on.

But then he died.

He died, only to make us realize that his voice was fueled by nothing but pain.

As a child, he went through sexual abuse, his parents’ divorce and being bullied in school, all leading to depression. Until a few years ago, he hadn’t even told anyone about it. These experiences were inscribed on his young mind with a razor-sharp blade, scarring him for life.

Having gone through these at the age of seven, he naturally started smoking pot at 11.

Even then, one would wonder how such a person lived till the age of 41, let alone be the singer of a Grammy winning band. The answer? Music. Music was his way out. He started singing at an age at which most of us can’t even properly memorize the notes to songs, let alone compose. Understanding the value of music as a form of expression, he chose to express himself using pitch instead of volume. He sung to achieve comfort in an unsympathetic world, rather than to achieve the constructed glory that everyone else scrambles for.

It is this very angst that gave him the ability to write

“

Who cares if one more light goes out?

In the sky of a million stars It flickers, flickers Who cares when someone’s time runs out?

If a moment is all we are Or quicker, quicker Who cares if one more light goes out?

Well I do Well I do – Chester Bennington in the album ‘One More Light’s title song and sing such songs. It is only when some people are subject to such conditions that such powerful pieces of literature are produced. It’s no wonder that he chose nu metal, and not pop to express himself, since pop has no purpose other than being an earworm.

Linkin Park was more than that. They created songs which had a meaning; a meaning which was never even thought about till Chester died.

Instead, we chose to ignore. After all, ignorance is bliss, right? We cast out everything that is not sunshine and rainbows, since at the end of the day, the earworm is preferred over raw emotion.

Too engrossed in our own problems, we don’t take a second to look at others’. We enjoyed listening to his music, not caring about the suffering he went through to write such music. A drug-addict sings about his anguish, and instead of helping him out we encourage him by asking for more; what is he to do but take more drugs?

Linkin Park wanted to experiment with pop. They had intended their last album to be ‘One More Light’, not ‘One Last Light’. They had much more to give to the world, but were consumed by our greed. Before going out, they successfully brought the elements of nu metal into pop. They created an earworm with meaning. The style would’ve evolved, but we didn’t let it. The experiment was left incomplete.

The lyrics of this album revolve around the Chester’s battle with drugs too. When listening to them consciously for the first time, I almost thought they were suicide notes. One track is titled ‘Nobody Can Save Me’. They would have been, except that they weren’t written by the victim of suicide; they were written by Mike Shinoda. Shinoda literally wrote an album on his friend’s depression, only to be followed by suicide. Chester cared about every single one of the seven billion lights, but we didn’t; we killed him.

Autumn Issue The Doon School Information Review | 37

Editor-in-Chief Editors Senior Editors

Kushagra Kar Arjun Singh Aryan Chhabra Aayush Chowdhry Armaan Verma Devang Laddha Zoraver Mehta

Chief of Design

Lakshman Santanam

Correspondents

Ansh Raj Divyansh Nautiyal Karan Sampath Karthik Subbiah

Junior Correspondents

Adit Chatterjee Aviral Kumar Nirvair Singh Raghav Kediyal Vir Bhatia

Faculty Advisor

Ms. Anamika Ghose

Special Thanks

Ms. Purnima Dutta Gautam Singhal

We at the DSIR here believe that art, in all its forms, has a message to convey. Be it a message of hope or a message of unconventionality, it is ultimately a message which transcends all mental barriers, ensuring that it is understood and imbibed.

It is this very nature of art which makes it all the more powerful and beautiful in equal proportions. It is something we have always admired, and have hoped to share with the entire school community. It is due to this very reason we bring you issues like the one you hold in your hands, so that more than just being educated by it, you learn to admire it.