100 Volume 2 | Issue 10 August 2016
Ruling
the Waves Delhi’s most loved RJ
RJ Raunak
Save your phone from Hacking!
CyberSafe with Amit Dubey
When Art becomes an Activist
¸f`Ô ¶fDYAf ¶fû»f SXWXf WXch
Artivism with Kaanchi Chopra
Know for Sure Quiz
Britannica Encyclopædia
Rose Syrup Ice Cream Recipe BY Poonam Negi
Ingredients:
1 Cup Milk 4 Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, softened 1 1/2 Teaspoons of Goldiee Rose Syrup A pinch of Saffron 3-4 ground Pistachios
Please send us your recipe at editor@school-live.com. The best entry will win a Goldiee gift hamper.
Procedure:
Heat the milk and add saffron. Set aside to cool. Now, add to the milk, the rose syrup and softened vanilla ice cream. Pour into a container and pop it into the freezer, overnight. Scoop out the ice cream and garnish it with the ground Pistachios and enjoy this delicious delight!
P a g e
H e a d
contributors
S C H O O L
L I V E EDITOR in chief
Richa Aniruddha richa@school-live.com
Amit Dubey
Crime Investigator and expert on ethical hacking.
EDITOR Mansi Tikoo mansitikoo@gmail.com
Neelesh Misra
Associate Editor Tanima Kedar
Famous radio storyteller, journalist, lyricist and writer.
Student Editor Kunalika Gautam Business Development Stockbay Partners DESIGNER Ashish Kumar Mimansa Grafix For AdvertiSING richa@school-live.com
Kavita Devgan
Nutritionist, Weight Management Specialist and Health Writer.
Jitin Chawla Educationist and career counsellor tells you how to pick the right course.
For subscription editor@school-live.com
Urvashi Malik
Founder & Managing Director of CollegeCore with over fifteen years of experience in guiding and aiding students.
C o n ta c t Kritika Negi 9810560472 School LIVE : Printed and Published by Richa Aniruddha Printed at Eminent Offset A 61, DDA SHED, OKHLA IND AREA PH II, NEW DELHI Owned by FUTURE READY EDUCATION SERVICES PVT LTD. EDITED BY RICHA ANIRUDDHA
Connect with us at: Twitter: @schoolLIVE_mag Facebook: School LIVE
Saurabh Bhramar
Renowned broadcaster and scriptwriter, also hosts the morning show with Redtro 106.chaar.
100 Volume 2 | Issue 10 August 2016
Ruling
the Waves Delhi’s most loved RJ
RJ Raunak
Save your phone from Hacking!
CyberSafe with Amit Dubey
SCHOOL LIVE
When Art becomes an Activist
¸f`Ô ¶fDYAf ¶fû»f SXWXf WXch
Artivism with Kaanchi Chopra
Know for Sure Quiz
Britannica Encyclopædia
Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 3
ed-note
P a g e
H e a d
S C H O O L
L I V E
Hi !!!
Its a lovely personal coincidence that when I am about to complete my 2 years of being an RJ, our issue of School LIVE is a radio special… We all have many gadgets, devices to play music on but somehow we love to listen to our favourite songs on the radio. When in the car, me and my daughter just cant stop fighting over which radio channel to tune in to. I like to hear retro music of 60s, 70s, 80s and she wants to hear all Honey Singh songs! Radio is much bigger than just an RJ. I remember growing up listening to ‘Binaca GeetMala’, the songs countdown show by the legendary Ameen Sayani Ji. Infact, one of my own cousins used to read stories on radio, and while I used to sit glued to the radio set to be able to hear her; I had never imagined that one day I would be sitting in a radio studio, talking to my listeners every morning. Friends often ask me, how is it like shifting from TV to Radio, what is the difference…and I tell them, “On radio I don’t have to worry about how I look. It’s just my voice and the listeners…A pure communication with least distractions.” Rjs today are very popular. People tune into a channel everyday at the same time to listen to their favourite RJ. And without doubt I can say Raunak is the most popular RJ in Delhi (though he is my direct competitor). No wonder, we are bringing his story to you. Also, the man who revived storytelling on Radio through his show “Yaadon ka idiot box” , Neelesh Misra tells it all in this issue. Hope you enjoy reading this issue and if any of you wishes to become an RJ, I am sure this will be an inspiring read!
Lovingly yours
Richa Aniruddha tweet to me @richaanirudh
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 5
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showroom
contents P a g e
S C H O O L
H e a d
L I V E 5 Editor’s Note 8 School in Spotlight
COVER
12 Exclusive: Bajate Raho! Rj Raunak 17 Fit for Life 18 My Story: Neelesh Misra 20 Idea(n)ation: Kaanchi Chopra 24 CyberSafe 26 Expert Expression 28 Shorts! 30 Positively Positive 32 Study Guide: Essays and Statements of Purpose 34 Teen Travels 38 Storytelling 40 Open Letter 42 Career Chat 43 Rap Up 46 Musically 48 Juniors 52 Watch this Space 54 Worthy Opponent 55 Timeline 56 DIY 57 Blog 58 Slam Poetry
N
Quick Edit
ow that the Monsoons have finally blessed us, so have we been blessed (!) with endless traffic jams! And when one is not stuck in such a jam, one of the pleasures of the rainy season is to be able to enjoy a drive. Both of these situations do have one thing is common: the Radio! It seems almost impossible in today’s time to imagine a drive without the music from the Radio on, and for some other people, it keeps them updated. Our issue this time around is packed with interesting people from that world, and in conjuction, our reporters Kunalika Gautam and Shreyash Nigam debate whether the media should be censored in our times. Also, another plus for us is our collaboration with Britannica Encyclopedia, and reporters stand a chance to win exciting goodies from them! Stay tuned for more.
“Happy Reading!” Mansi Tikoo
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Rising
in the East
Heading the premier educational institution in East Delhi, Principal of the school, the dynamic Ashok Pandey, in conversation with Tanima Kedar.
W
hat was the idea behind the foundation of the school? The idea first materialised 16 years ago, in the wake of the dawn of the 21st century. We realised early on, that the aspirations of the parents in the 21st century, differed largely to the aspirations of parents in the 20th century and earlier. There were three main distinguishers that we identified, the first being, that the parents not only want their children to be academically sound but also participate in co-curricular activities with equal zeal and vigour. Secondly, technology was making its way into the day to day functionalities of offices, schools, and even homes and therefore was fast proving to be a game changer. Thirdly, we noticed that apart from the academics, each parent desired that their child should
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have a warm, welcoming and conducive learning environment and thus, we realised the importance of good infrastructure. Having recognised these three changes, we then designed our vision, programme, curriculum and educational philosophy around it, with our motto, “Global perspective, Indian values.� Fifteen years down the line, what do you feel are some of the major changes in the institution? Initially when we came up with the idea, we had a lot of apprehensions. We were worried that the parents
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might not like our ideology, and that they would resist to the integration of technology with education and complaint, of our lacking in academic rigour. However, fortunately, we did not face any such resistance, but the idea was welcomed by parents, wholeheartedly and that, slowly, became our unique point. If this school has the reputation and parental approval that it does, it is only because of our emphasis on value inculcation, and giving our students the opportunity to develop physically and intellectually. We have always acknowledged the fact that learning music, dance, art, games, being a good
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that two of our students have represented India, in Kuwait, in the 15th Rifle Shooting Asian Championships. It is our faith that, when provided with facilities, children always, give results. Also, since our motto is, “Global perspective, Indian values”, we feel that it is our duty to develop very focused, well structured and consistent international linkages, for there is a lot that we learn from the other countries and so it becomes our duty, to give back to them. We have strong linkages with schools in countries like Germany, UK, Australia, Denmark, to name a few, these relations have
visit India. Now, the unique aspect of this exchange programme is, that the hosting of the students is done by the respective families in both India and Germany. We can only imagine the extent of cultural exchange and cultural exposure, when an Indian child is treated like a family member by a German family and vice versa!
helped us understand that learning is a two way street, and this understanding has helped us improve ourselves over the years.
our Professional Development programme, where we look at teachers as learners and encourage them to better themselves, every day, for no school can be greater than the greatness of its teachers. We, therefore, treat our teachers as our assets, we celebrate their successes as much as our students’, we invest in their learning and give them opportunities. In the last six years, almost 30 of our teachers have travelled abroad on professional visits and all of them had to undertake professional training apart from our in-house training. So, you will find that all the teachers at the school are technology certified, the English teachers have done proficiency courses, they are encouraged
What would you say are some of the major achievements of the school? Several, I would say. Firstly, I would like to point out, what gives us an edge in education and schooling, which is
Europa-Schule, in Koln, Germany have been our partners for the last five years. The unique aspect of our exchange programme is that the hosting of the students is done by the respective families in both India and Germany. speaker and a good human being, is as important as learning science and maths, and therefore, the school has 20 activity rooms and 77 classrooms, along with 25 activity teachers out of a total of 150 teachers. With this vision, as we moved forward after the establishment of the school in 2001, we have consistently come out with good results in the board examinations. We rank among the top schools when it comes to results, and we proudly boast of an average of 87% in board results. Not only academics, our children are performing well in other activities as well, the school provides facility for squash, swimming, rifle shooting, basketball, yoga, judo etc. We are proud to say
Could you please tell us about the school’s exchange programme with Germany? Europa-Schule, in Koln, Germany have been our partners for the last five years. Under our foreign exchange programme, every year, the students from both Europa-Schule and our school undertake a project and work on it for an entire academic year. This programme includes two exchange visits, under which two of our students go to Germany and likewise, two students from Germany,
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to undertake research, write papers, write books, attend seminars, present papers and constantly undertake newer challenges. We incentivise the work of our teachers by treating them as assets and we constantly encourage them to grow, not in terms of the position they hold, but in terms of personal knowledge, and this is an aspect that we take great pride in. We have several clubs and societies like the eco club, the book club, the model united nations club, dance club, music club, and we encourage each and every student to be a part of one of these. We also invite ideas from students for the establishment of newer clubs and societies. Furthermore, the school has ranked Number 1, in East Delhi, consistently, for four years, we also are among the top 20 schools in Delhi. We are the recipients of the National School Sanitation Award, awarded by the Government of India, along with being the Tony Blair Faith Foundation Lead School and Eco Club Lead School. We were also sanctioned a Grant by the Bausch Foundation, whereby we undertook a project on Rising Women Power in India and Germany.
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We treat our teachers as our assets, we celebrate their successes as much as our students’. We incentivise the work of our teachers by treating them as assets and we constantly encourage them to grow, not in terms of the position they hold, but in terms of personal knowledge. In sports, as mentioned above, our students have represented India, in Kuwait, in the 15th Rifle Shooting Asian Championships. At Ahlcon International, we do not take additional pride in saying that our students have gone to IITs or medical, we take equal pride in saying that our students have undertaken fine arts, literature, music, economics or law, and therefore we proudly say that this year, our topper was a Science student and our second topper was a Humanities student. How has the school integrated technology with education and what do you feel are the challenges associated with it? The school has incorporated technology at several levels. Technology integration in an educational institu-
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tion takes place at numerous levels, primarily, technology is employed to make the processes of teaching and learning; enjoyable, so as to enhance the learning outcome. Secondly, technology is used to enhance our resource base, to make classroom learning dense and wholesome. Lastly, technology is employed to manage the educational institution and pave way for smooth operation. Therefore, we have interactive boards in classrooms, our teachers are trained to embed educational videos, audios and other technologies to make their lessons more enjoyable and easily understandable. At the management level, since we now deal with almost 3000 students and are required to record and track data, it is of utmost importance to employ technology to help with management. MSTAR, which stands for, Managing, Scheduling, Tracking and Reporting, is our in house school management system, which helps us in managing the institution. While deciding upon integrating technology with an institution like ours, one faces many challenges. We were faced with the challenge of setting up an infrastructure and training of man force for the operation of the management system, however, with time, we did overcome such challenges and the school runs smoothly now. Do you think social media is interfering with the educational value of the internet? Well, I feel that social media is interfering, not only with education, but all aspects of life. Therefore, the youth of today, needs to be educated about the pros and cons of social media the most, because, the “digital natives�; as we call them, are not alien to technology. They do not acquire it but it is rather embedded in them. Thus, it becomes our duty, as educators, to teach them the difference between using and misusing media, and the difference between taking advantage of technology and allowing technol-
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to be dealt with. But what do we do for discipline? We always question ourselves that what should we do to curb indiscipline, why don’t we never ask ourselves how to inculcate discipline? I say this because, we need to understand that the two are not different entities. At Ahlcon, instead of trying to minimize indiscipline, we try to maximize discipline, for when we encourage good, desirable behaviour, indiscipline wouldn’t dare creep in. We also believe that a child’s improper behaviour is a symptom of something, it maybe a symptom of non-interest and non-engagement of the children, or their work not being aligned to their goal. Therefore, we first try to prevent the appearance of such symptoms by making our classroom leanings aligned to the goals of each and every student. We try to prevent unruly behaviour by not allowing the children to sit idle, we encourage them to constantly engage in constructive activities.
ogy to take advantage of us. What is the educational philosophy of the school? Let me tell you the vision of Ahlcon, which will define our educational philosophy. The vision of our school is that Ahlcon International should be a first grade centre of learning. We believe that we must impart to our children, joyful, relevant and value based education, which should fulfil the aspirations of all the stakeholders, namely the students, teachers, parents, management, society and our alumni. How accessible is the school for parents? We are always available for the parents, and so I would say that we are fairly accessible to them. We are constantly in touch with each and every
parent, through email. Each parent is informed about the weekly assignments, projects, results and the progress of their child via mail. We also have four different blocks that act as interfaces between the parents and the school. Apart from the above, we also conduct monthly parent teacher meeting, where the parents can interact with the teachers, face to face. We also have a special provision for the primary section, where each day is allotted to a class, where the parents can interact with the teachers and learn about the progress of their child. What is the school’s policy when it comes to dealing with indiscipline? We try and categorize the activities of children into two domains, discipline and indiscipline, and therefore we feel that indiscipline is something that has
What are some of the future goals of Ahlcon International? Primarily, as mentioned above, we aspire to fulfil the aspirations of all our stakeholders, and to ensure that, we take care that no student fails to come across an opportunity that would allow him/her to explore their true potential. Secondly, the students that enrol themselves with us, constitute a culturally, intellectually and cognitively diverse group and thus our teachers now face the challenge of moulding themselves in such a way, so as to meet the needs of this diverse group. We encourage teachers to upgrade themselves for differential learning. Thirdly, we don’t want to be complacent with our achievements, we want to keep striving to achieve greatness. Our achievements should not stand in the way of our achieving greatness. And lastly, all of us, students, teachers and management, aspire to be good human beings and useful members of the society.
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EP xa cg le u sH ie va ed
childhood
A
noushka: How were you my friends and family, I still play once in a decade. So, they didn’t reas a kid? pranks with my parents, just a few ally put up much of a resistance in Indiaago, ka when number onecalled Rj, Rjme I anything that I decided to do. I was a pretty studious days my dad Raunak, born and child, because of that fact that, put up a woman’s voice brought and had the Since everyone was pursuing an fortunately or unfortunately, my conversation with him. Best to say, MBA, I did too, but alongside manup in Mumbai, never really grandmother was the principal of he was not amused with my prank! agement I started radio, and contindreamt of being an Rj. the school that I attended. So, I was Samridhh: How is it that ued to do so for the next three and He joined All India Radio dragged to her office, every time I you are not bothered by people a half years. After working as a Rj in 2006, alongside his was found being mischievous, but hurling abuses at ‘Bauaa’? for this long, it became clear to me studies, then she would just hand me a cou- management My show airs from 6 to 11and in the that this was what I wanted to do. was in two minds about ple of toffees, say, “No more masti,” morning and that is usually the time My parents agreed to it, even though and let me go. when people on their to their they didn’t really know anything taking up are radio as away career. I could not have been a naughty offices. So I believe that it is better if about this industry. However, I am However, he ultimately kid anyways, because up until I was they their pent up frustration thankful to them for supporting me didrelease choose radio and thus, 12 years old, I lived in a joint family by hurling abuses at ‘Bauaa’, before in their own way. today we enjoy ‘Bauaa’, where around 30 family members reaching their workplaces, so that Yuvvraj: How did you think of becom‘Sukumar and lived under one roof, and since I was they are not Awishwas’ fired. ing an Rj, considering it is not exactly a other numerous, hilarious the youngest of the kids, it wasn’t Kaustubh: What were your conventional career option? exactly uncommon for me to be parent’s reaction when you In around 2004-2005, there was personalities that Raunak bashed up for even the slightest of told them In that you wanted to an onslaught of private radio chanconjures. conversation mischief’s. So, I had no choice but join nels. I used to listen to channels like withradio? the student reporters to be a good kid. My parents are simple people, my Red Fm and Radio Mirchi, and the of School LIVE, Raunak dad has been working for the same conversational, candid style of the divulgesforcandid Vitasta: When did you discover the company the lastdetails 35 years, he Rjs attracted me. It was then that about his personal prankster in you? follows the same routinelife, every day, I thought to myself that this was I started playing pranks way back in takes theand family out to the garden something that I could easily do, career everything in college, but there were no means to once a month, for a movie once in and so I tried to reach out to Red Fm, between. record it back then. I have pranked half a decade and to a restaurant but was rejected there. Thereafter, I
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E x c l u s i v e
Interview By
approached All India Radio, where I was accepted, and from there my career started taking shape. People do not particularly have a likeness for All India Radio, but it is one platform that gives you a chance to explore yourself and try your hand at being an Rj. Samridhh: When you go out, how do you want people to recognise you? As Raunak or Rj Raunak/Baua? Being in Radio, we do have an advantage. If people recognise you, then you are a celebrity; but if they don’t, you can roam about freely as a common man. However, it does give me immense pleasure when I see people’s faces light up when they realise that I am ‘Bauaa’, it is then that I feel that, what I am
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Kaustabh, Aggarwal Amity International, Noida; Anoushka Nair, Amity International, Noida; Yuvvraj Singh, Sanskriti School, New Delhi; Samridhh Sharma, Ahlcon International, Mayur Vihar; Shivang Singh, Scottish High International School, Gurgaon; Khushi Singh, Sanskriti school, New Delhi; Vitasta Singh, Scottish High International School, Gurgaon; Adhip Tanwar, Step by Step School, Noida
that Rj Raunak?” “Yes, that’s him.” my wife replied. He was wide eyed upon hearing this, then he gathered his staff and came to meet me. So it makes me happy to see that what I do, alone, in an empty room, is appreciated by people. Adhip: Have you ever offended a celebrity or a politician? We know where to draw the line, and what’s funny and what’s offensive. It’s been ten years and such a thing has never happened.
doing is making people happy. For instance, the other day, I was in a mall with my wife. By the way I am married. Students: Married!! Vitasta: So how do you decide, where to (Laughs): Yes. My wife is from radio draw the line? For instance, Jaya Bachas well, she was my junior at Red Fm chan recently was heard saying that what Lucknow. When she was asked in the goes on, on radio, is utter bullshit, while interview if she listened to Rj Raunak, a politician tweeted that Rjs use gutter she said no. And I was surprised, I level language, what do you have to say thought who is this girl who does not to that? listen to me. I must make her. By the To Jaya Bachchan, I would say, “Sorry way, she still does not listen to my ma’am. You have a bad sense of hushow. mour.” Students: It comes as a shock. We never All of us know what the situation in imagined you would be married. the country is, everyone badmouths (Laughs) So, I was with my wife at a politicians behind their backs. Howmall and I had ordered something for ever, we always take care not to be myself at one of the food joints. When offensive, but crack jokes in good my wife went to collect the food, the spirit. For instance, the other day, I guy at the counter asked my wife, “Is met HRD Minister, Mr. Prakash Ja-
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vadekar, and I said to him, “Sir, do you know why Modi Ji airs his ‘Mann ki Baat’ on Sunday. It’s because I work from Monday to Saturday,” and he laughed, because he found it genuinely funny. So, there is a thin line between being funny and being offensive, but we take good care not cross it. Khushi: So how did you come up with ‘Baua’, the character, his name and the voice? I was sitting in my office one fine day, with a friend of mine. We were discussing how your name and your voice has an impact on people. So we decided to try the theory out. I called up a person and put up a deep voice. Raunak: Hello, this is Prithviraj Chauhan. Person: Yes sir? Raunak: I wanted to tell you....... And then I disconnected the call. We then decided to call him up again, but now with a weird voice and an unimpressive name. Our options were Chintu, Mintu, Tikloo, Baua, and other such similar offings, I chose Baua. Raunak (in the voice of Baua): Hello this is Baua Same person as before: Baua who? Raunak: Namaste sir. Person: What namastey? Why are you troubling me? Then I disconnected the call. I called him up again as Prithviraj. Raunak: Hello? Person: Hello sir, your call got discon-
nected. What were you saying? Raunak: I was saying that why are you disconnecting his call? Person: Whose call? Raunak: (in the voice of baua): Mine. And this is how Baua was born. Yuvvraj: So is ‘Bauaa’ scripted? No, it’s not. I know my lines, but if the other person gives an unexpected response, I improvise.
to come up with content worth five hours, daily, becomes exasperating. Also, if a new listener tunes in to my show one day, likes it, and then tunes in one week later, only to catch me at a bad time, where I am not at my best, makes him not like me, in an instant. He doesn’t know that for the one week that he didn’t tune in, I have been consistently funny. So, that is one of the cons.
Shivang: But you are so famous, how do people not recognise you? We don’t call people from Delhi anymore. We call people from Bhopal, Indore and other such places.
Adhip: You are in a room, talking to everyone and no one, all at once. Do you ever get bored? No, I don’t get a chance to be bored because we do a variety of content daily. I get to play multiple characters Vitasta: So you look for victims? daily, so that keeps things spicy. Also, Exactly! with social media, every day, different But sometimes, they do recognise, topics and different news pops up, so and they play along because they if I keep my eyes and ears open, I get know that this will go on radio the plenty of material to play around with. next day. Khushi: With a hectic schedule like that, Shivang: Sukumar Avishwas is another how do you deal with an off day or a one of your famous characters, so have mood swing? you taken permission from Kumar Vish- We seem to be natural, but we do act was? Or has he ever objected? on mike. So, for those times when we No, I haven’t taken any permissions, are on air, we just put on a second nor has he ever objected. In fact, he face, all cheerful and candid. All for called me up to congratulate me on entertainment! the success of the character. He must be happy, we are popularising his Vitasta: Everyone knows you as the funny name. man Rj Raunak, but we have come to know that you have a spiritual side to you Samridhh: What are some of the cons of as well, could you tell us more about that? your job? I practice almost 3 hours of yoga evThe biggest con is that, my show ery day, which gives me the energy has a large run time, five hours. So, to keep up with my schedule. I work
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E x c l u s i v e from 6 in the morning to 1 at night, and sleep for only about 3 to 4 hours. I learned yoga from the founder of the Isha Foundation, near Coimbatore, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. He is one of the only people that I have heard, who approach various topics with a scientific bend of mind. He does not simply preach, rather he teaches his subjects. I admire him greatly and imbibe his teachings in my life. Yuvvraj: Please tell us more about your collaboration with Ten Sports. I host a show on Ten Sports, called RAW Sunday Dhamaal. The show features the highlights in Hinglish, since heard him first. I had approached we are trying to pan out to a larger him and sent him few of my clips audience. from All India Radio. All the while, I was planning on quitting radio alAdhip: Number one Rj of India equals to together and continuing with my job, the highest pay check? at a company called Spinach. It was The numbers don’t matter, what then that Mantra advised me not to matters is the impact. The tag of #1 quit radio, he said to me, “Why do comes in handy when we are trying you want to sell Spinach all your life, to impress the client. However, every continue with radio.” So I took his station claims that they are number advice, and here I am. one. We stand 6th or 7th in terms of ratings, but we get the most number Yuvvraj: What are the opportunities in of ads. It’s the listeners that decide this line of profession, would you recomwho the #1 is, we are content as long mend it to anyone? as we generate good revenue. It’s a risky business, because the bandwidth in the bigger markets, like Anoushka: Is there any other Rj, from a Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata rival channel or Red FM, that you admire etc., is booked and therefore, no one a lot? would give a fresher a chance there. Yes, I am a huge fan of Rj Mantra. However, if anyone has a passion for Mantra joined Red FM, Mumbai, radio, the best way to do it is, to have back in 2005, and that is when I a backup.
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First, it is of utmost importance to have financial backing of some kind, if you do want to try your hand at radio. Secondly, if you get a chance, grab it, because you can still work on your talent and improve, but chances and opportunities don’t come along that very often. However, to reach a point where brands would pay you to advertise for them, takes a lot of time and hard work. Khushi: What message would you like to give to the readers of School LIVE? So, one day, a rishi came to visit King Yudhishtar. When the king came to know of the Rishi, he asked him to come to meet him the next day. At the entrance of the kingdom, Bheema met the dejected Rishi, who was crying. Bheema, then started beating the victory drum which brought the king out of his chambers. The king then asked Bheema, what have they won that they made him beat the victory drum. Bheema then told him that the king had apparently won over death, for he had so confidently asked the rishi to meet him the next day. The king realised his mistake and invited the Rishi inside. What we learn from this story is that, we should always be open to opportunities and not create roadblocks for ourselves. Secondly, never try to follow the crowd because then you lose your originality and free will.
F i t
We live in a world where everyone wants to achieve something in the shortest amount of time. In addition, a lot of us live a very unhealthy lifestyle. Our expert, Kavita Devgan sheds light on the adverse affects of taking a shortcut to losing weight.
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n my book Don’t Diet!, I share a case study of a client who lost a lot of weight and then promptly gained it all back. Faster than she had lost it. She was completely foxed about what went wrong. I get countless people like this who think starving is the route to weight loss. And they’re all wrong. That’s because when one goes on a very low calorie, low protein (starvation) diet, then the first thing the body loses is water - and the scale shifts quickly. But unfortunately, soon enough the water comes back as our body works to regain a natural balance of water. So with the water back, the scale shifts back as well. Another thing that happens, thanks to startlingly low calorie diets, is that the body’s metabolism dips drastically. It is important to understand that weight gain or loss is
f o r
L i f e
Don’t Starve
Please!
not just about calories but also about metabolism. What happens is that, when there aren’t enough calories and nutrients in our diet to give us the energy and nutrition our body needs on a daily basis, the body retaliates by lowering the metabolism as a way of adjusting. The brain actually triggers a hunger response that lowers our Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR is the number of calories the body burns at rest for its bodily functions like digestion, respiration etc., every day), and this translates into trouble. Also, when we severely restrict our calories, the body reacts by breaking down muscle (instead of fat) to use for energy. This lowers the muscle mass (so, a lower BMR). Also, every time you lose weight (the wrong way), you lose some muscle too along with fat and when you gain the weight– it’s mostly the fat
that comes back. So, repeated weight recycling (losing and then gaining and then losing...) leads to a decline in the muscle mass and a higher fat percentage. Eating is very important. Every time you eat, your metabolic rate speeds up by 20-30% for the next two hours, but if you skip meals, you miss out on this. Also, most people who skip a meal end up increasing the number of calories they eat at other meals in the day, by almost the same amount (sometimes even more). Weight loss requires controlled food consumption over an extended period of time (this is not a two day or even just a week long process) and meal-skipping (that leads to considerable under-eating for a few days) often results in more days of overeating. So please, eat right, eat healthy and don’t skip your meals!
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 17
M y S t o r y
Doing the
Undoable(s)
From the person who, arguably, single handedly revived the genre of storytelling on radio in India — Neelesh Misra in his own words.
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have often been told in my life about my ideas and concepts: “This is a brilliant idea. It will never work.” So many times, in fact, that I now take it as a compliment! When I started radio storytelling, I had never done radio before that. In fact I had never written an English short story before that. I had a band called “Band Called Nine”, in which I used to do storytelling, interspersed with the band’s songs. When we got a break and got an album deal with Saregama, we were thrilled and went ahead and made the album (it’s called “Rewind”, (do hear it online if you can) but there was no money to promote it, so we were keen to have a radio partner. When we met one of the leading broadcasters, Big FM, the CEO heard part of the album and asked me if I would like to do a radio show. And so it started. Everyone – including other leading radio bosses – asked me if I had gone mad trying to narrate stories at prime time when every other station was playing `Munni and Sheela’. After all, they said, who wanted to hear stories in this day and age? I realized that they were all wrong. And why shouldn’t they be wrong – India is a country with some of the oldest storytelling traditions in the world, since the days of the Upanishads – telling and listening to sto-
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M y S t o r y
ries is in our DNA. Yes, storytelling had faded away from radio and TV, but not from our consciousness. Within a week of its launch, I realised that I had touched a raw nerve that I didn’t even know existed. Hostels in many cities started to change dinner timings, because students wanted to be in their rooms when the show aired. That was when the hostels, which were unbearably noisy all day, became absolutely quiet. Listeners said they had started going late to their homes from office, because they wanted to catch the 9 pm show. People said that they had bought radio sets, because who owned a radio in this day and age? Others said that they sat in their cars, outside their homes, in the bitter winter night because that was the only place where they had a radio. Depression patients wrote and called to say that the stories had healed them, and suggested that there should be a medical study on the impact of our show on healing depression. Cancer patients said they felt stronger after hearing the stories and that they strengthened their willpower to fight their painful battle. Many women called to say that the stories gave them strength to break away from
I hope all of you, dear children, get the courage in your growing up years to break free from what you are expected to do, and pursue dreams that you were never supposed to, or expected to dream. bad relationships, or to repair worsening relationships, or to reunite with lost lovers. It has been a rollercoaster ride that has changed my life. It has been humbling, fascinating, beautiful. Being in front of the mike and becoming someone else and narrating a story is among three of my most favourite things in life now. The second, in no order of priority, is getting the front page made at the office of Gaon Connection, another “brilliant-idea-thatwill-never-work” that we launched four years ago. And the third is being with my one-year-old daughter Vaidehi, the centre of my universe. I hope she grows up to be a good
human being, a fearless person who is never afraid to pursue her dream, someone who is never daunted by the sentence “this is a brilliant idea, it will never work”. And I hope all of you, dear children, get the courage in your growing up years to break free from what you are expected to do, and pursue dreams that you were never supposed to, or expected to dream. I was the only boy in my Class XII Biology class, to not sit for the medical exam, because I never wanted to be a doctor. I was the only boy in my class at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication who did not write the final paper – and consequently did not get the IIMC degree at the convocation -- because the paper fell on the same day as the first day of my internship at the Reuters news agency, and heck, I valued real experience more than a piece of paper. I want to share what my class teacher, Mr. George Irwin wrote to me in a handwritten letter (yes, that’s how we did things back then!), back when I was in Class IX at the St. Joseph’s College, Nainital. “Let me encourage you to dream big,” he said. “And not only make dreams, but let your dreams make you.”
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 19
I d e a ( n ) a t i o n wouldn’t say I coined the term Artivism, but I surely am an ardent propagator of it, an attempt to help a social cause through art.
Art+Activism! Deemed as one of the first few Artivists of India, Kaanchi Chopra is a rather soft spoken, cheerful teen. However, her doodles share a different story, powerfully speaking out about her passion for social causes, from every stroke of the brush. In conversation with School LIVE, Kaanchi speaks her heart out about ‘Artivism’ and how she managed to use her passion for painting, to make a change in the society.
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class 12 student of DPS Rohini, Kaanchi is as active as they come. From being a member of her school’s student council, MUNs attendee, founder of the Art Club, to volunteering for NGOs like Goonj and Make a Wish India, to conducting events like Art for Education, Climber’s Kickstart Summit, to being invited to speak at TEDx Talks at DPS RK Puram, Shiv Nadar University and Amity University, Kaanchi has done it all. In conversation with School LIVE, she divulges candid details about how
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she started doodling, what fuels her passion and most importantly why ‘Artivism’. Tell us about Artivism and what significance does it hold for you? Right since my childhood, I have been imbibed with the fact that visual imagery is much more powerful than any other form and thus, I want to make people aware about the fact that they can use their art to bring about a change in society, in other people’s lives and in their own lives as well. I
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How did you start doodling? The love of arts in me was encouraged by my school and my mother. DPS allows its students to participate in a lot of intra-school events, right since kindergarten. So, my mother and I used to stay up late at nights, racing our minds about an Origami or craft project, and thus I learned to love arts, right since my early years. Later, when I reached class 4, since I am blessed to have such amazing parents, they started introducing me to the various problems of the society and we would indulge in conversations and discussions about such issues. This helped me develop empathy and a strong urge to bring about a change. I think, all of this resulted in my first doodle, which came about in class 5. I was participating in an inter school painting competition and was supposed to draw on one of the topics from a list. One of the enlisted topics was ‘Save the girl child’ and that instantly caught my eye, and while my fellow participants were painting perfect portraits of children playing in the park or the blue sky, I drew a huge pearl necklace. On one of the pearls, I drew the face of a girl child, with tears of blood streaming down her eyes and a sword piercing the pearl, with the caption, “Like a necklace is adorned with pearls, a family is adorned with girls. Do not commit this sin, do not kill girls” From there on, I have started painting more frequently. Tell us about your blog, how did it come about? So ever since class 10, I started painting at a greater pace and therefore I needed a place where I could feature all my work, and what better place is there for that, than Wordpress. Therefore, I started kaanchichopra.
I d e a ( n ) a t i o n wordpress.com. I didn’t really think that my blog would help me reach out to a much larger audience, but I realised that when I started getting views and messages from not only my school, but other schools, other cities and even other countries. My blog further gained fame when I drew a series of illustrations on acid
attack and acid attack victims, a cause which is very dear to my heart. I started my blog in November 2015, and over the course of these few months, I have garnered about 16,000 views from over 125 countries on my blog, this was followed by Huffington Post, Hindustan Times, Buzzfeed and Mashable covering my doodles.
Through my illustrations on acid attack victims, I wanted to make a point that they still have their beauty intact, that they still are amazing, and all of this popularity has only helped the cause, which makes me really happy. How do you come up with an illustration? Is there a process? The process begins when an issue starts to concern me. I then, start reading about it, I collect statistics, read stories, personal accounts, all of which results into a series of illustrations. I try to imbibe numbers and statistics in my doodles, because that’s what catches the eye and makes people aware of the staggering number of people that the particular issue affects. Acid attack is one issue that constantly keeps pulling me back towards it. For the Google science fair, I tried to device a medicine that would help the acid attack victims to heal their scars, but I failed there, so I came back to what I know best, drawing. I read a lot of accounts of acid attack survivors and therefore, I came up with my acid attack series of illustrations, which is very close to my heart. Was there a defining moment that turned you into an ‘Artivist’? There wasn’t a particular defining moment but the acknowledgement of the fact that art can break cultural and linguistic barriers. Since art is open to interpretation, one does not need any prior knowledge or experience to feel what a particular artwork is trying to tell you and this makes art a powerful means to bring about change. Secondly, living in Delhi, one gets to hear about rape cases and acid attacks, almost every other day, and so I decided to club my art with activism and try to bring about a change. However, a few incidents do motivate me, for instance, in class 5, I was teased by the name of ‘Kaali mata’, just because I have a dusky complexion, and so I associated myself with an organisa-
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 21
I d e a ( n ) a t i o n
tion called “Brown and Proud”, I also made a doodle depicting how each person should be proud of who they are.
schools. I feel as the burden of academics increases, the students lose interest in their creative passions and suppress these instincts. Therefore, I want to request the schools to imHow do you feel about your rise bibe Art Therapy in their curriculum to fame? to help the autistic students relax and Humbled, honestly. It gives me im- enjoy their school life. mense joy to see my artwork inspire I am also in the process of writing people to bring about a change in their a graphic novel, which will cover all lives. Also, this popularity has given the issues faced by women, from pay me a lot of work opportunities. I have discrimination to female infanticide. come across opportunities to partner A street art project is also in the pipewith people from other countries and line, where I will be making street art raise funds for particular causes. on sites where rape cases have been I was really excited when Mash- previously reported. able featured my story, it was then I also plan on starting a fund raisthat my brother advised me to not ing campaign by selling t-shirts with be swayed by this external valida- my doodles on them. The funds raised tion, but focus on the change that would be donated to various causes. I want to bring about, through my work. Nothing makes me happier, What are some of your hobbies, than when I receive messages from apart from drawing? people telling me how my works in- I am a very passionate public speaker, spire them, or how they want to put a lover of photography, and an aeroup my doodles in their house. Popu- nautics enthusiast. I am a huge movie larity is short lived, what stays, is the buff and a diehard comic book nerd. change that I wish to bring about. Marvel all the way. I am so happy that Riri Williams What are some of the future proj- is taking over Iron Man, diversity ects that you will be taking up? makes me happy. One of the projects that I am most interested in is the introduction of Who do you idolise? ‘Art Therapy’ for autistic students in I feel like I still have a lot to learn and
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so I idolise a lot of people. I especially admire Elon Musk for his dedication. I read it in his biography that he works for around 22 hours, at the age of 40. I also admire business magnate and philanthropist, Phil Knight, again for his dedication and diligence. In the 1900s, Abanindranath Tagore, painted a portrait of Bharat Mata as a four armed goddess, making him one of the pioneers of artivism. He with his work, managed to instil the feeling of nationalism in the people of India. As an artivist, I have immense respect for him. The artist, Shepard Fairey, whose design for was selected as the ‘Hope Portrait’ for the 2008 election campaign by Obama, is another artist that inspires me. Currently, the artist Shilo Shiv Suleman is someone who I look up to. Her campaign ‘Fearless’ is one of the most brilliant ideas that I have come across. Nowadays, one doesn’t see artists or people in general, care much about social causes. Artists paint to mint money. What I urge all to do, be it an artist, writer or singer, is to try and put their talents to use in such a way, so as to create a better tomorrow. For more from Kaanchi, check out kaanchichopra.wordpress.com
Ad
C y b e r S a f e
Hacking
Decoded
As the cases of cyberbullying continue to rise, and children continue to be its most vulnerable targets, we have cyber hacking expert, Amit Dubey enlighten us about some of the very basics for our cyber safety.
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t was Sunday afternoon and I got a call from one of my friends, she was very scared as somebody had posted few of her videos on Facebook, since these videos were not recorded by her, she thought that somebody might have set up a hidden camera in her room. While glancing through the videos, I quickly realized that these videos were not recorded through any hidden camera but through her own laptop’s webcam. There are some serious concerns that thousands of private webcams around the world could be streaming live images to anybody who wishes to view them — without the owner’s knowledge. But how is a website doing this? The website is exploiting the fact that most users accept the default settings on webcams. People integrate technology into their lives without any
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thought about the security or privacy settings, blindly pressing “yes” when faced with a piece of technology asking you to stop and consider. Unfortunately, when the cameras are manufactured in the factory and the developers do the configuration, to make this process easier, each camera is given the same default username and password, to use as a login when accessing remotely. While users are encouraged to change their password, some don’t. So the camera is made available to the world via the internet, with a default password that is easily known to anyone who has bought the same type of camera (or can read it on the manufacturer’s website). As the technology is overpowering our lives, we are leaving such loose ends for hackers to peep into our lives, they may not only disturb your
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life but can also damage your image in public or can cause you financial losses. It’s equally important today to keep yourself protected and be aware about such techniques. How to Protect Your Cell Phone from Being HackedOur mobile phone has become an integral part of our daily life, it contains our intimate conversations, pictures or texts and many other things. Imagine, if that data be splattered across the Internet for all to see, this is not only an invasion of privacy, but can also be damaging to your personal life and livelihood. Although, numerous politicians and celebrities have fallen victim to having their cell phones hacked, you have the opportunity right now to protect yourself from such hackers. Here, we will learn, how to protect yourself and your loved ones from being the next
C y b e r S a f e victims of a cell phone fraud, scandal or the victims of having your privacy invaded by hackers. Proactive Protection Mindset. This isn’t about paranoia––it’s about accepting the reality that sometimes, there are people in your life who might want to hack into your personal details for malignant reasons. For example, people whom you’ve fallen out with or fallen out of love with, people who didn’t like something you’ve said or done, or friends who have turned decidedly unfriendly for one reason or the other. You can’t predict how some relationships may turn out, so be mindful of guarding your personal information properly. Use passwords. You might feel safe in the knowledge that you never share anything worth making gossip from––yet, you’ll still feel disturbed if someone does hack your account. You can use passwords wherever possible to prevent that. People don’t just simply hack into your cellphone because they want information about you, it is more about the detailed confidential information that your cell phone contains; most of the information contained on our cellphones is information that was received from a family member, a friend, or an acquaintance. This is the information that we should be worried about being hacked into and of course there is always the possibility of
your financial information being stolen, transferred from your account to another one by SMS. Don’t share passwords with anyone else. Even when you make an exception for someone you trust deeply to help you out in a fix, such as a spouse, change the password after they’ve helped you. Don’t share your phone passwords with anyone at work or in social contexts. Shield input of passwords when in public. Don’t program passwords into your cell phone Don’t keep private data in your phone for a long period of time. If and when hackers compromise your email account, the data will be lost, most probably permanently, and even resetting your password and logging back into your account doesn’t let you access the information you left there earlier. App Store: Don’t download everything you see there. More importantly don’t download apps from ‘unofficial’ stores Permissions: Read the “permissions” screen EVERY time you install an app Banking apps: These are
important apps and you should only install them from the official Google Play Store. It’s recommended that you don’t ever install a banking app from a link that was emailed to you or sent via SMS. Don’t do banking transactions on open WiFi Links /Free Wifi. Protect apps: Install ‘App Lock’ to protect individual apps. This can be particularly useful for personal apps such as email, Facebook, Twitter etc and ensure that if the phone does get into the wrong hands, they can’t access the app without the required password. If you’re sharing any devices, be careful with Google Now as it is linked to your Gmail account. You’re out for dinner with your friends, you’re walking down the street, you reach into your pocket to pull out your phone, and suddenly that feeling hits the pit of your stomach: your phone is missing. Did you leave it at the restaurant? Or maybe at home? Did someone steal it? Your mind races. You have no idea. Fortunately, there are some things you can do in this situation to hopefully get your phone back. We will learn here, soon - how to track your lost Phone?
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 25
E x p e r t
E x p r e s s i o n
The Accidental Jock
As we take a closer look at the world of radio, we learn of the various ways it grew in its stature, and with it the people behind it. Our expert Saurabh Bhramar shares his experience of the rise of radio and his journey of starting behind the mic.
T
wenty years is a long time, but not long enough to make me forget the adventurous journey I have had, over the years, working as a radio professional. Trust me, radio was the last thing on my mind, as well as on the long list of careers I had in mind. Of the various possibilities that I wanted to explore, Radio was nowhere in the picture. It never occurred to my fickle head that radio could be a full time, serious, career. Though, I must admit, those times were different. The radio set sat somewhere, in a dingy corner, of almost every house in India, gathering dust of anonymity, all the while entertaining and educating millions, with no returns. Radio was like an obedient child, seeking attention from the parents, asking them for some love and recognition. However, the parents were spending their time, glued to the idiot box. As it generally happened in those days, the government was the first one to experiment with and milk the revenues out of anything that happened in the country, and the media was no exception. The early 90’s saw the advent of AIR FM, that soon became a rage in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai. All of a sudden, the scenario changed and along with the legendary, Amin Sayani, many other presenters became popular with their new and unique styles of presentation. AIR FM sold slots to Times FM and Midday, who then started generating more revenue than AIR FM did itself. Presenters or RJ’s as they are now called, soon emerged as local celebs. Roshan Abbas, Gaurav Ka-
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poor and many others made a huge name for themselves, out of that windfall of fame. From exports to trying my hand at scriptwriting (which is a huge plus for me now), I realized that I had a good voice and that I was a decent singer. This atomic consciousness of mine made me look for avenues that would help me become a playback singer. After a lot of soul searching, I realized, one needs connections and
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an Al Pacino (Godfather), to hum a tune or two, as a playback singer. Spoilt and lazy as I was, I thought it useless to leave my deserving comforts that my father had provided for me, a star in the making. After all, what was the point of adding to the already overcrowded tinsel town, Mumbai, and becoming a struggler (with due respect, being a Struggler is also a full time profession in Mumbai). While the star in me was looking for an easier way around, I saw an ad in the newspaper for an upcoming Asian radio station in Nairobi. I still thought of myself as no lesser than a star, and thus when I saw the ad, the singer in me said, “Instead of competing as a playback singer, let me sacrifice my dream and leave the job to the singers of Bollywood”. All thanks to a certain good fortune (not mine, but that of the radio industry), without any significant experience or knowledge of radio,
E x p e r t
I was called for an interview at a 5 star hotel in Delhi. My interview was no less than a disaster turned into a miracle. There were 3 people who were interviewing me, all with their heavy British accents, and as I had the gift of inviting disasters (that’s a rare talent and I still have it!), they started asking me about radio. Some really weird jargons were thrown at me like daypart, segue and other such complicated words. And then it happened, the golden accident, the angelic intervention, when one of the guys asked me, in that heavy British accent, “What would you do for breakfast?”. That was the most difficult question of my life, and I was desperately looking for an answer because other than the word BREAKFAST, I couldn’t collect the head or tail of what the gentleman had said. What I could decipher at that moment was, that probably he wanted to know what I did before I had my breakfast. The answer was genuine to the core, with brutal honesty, I said, “I brush my teeth”. It seemed I was the first man on earth to have brushed my teeth before breakfast. The next question embarrassed me to my core, “Really, would you do that on air?” asked one of them. At that moment it hit me, I released that my deduction was far from correct. The man simply wanted to know what I would do for a morning show. But there I
E x p r e s s i o n
quite well informed and trained to do a live show. Radio privatization had gotten a green signal from the cabinet and there were a whole lot of jobs that were in the offing. The right time and the right places have always been crucial to my survival. I joined Radio Mirchi and had the privilege of working with some of the most creative radio professionals in India. I always believe in being vocal, being real and purposeful when I am on air. It’s not a trait or an ideology that I have developed over time, it’s something which is intrinsic to my core. I have seen many professionals faking it on air, saying something else while they believe in something else. Our voice is a reflection of our soul, and however commercialized radio might become, it would always remain a medium of expression of one’s conscience. Radio works in a strange way, the thousand of pictures that it paints, connects millions to the person sitting in the studios. Our voices communicate our feelings, and help us touch the lives of many. I have seen those days when cuss words and profanities were a strict ‘no no’ on any of the premium radio stations, however, such words are now beeped to shock the listeners. Radio is still a mass medium, and the usage of inappropriate words without context can still was, with absolute consciousness do a lot of damage to the basic idea of the utter dumb foolery that I had behind it. just committed. In my experience, I can say that Obviously, I couldn’t have admit- digital media will change the ented that my English skills were al- tire media industry in the next 5 most nonexistent, instead I said this. to 10 years. Radio will experience “Yes, I would brush my teeth and a significant change in the times to will even gargle on air.” come and if digital media gives an At that moment, my life changed. alternative to the consumers, slowOne of the gentlemen thought that I ly and gradually, advertisers would was God’s gift to mankind. The most be dissuaded from betting their creative person that India could of- money on traditional radio. But I fer to the world at that time, and so I can promise one thing, as long as was chosen for the job of an RJ. humans don’t shed their ears like My stint was short and sweet, in a deciduous trees shed leaves, Radio couple of years, I was back in India, will keep those ears busy.
I can say that digital media will change the entire media industry in the next 5 to 10 years. Radio will experience a significant change in the times to come and if digital media gives an alternative to the consumers, slowly and gradually, advertisers would be dissuaded from betting their money on traditional radio.
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 27
S h o r t s !
Game On: Euro Cup 2016
‘It’s time to play the game!’ The shift from the season of cricket to football wasn’t a gradual one. Our reporter Yuvvraj Singh brings you the highlights of the 15th edition of the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Europe, UEFA European Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro, held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016.
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ew Format - For the first time, the European Championship final tournament was contested by 24 teams, having been expanded from the 16-team format used since 1996. Under the new format, the finalists contested a group stage consisting of six groups of four teams, followed by a knockout phase including three rounds and the final.
Venues - France was chosen as the host nation on 28 May 2010, after a bidding process in which they beat Italy and Turkey for the right to host the 2016 finals. The matches were played in ten stadiums in ten cities: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille Métropole, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Étienne, and Toulouse. Qualified Teams – The 24 main round teams were divided into 6 groups of 4. The teams that qualified for the main round were: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales. The top 2 teams from each group qualified and 4 out of the 6; 3rd placed teams qualified, making the Round of 16. Popularising: Logo – the official logo depicts the Euro trophy with the colours of the French Flag and several different
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S Sh ho or rt ts s!
designs. Slogan – the official slogan was, ‘Le rendez-vous’ Mascot – the mascot was called ‘Super Victor’, a child superhero in the kit of French National team. Official song – the official song for the cup was ‘This one is for you’ by David Guetta, featuring Zara Larsson. Round of 16 – After an interesting group of 8 matches, major teams like the Defending Champions Spain, England and Croatia were surprisingly eliminated in the Round of 16. Also, Belgium and Wales were emerging as the dark horses of the tournament after winning their respective matches. The most astonishing moment of this edition came when debutants Iceland beat a major team like England and showed the world that they were not to be taken lightly. Quarter Finals – The Quarters saw the victory of Portugal over Poland by penalties and Wales beating Belgium 3-1. The crunch match between World Champions Germany and Italy ended with the former emerging the victor, beating Italy 6-5 on penalties. Iceland were convincingly thrashed by the hosts, France, by a margin of
favourites, France. The State de France in St. Denis hosted the final, with the maximum Player of the Tournament – capacity of 88,638 people. Antoine Griezmann (France) Since the start of the match, the Young Player of the Tournament French were dominating the proceed– Renato Sanches (Portugal) ings with over 55% ball possession. In Golden Boot (Most Goals) – the 9th minute, Portugal was jolted Antoine Griezmann (6 goals) badly when their captain, Cristiano Silver Boot – Cristiano Ronaldo (3 Ronaldo got injured during a tackle Goals, 3 Assists) and had to be eventually substituted Bronze Boot – Olivier Giroud in the 25th minute, thus ending the star (3 Goals, 2 Assists) player’s dream to win a major interBest Goalkeeper – Rui Patricio national title for his country. He left (Portugal) the pitch on a stretcher and in tears. Portugal’s morale saw a significant boost following that and they countered 5-2, thus ending their dream run. every French move skilfully. They domiSemi Finals – The first Semi Final nated the second half and ensured that saw Wales losing by 2 goals to nil to the match ended in a goalless draw. the Portuguese, led by Cristiano RonThe match was taken into extra aldo and so keeping their star player’s time and Portugal substitute, Éder, hopes alive of winning the prestigious scored in the 109th minute, giving no UEFA EURO Championship. chance to France to equalise it. Thus, The final saw the hosts, France tak- the Portuguese were crowned Chaming on the World Champions, Germany, pions of Europe, for the first time in a match that had promised to be the their footballing history. match of the Championship. France beat the Germans 2-0, even though the latter dominated most of the match. By Yuvvraj Singh The Final – In the final of the cup Class XII held on 10th of July, the first time Sanskriti School, New Delhi finalist, Portugal took on the clear
Awards
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 29
P o s i t i v e l y
P o s i t i v e
When the Pure
Hearted Rise
Pure Hearts is a children’s initiative from Delhi-NCR with children aged between 6-18 years. These children are from various schools like The Shri Ram School, Heritage School, Pathways, DPS, Lotus Valley, Kunskapsskolan and different residential areas of Gurgaon. They have come together to bring change in the society, a continuous process.
T
he foundation for Pure Hearts was laid in October 2014 by 10 children at Nirvana Country, Gurgaon who study at The Shri Ram School and The Heritage School Gurgaon. After the floods in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014, these children showed their concern and got thinking about ways to help the community. The efforts of these 10 children resulted in turning what was then, a one off campaign into a sustained
30 | | Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016
initiative, with many more children being included in it. The five senior children Jhanvi Sareen, Madhav Veer Singh, Nitish Sahni, Samarth Jain and Sanya Malik were the initial think tank of Pure Hearts, and continue to be involved in shaping the direction that Pure Hearts should take. The first fundraiser by Pure Hearts was aimed at helping children suffering from cancer. These
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children gathered the support of their friends and siblings and put together a musical evening at the Nirvana Patio Club. The model was simple; use whatever skills you have – singing, dancing, drumming, guitar, drama etc. Not only did they spend time conceptualizing and scripting the evening, they also put in effort practicing for the event, organizing the venue, selling tickets for the show and managing
P o s i t i v e l y
P o s i t i v e
During the holidays in October and November 2015, all children of Pure Hearts contributed their time for Pure Heart’s annual fundraiser event "Jeevan Ek Umang”," at the Epicentre Gurgaon. The event was planned around Children's day and enacting Pandit Jeevan Ek Umang Jawaharlal Nehru, helped raise awareness and seek support on social (Children’s Day) issues impacting children such as Child Labour, Girl Child and Child A fundraiser for critiTrafficking etc. Children prepared the Audio Visual Content, were cally ill Children on involved in script writing and movie making. November 15, 2015 As a team, they raised over Rs 500,000/- towards the treatment of children with critical illnesses, of which Rs. 325,000/- was donated to the Genesis Foundation and the balance was kept for Eye testing camps and future financial aid to any medical case. Fund raiser for Nepal Earthquake Victims, 10 May’15(Epicentre) Being shaken by the tragedy in Nepal, Volunteered with Pure Hearts to help injured victims
Pure Hearts could raise approx. INR 2 lacs, which were donated to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. One of the members of Pure Hearts is a winner of the PR America Spirit of Community Service Awards. He contributed his prize money of Rs 35,000 (net of tax deduction) to “AWWA” for Nepal earthquake relief. Over 350 people were present at the fundraiser to support the cause
Since the Flag Day campaign in 2014, Pure Hearts has felt for and Awareness of Armed respected the contribution of the Armed Forces. Forces Flag Day on Raised 1,75,000 and 40,800/- in favour of the Kendriya Sainik Board 7th December (2014 in 2015 and 2016 respectively for the disabled war veterans and & 2015) martyrs’ widows Infrastructure – Right to RoadPure Hearts senior children met and requested authorities (HUDA/ Mar’15 MCG/ Ministry) for better roads. The Signature campaign highPathetic condition of lighted the misery of commuters, especially of people with spine roads in the neighproblems, elderly and pregnant ladies borhood are causing ~2500 signatures submitted by Pure Hearts to the Haryana Adminisharm to pregnant tration. women, patients with Requested roads were repaired as a result of the campaign spinal problems and senior citizens
World Environment Day – 5 June’15Donate a plant campaign
Collected over 700 potted plants from various residential complexes in Gurgaon, including 100 from the Horticulture Department over 5 days A signature campaign and placards were designed for drives in schools and marketplaces Pure Hearts children helped identify zones that were notified to the Horticulture department for watering during summer These potted plants were further gifted at Senior Care Centre Samvedna", an orphanage, “The Shelter” and 3 market places in Gurgaon (DLF Galleria, Nirvana Courtyard and Good Earth Mall), with a pledge signed to “tend to the plant”
“Winter Clothes collection and distribution Drive” for the Reached out to households for unwanted cloth/shoes/blankets underprivileged in the collections. Distribution in villages in Gurgaon, where over 1000 Winter underprivileged children benefitted from the collected material. (November 27 to December 27, 2015)
the logistics. The tremendous hard work that they all put in left them drained, but the fact that they could help 5 children to sustain their cancer treatment was a joy. With limited resources and little time outside school hours, the delight of having worked together with each other and being successful in their objective made them believe in themselves and ignited the want to do more for the community. These senior members also realised that if such an effort needs to be sustained, they need a larger group of children to share their work load. Gradually, more and more children who were willing to contribute their time joined the Pure Hearts team. Today, it is a good feeling that children are calling them to be included in these initiatives. For more information and to be part of this initiative, contact them at www.facebook.com/pureheartsclub
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 31
S t u d y
G u i d e
Insider’s Guide to Admissions:
Essays & Statements of Purpose
If there is one part of the college application process that most people dread, it’s the writing aspect. Urvashi Malik explains
U
nlike the traditional colleges in India which tend to focus on cutoffs (Above 97%? You’re in! Below? You’re out.), the overseas admissions process tends to be more holistic. More holistic implies that they look at more than just your grades and so, they very often want a piece of writing to understand you as an applicant more. These pieces of writing tend to break down into two big pieces – Statement of Purpose and Application Essay. While these are used interchangeably quite often, there are key differences and similarities.
Difference: INTENT
Statement of Purpose: Countries – Undergrad: UK, Hong Kong. Graduate: Nearly All Countries As the name suggests, this is a document conveying your purpose of applying to the college. The students need to keep their focus narrow and describe their reason for applying, their intended major or concentration, long term and short term goals and connect any coursework or extracurricular activities related to the major specifically.
Admissions Essays:
Countries Required – Undergrad: USA, Canada, Singapore. Graduate: Rarely required though sometimes part of MBA applications. Changes from college to college. Admission Essays / Application Essays / Personal Essays are used interchangeably. Another title also used sometimes is, Personal State-
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ment. The focus of these essays changes by the topic. However, largely, they want to figure out the person you are, your motivations and experiences. The topic may be, “Tell us why you’re applying to Columbia University”, hoping to understand your personal motivations and how you would want to make the most of the opportunities
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at Columbia. Or it could be, “Tell us about a time you failed”, hoping to gain an understanding of how you manage when things don’t go your way. It could also be something really quirky like, “What’s so odd about odd numbers?”, where the college is trying to gauge how you think, and if you can step out of the box.
S t u d y
Similarities: WRITING
While the intent may be different, there are some rules to always keep in mind, no matter what.
Word limit
Unlike the traditional colleges in India which tend to focus on cutoffs, the overseas admissions process tends to be more holistic. More holistic implies that they look at more than just your grades and so, they very often want a piece of writing to understand you as an applicant more.
The US Common Application Essay has a word limit of 650 words. The UK Statement of Purpose has a limit of 4000 characters. Both limits are hard limits and now that most applications are online, the system will cut you off after you’ve met the limit. So please don’t go overboard. Tip: Don’t type directly in the application. Always use Word to check your word limits and make corrections as needed. Then input the information all creatures on Gods’ green earth are in the form and check again to make meant to be written about. Besides, evsure nothing is cut off. eryone writes about them and this is a really unoriginal idea. Note: CaterpilNo Quotes and No Clichés lars coming out of cocoons and becomNo Mahatma Gandhi quotes. ing butterflies, is still not original. He’s relevant on your rupee notes. This ‘No That’ list summarizes to He’s not applying to the college, so one thing – No Quotes and No Clihe’s not relevant on your essay chés. Why? Because you’re hoping to No To Be or Not to Be. Shakespeare stand out with your essay and quotes is a god in the world of literature. But and clichés do the exact opposite. Hamlet has been quoted so often that if Don’t use quotes of famous people he wasn’t dead, he’d wish he was. to start your essays. This is unorigiNo Caterpillars or Cocoons. Not nal and very often has nothing to do
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with the rest of the document. More than that, someone else could have also used that quote in their essay / SOP – maybe it was very bad and your admissions officer starts thinking of that or it was good and your admissions officer begins thinking about that other essay. Either way, please use your own writing and your own words – that’s why they want to see the essay / SOP any way.
Don’t overuse the Thesaurus or Dictionary
Don’t try and use big words to sound fancy. Instead, express your ideas clearly. We don’t mean use slang here but, “A tear rolled down my cheek” is not improved by “The spherical drop of H2O trundled down the epithelial tissues of my face”. You could use the words incorrectly, and that would do more harm than good. And of course, be careful of spellings, grammar and punctuations and always review and re-read before submission. For further questions and queries, reach out to CollegeCore Education at www.collegecore.in
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 33
TP ea eg ne
TH re a vd e l s
Rider on the Wind
This summer, I got the opportunity to go for an expedition that changed my life-‘The Great American Bicycle Ride,’ writes Adhip Tanwar
G
ABR is a journey down the Pacific Coast, which begins in Seattle, Washington (perhaps the first city to even put its cops on bicycles), and ends in San Francisco, California, at the famous Golden Gate Bridge. This camp is organized by one of the world’s best ‘Experiential Learning’ companies called INME, and is led by a group of highly accomplished instructors. On the west coast of America, there are a lot of campsites available for the people who are travelling. Like hotels offer rooms, these campsites offer pieces of land with a fireplace and a few common washrooms. These campsites are available throughout the west coast and are located on beaches or in the dense forests, providing some of the most breathtaking vistas. We had a great experience of staying in these camp-
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sites and our daily ride was from one campsite to another. For the first two days in Seattle (before the ride), and the last two days in San Francisco (after the ride), we stayed in youth hostels. These hostels are more or less like hotels, the difference being that they offer a common kitchen and entertainment area where one can cook a meal and enjoy. It was a unique and first time
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experience for us. A safety truck, driven by one of our instructors (on rotation), always stayed with us on the road. It carried all our food supplies, tents, medical
T e e Pn a Tg re a Hv ee al ds
kits and utensils. However, all personal belongings were supposed to be carried by the children on their bikes. It has indeed been an enriching and life changing experience for me. There has been tremendous experiential learning’s for me, and I will share some of these here: The first few days of our ride were not very good. We woke up late, we were careless with our bikes, we rode slowly and we did not take
proper care of our stuff. This resulted in us reaching late at the campsite and sometimes not even reaching a campsite. Consequently, our confidence went down initially. However, as we got conditioned to all these activities, things began to get better. We realized that the first attempt is never the best but with time, everything gets better. Our group made a lot of mistakes on camp. In fact, we even broke the trust that the instructors had on us. However, the instructors did not scold us every time, nor did they enforce anything upon us. Instead, they made us realize what we did and then allowed us to choose what we wanted and face its consequences. This
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 35
T e e n
T r a v e l s
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T e e n made us realize that scolding and enforcement might end up hurting an individual. However, having patience and providing positive feedback has a lasting positive effect. Leggett hill is a popular challenge for cyclists from around the world. It has a six mile continuous uphill with 7% gradient (in simple words-long and steep). This hill was a very important part of our ride as well. As I had a considerably higher pace than the others in my group, I reached atop the Leggett hill, around fifteen minutes before my fellow mates. However, instead of feeling happy, I actually felt lonely as there was no one with me. On the other hand, the celebration we had when the entire group reached is something that still gives me joy. It made me introspect and realize that individual achievement means nothing unless there is someone to share that joy with you. Therefore, even if it hurts you to go slow, it is worth the effort to carry everyone along. There were a few major challenges on our ride including the Leggett hill, 11% gradient hill (VERY steep), the Big
T r a v e l s
Climb hill, the 7 Devils hill and many more. All these are challenging for professional cyclists as well. However, after the amount of mental and physical preparation that the instructors conditioned us with, all these challenges seemed much easier. While cycling, when
actions and consequences come back to back. If you don’t wake up early then you leave late, if you leave late then you reach late, if you reach late then you are sleep deprived and lazy the next day and then eventually you fail on the third day and your journey is over. We learnt that you go downhill, you gain a lot of it is important to be aware of your speed and momentum that helps actions and be wise in choosing them you reach the top of the upcoming because your actions decide the conuphill. Similarly, in life, when you sequences to be faced in the future. are going through a down moment, 20 people for a certain work will it provides you the opportunity to be more efficient and fast than a sinlearn from your mistakes and that gle individual. learning is what brings you to your In this way, those 1100 kilometers high moment. from Seattle to San Francisco, with a One of my group mates bunch of strangers who are now my was going too fast on a best friends and mentors, turned out downhill one day. After a to be a journey through life for me. I certain point, she could feel that I rode my bike from an old me not stop her bike and fell to a new me. The things that I learnt so badly that she could not and discovered ‘in me’ will surely ride for the rest of the trip. stay with me forever. This experience This experience made us made me realize the true meaning of realize that one should al- the clichéd line-“THE JOURNEY IS ways proceed with a mod- THE DESTINATION”. erate pace because true achievement is reaching By your destination and not Adhip Tanwar reaching it fast. Class XI In the outdoors, your Step by Step School, Noida
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 37
S t o r y t e l l i n g
The Stage I walked down the crowded street, filled with the sound of people screaming and shouting, beating drums and dancing. Yet I remained cocooned in my isolation, the festivities behind me, bouncing off my disinterested skin.
I
was much more interested in looking through the windows of the houses I was passing by. I kept gazing through the windows, peering in as if I would see something different from what I had seen every single day, for seventeen years of my life. I was passing the Sharmas window now- my house was only a few meters away. But I could afford to stay out tonight; my family would be too busy in the procession to chastise me over my curfew. They were highly disturbed by my strange habit. Maybe she’s looking for someone. Maybe she’s a pervert Maybe she’s congenitally stupid. And then Chayan Maasi realizedArrey no! She’s just curious! There’s nothing wrong with that. Some say that being overly curious is highly virtuous- it indicates
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high levels of intelligence, Rita Aunty insisted. Others contend it strengthens your relationships beta, Pushpa Bua stated. It correlates to happiness, Veena Chachi said wisely. For me though, it brought excitement to my life. In the society we lived in, privacy surmounted all else. We knew better than to engage in public displays of deviant behaviour. As a result we met at tea parties and birthdays, yet we could get by decades without really knowing each other. Every single time I looked through a window, and it was quite a routine practice, I would look at the house inside and gauge for myself what the family must be like. Soft colors and an overflow of cushions, they must
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be warm and friendly. Scattered toys and walls with writing, they must have a young child. I could retreat into my mind and I could weave a whole story around that single window and pretend like maybe, just maybe, I was a part of that story. For a while I could just fall into my own head and pretend like it was all okay, that I was a part of this large colorful world and I wasn’t colorless and ugly. In my head, I had to remember reality, so I peered into windows hoping I could exchange all that unhappiness for just a shot of sunshine. And I found that, it worked. I was passing the Dalmia’s house now: big, large windows made of wood with fine detailing. The curtains were always drawn but just the construction of the windows was enough for me. I’d conjured up a whole fan-
S t o Pr ay gt e l Hl ei na dg nated the drawing room in poor light. Bijender Lal, wrapping his trunk like hands around his estranged wife, Lippika Lal’s throat, and squeezing. She struggled and thrashed but she was slight and you didn’t stop reading when you got a paper cut- his bruising grip overpowered her. The procession carried on, and the singing and shouting had drowned out her cries. I felt my heart pound and my skin prickle and a thousand thoughts, pulsing in my head, demanding to be heard. Anger coursed through me, because I was powerless. I was powerless to create, powerless to imagine. Now my head was full of reality and the windows were no longer my sanctuary. I looked down at the pavement, afraid I’d smash the window if I kept looking. I could hear people sniggertasy in my head of a rich boy falling ing at me, I could hear their cat calls, I in love with a poor girl and fighting could hear my father tell me he never against all odds to sustain that love. wanted a girl, I could feel the angry It was clichéd, but I never said I was kiss of the cuts on my thigh and most original. And I always followed the of all underneath it all, I felt sadness. rule- the story must be happy. If it A bone deep sadness that would nevwasn’t, it would defeat the purpose. er go away. A gut wrenching sorrow Sadness chases reality; they run that would be mine forever because around in never ending circles, almy haven had been ruined. I looked ways hoping to catch each other. up through the window again, furious. As I crossed over to the Lal’s, I And suddenly it all stopped. glanced away from the window, starMy heart stopped beating a frantic ing resolutely ahead. They had a small rhythm against my breastbone and window, the smallest on the lane but my breathing became normal. it was still a window, half obscured The powerful beat of my blood had by the drapes covering the inside. No, window without knowing their story been replaced by numb but consistent I told myself, don’t look. The entire already. And if I knew it, I didn’t want chanting- they broke the rule, they block knew their family happenings. to hear it. It wasn’t a pretty story and broke the rule, they made you sad, The screaming at night, the crashing there was no space for me to weave they made you sad. furniture- it was all discussed with my magic. As soon as I looked in, I I looked at Lipika Lal, still strugvigor, which I found truly disgusting. wouldn’t see the plush drawing room gling, and I turned and walked away They’d been living apart for over a beckoning my imagination- all I towards my house, careful not to year and yet he still had his key. He would see is the screaming over cus- glance into any other windows. walked in at his own convenience, tody. I had almost crossed it, when I had brought the curtain premaprepared to browbeat his wife into despite my best efforts; I glanced turely down on the final act of my forgetting the divorce. It was looked back at the window. And I froze. final play, because I refused to write down upon to wash your dirty launBecause what I saw wasn’t the anymore. dry in public- civilized people bruise crashing of flower vases and throwyou where it can’t show, or display ing of keys- it was clenching hands their displeasure by cutting you off and a struggling woman. Here I By without a word- but once you do, your didn’t need to pretend or imagine. I Pallavi Baraya entire life is an acceptable subject for could see it happening in the muted Class XII discussion. I couldn’t look into their light from the single lamp that illumiSanskriti School, New Delhi
I was much more interested in looking through the windows of the houses I was passing by. I kept gazing through the windows, peering in as if I would see something different from what I had seen every single day, for seventeen years of my life.
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 39
O p e n
L e t t e r
From the Voiceless
Recently, a dog was flung from the roof of building by two Medical students in Chennai, and they even posted a video of their ruthless act. In lieu of rise of such incidents, Ankit Puri writes an open letter to our Prime Minister.
R
espected Prime Minister of India,
Animals are innocent creatures that are born for nothing but love. They are so innocent that they trust you blindly. In the past, animals all across the nation have suffered brutality that has almost never come in the headlines but been brought to light through Facebook posts and social media sources. Our animals have been attacked cruelly in the past and as there have been so many cases, I can’t even list them all here. Last year, I saw a video on Facebook in which a group of teenage boys in Kerala were tying something to a dog’s tail. The dog didn’t show any sign of discomfort; no struggle to get free. He was wagging his tail, curious to know what the boys were doing with him. The boys had tied firecrackers to the dog’s tail! In the recent Bihar massacre, 200 nilgai were culled. What was their fault? Nilgai are endemic to the Indian subcontinent and they are being killed callously in their own home. They are considered to be protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of India. Our country looks at them with pride. They have their own life and we don’t have a right to take it away. We talk about equality but ignore the equality of species. India is a democracy and a large proportion of Indians are animal lovers and activists. By allowing animals to be killed, the government is disrespecting the Wildlife Protection Acts and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Acts that exists in the country. Animal abuse is of almost no importance in India. As you know,
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the maximum fine that can be charged is rupees 50 for several types of animal abuse cases under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Is that enough? 50 rupees is a shockingly small value in for an animal’s life. Speaking on the behalf of all animal activists in the country, I urge you to increase the penalty on animal abuse so that our dogs, cats and other animals do not suffer, and please please stop the massacres that have been allowed in this country, including the nilgai and wild boar in Bihar, monkeys in Himachal, and peacocks in Goa. These animals are the pride of our country and many countries look up to us for having such a large biodiversity. These massacres and increasing cases of animal abuse make us feel ashamed of our country and it is even more difficult to call India a progressive nation if the government is involved in such inhuman actions. You and I have the same vision- to see India grow into a more progressive and compassionate country. In
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addition, to creating stronger animal cruelty laws that make animal abusers think a 100 times before committing a crime, I would also urge you to create an animal welfare police department that would handle cases pertaining ONLY to animal welfare. This would give the police department a greater incentive to solve animal abuse cases and put India amongst the most compassionate countries across the Globe. In an increasingly urbanized world, animals need our support. If we claim ourselves to be the most dominant species on the planet, we need to take the responsibilities that come with this dominance. Our actions represent us and our country internationally, and by voting you to power we have put our trust in you to make the right decisions. By Ankit Puri Class XII Step by Step School, Noida
P a g e
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 41
C a r e e r
C h a t
Radio Waves
Career Counsellor Jitin Chawla provides an overview of career in Radio
Radio Broadcasting/ Journalism
Radio, the grandfather of electronic media is a matchless and exciting medium handy and personal - which encourages its listeners to develop an unusual association with presenters and stations. Unmatched with other medium of mass communication, radio is persistent, enterprising and friendly. Our expert Jitin Chawla on the array of opportunities the field provides
Radio has transformed in its size, its format, its duration, and its programmes but has continued remained omnipresent. But one thing is for sure, that Radio needs creative and talented people to fill a range of interesting and diverse roles. Writing is at the heart of programme broadcast. Your success in this field is determined by your ability to write well. You should develop the ability to capture the essence of a complicated story and then present the essential facts in a clear, concise and interesting manner. This helps the audience to understand, digest and remember what is presented. A Broadcaster must learn to work under pressure. Sometimes, some programmes, like news, demands a deadline. Common sense is indispensable for a broadcaster. As a broadcaster gathers experience, he becomes a storehouse of knowledge, and aware of the nature of different organizations. More than anything broadcasting on assignment basis. else, a broadcaster must have self- In commercial radio stations, RJ’s confidence. get honorarium on hourly basis or A good quality education and sometimes a fixed package. Commusound qualifications hold you in all careers. Most Radio broadcasters have a graduation degree at the least, which can be in any subject. Post graduation in Mass communication or a Diploma in this field adds to the knowledge of Radio Production, as it is an essential part of its curriculum. There are three main entry routes into broadcast. In Public service broadcasting, graduates, after passing an audition test and completing the Vani certificate course, enter into
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nity Radio does not allow salary, and volunteers can perform even if they do not possess any formal education. New aspirants develop their skills on the job. Trainees may follow an experienced broadcaster, assisting in research or arranging interviews, before gradually taking on their own assignments. Employers may offer technical training in the use of recording and editing equipment. Station Directors or Station Managers are overall in charge/responsible for the running of Radio stations - leading the programme, engineering and administration of the staff team, to ensure that they meet the objectives of the station, in terms of output, audience, or revenue. The job is demanding, and can involve working for long and unpredictable hours. One might be from any background in class 12th, but the entry is through exams for BJMC. The entrance tests include questions on media based GK, Maths, English and reasoning. Some Universities have a creative test as well, where one needs to design advertisements, write radio scripts etc., followed by a GD and an Interview. Apart from that, one can
C a r e e r
Radio Jockey Priety Zinta did it in Salaam Namaste, Vidya Balan in “Lage Raho Munnabhai”, and how can we forget the “Bhaiyon aur Behano” style of Ameen Sayani, the golden voice of yesteryears - who began his radio career in 1951 with Radio Ceylon and later kept millions engrossed with “Binaca Geet Mala” on AIR. Today, he anchors a show on RED FM in addition to producing a number for the network. According to him, “An RJ (radio jockey) is the mouthpiece of the station. He has to take the burden of representing the right, as well as the dark side of the station.” A radio jockey is a person who hosts a radio talk show, where he/she selects the music to be played and also interacts with the audience via telephone. The last decade has brought about a sea of change in the way people look at entertainment, and the media is racing to provide them with just what is being asked for. The radio boom - that was seen in the form of transformation from AM channels to FM channels- witnessed a new industry uprising. This gave opportunities to various private players such as Radio Mirchi, Red FM, Radio City etc. With this, there has been resurgence in the popularity of Radio. Radio jockeys often work within tight schedule constraints, which can be physically and mentally stressful. However, as Jayshree, who has been an RJ for the past six years, feels that the intangible rewards - personal and professional contacts, creative work, and the satisfaction of becoming widely known, far outweigh the disadvantages of irregular and often unpredictable work hours, work pressure, and disrupted personal lives. One should be able to evolve a style of their own, and keep a watch on all other stations, and listen to all others like BBC, CNN, FM, not to copy them but to avoid any duplications.
C h a t
Training
There are a host of crash courses in voiceovers or mixing, run by professionals in the field. At present, there are two ways of gaining entry into this field. Give an audition at AIR which holds auditions for RJs every 3 months, for which you have to enrol yourself. Notice for the audition is put up on a board at the AIR building. The programme coordinator holds the auditions; you might be asked to do a mock interview with a celebrity or a mock dial-in show etc. Out of around 300 hopefuls who audition, only 6 are chosen. Those selected, undergo training for 2 months where they learn everything from a CD player to mixers, DATS (Digital Audio Technology) etc. Another option for entry is to approach the software producer companies which produces radio programmes for the client. Software producers generally prefer people with 2-3 years of experience. Sponsored programmes pay you between Rs.5,000 to Rs.8,000 per show.
Personal Characteristics
• • • • • •
A lively appealing voice Enthusiastic Warm and friendly A Creative mind Rationality Commitment
Institutes
• All India Radio, New Delhi (13-week in house course for its RJs) • The MUDRA Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA); admission through CAT (www.mica.india.net) • Xavier Institute of communications, Mumbai, conducts courses in announcing, broadcasting, compering and dubbing. • Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi • Miranda House, Delhi University • MSME , Okhla, Delhi
go for Post Graduation in Broadcasting Journalism, Mass Communication, Journalism, PR, Advertising, Radio Jockey etc. Some of the top universities are Delhi University, Bombay University, St. Xavier’s College-Mumbai, Jai Hind College-Mumbai, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism, Jamia Millia Islamia, Symbiosis-Pune, Guru Gobind Singh IP University-Delhi, Banasthali Vidyapeeth –Rajasthan. However, if you don’t get into the above colleges at the undergraduate level, pursue English (H)/Hindi (H), or any other undergraduate course and go for Masters in Mass Communication from Indian Institute of Mass Communication-Delhi, Delhi University, IP University, Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Central University Jamia Millia Islamia. Private institutes like New Delhi YMCA, Bhartia Vidya Bhawan & some media houses also run news reading course like NDTV’s 10 month Certificate in Broadcasting Training, India Today Media Institute, Express Institute of Media Studies, Time School of Journalism, The MUDRA Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA); admission through CAT (www.mica.india.net) , All India Radio, New Delhi (13-week in house course for its RJs), `Miranda House, Delhi University (Deptt. Of Adult & Continuing Education etc).
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Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 43
R A P
U P
Sultan
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar Starring: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda
Y
RF and Salman’s Sultan is a starts to train himself and creates film about redemption, de- mileposts. Accomplishing the very votion, enthusiasm, passion, top of his career, he marries Aarfa. love and a lesson. Salman is Sul- With a steep rise in his popula rity tan Ali Khan, a dedicated wrestler and his stardom he, like Icarus, witfrom Haryana who has a passion to nesses a fall. What happen s next? achieve a gold medal at the Olym- Will he rise again, like before? pics. Then he meets Aarfa (AnushSalman’s stellar act, Anushka’s ka), who is the top female wrestler rave appraisal and their very fine of Haryana. He falls in love with chemistry make the film more enher. The duo has a special interest gaging. Both of them are very enin wrestling. Then to woo her, he tertaining with their wrestli ng parts
Pokémon Go
Developer: Niantic, Inc. Series: Pokémon Publisher: The Pokémon Company Platforms: Android, iOS
W
hen I was 10, my friends and I used to play, “Catch the Pokemon”. We would pretend to be characters from the Pokemon TV show, on a mission to, “Catch ‘em All!”. Of course, the whole game was just a figment of our
44 | | Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016
imagination, but what if it wasn’t? What if you could actually go out and catch Pokemons like a real Pokemon trainer? Well, now you can. Introducing- Pokemon GO. Pokemon GO allows you to be the Pokemon trainer you’ve always wanted to be. The way it works is simple — the game will track your location using GPS, and will plant Pokemons in different locations. It is your job to find these Pokemons and catch them. Once you are confident in your Pokemons, you can go to a nearby gym, and battle other
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and quite good at it too. The music too is tuneful and pleasant. Special mention to ‘Baby ko bass’, ‘Jag ghoomeya’, and the title track. Ali Abbas Zafar, the director, has done a fine job. 3/5 stars for this sports film. A perfect family entertainer. By Aniket Parihar Class XI The Scindia School, Gwalior
R A P
Finding Dory
Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ty Burrell, Ed O’Neill
E
mbracing and loving one’s im- growing animation kingdom. perfections has been the main “Finding Dory” starts off with the poignant theme infused in titular character Dory (Ellen DeGePixar’s currently expanding anima- neres), a Blue Tang with a “shorttion empire. From Buzz Lightyear term remembory loss”, experie ncembracing his “toy-ness”, to Wall- ing flashbacks, and realizin g with E’s heart overgrowing his aged and an abrupt one, that she actuall y has rusty robot frame, and Sadness com- parents. And so, she sets off on a prehending her importance in her ce- journey with the grouchy Marlin (Alrebral team, the studio explored the bert Brooks) and supportive Nemo message of self-love in various forms. (Hayden Rolence), followi ng her But Finding Dory exceeds the audi- trail, to locate her family. She may ence’s expectations with grace and be looking for her parents, but the humor, making it one of Pixar’s most Blue Tang is really ascertaining her fascinating additions to the their ever own identity, but soon manag es to
trainers. Of course, before your first battle, you will have to declare your allegiance to one of three teams Team Mystic, Team Instinct and Team Valor. Each team represents different values and you are free to choose the one you like. Just like in the TV show or prior video games, you can evolve your Pokemons. You can even get an egg containing a Pokemon. However, in order to hatch this egg, you must walk a certain distance. But Pokemon GO isn’t free of problems. The game is infamous
for its servers that are unreachable most of the time. Anyone who has played this game, has gone through the frustration of being disconnected from the server or the game suddenly freezing. Such things can break and damage the experience, but the sheer fun of catching Pokemons, will keep you coming back for more. The game is new, so server problems are expected. Expect these to be fixed in the future. But apart from that, the game is excellent and truly addicting. Since its still not out in
U P
revive other key memories along the way, no matter how momentary they may be. This includes the sources of her well-known motto, “Just keep swimming,” and her “whale” speaking skills, which by all means won the hearts of the audience. With its almost-realistic animation and unbelievable attention to detail, yet still keeping that “Pixar-effect”, that is cherished in all their productions; people of all ages were almost in awe of the movie when the reels started to roll. From the earthy effects of the waters to the adorable and loving animated characters, the movie succeeded in convincing everyone to have a nice walk down the memory lane. That said, “Finding Dory”, in a way that is both assured and illusive, is a gala of emotional and bodily differences. The greatness of the film’s vision is extraordinary because it feels so natural, and yet it manages to portray a very strong message of embracing your imperfections and flaws, with the same exuberance, since that is all that makes the difference. By Malvika Nair Class XII Shikshantar School, Gurgaon
India, you will have to either download its .apk file from the internet (for android users), or use an App Store account from a region where the game has released (for iOS users) in order to play this game. That may seem like a tedious task, but trust me, it’s worth it.
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By Shreyash Nigam Class XI Step by Step School, Noida
Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016 | 45
M u s i c A l l y
Because Indie
Isn’t Dead
Independent music, better known by its abbreviation ‘Indie’, can be called the round peg in a square hole that is the music industry. Indie music acts do not fall into a particular genre of music, and they are actively involved in the entire music affair, from writing and recording to publishing. Vitasta Singh picks out a few for you.
The 1975
They were told their unconventional name and sound will never work, yet here they are celebrating the success of their second album - I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it- a title only this British group can pull off without making it sound flatulent. They don’t fit into a particular genre, nor do they seem to want to. Most of their songs are distinctively different, so much so, it can be difficult for many to imagine them living within the same album, nonetheless, this household of misfits belong together - so well- it becomes arduous to even begin to see them as scattered, lonesome pieces.
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self, making it crystal clear that they are here to stay despite what anyone has to say.
Magic!
This peculiar and quirky Canadian assemblage had the dream debut with their reggae song ‘rude,’ a sleeper hit which put them on the music map in the blink of an eye. The band that aims to be the ‘modernday Police’ was named ‘Magic!’, as Their loyal and zealous fan base is the members always shared a great instrumental to their success. The wavelength with each other. To them connection between the band and it felt like everything worked out like their fans is that of complete can- magic, they were able to create somedour and devotion. The 1975 is not thing worthwhile and spectacular afraid of being their true authentic without it feeling like an obligation to
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M u s i c A l l y
them. The frontman, Nasri, gave copious amount of artists some of their greatest hits of all times through his songwriting. The Magic! fandom is eager to see what kind of music they would write and create for their own selves. With hits like “No Way No”, “Let Your Hair Down”, “#SundayFunday”, they have demonstrated how unafraid they are of experimenting with their sound, sending everyone a message, loud and clear, Magic! is more than just a one hit wonder.
eventually went on to support One Direction on their worldwide Take Me Home Tour, a step that would turn them into a sought-after band overnight. The group is commonly referred to as a pop punk band, although this label is strongly rejected by them, as they believe they desire to play different types of music, instead of being caged within a single label. Their second studio album “Sounds Good Feels Good” was an instant hit. Stupendous things can be accepted from this youth powerhouse. 5sos is living proof that talent really has no age.
Foster The People
Arctic Monkeys
Seconds Of Summer
The four teenagers that took the world by storm with the release of their first single “She Looks So Perfect”, do not remember the reason they named the band “5 Seconds of Summer” (5sos as it is commonly referred to by fans). They started by posting covers of popular songs on YouTube and garnered a resolute fan following, their four-man line up was complete when they were joined by drummer Ashton Irwin. They
how fans could easily make or break a band. With five tremendously successful albums under their belt, Arctic Monkeys have gone on to become one of the biggest Indie groups in the world. Their unusual lyrics, inability to listen to their critics, and unapologetic originality forms the roots of this band. They make no apologies for staying true to their art, and never compromise on their content, forging a bond with fans that is borderline unbreakable.
The dream team who showed the entire world the vigour of true fans. They were one of the initial bands that became famous via the Internet. Discovered through MySpace, several fans shared their free music leading to them, accumulating a gigantic fan following, before even having signed with a record label. The four-man show settled on the name Arctic Monkey because guitarist Jamie Cook really wanted to be in a band with that name. Despite initial weak critic reviews, the band managed to massively thrive on the music front. Once again, showing the world,
Their front-man, Mark Foster, has this to say about his sound: "I'd write one song and it'd be a hip-hop song. I'd write another and it'd be heavily electronic. Another would be like a spiritual, and another would be classic piano song. I was constantly trying to pull those elements together. It took me six years to do it.” If this does not scream indie to you, then I do not know what will. The band’s biggest hit “Pumped Up Kids” has never been officially released, fans could download it for free from their website. It got the recognition it deserved through various blogs. “Fosterers” is what the fans call themselves. They never seem to let the band down, giving them more than enough room to vastly experiment with their sound and the kind of music they put out there. Fosterers may not be colossal in number, but fans like them are every indie acts dream. By Vitasta Singh Class XII Scottish High International School, Gurgaon
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J u n i o r s
Toothy Night Last night, as I was enjoying my dream With tasty pastries made of chocolate cream Suddenly my tooth comes out and shouts at me Looking at him, I scream ‘Mommy’ He jumps up on top of my nose and simply yells ‘Do you know why I’m out and not inside with my friends?’ ‘Why don’t you brush your teeth with care?’ He sobbed ‘because of you, I am here’ Then I listened to him very quietly Actually he was telling things, rightly Why are you always in such haste? With brush, you only taste the paste Never bothering even to take the dirt out Then these germs hit us with their long snout Do you know, at night, your teeth weep? As you never brush your teeth before sleep I know, you love to have different coloured drinks But we are bound to cover our nose, as your tongue stinks It’s high time; you should take care of yourself Imagine being in a beautiful world with sweet smell Learn to keep yourself really clean Improve your habits and behave like a queen That night, I pledged to prove myself To always clean my teeth.
By Raghavi Sharma Class III Amity International School, Vasundhara, Sector-6
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J u n i o r s
SuperHero Art!
By Maahir Bharat Ram Class VII The Shri Ram School, Vasant Vihar
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2 4 6 8 10
Which word had been chosen as The Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2015? a) Twerking b) Tears of Joy emoji c) Catfish Which two nations fought the Hundred Years War? a) England and Belgium b) England and France c) France and Germany Beethoven, Mozart and Bach are legends in which field? a) Music b) Painting c) Architecture
Vijayanagara England and France Aryabhatta Music China
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6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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The English singer and songwriter Chris Martin is the lead vocalist of which music band? a) One Direction b) Coldplay c) U2 Harihara and Bukka founded which empire, in what is present day Andhra Pradesh? a) Chola b) Reddy c) Vijayanagara Launched from Soviet Union in 1975, what was the name of India’s first space satellite? a) Bhaskara b) Aryabhatta c) Rohini In which country did paper money originate? a) India b) China c) Great Britain
Answers
Which film got the “Best Picture” award in 2016? a) Spotlight b) Room c) The Martian
Name the smartphone, claimed to be the world’s cheapest, introduced by the company ‘Ringing Bells’ in India. a) India 251 b) Freedom 251 c) Bharat 251
Saina Nehwal Freedom 251 Spotlight Coldplay The “tears of joy” emoji – for the first time ever the Word of the Year was a picture and not a word.
Whose autobiography is titled 'Playing to win, my life on and off court'? a) Pullela Gopichand b) Sania Mirza c) Saina Nehwal
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1 3 5 7 9
Know for Sure Quiz
B r i t a n n i c a
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W a t c h
T h i s
S p a c e
STEAM - 2K16 STEAM - 2K16 was hosted by National Victor School, Patparganj, on the 9th of July, 2016. The event was organized by Creative Thinkers Foundation, Delhi, an enterprising group of youngsters, aiming to bring about positive changes in the teaching- learning system. Nearly 360 children, aged between 8 - 18 years, from 19 different schools across Delhi/NCR along with 2 schools from Jhansi, participated in this innovative competition. Each team consisted of four students, and the teams were divided into three categories, namely junior, middle and senior
groups. Teams from each category had to display both their artistic as well as scientific skills. Thus, giving an interesting twist to the competition, the Science students had to participate in ‘Major Science’ and ‘Minor Arts’ competitions, while the Arts students had to participate in ‘Major Arts’ and ‘Minor Science’ competitions. The students thus had to set the wheels of their mind churning, and think out of the box and beyond the ordinary to win the competition. The event provided a unique forum for the evaluation of both, individual creative proficien-
Karnama
cies and effective contribution in team projects. Their inherent artistic skills and creative engineering skills helped them find creative solutions. At the end of an arduous day, the winners were announced . The winning schools in different categories were Amity International, Vasundhara, Ghaziabad; DPS World School, Noida Extension; Manav Sthali School, New Delhi; Amity International, Mayur Vihar; Delhi Public School, Greater Noida; Salwan Public School, Gurgaon; Sachdeva Public School, Pitampura; Tagore International School, East
manna, born and brought up in a middle class family, who was pushed into the vicious racket of human trafficking by her own father. The performances depicted her recovery from the experiences in the brothel, that scarred her soul, to becoming a successful doctor. Human trafficking is a horrific practice, which does not involve only women, but also children and men. Many NGOs are working towards freeing those who have been caught in such scandals and rackets. A life of a victim of human trafficking is very different from the luxury that we live in. They are deprived of fundamental rights like right to freedom, right to education, right to equality and right against exploitation. Even after they escape from the horrors of this parallel world, In a recent endeavor, a group of high high school students, the event was they are looked down upon by the soschool students organized an event attended by a large audience which ciety, which makes it very difficult for called Karnama, to give a tribute to the included Dr Mahesh Prasad, Principal, them to get the space and respect that survivors of human trafficking. The Step By Step School Noida, and Anshu they deserve.The Founder of Goonj foundation on which this event was Gupta, Founder, NGO- Goonj. rightly mentioned in his speech, “We based was, that each and every indiThe event was a culmination of don’t need thinkers anymore, we need vidual has a right to live a life free of dance performances, monologues doers”. Our society needs to open up slavery and distress. The event was or- and song performances with small and accept those who have been resganized on the 3rd of July in Satya Sai skits in the middle, which gave the cued or have escaped from this racket. Auditorium, New Delhi. Through this whole event a story line. All the per- Rather than making it harder, we need event, the students raised funds which formances in Karnama represented to make their entry back into the soare to be donated to several charities. the continuation of a story. The event ciety as smooth as possible, and give In support of this noble initiative by portrayed the story of a young girl, Ta- them the respect they deserve.
Step by Step School, Noida
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W a t c h
T h i s
S p a c e
Of Kailash; Swiss Cottage, Delhi and Modern Public School, Delhi. The ‘Creative Thinkers Overall Trophy for Best Performance’ was bagged by Manav Sthali School, with a total of 5 awards in the team as well as individual categories. The winners will represent India, on an international platform at “Creativity Decathlon”, in South Korea, in August 2016. While speaking to School LIVE, print partners, STEAM- 2k16, Prabhat Sachdeva of Creative Thinkers Foundation, expressed great expectations for the holistic development of the students through these competitions and hoped for further success on the international front.
National Victor School, Patparganj
India’s First News Quiz Show India Today Television, one of India’s leading English news channels, recently launched its News Quiz Show- NEWS WIZ. The show will be hosted by eminent journalist, anchor and author - Rajdeep Sardesai and has been designed by renowned Indian television producer-director, Siddhartha Basu, of Kaun Banega Crorepati and Dus ka Dum fame. A one of its kind show, News Wiz involves students from across the country (classes IX to XII), and from an extensive list of 1500, 60 schools were shortlisted through an online
IndiaToday Television
test. The list was further trimmed to 27 schools who will participate in the 13 episode series, featuring 3 teams, consisting of 2 participants in each episode. Celebrities and Newsmakers from all walks of life are expected to be special guests during the shows. Commenting on the launch of the new show, Kalli Purie, Group Editorial Director (Broadcast & New Media), India Today Group, said, “At India Today TV, we have always strived to introduce fresh and innovative content on the channel.”
Commenting on his association, Siddhartha Basu, stated, “I am extremely happy to be associated with India Today TV, a channel for which I have great regard, I look forward to a strong and fruitful relationship. The launch of NEWS WIZ is a major step that underlines the channel’s thought, leadership, and their consistent effort to break new grounds.” Commenting on the launch of the new show, Rajdeep Sardesai, Consulting Editor, India Today Group, said, “The show is a first of its kind in the Indian news industry, and it presents me with an exciting opportunity to become a quiz master for the first time in my career. The quiz show has a unique concept which is designed to educate and entertain the audience while keeping the focus on the ignited minds of the school going teenagers.” The show is already garnering support of the advertisers, and has ‘TATA Motors’ onboard as the Presenting Sponsor. Each episode of News Wiz will be an hour long and will air every Sunday at 11AM, starting 24th July.
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WB lo or gt h y
O p p o n e n t
Censoring Times
We as a country have recently witnessed a lot of controversy with regard to Udta Punjab and Tanmay Bhat’s Snapchat video. Censorship is defined as, “The suppression of opinions and views, with the claim, ‘It’s for your own good’”. Our reporters debate if censorship is necessary in our contemporary times.
To the Aye
Censorship the Enemy
I define censorship simply as the restriction, absolute or partial, by the proper political authorities, after contemplating accurate sources, in a word; the government. Human nature being what it is, it is naive to think we can freely read and view things that promote or portray evil deeds without sometimes feeling encouraged to commit such deeds (ISIS, Dr. Zakir Naik, etc.). Ideas often lead to actions, and bad ideas lead to bad acts, bringing harm to individuals. Just as the state has the right to restrict a person’s actions when he is a physical threat to the community, in the matter of intellectual threats, the authorities must have duties to protect the community. If ideas expressed in written or spoken word do not lead men to act, then why are millions spent on commercial advertising? Finally, living in a democracy and having such extensive rights is a privilege; they empowers us, and should not be abused. It’s about striking a balance; irrespective of the party and leader, the government works for the people: that is the reason India continues to grow stronger day by day. Lastly, we must remember, with great power comes great responsibility, and democracy is the greatest power any person can claim. We must exercise it responsibly; us, as well as the government!
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression”. The proponents of censorship argue that it is for a good cause, “to protect people from offensive content”, but is the general public not mature enough to make such decisions for themselves? One of the biggest problems with censorship is that it is always misused. Voltaire said, “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you’re not allowed to criticise”. Censorship is powerful, it is what shapes public opinion. So, of course it is abused by those in power. In china, one cannot even acknowledge the Tiananmen Square massacre, let alone write about it! Of course, some may still argue that, Censorship prevents the brainwashing and negative influence. If one does not see or hear radical propaganda, one won’t be influenced by it, right? Introducing, psychological reactance - If a person finds out that something is being kept from them, their motivation to access that something will only increase. So to sum up, Censorship destroys creativity. It arbitrarily surpasses select views and opinions. It can easily be misused by those in power and it even fails to accomplish its main objective. Censorship does more harm than good.
By Kunalika Gautam Class XII Sanskriti School, New Delhi
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By Shreyash Nigam Class XI Step By Step School, Noida
T i m e l i n e
RadioHead
Although the title, “inventor of radio” is popularly attributed to Guglielmo Marconi, his was just the practical application of years of scientific advancement in the field. What initially started as a purely scientific experiment is now a source of entertainment and much advertisement by politicians (if you live in Delhi, you know exactly what I am talking about)! Let’s trace the journey of this marvelous discovery. 1831:
Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction. 1864: James Maxwell predicts the existence of electromagnetic waves 1875: Thomas Edison, proves the existence of a form of communication that may be built using electromagnetic waves. 1885: Edison takes out a patent on a system of wireless communication between ships via electrostatic induction through sea water. However, the system proves to be too short range to be practical. 1886 - 1888: Heinrich Hertz conducts a series of experiments that validate Maxwell's theory and prove that electromagnetic waves can travel through free space (radio). 1895: Marconi pursues the idea of building a wireless telegraphy system using Hertzman waves (radio).This is considered to be the first development of a radio system specifically for communication. 1896: Marconi is awarded a patent for radio.
1897: Marconi establishes the first
radio station on the Isle of Wight, England. Simultaneously, the US also begins to develop its radio technology. 1898: Marconi opens the first radio factory, in England, employing around 50 people. 1900: Reginald Fessenden makes the first transmission of voice over the airwaves. 1906: In Australia, Sir Ernest of AWA – Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), conducts an isolated experiment in which music is broadcast. 1916: First regular broadcasts on 9XM begin. 1923: Broadcasting begins in British India with programmes by the Radio Club of Bombay. 1927: The British government in India sets up two radio stations, in Calcutta and Bombay respectively. Post their liquidation, the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) is established (1930). 1933: FM radio is patented by Ed-
win Armstrong.
1936: ISBS is renamed as All India Radio.
1960: Sony introduces
their first transistorized radio. 1985 onwards: Under PM Rajiv Gandhi, radio became a household item, as did many other electronic items. 2000 - 2016: Radio has spread to all parts of the country and the world, though its popularity now resides in the car than our homes. Channels like Radio Mirchi and Red FM are known names, Rjs like Ranauk, Swati and Rocky are known figures. Thus the Radio has evolved from a few speculated waves to our greatest source of entertainment during the never-ending city jams.
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By Kunalika Gautam Class XII Sanskriti School, New Delhi
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D I Y
Knotty
Business
So it’s that time of the year when you dress up in pretty clothes, apply mehandi on your palms, tie a Rakhi around your brother’s wrist and eagerly wait for him to shower you with gifts. Raksha Bandhan is just round the corner, and the poor Rakhi, is the one thing that gets ignored the most. Surely there are a thousand different designs available in the market but none of them are curated especially, for your dear brother. So, let’s see how to make a Rakhi, that is sure to bring a smile on your brother’s face. You will need: • • • • • •
A plain wristband of a basic solid colour. Foam cut outs, of any shape that you like. A passport sized print out of a picture of you and your brother that you like the most. Paint Glue Scissors
Now follow these steps:
• •
•
Cut the picture in the shape that you want, square, round or oval. Paint the wrist band with the colour that you like. Choose the foam cut out that you like the most, and paste the
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• • •
picture in the middle of it, with glue. Now carefully paste the foam cut out on the middle of the wrist band. Wait for it to dry completely. Your personalised Rakhi is ready!
Keep in mind:
• •
•
You can make a collage of more than one picture and paste it on the Rakhi. You can replace the foam cut out with an embellished flower pattern, to give your Rakhi, an ethnic touch. You can also replace the wristband with a ‘resham’ thread for an ethnic feel.
B l o g Britain’s growth. Analysts claim that the NHS funding deficit, a key point for the leave campaign, could not be met with the money recouped by rescinding from the EU. Key politicians who were pro-leave have also
BrExit
It was widely reported that people were searching about “What the EU was?” online, a day after the referendum, indicating that they may have taken an ill informed decision
backtracked on claims they had made during campaigning. It was also widely reported that people were searching about “What the EU was?” online, a day after the referendum, indicating that they may have taken an ill informed decision. The EU is not without its faults though. The EU is plagued with bureaucracy and having a common currency has led to huge turmoil, like in Greece, and resentment against it. Immigration has also been an isn the morning of the 24th of people went as far as asking London sue, as the EU mandates that people June, the United Kingdom to be declared a city state. Another can move freely across its member took a historic decision to striking feature of the referendum nations. In recent times, with the withdraw from the European Union. was that the older voters voted to large influx of migrants into the The decision was on the basis of a leave the European Union, whereas more developed members of the EU, referendum held the day before, and the younger voters voted largely to local citizens have raised valid conwitnessed an overwhelming turnout remain in the European Union. This cerns over immigrants taking away of over 72%. The striking feature of is attributed largely to the deeper their jobs. Security concerns have the referendum was, how clearly the resentment in the older generations also been raised and was considered votes were divided across Britain, against Europe, in general. a pivotal issue in the referendum. along geographical, political and deAs the news spread that Britain Brexit will have a lasting impact mographic features. In terms of ge- had narrowly voted to leave, the fi- on the world as we inherit it, but ography, Northern Ireland, Scotland nancial markets tumbled globally, only time will tell whether it’s for the and London voted overwhelmingly as they widely felt that Britain would better or for worse. to remain in the European Union, have voted to remain. Leading econwhereas the rest of the country omists had predicted and urged By voted primarily to leave. This clear Britain to remain within the EU, as Shambhav Tewari demarcation has revived Scotland’s leaving it would lead to great ecoClass XI Step by Step, Noida claim to sovereignty, and some nomic uncertainty and would stunt
Recently, in a major political turn around, Britain chose to withdraw from the EU. What does it mean and how did it go through, Shambhav Tewari puts forth his views on the entire decision.
O
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PS al ga em HP eo ae dt r y
Rebirth Like a feather, my body drifts away to a whole new world, to a whole new stage where I dance away my troubles and worries, peacefully and gracefully. My heart skips a beat on the thought of swaying, from left to right or like a free kite, with my arms waving up and about and my legs trying to straighten out to reach for the twinkling vastness beyond the clouds to show the world of how proud my body cheerfully stands in the middle of a stance, Still and poise, as if in a trance. My body lives in a lost world. My mind travels beyond space and time. My heart stays in its bony expanse. My soul thrives when I dance. Rhythmic struts, pirouettes, and twirls is not my definition for this beautiful expression. But rather, my view is of achieving delight and glee, as every time I dance, it becomes a part of me. My five senses are completely encapsulated by this beautiful form of expression. No regrets I have, nor complaints, for this captivation. I see myself slide across the floor. I hear my screeching feet. I smell the furnished wood. I taste the blandness of the icy water, ordering my body to cool. I feel everything at once, as if standing in the middle of a hurricane, of elation, joy, content, but no pain. To a layman’s eye this may seem normal, cause he has only taken a peek, a glance, unlike me, to whom it is a rebirth on this earth, to whom who calls it dance.
By Mahika Khanduri Class XI Step By Step School, Noida
58 | | Volume 2 | Issue 10 | August 2016
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