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Today, as I opened my history book,I was mesmerised by the beauty ofa bird. It was small in size and

mostly brown in colour. I tried to identifythe bird - had I seen it somewhere? Nope.The image was captioned, ‘The Sparrow’.“Aha! A long name for a small bird!” Ithought to myself. I turned to my diction-ary to know more about it- ‘A small, un-common bird’. I turned back to my historybook to acquaint myself more with thisbird of the past. This particular chapter wasall about The Great Sparrow Campaign inChina. In 1958, Mao Zedong decided thatthe populace of China could do away with‘pests’ such as sparrows. On the contrary,the decision turned out to be disastrous forits people; it had a domino effect of de-struction. As many as 45 million peoplewere left dead three years hence. Howcould the killing of this little bird leave be-hind a massive trail of destruction? Iturned to Wiki for an answer and the ex-planation seemed plausible at once. Backthen, Mao Zedong was on a mission to de-

velop agriculture and farming. In orderto save food grain, the staplediet of the sparrow, Mao Ze-dong ordered the killing ofthe little birds. Buthe did not con-sider that the spar-row also feeds oninsects. With thedeclining popula-tion of sparrows,the insect popula-tion was on therise, so much sothat the latterbegan to eat foodcrops, leavingbarely any food for the human race inChina. Consequently, the situation led to‘The Great Famine’.I wanted to know more about the sparrow.I went to my grandfather and asked him,“Dadaji, do you know what a sparrow is?”His eyes lit up at the mention of the bird,“Young boy, this little bird was a part of

my growing up years. It has been mybest friend, one that was always

welcome in our house. Wewould serve itfood and water

with love.” As hespoke, his eyesturned misty andvoice became sad,“Ah! Those werethe days! Now, thelittle bird isnowhere to beseen.” My motherrushed in from thekitchen and fatherleft his work too to

contribute his bit on the bird that seemed toarouse everyone’s interest. “You know,son,” said my father, “On July 3, 1936, asparrow fell victim to cricketer JahangirKhan’s bowling during a match at Lord’s.The bird mounted on the ball and thatkilled it…” It seemed like everyone hadsomething to say about the bird. My

mother gave her inputs, “Humans have al-ways taken the bird for granted, no won-der, it is nowhere to be seen now. Youknow, a sparrow was shot in Netherlandsbecause it was perturbing a TV company’sattempt at creating a world record indomino toppling? The bird came inthrough a window and toppled about23,000 dominos, just when the event wasabout to be telecast?”It was night and I retired to my bed, withmy favourite book, the Hamlet. The spar-row seemed to be omnipresent. I rushed tomy parents immediately and read out a fewquotes to them from the book: “Not a whit.We defy augury. There’s a special provi-dence in the fall of a sparrow... God con-trols everything - even something as trivialas a sparrow’s death.” My father con-cluded, “Except in this case, it is the hu-mans who are responsible for the death ofthe sparrow.”Namrata Gulati, GT Network slips into themind of the little boy to imagine asparrow-less future. G T

A chapter on sparrows in his history book piques the interest of a young boy.Unfortunately, he seems to be the only one in his house who knows nothing aboutthe little bird that once defined the childhood of his grandparents and parents…

The sorrow ofthe missing

What does the disappearance of the spar-row signify for the environment?The house sparrow is one of the best bio-indicators of the human habitat. Thedecline of the sparrow is a grim reminderthat something is seriously wrong with theenvironment. The house sparrow, animportant part of the ecosystem, plays akey role in controlling the population ofinsects in fields by feeding on them. Thedecline of house sparrows will lead toecological disasters, similar to the onecaused in China when Mao orderedthe killing of millions of housesparrows in the country.

What factors can be attributed to thedisappearance of the sparrow?One reason is lack of food. The rampant use of pes-ticides to kill off insects does not yield much foodfor the sparrow. The few insects available may bepoisoned. Young house sparrows feed exclusivelyon insect diet for the first 15 days. The lack of in-sects in their surroundings leads to an increase inthe mortality rate of sparrows. In the olden days,some spillage was expected out of sacks, duringproduction in granaries. Grains are now packed inmore secure synthetic sacks sold from malls wherethe sparrow has no access. Mechanised farmlands,new-age packaging material that aim to minimisespillage and closed-door factory processing haveadded to the woes of the sparrow.Another reason isthe competition with pigeons for food, available inplenty for pigeons due to religious and cultural be-liefs. The lack of nesting sites for the bird is anotherreason. Earlier, our relationship with the sparrowwas so harmonious that it was not uncommon to seesparrows nesting indoors, on top of cupboards, be-tween trunks, behind clocks or above photosframes. Today’s lifestyle-conscious homemakerswill consider this an intrusion. Earlier, homes withiron grills in the windows would allow sparrows tofly in and nest inside the house. Today’s aluminiumwindows and mosquito meshing shut sparrows outcompletely. Most of our homes are fenced in byconcrete walls, barbed wires or wire meshes thatoffer sparrows no space to enter.

How does NFS involve citizens in sparrowpreservation?It is important that citizens, including younger gen-erations are emotionally attached to the cause. NFS

has adopted various initiatives, such as encourag-ing adoption of nest boxes and bird feeders. Apartfrom this, we have initiated theWorld Sparrow Daycelebrated on March 20. The Rise for SparrowCampaign is another step in the direction.

What compelled NFS to make a plea to Delhi gov-ernment to declare the sparrow as the state bird?Every state in India has a state bird. In most cases,the birds are those that are usually unheard of andthus, human beings have no connection with themas such. But the house sparrow and humans havealways been intimately connected to each other. Wethought it was wiser to have the house sparrow asthe bird of the common man. NFS exchanged theseviews with the government and former chief min-ister Sheila Dixit was kind enough to approve it.

What can be done to conserve the little bird?Modern office and residential complexes shouldprovide feeding places and a clean source of waterfor animals, birds and insects. We must feed thesparrows by providing a year-round supply of grain.The grain can be filled in NFS bird feeders to pre-vent wastage of grains and ensure a hygienic way tofeed the birds. We must avoid feeding stale, saltyand oily leftovers to birds. Remember that bread isonly a filler and has little nutritional value. Nestingsites should be provided to house sparrows andother cavity nesting birds while constructinghouses. In buildings or homes where no naturalnesting places exist, nest boxes should be adopted.We must plant more hedges of native plants whichwill provide an ideal habitat to common birds.Organic fertilisers must be brought back, anintegral step for protecting the house sparrow.G T

Founder andpresident ofNature Forever

Society (NFS),Mohammad Dilawar hasbeen striving hard tosave the house sparrow fordecades. The passionateconservationist urgeseveryone to save thelittle bird, in aninterview with GT.

The sparrow messiah

“Dadaji, do you knowwhat a sparrow is?”

His eyes lit up at themention of the bird,“Young boy, this littlebird was a part of mygrowing up years...”

The sparrow messiah, Mohammad Dilawar

Imaging: Deepak SharmaGT Network

INSIDE

To the women who say that they’rejust as strong as men...Don't forcethem to give up seats for you justbecause you are of the oppositesex. They could be just as tired!Ayushi Gupta, AIS Noida, Alumnus

Status of the week

The Greece crisis, P7

Genetic engineering, P4

TThhee ssttoorryy ooff rraaggss ttoo rriicchheessiinn tthhee nneexxtt eeddiittiioonn

Coming Next

VViisshhnnuu FFaaccttssWorld Mirror News and Views

THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 20152 What is the name of Lord Vishnu’s wife? GGooddddeessss LLaaxxmmii

World at a glance

New York’s JFK International Airport to build world’s first animal terminalNew York’s JFK International Airport isbuilding a new luxury facility, the Arc,that will cater to more than 70,000 petsand livestock flying in and out of the cityevery year.

No more James Bond fordirector Sam MendesJames Bond director SamMendes has said he does notwant to make any more 007films after the next installmentSpectre, which releases inOctober this year.

15 year old PhD studentSushma Verma, a 15 yearold prodigy and daughter of a sanitation worker,became the youngest PhDstudent in the country. Shewill pursue EnvironmentalMicrobiology from aLucknow university.

India

FIFA leadership meet in Zurichto replace outgoing presidentBlatterThe crisis-hit world footballgoverning body FIFA gathered attheir Zurich headquarters on July20 to set a date for the vote toreplace outgoing president SeppBlatter.

Switzerland

Pamplona’s SanFermin festival facesPETA ireAs San Fermin festivalcomes to an end in theSpanish city of Pamplona,the annual bull runningtradition faces anuncertain future. Activistsfrom People for theEthical Treatment ofAnimals (PETA), held aprotest in front of the bullring, flashing placards andshowing their displeasure.

Spain

Japan

UK Russia

USA

GT keeps the newswire tickingby bringing you news fromaround the globe

Billionaire invests $100m in searchfor intelligent alien life Yuri Milner, a Russian techbillionaire, is funding an ambitious$100m science project to discoveralien life outside planet Earth.

Anwesha Sen MajumdarGT Network

Sania Mirza, India’s no 1 tennisplayer created history by win-ning the Wimbledon women's

doubles title 2015 with Martina Hingis.She was once the the queen of contro-versy, nitpicked for her clothes, and hermarriage to a Pakistani cricketer oftenovershadowing her talent and skills.Soon enough, the promising playerfrom the singles category had to quitbecause of a wrist injury. To add to her

woes, she was labelled ‘Pakistan’sdaughter in law’. Yet, that did not stopthe tennis ace from making historywhen she attained the top rank in WTAdoubles. Watching her dance withsheer joy with Hingis made us shake aleg too. In her journey to almost beingwritten off to making headlines for allthe right reasons, Sania has won theglory she deserves and how! Withprestigious awards like Arjuna Award,Padma Shri (and the list has justbegun!), Sania Mirza will surely keepadding more laurels. ‘The first Indianwoman to achieve a Wimbledon dou-ble’s win’. That’s what Sania Mirzawill always wear with pride.

Net enchained

The queen of the court

Vaishali Soni, GT Network

Reported: DoT (Department ofTelecom) has suggested a ‘regulatoryframework’ for internet domestic calls.The proposal, if implemented, will putan end to the free calls offered by appslike Skype, WhatsApp and Viber. Howis the Gen Z reacting to this? We bringyou their opinion.

Major telecom companies will sufferlosses if internet calls are made free“Some major telecom compa-nies have invested a lot of time,effort and money to establishthemselves over the years. Thefree calls, though beneficial tosome consumers, may motivate

the telecom majors to increase the call-ing rates. This will drastically affect thepockets of the less privileged sections ofthe society that do not have access to theinternet.”

Nitin Luke Mishra, AIS PV, XII

No free internet calls means pinchingthe youngsters’ pockets.“Many of these apps are not chargeable,therefore, the calling feature on themmust also be cost free. We, the young-sters, have a monthly budget to take care

of and the free calling feature of-fered by Skype and Viber helps tokeep a check on our bills and saveour pocket money. This regulationcould be a major drawback for aconsiderable population since a

major chunk of the population com-prises youth.”

Kavya Gupta, AIS Gurgaon, XI

Any move proposed by governmentwill have both adverse and favourableimpacts.“Net neutrality is a major issue whichwill invite both positive and negative re-views. As far as the regulation of callingvia internet is concerned, the internetwill provide many other alternatives forit. I don’t think there is too much toworry as of now because we still havethese instant messaging apps and socialnetworking sites that help you connectfor free.”

Shreya MaheshwariAIS Gurgaon 46, XII G T

Imaging: Dinesh Kumar, GT Network

People are mysteriously dying. Grexit has become a major issueand the world is moving towards ice age. Too much unhappinessto digest all at once? *Drum roll, please!* Welcome our newlyintroduced column ‘Happy News’! This pleasant news feature isa respite from all the not-so-happy news doing rounds for it issure to bring a smile upon your face. The Global Times, afterall, believes in spreading love. Watch out for this space!

Japan’s MitsubishiCorp apologises toUS prisoners of warJapan’s MitsubishiCorporation has madea landmark apology forusing US prisoners ofwar as forced labourduring World War II.

Name the most famous avatarsof Lord Vishnu.RRaammaa aanndd KKrriisshhnnaaGyan Vigyan4

Science & Technology

THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015Vishnu Facts

Tanvi GuptaAIS Noida, XII

Genetic engineering, in its essence, istweaking the gene pool (DNA) of a livingorganism or a specie to handpick charac-

teristics- basically redesigning the organism ac-cording to our blueprint. Just think about it- removeall the not-so-desirable features of the human race,exaggerate a couple of the desirable ones and voila!We have a Superhuman! But is it all as good as itsounds or is there a downside to it too? Read on aswe try to figure out this utopian world of geneticengineering when applied to the human race.

The sci - fiThink Frankenstein - the larger than life, powerfulnew species. Think of all the superhumans in allscience fictions. Genetic engineering might makethese fictional stories a reality. How many timeshave we wished we could change just one thingabout somebody? With genetic engineering, it isnow possible to do so. And this will go a long wayin making an ideal society. Who knows, it might bepossible to walk into the nearest outlet and ask forone fair female with blonde hair and a pair of blue

Genetically engineered utopiaeyes! Genetic engineering might finally be able tomodify our characteristics.

The realityControl over the genetic code of life gives us thepower over living beings, that range from trivial toprofound to downright disturbing. We can insertgenes from one specie into another that could nevermix under natural circumstances; the fish insertedwith coral genes can be made to glow under certainwavelengths of light, or dairy animals producelifesaving pharmaceuticals in their milk orcrocodiles moo and ducks roar, so to say.

Fast forward to another 3 to 4 centuries, humanclasses may be rebuilt on the basis of a defined setof traits, thereby effectively destroying the uniquelyhuman quality of individuality forever. It isn’t toohard to imagine the inevitable struggles for su-premacy and subsequent social imbalance that willarise in a society of super people. The scenario may,in fact, start resembling the imbalance showcased inThe Hunger Games or Divergent, and none of us

would want that. The fact remains that we are hu-mans, and no human is perfect. It seems a little overthe top to try and counter that.

The bottomline Genetic engineering is already being used to makedisease resistant varieties of crops, but extendingthe same principle to humans seems controversial.For now, the most plausible step seems the midroute- not as big as Frankenstein, but not as mun-dane as plant life either. But then again, it was oncepredicted that computers were practically useless,so it’s best to wait and watch. G T

What if we could alter the genetic make up of human beings to add a trait or two ? Seems like a far-fetched thought? Well, not really, for genetic engineering can make it possible. Here’s how...

The first genetically modified organism tobe created was a bacterium in 1973.

In 1974, the same technique was appliedto mice.

In 1994, the first genetically modifiedfoods were made available.

In animals, the technique has been usedto develop sheep that produce atherapeutic protein in milk that can beused to treat cystic fibrosis, or worms thatglow in the dark to allow scientists tolearn more about Alzheimer’s disease.

So you thought you knew everythingabout the animal kingdom? Find more!

Butterfly has twocompound eyesconsisting thousandsof lenses, but they cansee only red, greenand yellow colours.

A cockroach can live severalweeks with its head cut off.

Dolphins sleepwith one eyeopen and arecarnivores.

Camel has three eyelids to protect itself fromblowing winds. Baby camel is born withouthumps!

An ostrich’s eye isbigger than its brain.

Giraffe spends mostof its life standing up.

Owls are the onlybirds that can see thecolour blue.

An elephant candrink 80 gallonsof water in a day.

Text & illustrations bySanskriti NegiAIS Vas 1, IV

Did you know?

Graphic: Dinesh Kumar, GT Network

Aakarsh Sharma & Saumya Kalia, AIS Vas 6, XII

Anewday dawns upon me, the sun shines bright and thegentle breeze blows softly. Perched on the trees, birdschirp but I cannot hear them. I cannot enjoy the beau-

tiful morning because the honking of vehicles drowns thesebeautiful sounds. Oh, the noise! It gets on my nerves.Human beings seem to have no traffic sense. I try telling themthat blowing the horn or trying to push your scooter inch by inchwill not speed up the journey. I try to understand theirimpatience, but all they do is push the blame on me. Until andunless they put themselves in my shoes, they won’t understandmy plight. I don’t like to see children get late for school oroffice-goers drive rashly to meet the deadline; yet, all fingersare pointed at me. Does anyone realise that road rage takes itstoll on so many precious lives every year and vehicles undergostress and strain due to constant braking and acceleration?Blaming me is not going to help!Why am I made the scapegoatfor every wrong, every delay? Believe me, I myself don’t likethe distasteful, annoyed faces and the cacophony. My infamyhas soared due to the increasing number of vehicles on the road.I have a very hectic and maddening schedule, therefore I clonemyself to be at multiple locations at the same time.It is entertaining to watch people around me, though. Whilebeing held up due to me, they engage themselves in variousways– students read books or listen to music, women love totouch up their makeup and preen in the mirror, corporatecousins catch up on calls and mails while children playgames. But on the flip side, my life is monotonous, thanks toyou all. I am the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.Most people get frustrated because of me and curse me incolourful language. They often use me as an excuse to get

out of tricky situations at home and office. But on the rarestof rare occasions, I even get to see the good side of peoplewhen they rise above selfish needs and give me a break.Honestly, if I am to have the last word, my advice would be–use car pools, cycle or walk whenever possible, use publictransport, follow traffic signals, manage your time, don’thonk unnecessarily and follow lane driving.G T

Autobiographyof a traffic jamAs much as you hate me, you can’t escape me. And asmuch as I detest you, I cannot run away from you

Graphic: Dinesh Kumar, GT Network

5U, Me & Hum Whose life is it anyway

THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015V

ishn

uFa

cts

With whom does Lord Vishnu makes the holy trinity?LLoorrdd BBrraahhmmaa aanndd LLoorrdd SShhiivvaa

Apaala Ghai, AIS Gurgaon 46, XI

It was a bright sunny day and I wasat my grandparents’ place. Oneday, I decided to go paragliding.

My nanu and nani sprang a surpriseupon me by coming along. Upon reaching, nanu decided to giveparagliding a shot. However, nani wasvery apprehensive. My nani, whom Ihave spent my childhood with and lovedearly, would always share her dreamof flying like a bird and living acarefree life. I have vivid memories ofthe warm winter afternoons when shewould fascinate me with herimagination. I told her it was her onlychance to live her dream and

convinced her somehow to paraglide.My parachute was lined up after her. Isaw her resist, with tears rolling downher eyes as she ran along to take off.She failed at her first attempt as shecould not run properly. She was boldenough to give it another try and then,I saw her gliding through the air. Therewas a smile on her face and her eyeswere beaming with joy. After shelanded, she hugged me tightly andblessed me a thousand times over. Shehad just lived her fantasy! I have always known about my bravenani fighting challenges courageously,but today, she inspired me the most.This was the first time she lived herown dream and soared high in the sky.

Soar highin the sky

Suhani Jain, AIS Gur 43, XI

Indians are known for their sweettooth and this obsession with sweetsdates back to Indian mythology, for

even Gods had their personal favourites.Who doesn’t know of Lord Krishna’slove for makhan mishri or Ganesha’saffinity for modak? What’s more, the fa-mous boondi ladoos and halwa offeredas prasad in temples have given sweetsa scared status. While sweets continue tobe a part of customs and traditions, thenew-age chefs are not shying away fromexperimenting with ingredients, marry-ing flavours and creating extraordinaryfusion of Indian desserts.

Kashmir to KanyakumariBihar - khaja, Andhra Pradesh - qubanika meetha, Assam - narikol pitha, Gu-jarat - basundi, West Bengal- rosogollaand Karnataka - Mysore pak: India istruly a land of diversity, the mithai plat-ter included. Mind you, these are justthe ruling mithais of these states, wehaven’t even begun to count the second-ary ones! Sometimes, one can’t help butwonder why there is no ‘NationalSweets Festival’ where all these sweetdelicacies can come together.

Mithai fest“Ek aur laddoo toh banta hai!” Doesn’tthis sound too familiar on Diwali, Holi,New Year, birthdays and of course, onany happy occasion? Festivities andsweets seem to have a symbiotic rela-

tionship as sweets add a joyous flavourto festivities, while festivals give us achance to gorge on them to our heart’scontent. After all, who can imagineDurga Puja without Gokul pithe andsandesh or Ganeshotsav sans the lipsmacking modaks and boondi laddoos?Even the big fat Indian weddings are in-complete without a mouthful of gulabjamuns, gajar ka halwa and an array ooffmithais decorated on silver platters. With

such a delectable variety on offer, theaunties can’t help but remind their pot-bellied husbands, “Ab bas bhi karo,aapka sugar badh jayega!”

Meet jalebi & kulfi in an all-new avatar

Not very long ago, milk, ghee and honeywere the stars of the sweet paradise. andsweets were simple, primarily made ofthe three aforementioned ingredients.

But as gourmets get more adventurous,the chefs can’t help but keep pace. Ni-trogen phirni, bubbling kulfi and jalebisgarnished with flavoured foam can spinyour head around with flavours that tin-gle your taste buds. Fruits are the newrage in the world of desserts with shahitukda layered with pineapple slices andapple jalebi doing the rounds. The tradi-tional kulfi has broken the mould too, toventure into fruity flavours like chikoo,

strawberry, etc. Exotic gets a new mean-ing as jalebi caviar, mithai cheesecake,gulkand cupcakes and pistachio pannacottas make way into the dessert menu.

How about a shot of mithai?While chefs are busy experimentingwith striking combinations, themarketing department is coming up withinnovative ways to present all thedelectable goodness. Gone are the dayswhen exotic mithais served in silverbowls was the be all and end all ofcreative presentation. Now you haverabri and rasmalai being served in shotglasses. Colourful mithais are dished upin sundae dishware to add a touch ofglam. So, what’s next: Meringue gujiyaor shahi Pavlova? Who knows! G T

Kuch meetha ho jaye

Here’s what happens when you see yourgrandmom spread her wings for the first time..

India is one of the largest consumers of sweets and desserts in the world. The love for Indian sweetsmay have acquired a different shade of red over time, but the colour has not faded one bit!

Illustration: Ravinder Gusain, GT Network

Fig mousse

Gulabjamun cheesecake and Rasgulla sundae

European-Indian fusion cake

VViisshhnnuu FFaaccttss

When Amity Institute forCompetitive Examinations(AICE) was awarded as oneof the best coaching centresby India Education (Page11),there was a sense of accom-plishment. It has always beenmy dream to provide my stu-dents with the best of facili-

ties so that they can excel in whatever theypursue without feeling the burden of othercompetitive exams. In fact, the origin of AICE goes back to the timewhen I observed children were missing theirclasses to attending coaching sessions all acrossthe city, in their quest for best competitive re-sults. This made me wonder…if that be, what isthe purpose of an educational institution? Whyare we unable to cater to their need for compet-itive excellence? And with that, Amity set thefoundation stone of AICE. Its journey in the last15 years has translated in many of its studentssecuring admissions in premier engineering andmedical institutions every year. WinningOlympiads, setting several milestones to gettingrecognition for the same along with accolades,only reiterates that we are on the right path. With competitions getting tougher each day, itbecomes important to prepare children for them.However, choosing the right coaching school ata time when they seem to be mushroomingeverywhere may not be easy. For Amity, whichhas a legacy of academic excellence, preparingstudents to balance out their board results withcompetitive excellence through customized pro-grams as ‘synchro study’ in schools, is a serviceto parents and students.It is a huge responsibility that AICE fulfills withperfection, for it believes that the right way to pre-pare children, is to facilitate their efforts. G T

Dr Amita ChauhanChairperson

Competitiveexcellence

Published and Printed by Mr R.R. Aiyar on behalf of Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhanfrom E-26, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024 and printed from HT Media Ltd,B-2, Sec 63, Noida (UP). Editor Ms Vira Sharma. � Edition: Vol 7, Issue 19 � RNI No. DELENG / 2009 / 30258. Both for freedistribution and annual subscription of 800.

Opinions expressed in GT articles are of the writers and do not necessarily reflectthose of the editors or publishers. While the editors do their utmost to verifyinformation published, they do not accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy. Published for the period July 27-August 2, 2015

Muse Editorial

Name Lord Vishnu’s vahana.GGaarruuddaa

THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 20156

We have all grown up readingOscar Wilde’s popular tale ofThe Happy Prince. For thosewho have not read…it’s thestory of a Happy Prince whohad only known happinessduring his lifetime, and is un-happy to see the miseries ofhis kingdom after his bejew-

eled statue is installed on a column, post hisdeath. Here the Happy Prince meets a sparrow,who is on her way to migrate to another countrybefore winter gets harsh on her. Drenched by thepain of the Happy Prince, the sparrow decidesto stay back to help him reduce the misery of hispeople. However, one day winter steps in toclaims her life. God sends His messenger to lookfor the two most precious things he can find onearth. The messenger returns with the sparrow’sbody and the prince’s heart.Though the beautiful story centers around theHappy Prince as the title suggests, it’s the spar-row’s selflessness that deserves a special ap-plause. All his life, the Happy Prince indulgedin a luxurious life, oblivious of his surroundingbeyond the palatial walls. In his callousness, hedid not pay heed to the suffering of his masses.And after his death, it’s the little swallow that fi-nally comes to ease his pain.If anything is to be learnt, one needs to remem-ber the fact, that the Happy Prince was given an-other chance by the sparrow. But, if today, mandoes not take heed from it, and continues torecklessly contribute towards the dwindlingnumbers of sparrows, he will never be given an-other chance. Only if humans and sparrows livein harmony with one another, can one addressthe miseries of the planet. G T

GT M@ilDear Editor,This mail comes as a big thank you forthe recent workshop organised by TheGlobal Times. The workshopconducted by Gerard Van Der Weijdenforced us to ponder upon questions,like what actually is the essence ofjournalism and how it is perceived bythe audience. Informative andinteresting, the workshop was a perfectpack of journalism secrets. I am highlygrateful for this opportunity and wishto attend more of these in the future!

Kirti Wadhwa, AIS PV, XIG T

Vira SharmaManaging Editor

Save the sparrow

Write to us at editor@theglobaltimes.in

Gauri Jaswal, AIS Noida, X B

“This is the law of the jungle—true as the sky.The wolf that obeys shall prosperBut the wolf that breaks shall die.”

This quote from The Jungle Bookcaptures the essence of a civili-

sation marvellously - a society withlaw and order in place, where indi-viduals can judge the difference be-tween right and wrong. It is only the

human society that boasts of a civil-isation. But are we really civilised?And do only laws help drive outchaos from a society? Perhaps not,for the human conscience plays anequally important role. From the very first stage of infancy,one is taught not to lie, be kind, shareand do what is generally considered'right'. This is a conscience-buildingprocess. Conscience is that part ofthe mind that pricks you every timeyou do something that goes against

the obvious standards of society. Forexample, person A, lies, drinks,smokes and does whatever pleaseshim, whereas person B, stops himselffrom doing any of that. The reasonwhy he does not choose these habitsis because he chooses to listen to hismoral conscience. Similarly, this partfrom The Jungle Book deals with thetwo wolves within us all. Discerningwhich wolf to feed is all about paying attention to our inner voice andletting it guide us further in life.

Little Pearls of wisdom

Ananya BaliAIS Gur 43, Alumnus

In the last decade, the sex ratio inthe age-group of 0-6 years has de-clined disturbingly in India with

feticide becoming a widespread prac-tice, especially female feticide. Multiple states across the nation havea sex ratio that is significantly lowerthan the national average. What is the answer to this dilemma? Passing alaw? Starting a ‘#hashtag’ movementon instagram? Or Tweeting? Let’s investigate...

More than just a termPop culture has seen a recent wave of‘gender sensitivity’- a hot topic amongintellectuals, constantly brought up bypoliticians during election time,strongly debated in schools and oftentalked about in social circles. But isgender equality just a fancy term tohave caught the fancy of intellectuals?

Gender sensitisation begins at homeGender sensitisation refers to the‘modification’ of behaviour by raisingawareness about gender equality con-cerns. If modification be the need ofthe hour, then why not start modifyingbehavioural patterns right from child-hood instead of waiting for children to

grow up and be bombarded with heavyduty terms such as feminism?

Doing away with stereotypesA mother dictating terms to her daugh-ter, asking her to mould her actions

just because she is a girl, is nothing butpropagating gender stereotypes. Andjust in case you thought the boys wereexempted of gender stereotypes, youare mistaken. Society dictates normsto them too, such as, ‘Boys don’t cry’.

A gender sensitive society is one thatshuns the prevailing disparities amongboys and girls based on physical dif-ferences and association with a partic-ular set of traits.

Educated yet discriminatoryThe tradition of gender discriminationcontinues as children grow up intoadults, even when they are fully awareof rights. To expect a woman to per-form exceptionally well in both the domestic and professional sphereswhile exempting men from the pres-sures of the former, is nothing but anexample of gender bias. Doesn’t a manneed to be efficient with the domesticchores for the same reason as awoman? To be self-sufficient, inde-pendent and help each other live ameaningful life, rather than exercisingcontrol and dominance over one an-other; this is where gender sensitisa-tion should step in. What is the use ofmultiple qualifications and universitydegrees when we are still so biased inour world view?

It’s high time the society begins tofocus on making children good humanbeings first, before asking them to be agood ‘girl’ or a good ‘boy’ by forcingthem to conform to societal norms andgender stereotypes. G T

How is FICCI contributing to the‘Clean India Campaign’?Our objective is clear; to create a net-work that achieves the initiative takenup by our prime minister NarendraModi, to build more toilets. We arelooking at creating a supply chain thatcan cater to toilet building in Indiawhich is an important issue, consider-ing the fact that 60% of the populationstill defecates in the open. The re-maining 40% people do have access totoilets, but depend largely on theSewage Treatment Plants or the STPmethods generally used in our homes,that aren’t eco-friendly.

What innovative steps have you takento achieve your objective?Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,the DRDO has developed an eco-friendly biodigester. This innovativebiodigester makes use of bacteria todecompose fecal matter. Two bi-prod-ucts, water and methane gas, are re-leased during the process ofdecomposition. While the water,

though not potable, can be used forvarious other purposes, methane gas,which is not harmful for the environ-ment, can be used as fuel. We are alsoproviding approval licenses to privatefirms supporting this technology sothat the idea flourishes and helpsachieve the objective of our campaign.

What kind of collaboration is FICCIlooking at, with Amity?We are already in the process of col-laborating with Amity University.Hopefully, we are soon going to havea partnership with Amity in associa-tion with our strategic partners abroad,so that the best practices of differentcountries can be brought to India andimplemented in our academic envi-ronment, to give it a global dimension.

What is your message to Amitians? Think big, do big and never give up.You will face innumerable challengesin life. Let determination and patiencelead you. Do not change your ways.Be focussed and always take small

steps because it is the small steps thatwill eventually help you achieve bigresults. Always remember to make itlarge in life. G T

Getting the balance right

While the primaryrole of theFederation of

Indian Chambers ofCommerce and Industry isto undertake economicresearch and encouragescientific research usefulfor the development ofindustry and commerce,the institution is alsoknown to lead various CSRprogrammes. At present,FICCI is playing an activerole in promoting theClean India Campaign.Swati Sahai, SeniorAssistant Director FICCI,talks about the initiative inan interview with KritikaKhanna, Alumnus, AUUP.

Towards a cleaner India

Pink is for girls and blue is for boys. From clothes to toys, the rules are oftengender biased for children who are evolving in a gender sensitive society...

A consequential conscience

Swati Sahai, Sr Asst Dir, FICCI

Perspective

VViisshh

nnuu FF

aaccttss

7Big Story Greece Crisis

On which flower does Lord Vishnu stand?PPiinnkk lloottuuss ccaalllleedd BBrraahhmmaa KKaammaallaa

THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

Labanya Maitra, AIS Saket, Alumnus

Once, there was a chap named Girish*,who had it good; he ate well, drank evenbetter, and had a merry lifestyle. He was

a good guy, this Girish; yes, once in a while he’dgo a little overboard on the spending, but that was-n’t such a big deal now, was it? Girish had been living in his neighbourhood sinceforever. His father lived there, as did his grandfa-ther, and great-grandfather, and so on. One day,his neighbourhood friends came up to him andasked him to be a part of the community’s newGentlemen’s Club*. Although a little apprehen-sive about his obligations to the Club initially,Girish agreed. As an initial member of the Club, Girish had thetime of his life. There was an elevation in his so-cial status and he was now able to dine and winemore than ever, especially with his new comrades.Girish’s friends failed to notice how much hehad started spending on his recreational activ-ities. He would quickly burn out all his earningsand borrow from his friends to maintain hislifestyle. His friends didn’t mind, though. Afterall, the Gentlemen took care of each other. Andso, Girish went on with his merry ways.By this point, no one really knew how muchGirish owed them all but it didn’t matter. Every-one knew Girish was a good guy; he’d return themoney when he would have the means. And any-way, times were good.What the Gentlemen’s Club didn’t realise, wasthat times were going to change and that too prettydrastically. Soon enough, crisis hit the neigh-bourhood and money became tight. The Clubwas also struggling to stay afloat and needed allthe money they could gather. Now was the timeto ask Girish to return some of the dough he’dbeen consuming.The Club called a meeting which was headed bytwo of the most influential members of the Club;Jarnail* and Farhan*. They meant business.Everyone needed their money back and so theydevised a strategy to try and help Girish payhis loans back. The Gentlemen’s Club memberspitched in their resources and decided to giveGirish some more money for him to get back on

his feet and make sure he does not leavethe Club.When Girish was presented with thisextra-special care package, he was over-joyed. He promised he would put themoney to good use and was determinedto do the same. Girish celebrated thatnight. This time he didn’t just wine anddine, but also dipped his toes into someof the more experimental fun. And soonenough, he was out of cash once again.This time Girish seemed in very badshape. The Club convened yet an-other meeting to discussthe issue, hoping to find otherways to help their dear little friendout. They guessed he’d been involvedin some ‘under the table’ activities, butthen again, who hadn’t? So once more,the Club gathered funds for poor ol’Girish. This time, they made him promiseto change his lifestyle for the better.Jarnail and Farhan put a lot of monetaryrestrictions on Girish. Girish was askedto let go of many luxuries. The otherClub members didn’t understandwhy they were being so harsh onGirish; they both were doingpretty well for themselves. Butthank God for them, they didn’thave to do the dirty workthemselves. Especially Span-dan* and Ihjaz-Ali*, whowere both in pretty bad shapeat this point already.“You will invest this moneywisely and earn enough to payus all back,” they addedsternly.“Where will I get a job? Look at my condi-tion,” murmured Girish.“Your health is not our concern, our money isyours.” With that, the Gentlemen’s Club walkedout, leaving poor Girish to fend for himself.Girish tried, he really did. But there was noway he could earn enough money to even keephimself afloat, never mind paying the others’back. And before they knew it, the Club members

found them-selves in the exactly sameposition for the third timein a row. And they hadhad enough now.Marching up to Girish’s

house, they were greetednot with their usual, jolly,happy friend, but ratherwith an ill tempered, andextremely angry, newGirish. And this Girish

had had enough of his fair-weather friends telling himwhat to do. “Get out of mylife!” he screamed at them.“I’ve had enough of youpeople trying to tell mewhat to do, I refuse to betold what to do!” The mem-bers of the Club just staredat him, thoroughly con-fused by this sudden, andrather unfortunate, turn ofevents.“You’re a part of this Club,you have to do what we

ask of you,” Jarnail’s voicewas cold as ice. “You don’t have a choice.”“In that case,” fumed Girish, “I no longer wantto be a part of your Club.”The entire gathering released an audible gasp.Such a thing was unheard of. Nobody ever leavesthe Gentlemen’s Club. But Girish had had enoughof them bossing him around and not letting himfigure out things for himself. He felt he didn’tneed them anymore.

Jarnail and Farhan exchanged swift glances witheach other. If Girish left the Club and managed tomake an honest living and claw himself out of thisdebt pit he had fallen into, it would send a wrongmessage to the other members of the Club. Whatif Spandan and Ihjaz-Ali followed Girish’s leadand decided to leave too? They had to make surethat Girish didn’t make something good of him-self without the Club’s help. They shouldn’t havehelped him out the first time itself, not to mentionthe second time around. But since they’d alreadydug his ditch, it was time to lie in it too.And so they made their decision. After all, busi-ness was business here. The Club convincedGirish to think his decision through because thiswas going to be a one way street with no U-turn.After taking a moment to reconsider, Girishcalmed down.He finally decided that he needed to think abouthis current situation and consult his family and seewhere the tide took him.G T

2004 2015 Brother, I am Girish. You forgot me.

1981Greece joins the European Union. GDP percapita nearly triples.

2001Greece becomes the 12th country to join theEuropean single currency, ditching its formercurrency Drachma.

2004Greece admits to misreporting financial datawhich showed its budget deficit to be muchlower than it really was. Also, it borrows heav-ily for the Athens Olympic Games.

2007The great economic recession affects the worldat large, Greece included.

2009Greece's credit rating is heavily downgradedby various banking institutions.

2010Bailout deal begins. Three austerity packagesare passed by the Greek parliament. Measuresinclude: a freeze in the salaries of all govt em-ployees, 10% cut in bonuses and increase inVAT.

2011After continuous downgrading of Greece andmassive protests, Greek prime ministerPapandreou resigns.

2012More austerity packages announced. AntonisSamaras, becomes the new prime ministerafter re-elections.

2013The Seventh austerity package is passed by theGreek parliament. Measures include thousandsof layoffs and wage cuts for civil service workers.

2015� Greek political party Syriza wins a historicvictory. PM Alexis Tsipras is elected. � Greece’s four-year exile from market bor-rowing comes to an end.� Greece misses a payment on an IMF loan.Banks run out of money.� Greece contemplates an exit from the Euro-zone and re-adopting the Drachma (Grexit). � Negotiations begin with EU on new bailoutpackages. � IMF confirms that Greece has repaid theoverdue debt as on July 20.

How it all wentdown in Greece

STARRING *Greece as Girish * Eurozone as Gentlemen’s Club * France as Farhan * Germany as Jarnail *Spain as Spandan *Italy as Ijhaz-Ali

EuropeanBank

Although a highly imperfect analogy of the current economic crisis in Greece,this story just takes a tiny step forward to try and explain the latestGreek tragedy in the simplest possible format

All illustrations: Pankaj Mallik, GT Network

8 THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

Mosaic Senior

VViisshhnnuu FFaaccttss

Pizza buns

Where is Lord Vishnu often shown resting on? HHee iiss oofftteenn sshhoowwnn rreessttiinngg oonn tthhee ccooiilleedd bbooddyy ooffSShheesshhnnaagg iinn hhiiss aabbooddee KKsshhiirr--SSaaggaarr..

Anmol Padole, AIS Gurgaon 43, X

Rising up Glowing green Strong and sturdy

CAMERA CAPERS Send in your entries to cameracapers@theglobaltimes.in

Aashita Gupta, AIS MV, IX

Ingredients

Burger buns (cut in halves) ..............4Capsicum (chopped) ................¼ cupOnions (chopped)......................¼ cupTomatoes (chopped)..................¼ cupSweet corn...... ..........................¾ cupCheese slices ..............................a fewRed chili powder ......................¾ tbsp Coriander powder ....................¾ tbsp Salt & pepper ..........................to tasteMixed herbs ............................to tasteOil..............................................2 tbsp Coriander leaves ................to garnish

Method� In a pan, heat oil. Add the veggies.� Sauté the vegetables. When theyturn golden brown, add all thespices except salt.

� Cook on a low flame for about 5-7minutes. Stir occasionally.

� Take the halves of the buns andcook on the tawa until they turngolden brown.

� Add a cheese slice and spread somecooked vegetables to each bun.

� Grill in a pre-heated oven for about1½ minutes.

� Sprinkle the herbs and garnish withcoriander leaves. Serve hot!

Nandika Mogha, AIS Noida, IX

I'm all that the little girl has ever had,I act as her brother, her loving dad.Though I am eighty and old,she says I'm handsome, daring and bold.She looks up to me with the prettiest eyes,she has grown up with stories made of lies.Stories of her parents and their horrible fights,and whatever happened on that fateful night.

She was five when it happened in the past,what was she to do, in this world so vast?

“I will bring her up well,” I swore...but I know she wants her motherand yearns for more.Years have gone by, she's now fifteen and sad,she spends all her hours, with her old granddad.She's warm and she's pretty, like fire in coal,but there's this gap in herself, like a deep dark hole.All these years, I have brought her up myself,but when I peep through my windowand the clock strikes twelve,she's out in the orchard, taking a stroll,and it seems to me that we have switched roles.

She takes care of me now, she hardly sleeps,she cooks, washes, tucks me in and sweeps.

I know she wants a caring and protective dad,and an elder brother that she never had.But I'm sorry my dear, I'm youthful only in my heart,forgive me my love, I only play grandpa's part.G T

Khuwaish GuptaAIS Gurgaon 46, IX E

In the dead of the night,I heard some noises bizarre.They seemed to be near meand not too far. Every second seemed ominous, and wicked every hour.

“Something is wrong,”said my heart.I wasn’t alone, that I could tell,and then I heard a scream for help,

I couldn’t help, but yelp.

I thought it was a dream, so stepped out of my bed.The noises stopped but I let out a scream. I got goosebumpsand my heart thumped.

I went back to my room, but was somehow reminded of a witch on the broom. And then came the storm,I remembered God in every form.

I was scared but sleepy, but my mind was floodedwith thoughts of everything creepy.

I heard mom call out my name.I felt brave and yet so lame!She came and tucked me in, I gave her a kissand flashed a grin.

I slept well that night as everything felt alright.Goodbye Mr Fear,you cannot come near!G T

Brush ‘n’ Easel Ananya SandeepAIS Gur 46, VIII J

Kaori Singh, AIS Gurgaon, XII

She was walking home from tuitionwhen a bike, driven by two men,passed by. She saw them at the

very instant when one whispered to theother, “Maar de, nahi dekh rahi.” Ittook her a few minutes to realise thatthey were talking about whistling at herand it was not a pleasant feeling.She dragged her feet along as the bikestopped ahead of her at a bidi ki dukaan,the men still looking for an opportunityto sneak around, waiting for a signal

from the girl. She lowered her head, herglance habitually stealing away fromthe smirking men, who kept trying towhistle at her. Today, she did somethingshe hadn’t ever done before; she lookedright back, deep into their eyes,fearlessly, for she had nothing to beashamed of. When she would stare backat them, they would turn their headsaway and the minute she looked away,they would continue to analyse herphysical self. One moment she feltinvisible and the other, like an object.This time, however, she did not budge.

She stared back at them withoutblinking. She could sense their pridesinking in embarrassment. Turning herback at them, she smiled all the wayback home. She had learnt quite a few things thatday. She decided to never hang herhead when stared at by men. Whyshould she bow down before themwhen she was nowhere at fault? Shedecided to always believe in herself andnot to lose her confidence in such asituation. She was celebrating hernewfound courage. It dawned upon herthat her gaze was intimidating enoughto scare away those nasty cowards.From that day onwards, she walkeddown the gloomy, isolated road like agallant soldier, her fierce eyes ready toput any man to shame. Every time shewas was whistled at or stared at by awolf or a pack of wolves, she refused tosubmit to them. She stood on her own,strong and proud. G T

It dawned upon herthat her gaze was

intimidating enough toscare away thosenasty cowards.

Grandfather’s clock

In the dark

Blazing eyes

POEMS

Illustration: Ravinder Gusain, GT Network

9Mosaic Junior

THE GLOBAL TIMES |MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015

Ishita Madaan, AIS Gur 46, III

IngredientsSweet corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 bowlsPasta (boiled) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 bowlCucumber (chopped). . . . . . 1/2 bowlCapsicum (chopped) . . . . . . 1/2 bowlPomegranate . . . . . . . . . . . . 1/2 bowlMayonnaise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 tspTomato ketchup . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 tspLemon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Salt & black pepper . . . . . . . to taste

Oregano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to tasteTomato sprigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . a few

Method� Take sweet corn and pasta in a bowl.�Add the chopped veggies and fruitsto the pasta.

� Add mayonnaise, tomato ketchupand lemon juice.

� Sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano.� Using a wooden spatula, mix well.� Garnish with tomato sprigs.

Diya AroraAIS Gurgaon 46, VII

Once upon a time, there was a girlcalled Nancy. She lived a happylife with her parents. But one

day, her parents died in a car accident.Nancy was adopted by her father’s bestfriend. The little girl was sad but shenever gave up hope, thinking that hernew parents would love her. But this wasfar from reality. Nancy’s new familymade her do all the household choresand gave her tattered clothes to wear.

Soon, the day arrived for her to restartschool. She tried to cheer up as shewould now get to make new friends. Butas luck would have it, Nancy was reallydisliked by her classmates because ofher oversized spectacles, dirty clothesand her introverted nature. Disap-pointed, Nancy gave up all hope of liv-ing a happy life. Things got worse whenone day her classmates played a prankon her by sticking chewing gum to herhair. It was then that one of the girls inthe class, Rimika, came to her rescue.She scolded the other children in the

class for misbehaving with Nancy. Fromthat day on, Rimika and Nancy becamebest friends. But Nancy’s happiness wasshortlived as Rimika had to leave theschool soon after, as her father was get-ting transferred to another city. Nancywas heartbroken. She prayed to Godasking for happiness.That day, Nancy found a pen lying onthe road. She kept it with herself. Onenight, she used the pen to write in herdairy, “I wish my parents love me.” Thenext day, she woke up in the arms of herparents. Nancy soon realised that the penshe had found was no ordinary one but amagical pen. A few days later, Nancywrote in the diary with the same pen,“Rimika will come back,” and to hersurprise, Rimika did return! Nancy wasonce again a happy girl.G T

Nancy’s magical pen

So, what did you learn today?A new word: IntrovertedMeaning: A shy person

Nancy soon realised thatthe pen she had found was

no ordinary one, but amagical pen.

My name: Eesh SainiMy school:AIS SaketMy class: IMy birthday: October 8I like: DoremonI dislike: FightingMy hobby: Playing pianoMy role model:My papaMy best friend:My sister RishaMy favourite book:Animal Sound BookMy favourite game: FootballMy favourite mall:Ambience MallMy favourite food: PastaMy favourite teacher: Pallavi Thakur ma’amMy favourite poem:Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!My favourite subject: EVSI want to become:An IAS officerI want to feature in GT because: I want to be alittle star.

It’s Me

POEM Painting Corner Ojus KrishnaAIS Vas 6, III

Shaurya Sawaran, AIS Vas 1, II

1. Which is the coolest letter in theEnglish alphabet?

2. You use me from head to toe andthe more I work the thinner I grow.

3.What is always coming but neverarrives?

4. I have keys but no locks, I havespace but no room and you can enterbut cannot go outside. Who am I?

5.What starts with letter ‘P’ and endswith letter ‘E’. It has thousands ofletters in it.

Riddle Fiddle

Answers1.‘B’becauseitisalwayssurroundedby‘A’and‘C’2.Abarofsoap3.Tomorrow4.Akeyboard5.Postoffice

Snehal, AIS Gur 43, II

Customer: How much do you chargefor a haircut?Barber: Sir, Rs 30Customer: And how much for ashave?Barber: Sir, Rs 10Customer: Ok, shave my head.

Judge: Silence in the court! The nextman who shouts loudly will be sent outPrisoner: [Loudly] Hurrah!

Teacher: What is the height of theHimalayas?Student: 42 centimetreTeacher: How can you say that?

Student: I measured it in my geogra-phy book.

Mother: Why are you sitting on thefloor to do the sums?Son:Mom, because I have been askedto do them without tables.

Rajesh:Why did the little girl eat herhomework?Mangesh: No idea!Rajesh: Because the teacher said itwas a piece of cake.

Customer:Waiter, there is a frog in myonion soup!Waiter: Sorry sir, the fly is onvacation.

VViisshh

nnuu FF

aaccttss

Name the avatar of Lord Vishnu in the form of a fish.MMaattssyyaa AAvvaattaarr

Cornasta salad

Wisdom Tale

Jugaad Singh Sarang, AIS Saket, IV

I am a Bahamian Owl, not an ordinary fowl.Why did you kill us?

I am a wide eyed owl, with a beak and a nose.I have tufts on my ears,and talons for my toes.Why did you kill us?

We lived in the Caribbean, but were harassed by the Europeans.We were harmless in the barn,

and that became our bane.You made us extinct with your guns Oh! what a shame!Isn’t that lame?Why did you kill us?

I request you with folded hands,forests are the treasures of your lands.My message is loud and clear,“Save the forest” is all I want to hear.Why did you kill us?

I am a Bahamian Owl, not an ordinary fowl.Why did you kill us?

Bahamian Barn Owl

Illustration: Ravinder Gusain, GT Network

11School Lounge Wassup

THE GLOBAL TIMES |MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015Name the avatar of Lord Vishnu inthe form of half man and half lion.NNaarrssiimmhhaa

VViisshh

nnuu FF

aaccttss

AIS Gurgaon 46

‘Do your best, forget the rest'is an axiom that best definesthe Youth Power team of

AIS Gurgaon 46. The team took up thecause of geriatrics and worked relent-lessly to promote the health of senior cit-izens. Their project titled 'AdventAge',won accolades in the award ceremonyhosted by the Rotary Club, Gurgaon andNCR. It was indeed a moment of pridefor the Youth Power team when theywere felicitated at the grand ceremony,'Salaam' held at Hotel The Taj, DhaulaKuan. Project 'AdventAge' won theaward for the ‘Best Student Initiative’ inthe district. The project aims at raising awarenessabout the mental and physical health ofsenior citizens in the society through

campaigns, heath check ups, yogathonsand partnering with old age homes andNGOs. Principal Arti Chopra congratu-lated the students on their achievement.

'AdventAge' is an initiative under theumbrella of 'Youth Power', an interAmity competition for ethical leadershipand values organised by GT. G T

The YP ‘AdventAge’

A cultural recital

Youth Power project ‘AdventAge’ was awarded the BestStudent Initiative in the district by Rotary Club

Principal Arti Chopra with the winning team

Principal Arti Chopra (L) with Arushi Mudgal (in red) and her accompanists

AIS Gurgaon 46

In alignment with the vision ofDr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan,Chairperson, Amity Group of

Schools & RBEF, of making eachAmitian aware of the rich culturalheritage of our country, a Spic Macayrecital was organised in the school.Eminent Odissi exponent, ArushiMugdal was the chief guest on theoccasion. The renowned artist wasaccompanied by Jitendra Kumar Swainon pakhawaj, Yar Mohammed on sitarand vocalist, Manikuntala Bhowmick. The programme commenced with thelighting of the ceremonial lamp by

school principal Arti Chopra and theguests. Arushi Mudgal enlightenedyoung Amitians about the variousintricacies of the Odissi dance form andits various postures such as 'Tribhangi'and 'Chauka'. As the stage reverberatedwith music and rhythm, the students satin rapt attention and were mesmerisedby the flawless performance of thedanseuse. In the lec-dem (lecture –demonstration), the danseuse taughtdifferent 'mudras' and body postures toa few students. Later, she answeredqueries of students pertaining to theorigin of the dance and folk culture ofOdisha. The artist and her accompanistswere felicitated by the school.G T

AICE

Amity Institute for CompetitiveExaminations (AICE) was fe-licitated with the 'Coaching In-

stitute of the Year' award by IndiaEducation during a special award cere-mony of the 5th Annual Education Con-vocation on Innovation Uniting Change& Sustainability, held on June 10, 2015.The award was presented by RajivPratap Rudy, minister of skill develop-ment, Govt. of India. AICE was also re-cently awarded the 'Best CoachingInstitute of IIT & Medical' for the 5thtime by Competition Success Review. AICE took an enormous stride by or-ganising the first International Olympiadfor physics, chemistry, mathematics andbiology in May 2012, which broughtstudents from across the globe on one

platform. This year, 300 students fromvarious countries participated in the 3rdAmity International Olympiad. The gov-ernments of some participating countrieshave awarded the winners with scholar-ships for higher studies. His ExcellencyShaida Mohammad Abdali, ambassadorof Afghanistan, has issued excellencecertificates to the winning students fromthe country. Amity Institute for Competitive Exami-nations is a novel initiative ofDr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, Chairperson,Amity Group of Schools & RBEF thatprepares students for different competi-tive exams, while carefully balancing ac-ademic excellence in school curriculum.This year, over 500 students from AICEqualified for different prestigious com-petitive exams as JEE/Medical, CAT,MAT, SAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.G T

AIS VKC, Lucknow

Astudent of AIS VKC,Lucknow, Shagun Uppalparticipated in the District

Sub Junior (Under 21), Cadet, KarateChampionship organised by DistrictKarate-do Association recognised byUP Olympic Association, held onApril 12, 2015. Shagun, a student ofClass IX, brought laurels to theschool when she secured the secondposition in individual kata andkumite categories. The karate champwas awarded two silver medals andcertificates of merit. All thanks to herhard work and determination, shewas selected by the UP OlympicAssociation for the state level karatechampionship.

AIS Mayur Vihar

AIS Mayur Vihar organised avisit to the Indian Parliamentfor the students of Class XII

pursuing Legal Studies, on April 24,2015. The visit was organised with theaim to give students a better insight intothe working of the Indian legislature.The trip included a visit to theParliament Museum as well as LokSabha. The students were lucky towitness the proceedings of the Lower

House where the education budget wasbeing debated. The children saw thebigwigs of Indian politics in action,including Smriti Irani, minister HRD;Mahesh Giri, MP Mayur Vihar;Dr Mahesh Sharma, BJP MP; MulayamSingh Yadav, MP from Azamgarh andParesh Rawal, actor cum politician.Indian Legislature is an integral part ofthe Legal Studies curriculum. The visitwas a valuable one for it provided anextraordinary insight into thefunctioning of the parliament.G T

Excellence award for AICE

AIS Saket

The cricket champions of AISSaket displayed their mettle onceagain by winning the prestigious

Lt. Col ER Tullet Memorial Inter SchoolCricket Trophy, organised by the FrankAnthony School. This is the school

team's third consecutive victory, makingit a hattrick. They defeated The ShriRam School team by 3 wickets andbagged the winning trophy. KanwarpreetSingh of AIS Saket was bestowed theBest Batsman award while SambhavJain was declared the Best All Rounderin the cricket championship.G T

Karatechamp

Parliament calling

AIS Pushp Vihar

Theatre fest ‘Ignited Spirits-2015’was organised at AIS PushpVihar on May 6-7, 2015. Under

the patronage and guidance of Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, Chairperson,Amity Group of Schools & RBEF, theschool strives to incorporate art and aes-thetics into education.The fest was graced by a panel of judgescomprising Nirupama Verma andGaurav Pahwa, theatre experts. Sevenschools of Delhi/NCR participated in the

event. The first day was meant for thejunior category while the second daywas reserved for performances by theseniors. In the junior category, AIS PVwon the first prize followed by DPSNoida and AIS Gur 46 at the second andthird positions. In the senior category,the first prize was bagged by AIS PushpVihar, the second prize by AIS Mayur

Vihar while AIS Gurgaon 46 won thethird prize. The best performer awardwas bagged by Vara Raturi of AIS PushpVihar. AIS Mayur Vihar was declaredthe overall winner. The theatreextravaganza concluded with principalAmeeta Mohan presenting the vote ofthanks and encouraging students toparticipate in theatre. G T

English theatre fest Spectators were privy toa magnanimous clash oftheatrical titans atIgnited Spirit

Cricket hattrick!

Award ceremony of the 5th annual education convocation

Students of AIS Mayur Vihar visit the Indian Parliament

The cricket champions flaunt their prized possessions

An enigmatic theatre performance in progress at the fest

Shagun Uppal with her awards

Which avatar of Lord Vishnu was a cowherd boy?KKrriisshhnnaa

AAllll ttoopp qquuootteess ccoonnttrriibbuutteedd bbyy AArrcchhiitt SSiinngghh,, AAIISS NNooiiddaa,, VVIIBag Pack 12

Variety

THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015VViisshhnnuu FFaaccttss

Got some clicks with GT while on the go? Get them featured!Send them to us at gttravels@theglobaltimes.in

Rudransh Gautam,AIS Noida, I G, poses with his copy of The Global Timesopposite the Opera House, Sydney, Australia. The Opera House is anarchitectural marvel designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon. It is set in aremarkable waterscape projecting into the Sydney Harbour.

GT Travels to Sydney, Australia

For all those girls, whothought heels weretheir birthright, this

article might be a crash-landing. A sneak peek intohistory shows how trends thatnow belong to the effeminateworld have their origins inthe men’s section. AkshGupta, AIS MV, IX bringsyou some such fashion items

Heels: The history of high heels dates back to 1600AD when it was frequently worn by men! Famousmonarchs of France, England and ancient Egypt,cowboys, stage actors and many other men woreheels for practical reasons as well as fashion. Thetwo-inch Cuban heel featured in various styles ofmen’s boots. Well, let’s just say it isn’t just womenwho want to feel ‘on top of the world’!

Leggings: Leggings have been worn by men undervarious names, and in various forms for bothwarmth and protection. Men in Europe wore sepa-rate hose, a type of leggings, from the 13th to 16thcentury. During the same period, native Americansalso wore separate leggings, made of buckskinleather. These were adopted by hunters, french furtrappers and later by mountain men. Men’s leg-gings, dubbed ‘meggings’, were introduced in lastyear’s spring/summer shows and are surpris-ingly catching on.

Hair straightening: If you thought onlywomen long for those shiny, black tresses,then you are mistaken. Hair straighten-

ing, a technique that involves flattening of hair inorder to give it a smooth and sleek appearance, wasfirst started for men in the 1890s. In the 1950s,African men sported this extremely popular andstylish look.

Earrings: This fashion accessory became fashion-able among courtiers and gentlemen in the 1590sduring the English Renaissance. A document pub-lished in 1577 by an English clergyman, ‘Descrip-tion of England’, states that some courtiers andgentlemen wore rings of gold, stones or pearls intheir ears. But earrings weren’t just restricted to theelite, sailors got their earlobes pierced too. The ear-rings were worn by the sailors as a symbol of hav-ing sailed around the world or having crossed theequator. Popular belief has it that sailors also worea gold earring, which was to serve as payment for‘a proper Christian burial’ in the event that theydrowned at sea or should their bodies be washed upon shore.

Foundation: In the 18th century, Louis XVmade itfashionable for men to wear lead-based make up.Men used make up during theatre performanceswith a heavy white base. However, male modelsstill wear make-up confidently during fashionshows and ramp shows.

Purses:Men once carried coin purses and the old-est known purse dates back more than 5000 years.Purses were first carried by a man, Otzi The Ice-man.When women’s fashion moved in the directionof small ornamental purses, later evolving intohandbags, men’s fashions moved in another di-rection altogether, wallets. Today, men’s de-signer bags are manufactured by leadingfashion houses such as Prada, LouisVuitton, etc in a variety of sizes. Thepopularity of men’s accessories in-cluding holdall bags, is on therise in North America.G T

Sareena Roy, AIS Saket, XII

Saturday, March 26, 2055Dear Diary,Today is my 15th birthday. Yes, I fi-nally turned 15! The birthday party isabout to start and my friends are almostabout to arrive. But before that, I haveto open my grandmother’s heirloom.It’s a cute little box she has left me, thathas the strict instruction “Do not openbefore you turn 15”. I am dying to openit and see its contents. Oh! how differ-ent would life have been back in 2015!So here I am, opening this box while Ipen my thoughts in my diary. By theway, I’m curious. Did they have self-recording diaries back then? I don’tthink so.

�Now what’s this! Oh! It’s a box-likephone. OMG! It is so huge. Does iteven fit into a pocket! It is the 2015iPhone. And I thought my hologramphone was outdated.

�Wow, I am keeping this 2015 vintage

Levi's jeans. My friends will love itwhen they see me rocking this exqui-site creation. I cannot believe mygrandmother wore low rise jeans! Theonly drawback though, they don’tchange colour.

�A photo album with pictures of thetime she went for a David Guetta con-cert. I mean, seriously? These are pho-tos that I can’t even boast of to myfriends, for the only legend we reallyacknowledge from their time is HoneySingh. Period.

� Rupee 5 coins, four hundred ofthem! They have been rendered obso-lete eons ago. I’m not even much of acoin collector. And there are four hun-dred of them! I will gift some to myfriends. They will be amused that peo-ple had to carry around money because

now everything is digitised. I am so ex-cited to show these coins to my friends.I think they will like them.

�An old edition of The Global Timesnewspaper! So that is what it lookedlike originally. I have to get this lami-nated. Oh, and I see they still have notchanged the content style!

�What’s this? A Nataraj pencil! I havenever seen a wooden pencil before. Ineed to sign my name with it. Hmm, butwhere am I going to find a sharpener?Anyway, this is the best gift my grand-mother has left me. Mom’s calling, I guess the guests havearrived. I’m still amazed at the thingsthey used many years ago! Wonderwhat my grandchildren will think whenI leave some heirloom for them.

Sweet 15 me, Zaysha

Dadima kicheezein

Men wear heelsAll Illustrations:

Deepak Sharma, GT Network

Agirl unwraps a box ofmemories left behind forher by her grandmom. But

there’s a catch, the heirloom isfrom 40 years back...