LATE NIGHTS It was the beginning of a new academic year. On the very

second day we were called in by one of the English

teachers. Needless to say, we were slightly scared. Had we

done something wrong?! Turned out we were part of the JSSIS

Editorial Board. It was so unexpected. We had walked into

the room thinking we were in trouble and had instead been

given a new responsibility.

Our heads were buzzing with ideas that we immediately put

to action. There definitely was a lot of work to be done.

It was not going to be easy but we were up for the

challenge.

There was a lot of running around, a lot of time spent in

front of screens, late nights spent reading stories and

poems. But we don‘t mind at all since that hard work has

paid off. We would like to thank everyone who helped us. Of

course, we wouldn‘t want to forget our lovely teachers who

gave us this opportunity. So a big thank you to all!

Finally, we are proud to present our very own school

magazine: RHAPSODY.

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CHIEF EDITORS

AISHA SHAIKH TASHYAA MEHROTRA

SUB-EDITORS

MARK G.RONAD ZANE MONTEIRO FREYANCE WADIA

THE STUFFING

THE COVER:

Investiture Ceremony

Declamation

Senior Plays

Assembly

HMI

THE LITERATURE:

How Important is Literature?

Poet-ree

Storytellers

Book Reviews

We Recommend

THE LIFESTYLE:

Life’s Purpose

Sports Everyday

Defusing Stress

Cook in your Kitchen

My Working Life

THE VISUALS:

Get Artsy!

Gallery

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5

ALL ABOUT ENGLISH Zane Monteiro, 11B

The modern tongue of the country

The universal sound in the world

English is the language

Which has, like a flag become unfurled

It is a funny language to many

Yet it amazes your imagination

When cough can end with off

Yet through rhymes with blue and no interrogation?

English took centuries to form

And it still is ever changing

I hope that the youth of today

Can save it from decaying

Self-expression through music, literature and countless

others

That‘s what English can be used for my sisters and brothers

Hopefully you will see this too

Because the future of the language is up to you.

Before we get started and give you a rundown of the most

exciting events that occurred this year, we want you to

read this short poem about the beauty of the language that

we all speak; no, not Hindi. It‘s English time!

Investiture Ceremony

"Great and marvelous is the creation of God; the crown and

the masterpiece of it all is none other than Man. And great

indeed are the people who are chosen to lead others and

light the life of those around them."

The Investiture Ceremony at JSS International School was

held on the 1st of May, 2016 to entrust the student council

members with the responsibility of sharing a common

commitment to uphold the dignity and honor of the school.

The programme started with the invocation to the Almighty

with a recitation from the Holy Quran followed by the

school song.

The newly appointed School Captain is Mr. Vishal Meyyappan

and Sports Captain is Ms. Prithika Tabithe. All the council

members received their badges and sashes under an oath to

fulfill their responsibilities with the utmost dedication.

And here we are with the cover stories of this year! Hope

you enjoy reading through these articles and going back in

time to revisit these moments.

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"Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins

championship" - Michael Jordan.

The joint efforts of the Housemaster and students of

Wordsworth House won them the trophy for the best house of

2015-2016.

The ceremony came to an end with the new School Captain -

Vishal Meyyappan's vision of a promising future for the

school and students through hard work and dedication. We

hope to see our new leaders take us to new heights or as

our school says, ―Above, Ahead and Beyond.‖

JSSIS DECLAMATION Zane Monteiro, 11B

A declamation speech is the term used to describe the re-

giving of an important or famous speech. It could be a

political, graduation or commencement speech, a eulogy, or

a sermon. The speaker re-interprets the original,

reproducing its power afresh. Students of JSS International

School find a lot of opportunities come their way in

subject to co-curricular activities. One such opportunity

was the Declamation Competition.

Students are encouraged to communicate, listen and

understand. Public speaking, stage fright and general

interactions appear as hurdles to some and what better

way to overcome it than through practicing declamation.

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Declamation is definitely a confidence booster and allows a

person to get into character and practice different speech

styles to boost the morale of the audience or dampen it as

the case may be.

On April 25th JSS International School held its very own

Declamation Speech Competition. The requirement of the

speech was that it should be a famous speech by an Indian.

The students felt invigorated by the powerful speeches

delivered by Subhas Chandra Bose‘s at Burma to Jawaharlal

Nehru‘s ―Tryst with Destiny‖, not to mention Kiran Bedi‘s

speech at TED Talks and many other great speeches - all

these were orated by students who were willing to try their

best. Everyone was truly inspired and hope to have many

more events like this in the future.

―Words are actions as well, they can influence people

beyond imagination and should be used wisely‖- Anonymous

In JSS International School we believe that through these

types of activities we can learn to speak and influence

those around us for the better.

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Plays of 2016 The Shakespeare Trio

Raveena Kichlu & Navya Rawtani,

10th

Grade 10 Plays

The 10th graders of JSSIS presented three of Shakespeare's

greatest tragedies - Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello.

Inspite of several hindrances like

actors forgetting their lines,

microphones suddenly falling

silent, the students were able to

present the plays beautifully.

Students from all three classes won prizes for best actor

and actresses. Nayantara, from

10A, received the Best Actor

Award for her role of ‗Ophelia.‘

Marvellous acting from Neha

Shine, Rhiya Bhiji and Sumira,

enacting the role of the three

witches, stole the entire show

The two grades of our school that are giving their board

exams this academic year put up a fantastic array of

plays. Come let us see what grade 10 and 12 performed for

us this year.

and attained best actor in their class, 10B.

Three students from 10C made

their entire class proud by

bagging the prize. Abdul Samad,

who played the antagonist, and

Deval Patel who played the main

actor, Othello, won prizes for

best actor. Merilynn Joseph

also did a tremendous job at

playing Brabantio‘s role and

won the Best Actress Award. The hardwork of the students

finally payed of with 10 B being declared the winner and

10C was in second place and 10C was third.

Third Time is a Charm Grade 12 Plays

The students of Grade 12, put up marvelous plays on the

28th of April for their juniors. It was truly a brilliant

experience seeing all the students take a break from their

hectic schedule and come out of their shells to put up

three different plays.

These plays were meant to enlighten Grade 11 on their

upcoming literature lessons. Grade 12 received immense

support from the English department in organizing these

plays and adding another memorable event to their calendar

last year.

The three plays put up were based on:

1. Lamb to Slaughter by Roald Dahl

2. The Lost Jewels by Rabindranath Tagore

3. The Stolen Bacillus by H.G. Wells

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Dramas truly bring out the ability to improvise and let go

of one‘s stage fears, and as with every drama the best

Actor awards given out by the judges‘ panel. The best

actors respectively were:

1. Pooja Ramesh for ‗Lamb to Slaughter‘

2. Chrislynn Joseph for ‗The Lost Jewels‘

3. Vishal Meyyappan & Varcky Ben George for ‗The Stolen

Bacillus

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The JSSIS family truly hopes that this will bring out the

latent talent of budding actors on our stage and will

motivate students to actively participate in dramatics.

17

HMI Trip 2016

Prithika Tabithe, 12B

Our journey started on the 12th of March. It was a long and

exhausting one but nothing compared to what we would face

in the next few weeks. We boarded a flight from Dubai to

Delhi after which, we took another flight to Bhagdogra.

Once we got there, a long road trip lay ahead of us. The

four hour journey went by in a

whiz. The picturesque sights as we

went uphill to the Himalayan

Mountaineering Institute,

Darjeeling, never ceased to amaze

us. By the time we reached the

institute we were all drained

completely, and all we could do

was hit the sack.

The next day, we were all asked to

wake up at five in the morning;

something we would never have dreamt of doing usually. We

were split into patrols and given a warm welcome. That day

was the day we learnt more about HMI's history and what

we'd be doing there. At the end of it, some of us were a

little intimidated by what lay ahead of us but tried not to

let it show. On the second day, we were taught the

Principle of Rock Climbing and were actually given the

chance to scale a rock - the Tenzing Rock. This exercise

definitely helped boost our self- confidence for the eight

day trek that lay ahead of us. That night, we went out to

purchase the necessaries for our Sandakphu trek which we

were leaving for the next day.

We started off our trek, the next

morning, marching forward like

warriors. But soon the trek started

to take its toll on us. The first day

was definitely one of the hardest. It

was all so new to us and the uphill

route only made it more challenging. The heavy - almost

twenty kg - rucksack felt like a burden. Eating out of our

own mess tins, washing them, and carrying them safely with

us was definitely a new feeling. Once we finished the 14 km

trek to Garibas and were done for the day, we couldn't help

but feel a sense of achievement. Our trek, the next day,

seemed significantly easier. Most of us had got accustomed

to the weather conditions and the altitude. Our journey to

Kalpokhri went by with ease. By now, we had learnt to help

others who needed it and had started think of ourselves as

a team. No one gets left behind.

Once we made it to Kalpokhri, we were faced with the

highlight of our trek - Sandakphu. Though this was an

optional trek, almost everyone was determined to make it up

to the highest peak in West Bengal at 12000 feet. With all

our layers on, we moved up moving against nature's forces.

There were points when the fog was blinding and we'd have

to make stops, but no one let that deter us. After quite a

climb, we finally made it to the top. For us Dubai kids,

the lush green mountains were a welcome break from the

barren desert. The journey was definitely worth it. We made

it back to Kalpokhri for that night's stay.

The next three days went by pretty quickly. We faced no

major challenges and had all adapted to the environment. We

made it to Rimbick for lunch and were lucky to be given an

oppourtunity to visit the local market. The next day, we

made our way to Kainjaley, and the day after, to Goak. Both

these days we stayed at school and spent the evenings

playing outdoor games. It helped us all bond and get to

know each other better. During our stay at Goak, we had an

extempore speech session that helped all of us let go of

our inhibitions.

On the sixth day of our trek, we moved downhill towards

Singla. The numerous activities lined up for us over there

excited us. When we reached our destination, we were taught

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to pitch tents, something most of us had never done before.

Later, that evening we were taught how to light a fire and

were given the necessary ingredients for our patrol wise

cooking competition. We definitely learnt a lot from that

competition, and also started really appreciating people

who made cooking seem effortless. The next morning, we had

our cross country race which got us all warmed up for the

day's events. The waterman ship training and kayaking were

both definitely thrilling experiences, and everyone wanted

to stay there for as long as possible. We spent the last

night of our trek around a campfire singing songs and just

letting it all soak in. We had actually done it. We were at

the end of our 108 km trek. It brought out the spirit of

sportsmanship and competitiveness in all of us.

The graduation ceremony left us with mixed emotions.

We were proud of ourselves and glad we'd done it but also a

little remorseful that it all came to an end so quickly. We

ended the day with a farewell dinner with our instructors

that we had all contributed towards as a way of showing

gratitude. We spent our last day at camp at the town

market, buying souvenirs and other knick knacks. We

definitely wanted to buy something by which we could

remember our trip.

On 26th March, the day had come. It was time for all of us

to say goodbye. And though we all missed the luxuries of

Dubai and our mothers' food, we had become so used to a

different way of life that

we were reluctant to let

go. We left with heavy

hearts. But we knew we'd

have plenty of stories to

recount to our friends and

family back in Dubai; and

none of us would trade the

memories we made there for

anything in the world.

LITTING UP WITH RAPTURE Tashyaa Mehrotra, 11B

Can you imagine a world without literature? It‘s hard,

isn‘t it? It has been and still is an integral part of the

world we live in. Believe it or not, literature has helped

in shaping the world and humans. It has played a major role

in the development of society, in exposing injustice, in

connecting all of us at different levels and so much more

than we can imagine. Literature has been one of the pillars

for this world. It‘s where beauty of existence lies. It has

helped us understand not only the world around us, but

built another one for us.

Literature is one of the most interesting and significant

expressions of humanity. It is the channel through which

one can escape the present world to experience another one.

It is as simple as opening a book and getting lost in the

words. That is the gift of literature. Literature makes us

empathize and connect with others. Often it has been seen

that many of us develop a bond with a fictional characters.

Not only do we paint a picture of them in our head but we

21

cry and laugh with them. We think of them as our friends.

The author, the book, as our friend, is our escape from

reality.

Literature gives birth to an open mind and heart. We learn

that there is more to a person than they might be showing.

We learn not to judge a person by their exterior but to dig

deep into their interior as well. It has taught us much

more than JUST that. Through literature we have learnt the

complexity of human emotion and behavior. We have come

across situations in pages and tried applying their

solutions in our reality. Literature has taught us how to

handle reality in a better way.

It has unconsciously triggered our analytical thinking and

imagination. You start analyzing a character, the story,

thinking how they function, what effect a certain event has

had on their story. You use your imagination to fill in the

blanks, to feed your curiosity.

Words have power, they can inspire. Through literature,

great authors have done just that. They‘ve inspired. Be it

in the British Raj, or a mere lost soul, literature has

shown us the path to enlightenment and sustenance. It has

not only held out a hand for us to discover ourselves but

to the world, to societies, to justice too. It has made

them to re-discover, given us the nourishment we require as

a person.

We all have opinions about at least a few things, if not

everything. Literature has given us that privilege. It has

either fabricated our opinions or strengthened them or even

gone as far as dismantling our belief system.

Boris Pasternuk said, ―Literature is the art of

discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people,

and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.‖ He

couldn‘t have been more accurate. I know not everyone is a

fan of reading, and if you aren‘t you are missing out. Like

it‘s famously said – there is no difference between a man

who won‘t read and a man who cannot read. So go. Find your

extraordinary.

WONDER: BOOK REVIEW Aisha Shaikh, 11B

Review:

August Pullman is a

young boy of 10 who has

been given one of

fate‘s most gruesome

face abnormalities.

When people look at

Auggie, all they see is

―a sign from God.‖

People look at him and

are grateful that

they‘re not him. They

pity him, they bully

him, and they just

Title: Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio

Genre: YA/ Middle Grade

Contemporary

Type: Standalone

Recommended Age: 8+

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: You can't blend in

when you were born to stand

out.

August Pullman wants to be an

ordinary ten-year-old. He

does ordinary things. He eats

ice cream. He plays on his

Xbox. He feels ordinary -

inside.

But Auggie is far from

ordinary. Ordinary kids don't

make other ordinary kids run

away screaming in

playgrounds. Ordinary kids

don't get stared at wherever

they go.

Born with a terrible facial

abnormality, Auggie has been

home-schooled by his parents

his whole life, in an attempt

to protect him from the

cruelty of the outside world.

Now, for the first time, he's

being sent to a real school -

and he's dreading it. Can he

convince his new classmates

that he's just like them?

23

stare at him. But Auggie doesn‘t want to be pitied, or

bullied, or stared at. He just wants to be the cute little

kid next door that always makes sweet jokes and gives nice

smiles.

This book teaches you so much more than you could ever

learn about gratefulness, empathy and kindness. This book

gives you a perspective into the mind of a young child that

is forced to go through problems that not even adults

should face. We often don‘t give a second thought to the

maimed, the crippled, and the handicapped. ‗Wonder‘ forces

you to come out of the little shell that you‘ve created

around yourself and really look out into reality.

Wonder feels so real, it‘s like you‘re watching a 3D

movie. You don‘t even realize when you become a part of

Auggie and Auggie a part of you. Palacio has written the

story with such adeptness that it shocks you. The

characters are all very real and their emotions are felt by

you. The way the author uses words to manipulate ideas is

simply marvelous.

‗Wonder‘ is interesting to more than just a fictional

level. It changes something inside you to be more kind and

forthcoming to others. ‗Wonder‘ breaks those walls down.

That is the reason that it is such an important read. It

tells us to do things in such a passive and beautiful way,

it is inspiring. It must be read by children and adults of

all ages because of the message it sends across.

A LETTER FROM ANONYMOUS

Hello my readers, friends, thinkers, dreamers, writers,

students, teachers, parents, others who are just going

through this article because my name isn't mentioned and

they want to figure out who it is.

Why am I writing this, you may think (or not!). Well, good

question. But I don't know the answer. I am doing this on

the spot. Jotting down random points and thoughts is one of

my marvelous talents. (Though, often, my talents are

misinterpreted to be useless characteristics, which I of

course, first handedly disagree.) I guess, I just thought,

'Hey, why not try out for the e-magazine?' and after 3 hours

of intense procrastination, here I am, in front of my as-

old-as-me-laptop, writing. I have so much to write, in fact,

too much to even... I am kidding.

I have - nothing!

Hey, I am not what you would call a 'cuckoo'. Well, at

least, not yet. Like the other day, when we were having our

clinic checkup at school, one of my friend was looking at

the eye chart and was able to read the very last line or in

other words, had amazing eyesight. Reacting to this, one of

my friend shouted out, ―You haven't been watching enough

T.V. I will complain about you to your mother. As an amazing

friend, I am honestly worried.‖ Let me tell you this, that

amazing friend is going to become the next President.

Anyway, I realize that this letter has no purpose, and life

without purpose,(or letter for that matter) is like Ellen

DeGeneres without humor!

I have to wonder, where will I end up working in the future?

I was thinking McDonald‘s, but I wouldn‘t say no to a

promotion to Burger King either. Jokes apart, thinking of

the future is something children of all ages face. I won't

tell you what to do. Just do what you want to do, be who you

want to be. But whatever you become, become someone who is a

good person. Someone who is respected, and knows what is

right and what is wrong. It doesn‘t matter what you do, as

25

right in your heart. Accept who you are and embrace

yourself, that is, unless you are a serial killer. Then, by

all means, you should change. But as I was saying, you

decide your future.

This does not mean that you go to your parents and say,

―Mom, the magazine says I can choose what I want to be. I

want to work at Nandos. I don't need a qualification.

Hence, I don't need to go to school anymore.‖

Your parents, teachers and other elders are merely the

candle, lighting the right way. Of course, you get to

choose, but they will help make sure that what you have

chosen is the right choice. I know that school is hard.

Believe me, I am a student, I think I have the right to

know how you feel. But as hard or difficult as it may be,

you just need to face it. I also know that deep down

inside, there is that little part that actually doesn't

mind school. After all, we just claim it to be hard, but in

reality, it‘s probably just 1+1=2. Okay, maybe not, but I

guess 5(-3x - 2) - (x - 3) = -4(4x + 5) + 13) is easy too?

No? Well then, that‘s your problem. Literally!

But this is all for your future! There are millions out

there who wish to be in your place. Okay, maybe I sound

exactly like all the others and I want to be unique, so I

guess I‘ll leave you with this final thought said by Bill

Gates:

‗Life is not fair, get used to it!‘

And that says it all.

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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? Aisha Shaikh, 11B

What is the purpose of life? This is a question that will

surely get a multitude of answers because of how subjective

it is. You might say that the purpose of life is to get a

good job and have a fit bank account. The friend sitting

beside you may have a different view as to what the purpose

of life is. They might say that the purpose of life is

happiness; to always have a smile on your face. Maybe the

person you don‘t really like thinks that life is all about

vengeance. Getting revenge, which, ultimately may lead to

their happiness and you in the hospital with a broken limb.

Your religious mother most likely thinks that the purpose

of life in the short-term is a peaceful family and, in the

long-term (she‘s a little selfish here) it‘s all about

going to Heaven, the ultimate abode.

Well I, for one, am that friend sitting

next to you. I think it is all about

happiness. It‘s about being happy in

yourself, in your surroundings, in what

you have and what you‘ve become.

Happiness is not simple to acquire and

nor will it stay with one person for

too long. Happiness is fleeting. It

comes and goes but I think that‘s the

beauty of it. If happiness were

abundant, we wouldn‘t care for it like so many other

things. If you had happiness all the time, you wouldn‘t

treasure it. And I think that‘s why happiness is so

important. It‘s scarce.

With all this being said, the road to happiness has a lot

of stops along its way. To get to your destination, you

have to fill in many forms. You may still not get to your

destination. Who knows? But you‘ll certainly be a step

closer to happiness.

One of the prime aspects of happiness is acceptance.

Acceptance is hard, I agree. But you have to do it. You

have to accept that you have bushy eyebrows, that you have

the worst sibling in the world, that your parents can‘t

afford to buy you everything you want. You have to accept

that you are a boy with no friends, that you have a phone

that‘s outdated, that you don‘t have grandparents anymore.

I think you realize what I‘m trying to say here. Whatever

it is, big or small, significant or not, accept it.

Now another one of those stops along the way is belief.

Believing in yourself is absolutely necessary to happiness.

You have to take a moment, maybe two, and take to believing

in all the things you do. At the end of the day, if you

aren‘t ready to believe that the decisions you‘ve taken are

right, why would others? If you don‘t think you‘re capable

of singing, dancing, laughing, drawing and countless other

things, why would others? You need to stop constantly

critiquing everything you do. There are people around you

to do that for you. It is your job to be confident and

their job to talk.

Another recipe for happiness is forgiveness. As the old

saying goes, ‗Forgive and forget.‘ We don‘t realize how

true that is until we are plagued by that seemingly

everlasting hate and want for revenge. Holding grudges

never brought anyone pure, unadulterated joy. Forgiveness

is healthy too. The more you forgive, the lesser stress and

tension you have. So, forgive your father for scolding you,

forgive your friend for not being there for you and most

importantly, forgive yourself for doing something you‘re

not proud of.

And finally, do what you want to do. If your heart is

asking you to do something that you‘re not doing right now,

do it. Listen to your heart and what it wants. Don‘t let

others push you to do something you don‘t want to do. You

don‘t need to end up miserable just to fulfill someone

else‘s expectations. You don‘t deserve that. Nobody does.

So you have dreams? Bring them to life because only you can

do that. You may not want to upset the people you love, but

if they truly love you and want you to be happy, they won‘t

stop you from achieving the happiness you have earned.

29

YOU SURRENDER

Freyance Wadia, 11B

Hi, I am Depression. I am your worst enemy disguised as

your best friend.

I make you feel complete as I empty you out. You let me get

to you. You dwell in me as I make a home out of you.

I make you leave everyone who you love and who loves you. I

make you despise all the things you once craved, the people

you loved, yourself...till everything is gone and it's just

the two of us.

Then, I call my aide, Anxiety.

Anxiety and I, we torment you.

Remember that time you misplaced a book and just that led

to so many irrational thoughts about how you are

'worthless', 'good for nothing' and a 'disappointment' that

you slept that night with tear-strained cheeks, soar eyes

and three deep, crimson scars on you wrist? We did that.

We made you isolate yourself, we make you debate in your

head over the petty things, we made you question your

value, your worth, your pride, we make you who you are and

who you're going to be.

Sweetheart, don't be misled by what other people say. They

never cared for you anyway. We are what's good for you. We

make you realise WHAT YOU ARE (even if that's a waste of

space). We bring you down from that cloud you were floating

on, the one your family and friends set you upon. We bring

you where you're supposed to be (even if that's hell).

You used to love basketball, didn't you? You know why you

stopped playing? Because We made you realise that you're no

good (even if others say you are) and that you're not

improving either, so what's the point of playing, really?

Logical, isn't it?

You loved all that buzz of new clothes and shopping, didn't

you? You know why you hate it now? Because we made you

realise all the faults in your face, your appearance, your

body and how you're not good enough to wear the clothes you

want to.

Those online tests you took last night, the ones that

diagnosed you with us, they were right. But sweetheart,

what can you do about it? We make it impossible for you to

come out to anyone. The CBT apps you downloaded the day

before, what's the use of those? At this stage, we are so

strong that nothing can get you rid of us. We are deep

rooted in you. We are your better part. To kill us, you

have to die and that is exactly what happens.

You surrender.

31

SPORTS EVERYDAY

Mark Ronad, 11B Sports are a part of many people's daily lives. It has been

a part of my life from a very young age. There is something

about sports and a physical activity that just consumes

you. Sports enhances our mental capabilities, makes us

think faster, sharpens our reflexes, makes us more alert

and refreshes our body and mind.

The number of sports played all over the world are

uncountable, from contact sports like boxing mixed martial

arts to Raquel sports like table tennis and badminton to

sports like basketball and football which are widely

enjoyed by billions of people all over the world the or

track and field where athletes get to display amazing feats

in speed and stamina.

Let‘s face it, how many of us really works hard every day

to achieve that self-confidence we ache for? Almost none.

So maybe these tips will spur you to move from that screen

you‘ve glued yourself to and get some calories burned.

33

Here are a few tips to help you get a little more moving.

1. Develop a "move more" mindset.

Carving out a specific hour of a day for a workout is great

but first, start each day with the mindset to move more. By

reminding your body to get more movement throughout the

day, you will be more likely to do it. So sit less and

stand more. Take more steps and stairs. Walk to talk with a

coworker instead of emailing them. Stretch in your chair,

squat to pick something up and so on. Begin each day with a

move more mindset and you will find them.

2. Think of how exercise boosts your sense of well-being.

You probably know exercise can help you live longer and go

a long way to disease prevention, but what you might find

more rewarding is to think about all the immediate benefits

exercise provides to your well-being. All of us can use

exercise today to get more energy, alleviate stress,

increase productivity, improve our outlook, sleep better

and feel happier—today! Think about what you stand to gain

if you work out today. Just give it some thought or better

yet, make a list.

3. Remind yourself daily of your why.

It‘s easy to get off track if you aren‘t reminding yourself

of why working out and eating healthy is important to you.

This goes back to your core motivation that we addressed

earlier. If you make it a routine to wake up and remind

yourself of why exercise is important to you, you will be

more likely to keep your commitments to yourself. Wake up

thinking of what exercise you will do today and it becomes

a priority.

Sports is something that needs to be taken seriously,

something that you need to put in your 100% ,something in

which no matter how hard it is, you never give up. Every

day you strive to better yourself, and achieve your goals.

DEFUSING STRESS

Karan Chauhan, 11A

Being a student, all of us have come across moments where

the pressure is too much and the stress level keeps rising

up. In moments like these, we talk to ourselves for a

minute and feel its all-fine and go back to what we were

doing, neglecting that rising stress level. Stress is a

psychological issue and most definitely can be overcome.

There are different types of stress relievers ranging from:

Physical stress relief

Interpersonal or introspective stress relief

Behavioral stress relief

1. PHYSICAL STRESS RELIEF

Are you tired and stressed after a long day at school or

work? If yes, then this article will be perfect for you as

it has loads of little tips that you and your loved ones

can use when in a little more pressure.

35

Go outside.

There's something about natural light that's tremendously

soothing to humans. It just takes off the edge. And hey,

even if it doesn‘t work for you, at least you get to do

something other than study!

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Progressive Muscle Relaxation teaches you to relax your

muscles through a two - step process. First, you

systematically tense particular muscle groups in your body,

such as your neck and shoulders. Next, you release the

tension and notice how your muscles feel when you relax

them. This helps you release the tension in your muscles

and ultimately removes that stress.

2. Interpersonal or Introspective Stress Relief

Talk to someone.

The most effective stress relief comes from speaking with

friends, but only the ones who you know have the best

interests at heart. They are great listeners, supportive,

and almost always come up with strategies to cope with the

stress or, at the least, put it in perspective for you. If

nothing else, they can point you in a better, less

stressful direction.

3. Behavioral Stress Relief

Don‘t rush.

Don't rush into problem-solving mode. Whenever you feel the

need to go faster, think of that as a signal to slow down.

Learn to sit quietly, and listen to yourself. Listening to

yourself helps you to get to know yourself. Knowing

yourself is the first step to managing yourself, and your

stress.

COOK IN THE KITCHEN

BROCCOLI TOTS

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of broccoli, equal sized florets (around 3-4 cups)

• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 2 eggs

• salt and pepper

Instructions

1 .Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2 .Pour 1 inch of water into

You must be feeling quite hungry after all that scrolling

and reading. But don‘t worry, we have got you covered!

Your mouth will be watering after just the first dish. But

be careful, students! These recipes may need adult

supervision.

37

a saucepan; bring to a boil. Place the broccoli into

the boiling water, cover, and reduce the heat to

medium. Cook the broccoli for 5-6 minutes, or until it

can easily be pierced by a fork. Drain the broccoli and

set aside to cool slightly.

3. Lay the broccoli out onto paper towels. Press down

firmly on the broccoli to absorb as much moisture as you

can. Finely chop the broccoli.

4. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and

season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together

until well mixed. Fill each muffin cup in a mini muffin

tin to the top, pushing down on the filling with your

spoon so it's nice and compact.

3 . Bake for 18-20 minutes in preheated oven. The top will change to golden. To easily remove from the pan (without

scratching it to death), run a plastic knife around the

edges of each tot and they should come out easier.

CHEESY CHICKEN PASTA

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 12 ounces chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup orzo

• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

• 2 tablespoons butter

• ¼ cup milk

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a

large skillet.

2. Add chicken pieces to the skillet, season with salt and

pepper, and cook over medium heat until done; about 10 to

15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

3. Bring a pot of water to boil, and stir in the orzo.

4. Cook for 5 minutes, or until orzo is tender.

5. Drain.

39

6. Put the orzo back in the pot and stir in the cheese,

butter, and ¼ cup milk; add more milk if needed. Continue

to stir until smooth and well combined.

7. Stir in the cooked chicken.

8. Taste for salt and pepper.

9. Serve.

ICE CREAM BITES

Ingredients

1. Ice Cream (any flavor)

– softened

2. 2 Cups Chocolate Chips

3. 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (use

refined coconut oil for a

neutral taste)

4. 1/3 Cup Crispy Rice

Cereal

Instructions

1. Spread out softened ice cream on a wax paper lined

baking tray. Cover with wax paper and press down to evenly

spread and smooth. Freeze overnight.

2. Remove ice cream from tray, peel off the wax paper and

cut into bite size squares. Return to the freezer until

ready to dip.

3. Microwave 2 Cups of Chocolate Chips with 1/2 Cup Coconut

oil for 90 seconds – stopping to stir every 30 – until

melted and smooth. Allow chocolate mixture to come to room

temperature. Mix in rice cereal.

4. Working quickly and in small batches – coat ice cream

cubes in chocolate mixture and return to the freezer to

harden up. Enjoy!

41

MY WORKING LIFE Mark Ronad, Tashyaa Mehrotra, Freyance Wadia and Zane Monteiro, 11B

When did you start teaching this school?

-The morning of March 27th 2011.

How did you start teaching in this

school?

-I initially came for an interview to

this school for a position in JSSPS but

the interview fell on a national holiday

so I had to come the next day, my

interview was taken the next day, by our

first principal Anthony Joseph.

What was your first impression of the

school?

-It was an upcoming school, so I had a lot of expectations.

Were your expectations matched?

-Initially, my expectations were matched.

When did you first start teaching?

-1995.

With so much of information about the students, we felt

the need to show you something that is more teacher

oriented. We decided to interview two teachers at JSSIS. A

teacher who has been teaching in our school for a long

time, and one who just joined. Let‘s see what they have to

say.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

-No. before I did my B.Ed., I had a job as a teacher but I

always wanted to be a doctor.

What made you continue teaching?

-One of my teachers in college saw the qualities of a

teacher in me and it was my father’s dying wish. It was a

dedication to him.

If you had the chance to go back and take up medicine,

would you?

-No. I want to be a singer now. I dream about my picture

hung on the karama billboards instead of Kalyan Jewellers.

What was your first teaching experience like?

-A 7th grade class in Kochi.

Do you want to leave the school? Why?

-Yes, I do. I feel I have given whatever I could, to this

school. Another school now needs me and I wish to help

them.

Do you like teaching?

-Yes, I love teaching. As soon as I enter class, I forget

everything and I just want to be in between students. It’s

my love and passion.

What would you say was the highlight of your teaching

career?

-I think my biggest highlight would be when a KHDA

inspector complimented my teaching style.

What is the biggest thing you‘ve learnt from your students?

-To be cool and have a young heart.

What message would you give to aspiring teachers?

-Everyday should be a new day, but you should always plan

and enter the class.

43

When did you join this school?

Recently, in March 2016.

Are you enjoying it here?

Yes, I am. I have only taught Cambridge

curriculum before this. It is my first

time teaching the Indian curriculum and I

really like the literature that is taught.

Do you miss your previous school?

Yes, I miss it a lot. I loved teaching

there.

What was your first impression of the

school?

Welcoming.

Were your expectations matched?

Yes.

When did you start teaching?

September, 2005.

Did you always want to be a teacher?

No, I wanted to be a psychologist. I studied educative

psychology. Teaching was an impromptu experience, it was

just a time pass till I figured out what to do.

What made you continue teaching?

I fell in love with teaching. I could get my message across

by teaching and I always wanted to do that.

Do you like teaching?

I like bringing small changes into people’s lives. Through

teaching I can change a student’s perspective about life

and widen their scope by not only ticking to the syllabus.

What would you say was the highlight of your teaching

career?

I helped one of my students get through a very difficult

time with his parents. His parents were very restrictive.

He was ostracized by his teachers, peers and parents’

managed to council the boy and his parents, trying to make

them understand each other. I changed his negative outlook

to a positive one. I managed to bridge the age gap between

my student and his parents.

What message would you give to aspiring teachers?

A little bit of advice I have for aspiring teachers or

anyone taking up teaching as a career would be- a good

teacher should be a good psychologist and understand the

student’s psychology.

45

STORYTELLERS

We, here at JSSIS have a strong imagination.

So strong indeed that, when we asked them to

write us stories, we received an overwhelming

response. Though there were numerous stories,

we could include only a selected few due to

space constraints. Therefore, don‘t fret if

your story isn‘t in here, there are probably

greater things destined for you.

So, enjoy reading this bundle of imagination!

The Boy and His Dragon

Eric A. Abraham -3E

There was a boy called Thomas. He was a good boy.

There was a dragon called Redbell. It was a fine

creature. This story is about them.

On Tom‘s 10th

birthday, he was playing with his

little brother Jerry in the garden after the

party. Suddenly, Jerry found a little red dragon

toy under a bush and gifted it to Tom. Tom was

very happy as the dragon looked cute with a small

golden bell hanging around its neck. ‗Redbell‘ was

written. That night, before going into bed, Tom

played with it and left it near his bedroom window

saying ―Oh! Redbell, Redbell, Redbell, I am so

happy! I wish you were real. You stay here near

the window and watch the shinning full moon.

Goodnight!‖

Next morning, Tom woke up late and had to rush to

school. He forgot all about the dragon. When he

opened his snack box at lunch time, he could not

believe his eyes. There were only crumbs! He knew

his friends and brother would not play such a

trick on him. Then he had a strange thought about

a dragon.

After school, he ran home and rushed to his room.

The dragon was not near the window! Nobody had

seen it! Tom felt upset. At night, he tried hard

47

to sleep, but could not. He heard the clock striking

twelve. Then he heard another strange sound. He felt

scared, but decided to find out. Tom listened

carefully. The sound was coming from the kitchen! He

tiptoed down the stairs and peeked into the kitchen.

He was shocked to see a little red dragon munching

greedily on some cookies. Seeing Tom, it ran behind a

cupboard. Tom understood and said, ―Come out Redbell,

I will not hurt you‖. Slowly it peeked out. Tom gave

it more cookies and some milk in a small cup. After

its tummy was full, the dragon sat back, smiled at

Tom and shook hands.

The dragon sadly explained, ―My home is far away

in a magical land. One day I fell into a strange

hole and ended up in your land. When you said my

name three times in the full moonlight, I became

alive.‖ Big tears fell from Redbell‘s eyes. Tom

felt sad and promised to take care of it. He made

a cozy home for the dragon in his toy cupboard.

Soon they became best friends and every full

moonlight Redbell took Tom on great magical

adventures!

Honesty is the best policy

Abhinav Aswath, 3C

There was once a boy called Rahul who stole some

money from his mother’s purse. He went to the

grocery near his house and bought a chocolate. When

his mother came home she noticed some money missing

from the place she used to keep it. She asked Rahul

about it but he was scared and lied that he did not

know about it.

Later, his mother went to the grocery to buy some

milk and bread. The shopkeeper told her that Rahul

had come there to buy chocolate. Rahul’s mother got

home very angry. She told her son that the habit of

lying is extremely bad. One should always speak the

truth. “You are grounded for two weeks”, Rahul’s

mother said. He could not play football with his

friends or play computer games.

Rahul learned a good lesson. He decided never to lie

again.

49

Tom and Peyton - Mystery Solvers

The Case of the Haunted Castle Sanjay Panicker, 5B

One day Tom was in his house reading a newspaper

and Peyton was sitting and watching television.

Tom said, “Oh no! Look at this news Peyton! Danger

in a haunted castle, missiles and rockets has

blasted on their own. Police suspect criminal

activity here”.

“Let’s go.” said Peyton.

At the haunted castle the Chief, the Defense

Minister and various constables were there. Peyton

asked the Defense Minister if Tom and she could

enter the castle. The Minister nodded. So they

went upstairs, which took some time and then

suddenly… “Peyton! Look! Footprints!”

“Woah, these footprints are odd. We must follow

them.” said Peyton.

They followed the footprints, which went up and

up and up and finally reached the top.

Unfortunately, when they found their next clue,

they were trapped in a large cage. The Defense

Minister came out of nowhere and was actually

Jumbo - the Clown of Terror. They were both

surprised and confused.

“You fell in my trap and I shall kill you with

my laser eyes!” Saying this, Jumbo started

laughing like the maniac he was.

Tom found a piece of glass and placed it in

front of him to protect Peyton and himself. The

laser bounced back at Jumbo. He yelled and in

pain as he fell down the stairs. Peyton removed a

hairclip from her hair and unlocked the door.

Peyton and Tom ran down the stairs and jumped

upon Jumbo who was trying to run away. The police

upon Jumbo who was trying to run away. The police

took out their guns and surrounded Jumbo. All of

a sudden, Jumbo turned into a sage and said,

“Both of you freed me from this curse, thank

you.” The police praised Tom and Peyton and

called them the best mystery solvers ever.

51

I am really Rich

Namit, 6B

―I‘m going shopping in the village‖, George‘s

mother said to George on Saturday morning. ―So be

a good boy and don‘t get up to mischief‖. George

nodded his head and walked up to the attic. He

was just looking at all the junk, when suddenly

he saw a key made of gold. He looked at the key

and said, ―Ooh, a key. I wonder what it‘s used

for.‖

Then he remembered that his family had found a

chest in the attic that had been thrown onto the

sofa. Excited, he put the key inside and turned

the key around. The chest opened and he found a

map inside the chest. The map showed that there

was a treasure located somewhere in the colony he

lived in.

In the map it was written that to find the

treasure you would have to take 36 steps south

from a river. Alas, there was no river there. He

quickly understood that this map must have been

written in the past. On the top it was written

4th Bendour (Now August), 1231.

So he dug and dug until he found some water

underground. He found out which way South was and

took 36 steps in that direction. He dug and dug

and found another chest. The chest didn‘t need a

key so he opened it up and found many diamonds

and rubies. He had become very rich. He never

told his parents what happened because he used it

all for a year‘s supply of jelly (he liked jelly

a lot) and he lived his life happily ever after.

Search For The Meteor

Raina Susan Roopak, 8C

Nature‘s glory held me captivated and I stood

there motionless, thinking how beautiful it was.

The bright moon, and the starry skies. All so

calming and relaxing. The night sky filled with

a million tiny stars. I have always wondered why

this world can‘t be this way forever. Without

any pollution, corruption or any sort of

disturbance to Mother Nature. Humans only think

about fulfilling their own needs. Greed and

cunningness overtake their mind. They never

think beyond their own. By now, I was so

indulged in my thoughts that I completely forgot

the purpose of me being there.

On April 1st, 2015, I was offered an

opportunity to fly to space and capture a

picture of the rarest meteor. It was quite a

long journey from earth and by that I mean

pretty long. I am still searching for the meteor

and I am surprised by the fact I‘m not dead by

now. I have very little food and it‘s very

difficult to survive in space. I was given this

mission because I was the top astronaut at NASA.

They said that only an experienced astronaut

like me could go on this mission. To find this

meteor, you need to put in a lot of time and

effort. I did a lot of research on this

meteor and have been searching for it for about

a year now.

I miss my family tremendously and I wish I

could go back but I will not give up. Many

meteors just pass by my spaceship but none of

them are the one I‘m looking for. Seeing the

moon and the stars from here is a total delight

and a whole different experience. It‘s always

53

and a whole different experience. It‘s always dark

but the sun lights up everything. I just wish

everyone could enjoy this sight. When I get back to

earth, I want to start a program where space is

going to be a tourist place and we take hundreds of

people to space and show them around.

Now-a-days people are so interested in destroying

nature that they forget to focus on its beauty.

People need to stop cutting trees and killing

animals. So many protest against this but all in

vain. Many awareness programs are held and still

people tend to throw garbage on the roads.

There is nothing much we can do about what others

are doing but we can stop what we ourselves are

doing. Earth is meant to be a beautiful place for

all human beings, animals and plants. All of us

have our own rights and duties.

Well, I‘m going to go back to my meteor watching

and my search for this rare meteor.

THE DRESS Rohini Kichulu, 9C

My mother was making a dress. All through the

month of November I would come home from school

and find her in the kitchen, surrounded by cut

up velvet and scraps of tissue paper. She worked

at a sewing machine pushed up against the wall.

Every day I would come home and ask her to

rest and stop working but she seemed determined

on making that dress. I didn't know why she was

making it or for who it was for but she worked

day and night to get it done.

My father passed away when I was a little girl

and ever since then it was just mother and me.

We were the broken pieces left of a once happy

family. My mother worked really hard but with

the rent, electricity bills and my school fees,

we barely managed to make ends meet.

One day while shopping in the market, my

mother left me on my own to buy food. I found

myself in front of an extremely posh boutique

all my friends were talking about. It was then

that I laid my eyes on the most beautiful dress

I had ever seen. I ran and called out for my

mother.

"Mom! The dress, it's still there!" I said

excitedly. My mother's face remained

expressionless as I continued. "Can we please

buy it now?" I begged her.

"Dear, you know I would love to buy it for you

but we're in no financial position to get it

right now. Maybe next year?" she said as her

eyes filled

55

with remorse.

"That's what you said last year too!

You're never going to buy it, are you?" I

questioned angrily.

"No dear-" she tried to explain but I cut

her off, "You just don't love me!" I

exclaimed with tears in my eyes as I ran all

the way home.

I didn't stop or look back, I sprinted

home leaving my mother behind and didn't

stop running until I reached my room. I

could feel the hot tears running down my

face. I stopped crying when I noticed a big

box wrapped in shiny,

silver paper and laced with a deep red

ribbon. I wondered what it was as I opened

it. To my surprise, it was the same red

dress I wanted!

"Happy Birthday!" A voice from behind

said.

The tears trickled down my face and I was

hit with a pang of regret.

I was truly loved after all.

FLASH FICTION STORIES

Flash fiction is a style of fictional literature

of extreme brevity. With an attempt to explore

and nourish the talents of the students in our

school, the English department arranged a Flash

Fiction Competition on 12th April 2016, for

students from Grades 3 to 12. The purpose of the

Competition was to endow the students‘

imagination, giving them a chance to demonstrate

their writing skills. The competition was

designed to nurture, enhance and demonstrate the

writing skills of our students as by writing and

creating a story, children learn to organize

their thoughts and use written language to

communicate in a variety of ways.

The children were briefed as to how they had to

write, and what was expected for the competition.

Many writers have done well to craft their work

and create something fresh and distinctive.

Here we have works of grade 10-12

57

SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOUR

Raj Maheshwari, 10A

It was midnight .The woman closed the curtains

and huddled on her bed .Tim should've been home

hours ago .Why hadn't he called ?He normally did

so as far as she knew him ,being married for

about 8 years now. A few days later it would be

9. He was usually home late after work,

sometimes even at midnight. But he would always

call and say so. Tim didn't speak much, he liked

to listen to people and observe them. His

profession wasn't dangerous at all and he could

-- if he wanted to -- do it at home.

He was a painter ,and a very fine one indeed .

He was not very famous and painted nearly

everything in the world .But he liked to paint

people's faces best.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. Tim's

wife, Rubella, got off the bed hoping that it

would be him. She wanted

to yell at him for not informing her about his

late arrival beforehand, but she wasn't too sure

if it would be him. As she reached for the

doorknob, the bell rang again.

If it hadn't rung again, she would've opened

the door but now she was suspicious. Tim would

never (even if he had to wait for hours) ring

the bell twice. Moreover, he had the house key.

Rubella looked through the peep hole after

contemplating for a minute, but by then the

visitor had left.

It wasn't really something that usually

happened and with Tim not picking up the phone,

happened and with Tim not picking up the phone,

she grew more worried. Rubella knew that she

wouldn't be able to sleep with this stress so

she decided to watch television instead. She

flicked through the channels a many times but

the thought of Tim was burning in her mind.

Something like this had never happened before.

She didn't expect him to pick the call but she

kept calling him every few minutes anyway. She

couldn't help it.

Tim worked quite a distance from home where

all pleasant so as to not disturb him .His

workshop contained pictures

of people he wanted to paint. He drove a car and

worked alone, but his paintings were worth it.

Although they sold for high prices, Tim never

sold them with his own name. He would take the

money and with each of his paintings that were

sold, Tim had a new name.

The doorbell rang again and this time Tim came

in, but Rubella was not in the house anymore.

She had gone in search of him. He had been

waiting all this while to tell her about how his

car had crashed and why he was late.

59

The Explorer Inside Me

Jenita, 10B

The swell was gently lifting and lowering the

boat. My breathing grew slower falling into

step with the creaking of the hull until I

could no longer tell the difference between

the faint rhythmic motion of the cabin and

sensation of filling and emptying my lungs. I

took a shaky breath and a hesitant step onto

the wooden floor boards of the abandoned boat

-- or at least I think it was abandoned. It

has been years since anyone has come to the

Island of Bones. Although, I liked to call it

the Island of Coconuts. ‗Bones‘ sounds too

creepy.

All I‘ve seen since being stranded here are

brown hairy seeds. The last time human

civilization set foot on this legendary

summoned abode of Captain Jack Sparrow (yes,

he is real) was over seven years ago when I

made the foolish decision of coming here to

search for him with the traitor of a friend.

The floor boards shook beneath my careful

steps. I tried to keep quiet, unsure of my

surroundings including 'explorers' who came

for vain answers and irrational dreams like

me. The creaking flooring and my sudden gasps

for breaths did not really help my mission of

'operation stealthy‘.

The sails of the boat were torn, as though

the boat were a soldier, battling a great big

enemy--a hurricane. Let‘s throw in some fire

breathing dragons and a swarm of locusts and

the boat looked like it had been attacked by

the boat looked like it had been attacked

by these plagues too. The torn sails and

the broken paddle were signs screaming at

me to turn around and run away from the

mysterious boat to save myself, but the

long extinguished little explorer in me

decided to show herself after seven long

years.

After countless shudders and numerous

falls due to the watery boards, I found

myself standing in front of a cabin, the

Captain‘s maybe? This made me tingle with

excitement. I hesitated though. The very

reason I found myself stranded

on this island was because I had broken

into a sailor‘s room and borrowed the map

to Jack Sparrow‘s treasure and blindly

followed it.

I was scared that I would not be able to

surpass the explorer inside of me from

rising as I had managed to do before by

telling myself that the gold coins and

priceless jewels were all made up. Lastly I

was terrified that I would find a half dead

zombie pirate sitting in there waiting to

devour an unexpected girl‘s brain. But as

usual, me being me, (I never learn) I soon

found myself turning the rusty gold knob

and taking a step inside, tightly shutting

my eyes not wanting to be the first victim

of a zombie apocalypse.

The decor of the room took me by

surprise. It wasn‘t gruesome like I

expected it to be. No rotting flesh hanging

from the ceiling or mangled bodies on the

floor, instead I was surrounded by four

bare white walls and on the wall directly

in front of me was a huge picture framed in

61

in front of me was a huge picture framed

in black. The room itself was bare, with

no furniture whatsoever. I walked down

the long room, picking up the frame of

the wall with extreme care because it

looked so ancient.

The black paint brush strokes took me

by surprise. I flipped the painting over

and instantly realized it was a map. A

bright red X was imprinted on it with

drawings of skulls and bones at the

bottom of it; next to a familiar looking

stone-hedge rock. They were rocks I found

myself standing by at the age of eighteen

watching my 'best

friend' leave without me. I bit my lip in

a useless attempt to drown my memories

and forget my explorer days. The flame of

curiosity consumed me and took control of

my thoughts and action.

I carried off the picture frame and ran

out the cabin, determined to set foot on

the golden sand and determined to see

those ominous rocks surrounded by palm

trees. A deep sickening feeling in the

back of my mind reminded me of what had

happened and filled my mind with negative

thoughts of failure. But I didn‘t care.

Seven years later, I was more mature and

a different me. I didn‘t know what this

'X' was. For all I knew, it could be a

pile of coconuts, but my curiosity went

haywire. They say curiosity killed the

cat, but satisfaction reassured it. I am

the cat, and I refuse to stay put until I

find my satisfaction to resurrect myself

63

TIMOTHY

Sarah Ronad, 10C

It was midnight. The woman closed the curtains

and huddled on her bed. Tim should have been

home hours ago. Why hadn‘t he called? She lay

in silence for the next few minutes trying to

recollect what Tim had said before leaving. She

tried to think back to the recent visit of her

ex-husband and all the activities that had

occurred so quickly.

She remembered how he had yelled at poor Tim

for hanging out with the wrong crowd. She

couldn’t bear to see her only son being

manhandled and treated so violently. She had

decided to step up and protect him, but that

only resulted in him pushing her away and

stalking out the open front door yelling about

how he would no longer fund them for their

daily activities.

“Mom, are you okay?” asked Lilly. Lilly was

Tim’s 9 year old sister. She had been awake

through the entire drama. She had come down

only to see her dad storm out of the house, Tim

standing by the stairs, raging with anger, his

fists clenched, and her mom on the floor. No

one seemed seriously injured, but the silence

in the house was unnerving. Her mom saw her at

the base of the stairs and immediately

collected herself and embraced Lilly while

kissing her forehead. Then another slam was

heard. The door was swinging wildly again, only

this time, Tim was the one

who had stormed out.

“Timothy! Timothy come back!” Anna yelled.

The poor single mother of two ran out the door,

but her son was nowhere to be seen. Clutching

the handle, she sank to the floor, unable to

felt a small pair of hands wring around her

control her tears, she burst out weeping. A

few seconds later, she felt a small pair of

hands wring around her neck and wipe her

tears. She thought to herself, No, I can’t

cry, I must be strong for my Lilly.

With those words in mind, she got up and

carried Lilly to her room. She took a few

minutes to decide how to tell Lilly about the

current situation. But as she opened her

mouth, she saw Lilly scramble out of bed to

hold her tight in her little arms. Lilly

assuring her mother said, “It’s okay Mommy.

Timmy will be back.” Anna slowly knelt down

and tucked a strand of hair behind Lilly’s

ear, kissed her nose and said, “I know baby,

I just want him to be safe.” With that, she

picked Lilly up and walked to her bed, lay

her down, pulled the comforter up to her chin

and tickled her neck. This was the daily

routine. After she said goodnight, she

switched off the light and partially shut the

door.

She walked down and reached for her phone.

She had decided to call Jackson, Tim’s best

friend. When the call finally reached

Jackson, no good news was heard. A mother’s

tears kicked in as she thought of the most

horrid things that could happen to her

sixteen-year-old son.

She decided to clear up the mess. She

picked up the kitchen items that had

clattered to the floor because of her ex-

husband. Suddenly, she heard a crackle of

lightning and the beat at thunder, it had

started to pour. She feared for her son. He

was all alone, in the dark of the night when

it was pouring cats and dogs. She glanced up

at the clock just to see it strike 11.

into a chair and waited for the door to swing

65

She sank down into a chair and waited for

the door to swing open bringing her Tim

back.

Timothy had stalked out, fuming with anger.

He had grabbed his skateboard and ran down

the street. He didn’t have any particular

place in mind but he just wanted to get

away. How he dare push over my mom, he

thought to himself. He felt a tinge of guilt

for not attending to his mother first. He

had even seen Lilly by the staircase, but

hadn’t wanted to act out, so he had decided

it was best to leave. He had stopped by an

old shed. He had sat with his head in his

hands. Time had flown by as he thought about

the dealing he had been in. He had heard his

clock, as it had struck 11:30. He then

decided to go back home. And so, he made his

way back home, stopping by the market to buy

his mom a peace offering.

When he reached home, it had just struck

12:15. He walked in to find his mom sitting

on the bed with her head in her hands. He

called out to her and she looked up and ran

to hug him. He then confessed that he was

wrong to walk out and he should’ve attended

to her first. Anna hushed him and just held

him. He apologized and promised not to let

down his family, being the man of the house.

His mom assured him that it was okay and put

him to sleep.

That night Timothy promised that he would

be the man his mother and sister expected.

An Eye For An Eye.

Ridha Fameen, 11 A

She scratched his face from the photograph.

She would get her revenge. Sara could see Dr

Liya enter the room through her peripheral

vision. She sighed and got up. Sara‘s

bloodshot eyes met Liya‘s bright blue ones.

―Sara, your- ―Liya began gently, but Sara

cut her off.

―She is dead isn‘t she?‖ Sara questioned.

Liya frowned slightly while Sara was glaring

at her. Liya gave in and turned to face the

door. ―Follow me,‖ Liya beckoned. Sara

reluctantly obliged and plodded behind her.

They reached room 344. ―She has just come

back from the ICU, so do not make any

noise,‖ Liya whispered, gave Sara‘s hand a

small squeeze and left.

‗She is alive,‘ Sara thought and thanked God

under her breath. She was not sure if she

could go in and face her. It was too

painful. Nonetheless, Sara looked through

the small glass piece on the door and almost

felt like breaking down. Her mother was

lying on the bed, motionless. She looked

fragile, and was partially covered by the

numerous tubes going in and out of her body.

Sara grasped the handle of the door, wiped

away a few tears that were rolling down her

cheeks and slowly made her way in. She took

cautious steps and finally reached the bed.

She was shocked when she saw the condition

her mother was in.

The warm caramel skin which clothed her

67

The warm caramel skin which clothed her

mother‘s flesh seemed to have melted off in

numerous places. Her stormy grey eyes were

sunken in and it was difficult to

distinguish between her lips and her nose.

Her thick brown hair was reduced to wisps as

the rest was clearly burnt.

Sara‘s blurry vision landed on her mother‘s

bulging stomach. Liya said that her little

sibling was safe and didn‘t get affected

because of this horrific incident. Just for

a second, a small smile made its way onto

Sara‘s face as she thought of her sibling

resting peacefully inside her mother‘s

womb. She always marveled at the fact that

there are two hearts beating inside one body

when a woman is pregnant. But when her eyes

landed on her mother‘s face, or at least

what was left of it, she felt a slap of

reality again. The desire for revenge burnt

bright within her, as she wanted to destroy

the man who brought her mother to this fate.

The very man who threw acid on her mother.

Her mother‘s body stirred slightly. Sara,

immediately looked at her mother in panic.

―Sara,‖ her mother called out in a raspy

voice. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and

she was unable to say anything, so she just

wrapped her hand around her mother‘s.―I know

you feel bad,‖ her mother began and after a

long pause continued, ―But an eye for an eye

only makes the world blind, my child.‖ Sara

bit her lip in an attempt to stop the sobs

from escaping her lips. Silence made its way

into the atmosphere for a few minutes before

her mother asked, ―Sara darling, do I look

her mother asked, ―Sara darling, do I look

that bad?‖

That was Sara‘s breaking point. She kissed her

mother‘s hand numerous times and replied, ―You

are the most beautiful woman, Mom.‖

69

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER Jhanvi Dargar, 11B

She scratched his face from the photograph.

She would get her revenge... on those who

murdered him. He was the rock she could lean

on when anything went wrong, but he was gone

now. Gone because of those people who called

him a 'freak'. His personality was different,

he was like no other person in her school.

People judged him because he was unique and

had opinions unlike anybody else's.

It was a cold winter day. The sky was

painted black. It was the first day of her new

school. She stood by an old, rusty house

waiting for her bus to come. The bus arrived

shortly. As soon as she got onto the bus, a

feeling of uneasiness washed over her. The

kids were staring at her. She knew why

everyone did. She had a scar running from the

top of her forehead to her chin. It made her

look slightly

deformed.

Amongst the crowd of faces staring at her,

only one boy

had the decency to invite her to sit beside

him .She walked down the aisle and sat down ,

self-conscious.

"Hello, my name is Jace," the boy said.

"I'm Rachel," she replied and cracked a

smile that stretched across her face.

They talked about their likes and dislikes

among other things. Soon, their conversation

was cut-short by the bus coming to a halt.

Jace got off the bus after her and asked

Rachel if she wanted to tour the school once.

Rachel if she wanted to tour the school

once.

She said, "Yes, that would be amazing!"

As soon as they walked through the doors of

the school, Jace was met with unfriendly

stares and rude words like freak and stupid.

He did nothing but ignore them and walk on.

He asked her to follow him around the school

and that was how they became friends.

He was her very first friend in a sky of

vultures. He showed her around the school,

explained everything to her

and talked to her when no one else did. But

he was killed

by the people who bullied him.

Some mistakes last a lifetime and it's

true. They can even take your life. That's

what Jace did, he made a mistake. He made a

mistake of listening to all the abuse that

was thrown at him. He bore it. He bore it

with patience. That is, until he couldn't

take it anymore. She watched him laugh and

cry, but she couldn't save him.

She would remember him forever. He would be

engraved in her heart for the years to come.

And for him, she would change for the better.

71

UNEXPECTED HAPPENINGS

Varcky Ben George, 12A

The thick yellow envelope sat in the middle of

the table as I stared at it. It mocked me,

daring me to open it. My fingers were in my

mouth as I bit on them, wondering if I had

gotten in. Wondering if my high school career

was going to change with the words on that

paper. With a deep breath,

I pulled out the letter and began to read, my

heart beat picking up as the words arranged

themselves in my mind.

‗Your Etisalat bill for this month is 69

AED.‘ I was mildly annoyed at having picked up

the wrong letter. Suddenly I realized with

shock; my mother and I had switched letters in

the morning. So the envelope that she has with

her is my actual college application result.

Panic hit me as I had not informed her that the

result would be released that day. My master

plan was to surprise her with the good news, if

I was accepted or to hide the result in the

worst case. Desperate times call for desperate

measures. I was going to have to pickpocket my

mother!

A few months ago, my mother had installed an

app in my phone that would've allowed her to

track my movements. Sigh! Obnoxious parents

worry too much. But with a little tinkering, I

reversed its function and soon it became a non-

alert device. Now the hunter became the prey. I

checked the app and saw that she was in a

grocery store near our house. Wearing a

jumpsuit, shades and armed with my deft fingers

73

jumpsuit, shades and armed with my deft

fingers and sense of urgency, I set out to

reclaim my application letter. After ten

minutes of intense running, I reached the

grocery store only to find that my mother

was nowhere in sight. I was perplexed! If

the app was to be trusted, then my mother

was supposed to be barely a few meters away

from me. Unless...

I called her phone and heard her familiar

ringtone from across the counter. But

instead of my mother, I saw an unkempt,

scared man frantically trying to silence my

mother's phone. What an irony! I had set

out to pickpocket

my mother and now I had to pickpocket her

pickpocket.

Stealthily approaching the man from the

back, I pulled the phone out of his left

pocket. For humor's sake I even left a

paper that read ‗Better luck next time!‘

With a smug smile, I left the grocery

store.

Eventually I contacted my mother, who was

grateful to receive her phone, but also

annoyed at hearing my plan to fool her.

Thankfully, my story was extraordinary

enough to make her laugh and calm down. I

decided to open the letter

with my mom. The words, ‗You have been

accepted‘ placed before my eyes as I leapt

with overwhelming joy. It was the perfect

end to a most extraordinary day.

DON‘T GIVE UP

Prithika Tabithe, 12B

The thick yellow envelope sat on the middle of

the table as I stared at it. It mocked me,

daring me to open it. Wondering if my high

school career was going to change with the

words on that paper. With a deep breath, I

pulled out the letter and began to read, my

heart started pounding as the words arranged

themselves in my mind.

"Dear Prithika,

Your works were deeply invigorating and

definitely gave us a lot to think about.

But..."

As soon as I laid eyes on the word 'but', I

knew the letter was one of rejection. My heart

sank. Being an aspiring teenage artist, living

in the twenty-first century - a world filled

with cultural norms that chained your freedom

of thought, was definitely not easy. Being the

child of two utmost orthodox parents did not

help either.

This had been my only chance. My one chance,

to show them that I did not have to become an

engineer or a doctor. A chance to prove to

them, that my talent was not worthless. But

alas, I had blown it. I slowly made my way to

the bathroom, dragging my feet along in

exasperation.

Now, trust me; I am not the type of person to

go about crying unnecessarily. But the letter

had hit me like a brick. I had never expected

such an outright rejection. Maybe a waiting

list or a request for more documents, but

this. This seemed plain cruel.

75

this. This seemed plain cruel.

"Are you ready, Prithika?” my mom called.

I couldn't bear the thought of going to

school now. Hours and hours of quantum

physics and complicated calculus that all

just looked like a bunch of numbers squashed

together like Greek alphabets to me. My life

was a drudgery.

I had tried to follow my dreams; applied

for an art school. But look where that got

me. All I had, was a piece of yellow paper

that spelt failure. My motivation had been

drained completely. My will to live had just

decreased significantly.

I decided to take it like a man after about

fifteen minutes of contemplating. I was just

sixteen. I wasn't going to let a small,

insignificant piece of paper get in the way

of me living my life the way I wanted to. I

don’t know what brought out that spark of

motivation but I was glad for it. I packed

up, took my books, and headed to school.

Twenty years later and here I am,

successful in terms of income, but most

importantly happy. I was doing what I

wanted. And I think it’s extremely important

to never give up on your dreams. Just an

envelope should never have the ability to

make you forget your aspirations.

77

Asmi Prawal,3A

Nazeem

Jaleel,10C

Anantika Chib,10B

79

Rutish

Krishna, 9A

Nandita Nair,

3C

81

83

Aastha Chaurasia, 8A

Utkarsh Raturi, 10C

85

Aarya Chaurasia, 6A

Nayantara Prem,10A

87

Sujata Rajesh

Nandana Prem,7B

89

Megha Susan,11A

M

Teena Mathew,11 B

91

Tashyaa Mehrotra,

11B

93

WE RECOMMEND…

A STREET CAT NAMED BOB James Bowen

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE J.D Salinger

WE RECOMMEND…

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Harper Lee

CATCH-22 Joseph Heller

95

Poetree.

THE TRIXIES

Bhumika Rajani,6B

Whenever in dark

they will appear

Doing tricks on you

that they will never fear.

You'll never find them

how much ever you try

They are called ''The Trixies''

who laugh with all their might.

Their only job

is to trick others

Wandering at midnight

you might see some creatures.

As small as ants

with little elf hats

And they want to see

how tricked you can be.

Life without them

won't be enjoyable.

They are not bad

they are just tricksters.

97

Life without them

won't be enjoyable.

They are not bad

they are just tricksters.

But beware, till they are gone

last but not least

In a humming birds nest they are

born.

Chronicles of Space

Harsh Ranade, 4C

Wearing my suit and picking up my backpack

at Noon, I have started my Journey to all

Planets and our Moon.

My first stop will be at the first planet

Mercury, Mercury has no atmosphere so I

should better hurry.

Wow! Look at the Venus known as the Evening

Star Has a beautiful surface; I wish I could

drive my Car!

I will reach the red planet Mars with a jump

very Long, Mars has Mountains, Craters and a

Volcano very strong.

I will pass through the asteroid belt with

an armor very tight, I will duck all the

rocks and fight like a brave knight.

The big giant Jupiter is a gas ball all

yellow, 64 Moons and a storm, this Jupiter

is a strong fellow.

6th planet Saturn looks beautiful with

rings. This mysterious gas ball with Moon, Titan, Saturn is the king.

Uranus is a frozen mass and has color Blue

and Green With its axis tilted, it will be a

sight to be seen.

99

Neptune with 13 Moons is very far from Sun.

In that cold and windy weather how can I

have fun?

I will decide if I wish to visit the Pluto

so small, or go directly to our Moon to play

football.

I will catch the ball by jumping up very

high on the Moon, I promise you Mamma, I

will return home very SOON.

It‘s Lost! I can‘t find! -My Jacket Kavita Jayakrishnan, 4A

It was once always in my hand

In the frosty winter months

When everybody lost it,

It did not seem that I would ever lose it.

One day despair fell over me

To never see my beloved companion ever

I rushed past people looking for my

Jacket that once provided me warmth.

Never to see it again

I still search for the lost

Who was a companion of my journey,

From home to school and school to home

In the frosty winter months “lost not

found”.

I hope to see it again hugging my waist.

WHAT AM I THINKING? Madhumita Aluru 6-A

I bat my eyelashes,

and close my eyes ,

and think about something,

I really like.

Maybe a person,

or maybe a thing,

or maybe a bird,

spreading its wings.

Maybe a frog leaping around,

or maybe a coin making a sound

Maybe the stars twinkling in the sky,

and these are the things I think in my

mind.

POEMS Madhumita Aluru 6-A

You know how people write down verses,

they write about love and how a sword pierces,

With a pen and paper and thoughts that flow,

just wants to make a readers mind blow.

Oh, how they write such beautiful things,

things that we remember,

The next day we read another one,

a poem that we'll remember forever.

101

Our resource come again

Aarav Kiran Nayak,4A

Our teacher told us, reduce some usage of plastic

And our world would become classic.

Then she tells us to reuse some old newspapers,

And turn them into beautiful gift wrappers.

Then she tells us to recycle some bottles and cans,

So that we could make them into metal pans.

If we replenish and restore our resources again,

Then we could save ourselves from lot of pain.

103

Lost for words Dhanyatha Praveen, 9C

Today I feel…

As cool as a cucumber

As fresh as new fruit

Bouncy as a ball

Chirpy as a cricket

Clean as a new pin

Sweet as honey

Strong as a bull

Cute as a kitten

Warm as wool

Shiny as money

Lively as a monkey and…

Free as the sea

I’m so happy that I am lost

for words.

ONCE MORE

Zane Monteiro, 11B What do you do

On those lonely nights

Going to the airport

With no booked flights

Do you think about what could…

What would have happened?

If you had taken his hand

Before it had slackened

How long will you wait,

With no hopes of his coming back?

Just to linger in despair

until all did go black

An explosion in the sky

A rocket to the Moon

As the airplane crashed

In your heart's typhoon

Sorrow's endless river now stationary

Hold the souls of the remembered, not

forgotten

In its seaside cemetery

Holding the souls to whom ill fate

begotten

Your loss I'd painful, nonetheless

Time moves onwards

As the clouds drift in their fogginess

That loving hand is gone

But take adrift a new

Into the seas of turmoil

With your sully crew

Move forward and experience once more

That feeling, as your boat flows offshore

Honour the lives lost by continuing yours

Live it to the fullest

Feel it to the core

And do yourself a good turn

By living once more.

105

WOMAN.

Freyance Wadia,11B If I cover my whole body,

I am outdated and conservative.

If I choose to show some skin,

I am a prostitute.

If I party every weekend,

I am a spoiled brat.

If I prefer staying at home,

I am a misanthrope.

If I am a skinny, size eight,

I am never going to please a man.

If I am a plump, size eighteen,

I am unattractive and unworthy of attention.

WHY?

Since when am I what you label me?

I am water,

I'll adjust with you, take the shape of what

you put me in.

I am fire,

I'll burn you out.

I am ecstasy,

Cherish me while you still have me.

I am melancholy,

You'll find no cure once I inflict your soul.

I am clarity,

Dwell in me, shower me with your love and

kisses.

I am enigma,

You'll spend an eternity figuring me out.

I am harmony,

Beautiful and pleasing.

I am a loud silence,

A definite yet infinite extreme.

I am deserving of everything that the

universe can offer me.

I am not what you define me as.

I am a woman.

UNRAVELLING OUTPOURS Tashyaa Mehrotra, 11B

It was a rare thing

to see them fight,

but it was getting too frequent now.

The sky roared

and in response,

The clouds cried.

They had been holding it,

for too long now.

The sky just got louder and louder.

The thunder scared the city.

People’s faces lit up

on the appearance of their tears,

mostly because they were clueless.

If only they knew..

107

DEEP BLUE EYES NANCY MARIA FERNANDEZ, 12A

As I looked out of my window,

I caught a pair of blue eyes.

Blinking and scrutinizing the meadow,

You were walking by a ripened field of rice.

Those eyes welcomed the raindrops,

And despised the dew drops.

How beautiful are your orbs!

But sanguinity and humbleness, your heart

never absorbs.

I’d like to go fishing in the brines of your

eyes.

Oh, your optics are so blue,

Much more delicate than melting glue!

They’re ethereal, those deep blue eyes.

Your eyes hypnotized me,

And shoved me into hallucination.

They brought me down to my knee,

And at once became my fascination.

Those eyes never fool.

Fiery anxiety, they would cool.

And if anyone dies,

Tears never roll down those aggressive deep

blue eyes.

I want to go for a voyage on the seas

inside your eyes,

And touch its waters,

Before it falters.

I love your deep blue eyes.

The clouds showered the land,

And moistened the sand.

Your eyes lulled the flight of a bird,

And let it go without another word.

As I stared at your deep blue eyes,

That looked up at the dark night skies,

I failed to realize,

That they never compromise.

I was ceded an icy glare,

Something that your deep blue eyes

wouldn’t spare.

You scorned at me,

And hid behind a cedar tree.

I wish to dive into the oceans within

your eyes,

And capture the oyster, inside which, the

treasured pearl lies.

To say this is unwise,

But I’m infatuated by your Deep Blue

Eyes.

109

GALLERY.

Utkarsh Raturi,

10C

111

Anantika Chib,

10 B

Sarah Ronad, 10C

113

Karan Chauhan,

11A

Tashyaa Mehrotra,

11B

115

Freyance Wadia,

11B