AVEVol. IV Issue Vol. IV Issue Vol. IV Issue Vol. IV Issue Vol. IV Issue 31 Established: Established: Established: Established: Established: 1995 Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, 19th October, , , , , 2010

1 Weekly Newsletter of Weekly Newsletter of Weekly Newsletter of Weekly Newsletter of Weekly Newsletter of The Assam Valley SchoolThe Assam Valley SchoolThe Assam Valley SchoolThe Assam Valley SchoolThe Assam Valley School

THE ASSAM VALLEY School, 16th OCTOBER 2010: Feistyfootball, cheering spectators and enthralling drum recitals

made up the Finals of the 7th North East Public School SoccerTournament here at the rolling fields of The Assam ValleySchool today.

There were a total of eight teams participating in thisyear’s tournament which had kicked off on the 11th. The lineup, besides the defending champions, The Assam ValleySchool included The Sri Ram School, Gurgaon; Assam RiflesPublic School (ARPS), Shillong; Donyi Polo Vidya Bhawan,Itanagar; Livingstone Foundation, Dimapur; St. Xaviers’,Balipara, and The Delhi Public School, Guwahati.

The group stages passed onto the semi-finals, whereThe Sri Ram School (TSRS) emergedvictorious against ARPS, Shillong aftergoing through an arduous penalty shoot-out. The host team, too, lost out marginallyas Livingstone Foundation scraped throughon penalties.

After 5 days of engaging football,The Assam Valley School won the 3rdplace fixture on the morning of the 16th.

TSRS played ARPS in the final. Thematch was evenly poised throughout, withthe solitary strike by Vedant Nag turningTSRS into the champions of the 7thNortheast Public School Soccer

UNTIL WE MEET AGAINUNTIL WE MEET AGAINUNTIL WE MEET AGAINUNTIL WE MEET AGAINUNTIL WE MEET AGAINTHE 7th NORTH EAST SOCCER TOURNAMENT CONCLUDES

Tournament.The closing ceremony had

drumming prodigy Teji Tokoand singing sensation Sayuj Jain(both of India’s Got Talent fame)as the Chief Guests. Individuallaurels were given to SamrajSingh Parmar (Best Player) fromAVS and Atiko Chishi (BestGoalkeeper) from theLivingstone Foundation School,while the Fair Play award wasgiven to Livingstone for abri l l iant show of discipl inethroughout the competition.

As the curtains fell on yetanother edition of this tournament,which has rapidly grown inprestige and status, we cansummarize it with the words of theLFS Coach, Mr. Fernandes, whosaid that they would come backagain the following year as thegame was not yet over for them.Indeed, the game is not over andit’s only au revoir until the 8thNorth East Public School SoccerTournament.

Antareep Boraz, XII & PoojaAntareep Boraz, XII & PoojaAntareep Boraz, XII & PoojaAntareep Boraz, XII & PoojaAntareep Boraz, XII & PoojaGill, XIIGill, XIIGill, XIIGill, XIIGill, XII

The finalists share a last smile before serious businessThe finalists share a last smile before serious businessThe finalists share a last smile before serious businessThe finalists share a last smile before serious businessThe finalists share a last smile before serious business

TSRS with their spoilsTSRS with their spoilsTSRS with their spoilsTSRS with their spoilsTSRS with their spoils

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EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES OF THE5th SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 6TH OCTOBER 2010

Installation of hand faucets in wash-roomsand emergency lights in Boarding Houses andMSB is to be undertaken during the April Breakof 2011.

The DHM (EA) is to liaise, with anoutsourced security establishment, to conduct a‘security audit’ at the School.

Vigilance measures, such as attendancechecks, are to be regularly implemented. It iscompulsory for pupils to use their allotted bedspace for sleeping.

In order to ensure maximum participation ofall pupils in all school events at all levels, the DHM(EA) is to devise a mechanism wherein duplicationof participation in events does not occur.

All major events are to be conducted atvarious levels in the School as independentundertakings.

As an experiment to help pupils comprehendthe meaning of a liberal education, ‘Freedom forAll’ is to be granted for 4 to 5 days at AVS.During this experimental phase, any violation ofthe ‘Code of Conduct’ will culminate in directexpulsion.

The Junior School is to be allowed to borrowbooks from the Library every week.

An outsourced consultant is to look into thefeasibility of the construction of an amphitheatre inthe School consequent to the submission of the detailsto the Chair by the Subansiri ‘A’ Representative.

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LETTER TO THE EDITORDear Ma’am,

It is easy for one to criticize, for another to defend and then, for both to feelsatisfied for having done their bit! Most of us prefer it that way and that is precisely theproblem with us.

Having sifted through the minutes of the years gone by, I have found that there are someperennial issues like food and laundry that are brought up with punctuality in every meeting. Butsimply criticizing such rhetoric, and shunning it as something “trivial” will not resolve the issue. Itwill only deepen the wounds of dissatisfaction in the Aviator’s psyche. If the issues are perennial,there has to be a root cause for it, and until and unless that cause is corrected, how so ever long itmight take, we must not dismiss these issues as anything even close to being “trivial”.

Criticism is like a medicine, if and only if it is prescribed as the remedy for the illness. It isbut no surprise that the Aviator today is aware of the lack of implementation and the lack ofzealousness in their very own elected representatives.There is the ‘just’ attitude in us and thatunfortunately prevails.

Thus, on behalf of all the representatives, I humbly accept all criticism.The representatives,yours truly being no exception, often tend to be passive and pessimistic in nature because such anethos is unfortunately prevalent with regard to the School Council among the rest of thiscommunity. The School Council is an opportunity for us that we have, so far, underutilized. Ourlack of background work and our shallowness is what makes us inefficient as representatives, andthe disillusionment of the rest of this community does not help either. We often misconstrue thepurpose of this body and our purpose in it!

But the fact remains that democracy always takes time to evolve and mature. And the wayto expedite this fruitful process is by encouraging the constitutents of a community to have avoice, each and every one of us! It is my humble request to all Aviators to realize that a suggestionproposed with reason and a possible solution has always been more than welcomed by the Chair.If there is an issue, be it absolutely anything, it must be brought to the notice of the concernedauthority. Consequent to that, it should be discussed in the School Council if the need still exists.The School Council is a body that gives us the chance to voice our opinions with reason. Somewheredown the line, we have digressed from this very basic essence and herein lies the problem.

Only when questions and issues are brought to light can they be addressed and only whenthe answers satisfy the curious minds of the often misinformed Aviators, can issues be resolved.We must speak up and try and widen our perspectives, clear all our issues (frivolous as they mayseem), regard rationality above vested interests and, finally, try and perceive after stepping intothe shoes of the authorities themselves to be able to pursue issues with a holistic approach.

There is no such thing as mediocrity in us; it is just a failure of initiative that spreads thisflawed perception. It is time we hold ourselves and our representatives accountable for this laidbackattitude and bring about change for the better. Only then can we rise to issues of greater significance!Yours sincerely,Yash Mimani,Recording Secretary, School Council

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A-VOICES...on the N.E. Soccer tournament...on the N.E. Soccer tournament...on the N.E. Soccer tournament...on the N.E. Soccer tournament...on the N.E. Soccer tournament

Ayush A.Ayush A.Ayush A.Ayush A.Ayush A. ::::: It was great fun and somethingspectacular.

Nishant R.Nishant R.Nishant R.Nishant R.Nishant R. ::::: Longce-im, Christopher andSaurav were the best.

Saket T.Saket T.Saket T.Saket T.Saket T. ::::: We gave a tough fight, butRIMC was better.

Karken B.Karken B.Karken B.Karken B.Karken B. ::::: The final wasn’t really a final.Ambiso T.Ambiso T.Ambiso T.Ambiso T.Ambiso T. ::::: It was no where as good as I

expected.Aman A.Aman A.Aman A.Aman A.Aman A. ::::: I wish we could have won the

match.

As this issue goes into print, we at AVE have waited, with bated breath, to find out what wouldhappen on the two days of freedom announced on the 20th and 21st of October. Would the

school go completely haywire as all stakeholders decide, independently, to let go of theirresponsibilities and enjoy the full privileges of being, albeit briefly, responsible for no one? Onthe other hand, would they decide that the most genuine freedom lies in the espousal of one’sduties and societal roles, keeping in mind that the institutions and codes that keep us in order arethe wings that allow us to fly? This question is an all the more compelling one, given that AVS isafter all a microcosm of society in general. We have, in the sylvan borders of our estate, talentedand passionate people from all the regions of this diverse country, representing countless languagepools and ethnic and tribal identities.

However, akin to a progressive nation, a progressive institution is not made up of a multitudeof voices alone. The incredible diversity that we have here, the incredible range of budding talentsthat one sees walking along the Main School Building corridors or discussing the last footballmatch in the house dining rooms, can only be honed into the truly powerful institution that wehave the potential of becoming if each and every one of us realizes that the freedom we have is abeautiful gift only because it is safeguarded by sanctions and regulations. A truly creative existencecan only be fulfilled within the safe boundaries of a caring and nurturing environment. It is throughthe synergy that each one of us brings, by passionately espousing the rules and responsibilitiesgiven to us and finding satisfaction in them, that a truly vibrant milieu within which perennial ideasare envisioned is created.

FREEDOM DAYSCompiled by Yashash Agarwal, XCompiled by Yashash Agarwal, XCompiled by Yashash Agarwal, XCompiled by Yashash Agarwal, XCompiled by Yashash Agarwal, X

The Swan and IKeep not a little distance

From me sweet swanAs your scent is so alluring

To it I get drawn.The sun too has marred

Many a daysFor he runs hunting for you

Forgetting his ways.He’s not to blame

Dear my pretty roseFor he too has lost his heart

At your beautiful doors.

Rishabh Akoijam, 10Rishabh Akoijam, 10Rishabh Akoijam, 10Rishabh Akoijam, 10Rishabh Akoijam, 10

Subhham P.Subhham P.Subhham P.Subhham P.Subhham P. ::::: It was a feast for our eyes.John R.John R.John R.John R.John R. ::::: This time, the best didn’t win.Elona A.Elona A.Elona A.Elona A.Elona A. ::::: No way! We didn’t get the ten

pound chocolate cake.Neeliena K.Neeliena K.Neeliena K.Neeliena K.Neeliena K. ::::: It wasn’t that bad and not that

good also.Nishi A.Nishi A.Nishi A.Nishi A.Nishi A. ::::: Unexpected, but the girls’ team,

you did it.Yashraj B.Yashraj B.Yashraj B.Yashraj B.Yashraj B. ::::: It was excruciating, but would

have been better with AVS inthe finals.

Adreyo SenAdreyo SenAdreyo SenAdreyo SenAdreyo Sen

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4 AVE AVE AVE AVE AVE Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday, 19th October, , , , , 2010.

Publisher: Publisher: Publisher: Publisher: Publisher: DHM (Educational Administration), The Assam Valley School, P.O. Balipara, Dist. Sonitpur,Asom-784101, India. Telephone: Telephone: Telephone: Telephone: Telephone: 03714-292470. E-mail: E-mail: E-mail: E-mail: E-mail:ave@assamvalleyschool.com. Printed at: Printed at: Printed at: Printed at: Printed at: SwastikaPrinters, Rangapara, Asom. Website:Website:Website:Website:Website: www.assamvalleyschool.com.

SPACED OUTTHE WORLD SPACE WEEK 2010

The other day, when I was going through the‘ETC’ – which was glorifying Rajnikant –

my eyes came across this line, “Rajnikant canjudge the book by its cover.” This made mymind tick. Don’t we tend to do the same thing inour lives? Someone inside me replied in theaffirmative.Well, you may judge the school textbook byits cover, but the same cannot be applied to otherbooks!

One comes across many instances in lifewhere the ‘judge-the-book-by-the-cover’theorem seems very relevant.

Talking about my personal experience,when I went for the Slater’s Debates, I noticedthat the students who appeared to be the mostnaïve – or rather bluntly – the nerdiest, were thebest debaters. It’s just one instance, but the listgoes on and on. The person who saw Mother

Teresa in an inexpensive saree while receiving theNobel Peace Prize or the person who kickedM.K. Gandhi from that train will probably agreewith me.

Once a merchant fixed an appointmentwith Swami Vivekananda. The merchant, whohad never met Swami Vivekananda, reached therailway station after a long, exhausting journey.He started to look for a coolie and in hisattempt, asked a local to carry his luggage forsome monetary courtesy. On the way, the localcame to know that the merchant was headingfor Vivekananda’s house and he assured him thathe will take him there. On reaching the Swami’shouse, the local put down the luggage, offereda chair to the merchant and said, “I amVivekananda. What can I do for you?”

So the next time you try to judge a personby his cover, make sure you first read him.

T h eAssamValley

School is amember of theS P A C E( S c i e n c ePopularizationAssociation ofCommunicatorsa n dEducators) .The schoolwas invited toc o l l a b o r a t ewith them in

celebration of the ‘World Space Week’(WSW). Our school organized exciting eventsduring WSW, between the 4th and the 10th ofOctober.

The objective of ‘World Space Week’ isto celebrate the contribution of space, scienceand technology to life on Earth.

The very nature of the irresistible desireof mankind to explore outer space has been aninseparable part of human life since the dayhuman beings have started wondering about life,food and shelter. This desire has resulted in greatachievements like India sending ‘Chandrayan’ to

Suyaash Sharma, XSuyaash Sharma, XSuyaash Sharma, XSuyaash Sharma, XSuyaash Sharma, X

explore the moon. In order to celebrate this kindof glorious feat of mankind, the World SpaceWeek is celebrated every year from October 4to October 10 under the auspices of UnitedNations General Assembly (UNGA) andsupported by the World Space WeekAssociation, a non-governmental organization.

The special week started off with a greatresponse from the students, as they took keeninterest in everything. Pupils of classes 7, 8, 9and 10 were shown a movie regarding theconspiracy theory that holds that man did notactually land on the moon and variouspresentations such as “Life Cycle of Stars” and“A Journey to our Solar System,” which theythoroughly enjoyed and learnt from. Thestudents’ knowledge was tested by fun intra-class quizzes. Students were also given a chanceto express their views on the universe throughposter-making competitions and slogan-making competitions. There was also a crater-making competition testing the students’creativity. Before we knew it, the week hadpassed and we had all learnt plenty from thisone-of-a-kind experience.

This year, the WSW theme encouragesparticipants ‘to probe what we know, what itmeans, and what we have yet to learn about themysteries of the Cosmos’.

A. S. HuidromA. S. HuidromA. S. HuidromA. S. HuidromA. S. Huidrom

SUBSTANCE, NOT STYLE