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Credits Editorial Team:

Sarat Chandra Routhu (1997 Batch)

Ramaraju Bendi (1997 Batch)

Balaram Teja Peyyala (1997 Batch)

Content Help:

Sravani Lakkoju (2002 Batch)

Sidhanth Mohapatro (2005 Batch, Lateral Entry)

Ramesh Jarugulla

Cover Page & All SJ Related Designs Done By:

Prabhat Raju

Prabhat.we@gmail.com

+91 9963200223

Special Thanks To Polycom for donating video conferencing equipment. Thanks to Shri Praveen Kumar

for helping us with mineral water plant. Thanks to Revenue & Police Departments for all their help

Disclaimer: We used few articles which are freely available on public domain and mentioned the sources

of such articles at the end. For any queries related to content of souvenir please contact Sarat at

9985289390 or email him at jnvsklmalumni@gmail.com.

JAAS Logo:

Santosh Konda

bablu.arena@gmail.com

+91 9959977687

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Message

It is understood from the invitation of JNV, Srikakulam Alumni Association that JNV,

Vennelavalasa is going to celebrate Silver Jubilee celebrations to express their gratitude to honor their

gurus, those who mould them as good citizens and flourish their lives by rendering their valuable

services. In that connection, Alumni Association would like to release a souvenir, in which they are going

to share their childhood memories, the life they spent in school and show their innate talents as stories,

arts, poems and other forms. It is really appreciable and pleasureful, to grace the occasion. I whole

heartily wish the organizing committee to express their inner feelings and talents on the righteous

occasion and guide the younger generation to be in right path, to achieve their goal and fulfill the

dreams of their parents, gurus and the Nation.

I wish the Alumni Association, to take every achievement related to their celebrations, be turned in a

successful manner.

Wishing a good luck.

R. Rama Rao

Asst. Commissioner,

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti,

Regional Office, Hyderabad.

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Message

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya,Srikakulam is one of the best educational institutions in the district. The

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya took birth in 1988 at a small village,Seethampeta in a transit campus

comprising of huts and nuts. With the cooperation of the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, the

school has been established in a full fledged campus at Vennelavalasa,Sarubujjili Mandal. All through the

27 years of glorious service, it has spread its sprouts and fruits all over the world.

Today, the school can boast of producing IAS,IRS,IFS,Group-I Officers,Scientists,Bank Managers,Teachers

and what not; it has its presence in all the departments of Indian Public and Private Sectors. Jawahar

Navodaya Vidyalaya Srikakulam can take pride as its products are serving as Scientists, Research

Scholars, Engineers and Doctors in Europe, USA, Canada and East Asian Countries. The Jawahar

Navodaya Vidyalaya is not only pride of the district, but it is also pride of our nation.

I am very happy to hear that the institution is going to celebrate its Silver Jubilee on 25th and 26th

April,2015. I appreciate the efforts of the JNV Alumni Association Srikakulam (JAAS) for their keen

service and gratitude towards Vidyalaya and society. I wish the Silver Jubilee Celebrations a grand

success.

Dr.P.LAKSHMI NARASIMHAM, IAS

District Collector and Chairman

Vidyalaya Management Committee

JNV, Srikakulam

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Message Its a matter of pleasure to note that our Alma mater JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA,

SRIKAKULAM has completed two and half decades of educational service and celebrating the milestone

as SILVER JUBILEE on 25th &26th of April2015.

As we all know, our Vidyalaya is established in 1988 as per National Educational Policy (NPE) 1986 to

impart best education and all-round development of rural meritorious students in the District. All

through these 25years our Vidyalaya has earned reputation as a unique educational institution for its

spectacular progress. Students admitted in this Vidyalaya with poor rural background, have come out

with flying colours and occupied highest positions in various fields of Government and Private sectors

both in India and abroad. It has been possible only due to stupendous efforts of our most efficient and

committed GURUs of this Vidyalaya.

Now it is time for Alumni of this institution to remember and reciprocate the invaluable services and

resources incurred on its students. In this context our Alumni Association is formed in the name of JAAS

(JNV Alumni Association Srikakulam) and got registered in Dec2014 with a Mission to support the

present and former students in their career development and also to participate in development of the

Vidyalaya.

It is a moment of joy to unveil the plans and activities of JAAS on the Dais of Silver Jubilee Celebrations.

As Alumni of a reputed institution like Navodaya Vidyalaya, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the

service of society and Nation at large, on this auspicious occasion of Silver Jubilee Celebrations.

Alikana Chenchu Naidu

President,

JNV Alumni Association-Srikakulam (JAAS)

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Education For Peace The present day world is full of stresses and strains, conflicts and controversies, riots and

violences, mutual distrust and ill will. It is obviously the result of wrong values in our relationship to the

people, to property, to ideas and also with social and natural environment. The situations in social,

economic, political, environmental aspects alarm most of the people and destroying peace in lives.

It is becoming a serious challenge for a class room teacher in orienting the children to peace as a way of

life, because of mismatch between the class room experience and the prevalence of disharmony in

divergent groups of people, hatred, jealousy, greed, violence in day to day social life. The young

children are getting confused to shape themselves in modern world, in a right direction.

The prevailing situation demands the education to promote peace. Peace makes the task of education

easier, does education promote peace? Some of the difficult problems the societies are facing today are

linked to education in one way or the other. The role of institutionalized education in the context of

peace is highly debatable. In everyday life we notice success in education is associated with competition

among children and schools. A mild and healthy competition can bring about the encouragement to

excel, but unhealthy or intense competition can only sharpen isolated egos, self interest and mutual

hatred, frequent clashes, stress and psychic disorders. This is the environment that we see in our schools

today. This kind of present day; education promotes selfish interest and the idea of common interest

fades away.

To establish peace as a necessary condition for reforming the education, we need to develop reflective

mind, which is difficult to achieve if there is tension in the classroom ethos and the in the relationship

between teacher and student. In the highly competitive condition children are continuously charged up

and are under pressure to leave everybody behind.

Hence introducing children to peaceful and creative ways of responding to conflict is essential, if we are

to build a more peaceful world.

Therefore the teachers have a significant role in breaking the cycle, wherever they can in the lives of

children and in the ethos of the school. To do so they need a range of skills and values which might

encourage and equip them to intervene and play a positive role in the lives of children.

Education must be able to promote values that faster peace, humanness and tolerance in the

multi cultural society like India.

All Goal of Education is to build and promote peace and Happiness

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Navodaya Factsheet 1. The idea of establishing navodayas goes back to national education policy,1986.

2. The objective of setting up NVS is to provide good quality education to talented children from

predominantly rural areas(75 per cent).

3. Adherence to three language formula( English+ Hindi+ one local language preferably from southern

India). Recently it was decided to add Sanskrit as third language option.

4. Eight regional offices Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, pune, Shillong. with a

total of 596 JNVs.

5. Land is provided by state governments whereas infrastructure and running costs are borne by central

government(ministry of HRD).

6. Migration System is considered as an important tool in promoting national integration from

childhood.

7. According to a recent CAG report, enrolment in JNVs has increased as compared to other state run

educational institutions.

8. Though 30 percent of seats are reserved for girls their enrolment across the country hovers around 15

percent pointing to the need for bridging the gender gap.

9. JNV teachers deserve special gratitude given the location of the schools is usually remote depriving

their families of urban amenities.

10. While An initial investment of 1000 crores has been put into constructing the infrastructure for

schools, maintenance of them crossed 200 crore every year since 1995.

11. The accessibility of teacher by the student is unmatched in any other school system in India.

12. As of 1995, the per capita expenditure on school children by the government is Rs. 150, it spends

9500 to 1000 on each Navodaya student.

13. Given socioeconomic backgrounds of JNV students it was predicted as far back as setting JNVs that

schooling in JNVs can just be temporary relief from general inaccessibility to education since students

might stop continuing with the studies after passing from JNVs. The trend which can be stymied by the

helping hands of its alumni.

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Home away from Home Navodaya is a true home away from home. It is the safest and most beautiful place a girl without a

mother can have. The teachers here are our parents.

Apart from studies they always reminded us our duties, gently punished us when not on the right track,

applauded us when successful, showered their kindness and affection when we hit our low notes,

And of course the eternal friendships that we built in the 7 years of journey are worth a mention.

Its amazing we know how to play all ball games, track and field, dance, Knowledge of Music and art, you

name it and we know it all. This wouldn't have been possible without being in JNV. The all round

exposure we got in the school opened us the doors to the world full of opportunities and new

experiences.

It gave us a lot of endurance, self confidence. It Made us physically, emotionally and mentally strong.

The attitude and values we acquired here made people around stand up and take a notice of us.

Today I am a software engineer working in USA, wife and a caring mother to 3 beautiful children.

Above all knowledgeable, responsible and a person with moral values, Only because I belong to

Navodaya family.

--Vijayalakshmi Munjeti (1989 Batch)

PUZZLE

You were shown three boxes one of which has a candy inside it. You don't

know which one.. You are asked to choose one box. You chose one box

randomly.. After your choice one empty box was taken out.. Now you are

given option to change your choice.. Will you pick another box or same to

increase your chance of a candy.

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Developing Scientific Temper through School Education

Dr. O. P. Sharma1

and M. M. Gore2

Abstract

Scientific temper is an attitude of logical thinking. If a person uses the scientific method in his/her daily life decision making process knowingly or unknowingly then we can say that he/she has scientific temper. This scientific temper is important in our life because this kind of attitude enable general public for making their decisions rational. Therefore we can conclude that the development of scientific temper among the citizens is essential for the overall development of the nation. For the overall development and growth of the country and society, it is necessary to develop scientific temper among all the people irrespective of their age, caste, creed, religion etc. There are two possibilities for achieving the above said target. First may be to make special efforts for developing scientific temper by organising different types of programmes. The second one may be to make it an integral part of the school curriculum. In fact all the Commissions and Committees including National Curriculum Framework have focused on this aspect. The present paper focuses on the special measures suggested by these bodies for making the society scientifically empowered. Special focus is given on the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework and highlighting how it includes the components of scientific temper. The challenges and limitation of the school education system in creating scientific temper have also been discussed n the paper.

Introduction

Science not only inculcates the spirit of curiosity among the students but helps in developing scientific

temper. This scientific temper, or scientific attitude is basically characterized by the traits like a healthy

skepticism, universalism, freedom from prejudice or bias, objectivity, open mindedness and humility,

willingness to suspend judgment without sufficient evidence, rationality, perseverance and positive

approach to failure. Normally, a person having scientific attitude, uses the method of science in his/her

daily life decision making process, knowingly or unknowingly. Our first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru

was very fond of using the term Scientific Temper. He was keen that we should not learn science

superficially; i.e. just the facts of biology or chemistry and physics. He wanted people to possess

scientific temper so that they could be better scientists, better citizens and capable of governing their

personal thoughts and actions in a scientific manner.

The importance of developing scientific temper is very clearly established by the fact that it is one of our fundamental duties to develop scientific temper and spirit of inquiry amongst fellow citizens. Article

1 Dr. Oum Prakash Sharma, Deputy Director, National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education, Indira Gandhi

National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068, e-mail: opsharma@ignou.ac.in 2 Mr. M. M. Gore, Jr. Scientific Officer (Publications), VigyanPrasar, A-50, Institutional Area, Sector-62, Noida-201 309,

India, E-mail: mmgore@vigyanprasar.gov.in

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51 A of our constitution which deals with fundamental duties makes it a duty of every citizen to develop a Scientific Temper. Article 51 A of our constitution also makes it a duty of every citizen to develop Humanism & spirit of enquiry and reform. Our science policy also reiterates the same thoughts. For developing scientific temper among the students, a number of efforts are being made by the Government and as well as several Non-Government Organizations. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005, which is now considered as the Bible of the school education has also pointed out that sciences, like the systems of mathematics, have their own concepts, often interconnected through theories, and are attempts to describe and explain the natural world. Scientific inquiry involves observation and experimentation to validate predictions made by theory (hypotheses), which may be aided by instruments and controls. The National Focus Group on Teaching of Science suggested prevention of marginalization of experiment based learning in school science curriculum.

In fact for an over all growth and development of any organization or the country as a whole, we have to foster a Scientific Temper in the citizens with absolute capacity for critical evaluation. The lack of Scientific Temper weakens our ability to take rational decisions. This may be the reason why the concept of Scientific Temper was built-in in our constitution. According to Viswanath, science education has an important role to play in the all-round cultural and societal development of human kind and for evolving a civilized society. The essence of scientific spirit is to think globally and act locally, since scientific knowledge is universal in nature while the fruit of science have some site specificity. Similarly Kalbag (1991) says that the scientific temper or scientific approach is a refinement of the process of thinking that comes naturally to every human being.

Role of School Curriculum in Developing Scientific Temper

The attributes of scientific temper like, honesty, truthfulness, humility, perseverance, positive approach to failure, are essentially some of universal human values which are so important for happiness of an individual as also for the society. Inculcation of these and other universal human values should become an integral part of the education process. Although the education sector does not deal directly with the scientific temper, but it plays a very important role in this context as it comprises of almost all those components which develop scientific temper among the students.. However, recognizing the need of inculcating scientific attitude among the students and the immense potential with the school education system, special measures have been taken over the last few decades. For example, the school syllabi have now some interactive experiments and learning by doing sections for the students.

The spirit of enquiry is the principal element of scientific temper. As discussed earlier, the person who follows the method of science (Observation-hypothesis-experimentation-analysis-conclusion) directly or indirectly has scientific temper. Scientific temper means rational thinking and it is encouraged by various ways and means and some traditional media are print, folk lore, folk dance, street plays, puppet shows etc. Electronic and digital media are the advanced media which are being utilized today for disseminating effectively science. With the advancement of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) a number of ways are being followed for science communication aiming at developing scientific temper. Blogs, facebook, e-news paper, wall newspapers and mobile phones are some of the

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ultra modern and innovative means of science communication through which scientific temper may be developed.

Review of the Recommendations of the Educational Committees and Commissions

NCF, 2005 is not the only document that has given directions for developing science temper among the students, but several commissions and committees on education have recommended for inculcating scientific temper, developing the spirit of inquiry and focusing on learning by doing through activity based science teaching in school curriculum which can play great role in developing scientific temper. Given below is brief review of the recommendations of various educational committees and commissions emphasising for promoting science education and developing scientific temper among the students.

Medieval India faced crucial phases in education sector. When India became a free country in 1947, then our first Prime Minister Pt. Nehru envisaged India as a secular democracy with a state-led command economy. Education for all and scientific/industrial development(s) were seen as crucial tools to unite a country, divided on the basis of wealth, caste and religion. Nehru used the word scientific temper first in his book Discovery of India in 1946. He used this word in Indian perspective for the human growth and national development.

Drawing on Nehrus vision, and articulating most of his key themes, the Kothari Commission (1964-66) was set up to formulate a coherent education policy for India. According to the Commission, education was intended to increase productivity, develop social and national unity, consolidate democracy, modernize the country and develop social, moral and spiritual values. Other features included were the development and prioritization of science education and scientific temper. Kothari Commission felt that Indias development needs were better met by engineers and scientists than historians.

Emphasizing on the need for developing scientific temper among the children, the Kothari commission envisioned that the science education should be an integral part of school education and ultimately become a part of all courses at University stage. Kothari Commission recommended a child centered and activity oriented syllabi in schools in order to develop science concepts and understandings and above all a scientific temper.

National Education Policy, 1968, had also emphasized that with a view to accelerate the growth of national economy, the science education and research should receive high priority. Science and mathematics should be an integral part of general education till the end of school education.

In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced a new education policy, the National Policy on Education (NPE) which was intended to prepare India for the 21st century. The key legacies of the 1986 policy were the promotion of privatization and the continued emphasis on secularism and science. According to the

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National Policy on Education, 1986, the science education should be strengthened so as to develop in the child well defined abilities and values such as the spirit of inquiry, creativity, objectivity, the courage to question, and an aesthetic sensibility. NPE, 1986, recommended that the science education programmes should be designed to enable the learner to acquire problem solving and decision making skills and to discover the relationship of science with health, agriculture, industry and other aspects of daily life. It was emphasized that every effort would be made to extend science education to the vast numbers who have remained outside the pale of formal education. Such recommendations are basically aimed at promoting scientific temper and attitude among the children.

In March 1992, a National Advisory Committee (NAC) was set up by the Government under the chairmanship of Prof. Yash Pal, former Chairman of the UGC to suggest ways and means to reduce academic burden on school students.

Even the 11th Five Year Plan had emphasized to sensitize teachers and others involved in nutrition, hygiene, cleanliness, and safety norms to rectify observed deficiencies, which is possible only when scientific temperament is developed among the people. The 11th Five Year Plan has observed that The proportion of students opting for Science courses is far too low. Consequently, a large segment of our graduates are inadequately equipped to meet the changing needs of the emerging labour market. The Eleventh Five Year Plan also emphasized on enlarging the pool of scientific manpower and make focused efforts to identify and nurture bright young students who could take up scientific research as a career.

National Curriculum Framework and Scientific Temper: Existing Scenario

The existing school education system in the country is basically based on the guideline set up by the

National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005. According to the NCF 2005, the scientific method involves

several interconnected steps: observation, looking for regularities and patterns, making hypotheses,

devising qualitative or mathematical models, deducing their consequences, verification or falsification of

theories through observations and controlled experiments, and thus arriving at the principles, theories

and laws governing the natural world. As per the NCF, teaching should aim at enhancing childrens

natural desire and strategies to learn. Knowledge needs to be distinguished from information, and

teaching needs to be seen as a professional activity, not as coaching for memorization or as transmission

of facts. Activity is the heart of the childs attempt to make sense of the world around him/her.

Therefore, every resource must be deployed to enable children to express themselves, handle objects,

explore their natural and social milieu, and to grow up healthy. NCF recommends the softening of

subject boundaries so that children can get a taste of integrated knowledge and the joy of

understanding. The teaching of science should be recast so that it enables children to examine and

analyse everyday experiences.

Further, NCF 2005 states that science is a dynamic, expanding body of knowledge, covering ever-new

domains of experience. In a progressive forward-looking society, science can play a truly liberating role,

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helping people escape from the vicious cycle of poverty, ignorance and superstition. The advances in

science and technology have transformed traditional fields of work such as agriculture and industry, and

led to the emergence of wholly new fields of work. People today are faced with an increasingly fast-

changing world where the most important skills are flexibility, innovation and creativity. According to

NCF 2005, the simple observation leads to the following basic criteria of validity of a science curriculum:

1. Cognitive validity requires that the content, process, language and pedagogical practices of the

curriculum are age appropriate, and within the cognitive reach of the child.

2. Content validity requires that the curriculum must convey significant and correct scientific

information. Simplification of content, which is necessary for adapting the curriculum to the

cognitive level of the learner, must not be so trivialised as to convey something basically flawed

and/or meaningless.

3. Process validity requires that the curriculum should engage the learner in acquiring the

methods and processes that lead to the generation and validation of scientific knowledge and

nurture the natural curiosity and creativity of the child in science. Process validity is an

important criterion since it helps the student in 'learning to learn' science.

4. Historical validity requires that the science curriculum be informed by a historical perspective,

enabling the learner to appreciate how the concepts of science evolve over time. It also helps

the learner to view science as a social enterprise and to understand how social factors influence

the development of science.

5. Environmental validity requires that science be placed in the wider context of the learner's

environment, local and global, enabling him/her to appreciate the issues at the interface of

science, technology and society, and equipping him/her with the requisite knowledge and skills

to enter the world of work.

6. Ethical validity requires that the curriculum promote the values of honesty, objectivity,

cooperation, and freedom from fear and prejudice, and inculcate in the learner a concern for

life and preservation of the environment.

If we look at the basic objectives of the science popularization programmes, we find that the purpose of

all such programmes and activities are also almost same as that highlighted in the NCF, 2005 as

mentioned above. It clearly indicates that the science teaching at school level is also, primarily aiming at

promoting scientific thinking and creating scientific attitude among the students in particular and the

people in general. Recently implemented Right to Compulsory Education Act, 2009, also recommends

for learning through activities, discovery and exploration in child friendly and child centric manner.

Challenges and Limitations of the Existing Education System in Developing Scientific Temper

Though a number of efforts are being made for developing scientific temper among the students

through school education system, but there are several problems and challenges in achieving the

objectives of providing minimum science for all. Some of such challenges are as given below:

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The traditional chalk and talk method of teaching science which hardly creates any interest

among the students towards science.

Minimum use of learning science by doing. Hardly any special effort is taken to raise the

curiosity of the students. Even if any student dares to ask questions beyond the scope of class,

he/she is not encourages.

Lack of trained teachers and science communicators in the schools. Normally the science

teachers aim at completing the syllabus instead of inculcating the basic scientific skills including

the scientific attitude among the students.

Lack of interactions between science communicators and teachers/students is another big

challenge also reflects a challenging scenario before the existing education system. Trained

science communicators contribute in the development of scientific temper in the society and

their absence augments the hindrance in developing an informed society.

Also science laboratories are not equally equipped and are not used for experimentation and

discovery.

The biggest challenge in developing scientific temper is the existing examination and evaluation

system. Because the examination system does not allow to thing out of the box, which is the

basic requirement of developing scientific attitude. In fact, students are taught to answer the

questions, rather than questioning the answers. Unless we develop an ability to raise questions,

it may not be possible to achieve the objective of developing scientific attitude among the

people.

Conclusion

Conclusively it can be said that though our education system has all provisions of developing scientific

temper, but they are not being implemented the way they should be Though activity based teaching

learning methods are talked about but are seldom practiced in our schools. . The teaching-learning is

mostly school-centred whereas for developing scientific attitude and scientific skills the education

system should be made child centred. The principal component of education should be the

development of scientific temper. The objective of school education is to develop an active and

informed learner not a passive and unaware one. The curriculum must talk to the learners and enables

children to examine, analyse everyday experiences. As the NCF recommendations, the spirit of

Childrens Science Congress should be revolutionized in order to promote discovery learning across the

nation. Effort should be made to encourage maximum use of innovative teaching learning aids/

instruction materials like audio-visuals aids in science learning which in turn help in developing scientific

temper among the students.

Source: https://www.academia.edu/5015946/Developing_Scientific_Temper_through_School_Education

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--Geetalakshmi Balaga(90 Batch)

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TEAM 1996

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Navodaya, A holy place!

It made me cry, when I stepped in it.

It made me Smile, when I met my friends.

It made me Disciplined, when I entered the class.

It made me Responsible, when I lead my class.

It made me Fit, when I played in the ground.

It made me Strong, when I confronted challenges.

It made me Myself, when I reached the end of my school life.

It made me cry again and again, when I stepped out of it.

TEAM 1996

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Letters from a Father to His Daughter Notes on the moral foundations of becoming a great leader and a great human,

bittersweet in historys hindsight.

In 1928, when his only daughter was ten and spent the summer in the Himalayas while he was in the

plains below, Jawaharlal Nehru, leader of Indias struggle for independence from British rule, sent the

young girl a series of short letters seeking to explain how the world came to be as it is. That daughter

was Indira Gandhi, who would become Indias first and only female Prime Minister, tragically

assassinated in 1984.

What makes these letters, which cover everything from the Big Bang to the ancient civilizations to the

rise of the division of labor and trade, so spectacular is that Nehru speaks to young Indira both lovingly

and with clear respect for her intelligence, treating a ten-year-old child as the future leader she would

become. Indeed, we see in these letters the foundation of that becoming a foundation of moral

values for peace and justice, respect for those different from us, and immeasurable, indiscriminate

kindness, a message rather bittersweet in historys hindsight, given the context of Gandhis political

reputation. Above all, Nehru takes great care to show the little girl that power is not a right but a

privilege, one that ought to be used wisely and benefit those whom it is designed to protect and serve

rather than the selfish interests of those who hold it.

In one of the first letters, Nehru reminds his daughter that we need to consistently step outside of our

biases and boundaries, be those ones of geography or of culture, in order to fully understand the world:

England is only a little island and India, though a big country, is only a small part of the earths

surface. If we want to know something about the story of this world of ours we must think of all

the countries and all the peoples that have inhabited it, and not merely of one little country

where we may have been born.

In a letter exploring the origin of different races, Nehru dispels the irrational beliefs that lie at the heart

of racism by telling Indira the story of how early humans migrated across the earth and developed into

different races based on the conditions of the lands they lived in:

We find that peoples complexions are the result of the climate they live in. They have nothing

to do with the worthiness or goodness or beauty of a person.

Reflecting on the different complexions of people in different regions of India fairer in the north

where it is cooler and darker in the hotter south and on the flawed cultural beliefs that associate

fairer with better, Nehru adds a disclaimer about privilege:

Of course, it may be that some people, even though they may live in a hot country, do not work

in the open and are rich enough to live in big houses and take care of themselves and their

complexions. A rich family may live like this for generations and may thus not be affected by the

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climate very much. But not to work oneself and to live on the work of others is nothing to be

proud of.

In another letter, he addresses the conceits of nationalism and the perils of stereotyping in equally

simple yet poignant terms:

You will also see that most of us now living in different countries far from each other long ago

were one people. We have changed greatly since then and many of us have forgotten our old

relationships. In every country people imagine that they are the best and the cleverest and the

others are not as good as they are. This is all conceit. Everybody wants to think well of himself

and his country. But really there is no person who has not got some good in him and some bad.

And in the same way there is no country which is not partly good and partly bad. We must take

the good wherever we find it and try to remove the bad wherever it may be.

He adds a prescient note on Indias own geopolitical destiny a country that, nearly a century after

Nehrus letters, is emerging as a global force of innovation:

If we find anything good in other countries, we should certainly take it.As Indians we have to

live in India and work for India. But we must not forget the world and the people living in other

countries are after all our cousins. It would be such an excellent thing if all the people in the

world were happy and contented. We have therefore to try to make the whole world a happier

place to live in.

Jawaharlal Nehru with young Indira and niece Chanderlekha Pandit, 1925. (Image courtesy of JMMI, New Delhi)

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In a letter exploring the origin and social purpose of religion, Nehru explores the inner contradictions of

religion, which haunt us to this day:

This seems horrible but a man who is afraid will do anything.

This must have been the beginnings of religion. So religion first came as fear, and anything that

is done because of fear is bad. Religion, as you know, tells us many beautiful things. When you

grow up, you will read about the religions of the world and of the good things and the bad things

that have been done in their name. . . . We see even today that people fight and break each

others heads in the name of religion. And for many people it is still something to be afraid of.

They spend their time trying to please some imaginary beings by making presents in temples and

even sacrifices of animals.

In a letter on the origin of agriculture, which created a surplus of food beyond a tribes daily needs,

Nehru ties this development to the invention of money and questions the warped dynamics of surplus:

If you think about it, you will see that this money is all surplus, that is people do not want to

spend it all at one time and so they keep it in banks. The rich people today are those who have

plenty of this surplus, the poor have none at all. It is not so much because one person works

more than another, but nowadays a person who does not work at all gets the surplus, while the

hard worker often gets no part of it! This seems a very silly arrangement. Many people think that

it is because of this stupid arrangement that there are so many poor people of the world.

In a related letter on the origin of the rich-poor divide, Nehru traces the rise of the patriarch the

time when complications first began and how power structures developed, speaking with timeless

prescience to present predicaments ranging from the everyday expressions of entitlement of the

privileged in society to the large-scale issues that precipitated the Occupy movement:

Everything in [the early] days belonged to the whole tribe and not to each member separately.

Even the patriarch had nothing special to himself. As a member of the tribe, he could only have a

share like any other member. But he was the organizer and he was supposed to look after the

goods and property of the tribe. As his power increased, he began to think that these goods and

property were really his own and not the tribes. Or rather he thought that he himself, being the

leader of the tribe, represented the tribe. So we see how the idea of owning things for oneself

began.

[]

But as soon as the patriarch started grabbing at the things belonging to the tribe and calling

them his own, we begin to get rich people and poor people.

In the next letter, Nehru traces how patriarchs swelled into kings, once again presaging with tragic

foresight the state of politics and politicians today:

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When the patriarchs office became hereditary, that is son succeeded father, there was little

difference between him and a king. He developed into a king and the king got the strange notion

that everything in the country belonged to him. He thought he was the country. Kings forgot

that they were really chosen by the people in order to organize and distribute the food and other

things of the country among the people. They forgot that they were chosen because they were

supposed to be the cleverest and the most experienced persons in the tribe or country. They

imagined that they were masters and all the other people in the country were their servants. As

a matter of fact, they were servants of the country.

Later on kings became so conceited that they thought that people had nothing to do with

choosing them. It was God himself, they said, that had made them kings. They called this the

divine right of kings. For long years, they misbehaved like this and lived in great pomp and

luxury while their people starved.

But Nehru reminds young Indira that even in republics, which have democratically elected officials

rather than hereditary kings, things are bound to go awry once the entitlement of power poisons a

rulers soul. He offers an example from India, a country and by far not the only one plagued by

enormous political corruption to this day:

In India, we have still many rajas and maharajas and nawabs. You see them going about with

fine clothes, in expensive motor cars and spending a lot of money on themselves. Where do they

get all this money from? They get it in taxes from the people. The taxes are given so that the

money may be used to help all the people in the country by making schools and hospitals and

libraries and museums and good roads and many other things for the good of the people. But

our rajas and maharajas still think as the French king did of old Letat cest moi the state, it is

I. And they spend the money of the people on their own pleasures. While they live in luxury,

their people, who work hard and give them the money, starve and their children have no schools

to go to.

In another letter, Nehru traces the origin of trade and offers an observation on the downside of

globalization that presciently speaks to todays tendency to increasingly celebrate and prioritize locally

made goods as a token of more conscious consumer choices:

Consider a piece of foreign cloth that is sold in the bazaar here. The cotton grew in India and it

was sent to England. A great factory took it and cleaned it and made it into yarn or cotton

thread and then into cloth. This cloth then came back again to India and was sold in the bazaar.

How many thousands of miles it traveled backwards and forwards before it was offered for sale!

It seems rather silly that the cotton that is grown in India had to go all the way to England to be

made into cloth and then come back again. This seems such a waste of money and energy.

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Mahatma Gandhi fasting in 1924, with the young Indira dressed in a khaddar garment shortly after Gandhi began advocating that khaddar be worn by all Indians instead of British-made textiles.

Once again, we see how young Indiras father instilled in her from an early age the personal and political

beliefs that would come to shape her. He writes:

You know that we do not buy or wear foreign cloth. We wear khaddar because it is more

sensible to buy things, as far as we can, made in our own country. We also buy and wear

khaddar because in this way we help the poor who spin and weave.

In one of the final letters, he returns to the question of money with a sentiment reminiscent of Alan

Wattss philosophy, reminding Indira that money in and of itself is meaningless:

We must remember that money is no good by itself. It only helps us to get other things that we

want. It helps us to exchange goods. . . . Some foolish people imagine that money itself is a good

and they collect and hoard it, instead of using it. This shows that they do not know how money

came to be used and what it really is.

In one of the best letters, considering the question of what civilization is, Nehru pulls into question the

power dynamics of our culture and the flawed baseline assumptions underlying them:

How can we find out if a person or a society is barbarous or civilized? Many people in Europe

think that they are very civilized and the people of Asia are quite barbarous. Is this because the

people of Europe put on more clothes than the peoples of Asia and Africa? But clothes depend on

the climate. In a cold climate men put on more clothes than in a hot climate. Or is it because a

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man with a gun is stronger than the man without a weapon and is therefore more civilized than

him? Whether he is more civilized or not, the man who is weak dare not tell him that he is not or

else he might get shot!

Writing shortly after WWI, Nehru relates this issue of civilization vs. barbarism to the concept of war,

posing a rhetorical question that rings equally, if not even more, true today:

Do you think it was a very civilized or sensible thing for people to kill each other like this? If two

men fight in the streets the policeman separates them and everybody thinks how silly they are.

But how much sillier and more foolish it is for great countries to fight each other and kill

thousands and millions. It is just like two savages fighting in the jungles. And if the savages are

called barbarous, how much more barbarous are the countries that behave in that way?

Ultimately, he tells his daughter that civilization is not a matter of external material evidence but of

internal spiritual disposition:

Fine buildings, fine pictures and books and everything that is beautiful are certainly signs of

civilization. But an even better sign is a fine man who is unselfish and works with others for the

good of all. To work together is better than to work singly, and to work together for the common

good is best of all.

Letters from a Father to His Daughter is at once enormously heartening and a vital reminder for readers

of all ages and eras about how we shape the world we live in through our understanding of it and the

choices we make in it.

by Maria Popova

Source: http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/16/letters-from-a-father-to-his-daughter/

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Memories to last a life time!

My dear (old) friends and (former) faculty,

What a great joy and privilege to be invited to share some of my memories of JNV on this graced

occasion of celebrating its silver jubilee mark golden years indeed!

When I joined JNV it was a new experience, a whole new world. I had left my family back at home. So

there I was in a new school, with new teachers, none of whom I knew and I was standing there alone,

friendless. Surprisingly, all these changed in a matter of days; JNV does it to you. Before even I knew it, I

had made friends, friends who were there for me in ups and downs. I think this was largely due to the

faculty.

My teachers have taught me more than the course; they have taught me about life, confidence and

equality. They made me competent enough to make my decisions in life. we had a wonderful system

wherein a student could walk up to the Principal and any member of the staff with any grievance and all

grievances were compassionately dealt with. This does a lot to ones confidence; it has given our

confidence a boost. There was always a lot to do and the staff gave us ample scope to demonstrate our

talents. This has helped me decide what to do in life, career, and I am sure it helped all JNVians, past and

present, in the same manner. Life ahead was a little uncertain in the last one year but I feel its the

confidence and the can do attitude helped us move ahead in no time.

JNV has been a wonderful school, a place dear to my heart, an institution beyond compare. For it was

here that I had the best days of my life. So many memories come flooding in as soon as I open the gates

to times of past, and just about all of them bring smiles to my face. I could write volumes about JNV

describing its one of a kind education system, its rich tapestry of extracurricular activities, its exemplary

teachers and its par excellence educational facilities. But, I shall limit myself to a few things that have

had a lasting impression on me.

Somehow or other, and no doubt with Gods abundant blessings, JNV Srikakulam has succeeded in

realizing impossible dreams, specially Mr Kesavarao Garu, a man of lightning decisions and of great

warmth; in his world, children and value education took centre stage. Nothing escaped his eye.

Congratulations to all students and thanks to all faculty, staff, administration; parents, alumni,

benefactors, friends present and past. I count myself most fortunate to be counted in your number.

--Kausalya Paila(1989Batch)

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The joy of little things.. Jack and Jill went round the hills

To find a place without the ills

Round and round they roamed around

Reached a site which seemed so quite

Caught a sight of moving white

Came they close and found boys in white

White in clothes but red in faces

With a plate in a hand and tumbler in the other

Running to a goal with a spirit of fighting

Jack and Jill wondered if the fighting impending!

They got numbed at the sight

Wondered why with their heads tight

Goal being the hall of dining left them aghast!

Fighting for eating?? not the place to look for, they decided.

Jack and Jill turned back disappointed

On turning they saw a sea of joy

Once in queue, boys smiling so fine,without a clue of why?

They perplexed where went the fighting cry

How the interlocking hands in queue looked an arc of joy!

They joy is in doing than having a thing is the clue they missed.

The joy of little things!! So ended their search for a hill of joy In the hills of Navodaya..

--Balaram Teja Peyyala (1997 Batch)

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A Story Of JNVian As a child - I am the Tom Cruise for my parents

but for me - I don't know because I am a child

Till Fifth - Nothing I Remember nor my parents too

for both of us same problem - not having time to care of all these memories

I am not enough grown up - my parents not enough healthy and wealthy in life

They are illiterates - but wished their child to be highly educated

They are poor - but had vision not to see any more poor in future

Small family - Happy Family

To cherish more - the son got admitted in the temple of education JNV SKLM

The child cried a lot - the parents laughed a lot

To the child - its loneliness, away from loving parents

But for parents - its the future of child, their dreams on his higher learning and living

Seven Years - heavy for parents even though they love the child to be in JNV SKLM

To the child - who cried at beginning, now its a heaven for him

Seven Years Completed - Even now also the child is crying, even longer and louder than beginning

For parents - its a big confusion, later it gave a conclusion on JNV SKLM life

The child, now an adult - new world, new life, new surroundings, situations

Again he is crying - suddenly cherishing as he remembered his stay in JNV SKLMThe life will never be

same alike - the tables turned

want to study, the parents wish to - but the things doesn't want to

The child and parents in dilemma - the mind not matching the money

Efforts are to fullest but opportunities are at other extreme

Now what the child can do, How the parents can make him better ?

But he done it. how ? (comes shortly)

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The alumni, please think of and remember such situations, As well settled after enough struggles, do we

allow the same for our following JNVians.

Cant we feel it as our social responsibility ?

Are we not in a situation to put our penny out ?

Seven Years - Heavenly life. you are now enjoying the outcomes of those days of stay in JNV SKLM.

Dear Brothers and Sisters

Please join your hands together to help the needy. we will pledge to the statement that " there should

not be a single Navodayan to stop the education in between"

Help them morally, financially, ethically and in all the possible ways.

--Ramamohan Rao Dumpala (1997 Batch)

.

.

!

..

" ...."

,

,

... ... !

36 | P a g e

,

!

!!

.

.

..

.

.., ...

!

" "

!!

.., .

.. .

.., ..!?

... .

JAAS !

25 26 .

, .. ....." ..."

--Vinod Kumar Kurmana (1993)

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MY SCHOOL (YOU) & ME

I was puzzled and disheartened

Cannot find path.

I wanted great growth

Then prayed to God.

For my surprise,

He just smiled.

and said I wont let

Your life spoiled.

I requested him to be with me

For my whole life,

He brought me to you and said

You will show me light.

I found you on his place

You made me shine bright.

Gentle, kind, humble and wise

But not pride

You are a big tree

Gives fruit and shed.

Many people get life

Through your grace.

Students of yours are

Seeds here and there.

They are growing well.

In your guidance and care.

When I remember you.

Your pleasing smile

Makes me happy

Every way nice.

Thanks for motivating

Making me grew.

I am lucky, I got a tree

Excellent like a god

38 | P a g e

You are my role model

You inspire and teach.

You are only, who make my

Dream in my reach

Who said Gods not there

Or only visible to few

I want them to meet you

And have a glance of you.

--Guntamukkala Ravi (1988 Batch)

!

!!

!

39 | P a g e

.. ! !!

! !!

, .

. ! ! .

.

-Vinod Kumar Kurmana (1993 Batch)

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Mathematics, isnt it interesting?

There was a boy in a class studying math with, of course, a math teacher. This boy's name is Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 - 1855). One day this math teacher presented a challenging mathematical problem to the class where Gauss is in.

The math problem is to add up all the numbers starting from 1 and ending with 100.

Every student picked up a piece of paper and started to add up the numbers one after another from number 1 onwards.

Within a short span of time, while his fellow students were still struggling, Gauss went forward to the teacher and submitted his answer.

That action surprised not only his math teacher but the whole class. But that is not all.....

The interesting thing is that his answer is correct.

How did he do that so fast?

He came out a different way of analysing the mathematical problem. Instead of the normal way of adding the first numbers onwards, Gauss looked at the problem with a different angle.

What he did was to split the range of number from 1 to 100 into two equal halves, 1 to 50 and 51 to 100. He noticed that if he flipped the last half to start from 100, and adding it the two ranges together, he will get something stunting.

He discovered that by adding the first pair, 1 + 100, he got an answer of 101. For the second pair, 2 + 99, he again got the same answer 101.

This answer of 101 was still valid for the rest of the number pair addition. And since there were 50 pairs of numbers, the final total is 101 x 50 which gave Gauss an answer of 5050.

The way he perceived and analyzed the mathematical problem surprised everyone.

From this story, you can see that math is a very interesting subject that tests the limitation of human mind. With different approaches, math solving can achieve a new dimension completely different from convention. This shows that math can be fun and exciting if we choose it to be.

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Story of Malala

Which one of you is Malala? asks the man dressed in white. He hides his face with a bandana. None of the girls on their way home from school in the back of the minibus say a word. But their faces reveal who Malala is. The man raises his pistol and fires three rapid shots. The first bullet hits Malala in the head.

Malala has fought long and hard against the Taliban in the Swat Valley in Pakistan, for girls right to go to school.Now, at the age of 15, she is close to death. But when Malala regains consciousness, she has become a symbol for girls right to education throughout the world.

When Malala is born, her arrival is not celebrated as much as it would have been if she had been a boy. Many Pashtun people, as people from the Swat Valley are known, believe boys are more important than girls. But Malalas father Ziauddin is different. Right from the start, Malala is the apple of his eye. In her book about her life, Malala says that she was born in the most beautiful place in the world:

The Swat Valley is a heavenly place full of mountains, flowing waterfalls and clear lakes. The sign at the entrance to the valley reads Welcome to Paradise. In this paradise, Malala is set to experience earthquakes, and severe flooding that kills many people. But the worst thing of all is when the Taliban come to the Swat Valley. They threaten and kill people, forcing women to cover their faces and girls to quit school. They will bomb over 400 girls schools in Swat.

Girls hit hard

Malala spends a lot of time at her fathers school in the biggest city in Swat, Mingora. She learns early on how different boys and girls lives are, and how men are in charge. But Malala also learns from her father that things dont have to be like that. He fights for everyones right to go to school even poor people and girls.

When her family go to visit relatives in a mountain village, Malala notices that her cousin Shahida is missing. She is only ten years old, but her father has sold her to an older man who already has a wife.

Malala complains to her father about how girls are being hit hard in Swat. He replies that things are even worse in the neighbouring country of Afghanistan, just 150 km away. The Taliban there are forcing women to wear burkas to hide their faces, burning girls schools and abusing women who wear nail polish. Many of the Taliban are Pashtun people.

Arrival of the Taliban

42 | P a g e

Malala is ten years old when the Taliban come to the Swat Valley. They gather peoples CDs, DVDs and televisions and burn them in huge piles on the street. The Taliban also stop young children from being vaccinated against polio. They shut down cable TV channels and ban a board game that children love to play.

Then the Taliban set their sights on girls schools. When Malalas family return from a visit to relatives in a rural area, there is a letter pinned to the school gate. It is a warning to Malalas father not to allow the girls to continue wearing normal school uniform. Instead, they must wear burkas and cover their faces. After that, the girls always cover their heads when entering or leaving school. No girls in school

It is now 2008 and the Taliban begin blowing up schools mostly girls schools almost every day. Malala is eleven and is interviewed on several TV channels. She speaks out for girls right to go to school. In a BBC interview in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, she says:

How dare the Taliban take away my right to education?

Things go from bad to worse. The Taliban announce that all schools for girls are to be closed. From 15 January 2009 no girl in the Swat Valley will be permitted to attend school.

At first Malala thinks it cant be possible. How could the Taliban stop her and her friends from going to school? But her friends ask who could stop the Taliban from doing it after all, they have already got away with blowing up hundreds of schools.

Malala starts to write a diary about life in Swat under the Taliban. When it is read out on BBC radio it is under a made up name, Gul Makai, which means cornflower. Her school friends talk about the diary at school, but they dont know it is Malala who is writing it. She talks about how it feels to be afraid, about the ban on girls going to school, and about being forced to wear a burka and hide her face.

When she is filmed for a documentary, Malala says, They cannot stop me... our challenge to the world around us is: Save our school, save our Pakistan, save our Swat. But soon the Taliban close down their school.

Widespread protests cause the Taliban to change their minds and allow girls up to the age of ten to attend school. Malala and her friends, who are too old to be allowed, go to school in their normal clothes, hiding their school books under their shawls. The girls headteacher calls it the secret school.

Then one day the army of Pakistan orders the inhabitants of the Swat Valley to leave their homes. The army are planning an offensive against the Taliban. Over a million people become refugees in their own country. Malalas family leave the valley and are only able to return home three months later. The army say that the Taliban have been defeated, but soon the Taliban start to blow up schools again. Serious threats

In January 2012 Malala travels to the big city of Karachi with her family. The provincial authorities have decided to name a school after Malala. She holds a speech for all the politicians, saying:

43 | P a g e

We must work together for girls rights.

In her book, Malala talks about sitting on the beach in Karachi and thinking about what life is like for girls and women in her country:

We want to be able to make our own decisions and be free to go to school or work. Nowhere in the Koran does it say that a woman should be dependent on a man or have to listen to a man, she thinks to herself.

While they are still in Karachi, Malalas father sees on the internet that the Taliban have issued threats against two women, and one of them is Malala. These two women should be killed, he reads.

Malalas parents tell her about the threat and her father says that she should stop speaking out about girls education and against the Taliban, just for a while.

How could we possibly do that? I have been invited to speak at lots of events, and I cant just pull out, says Malala.

When the family return to Swat, the police show them the document about Malala. It says that because she has become well-known both in Pakistan and around the world for opposing the Taliban, a death threat has been issued against her.

The provincial government want Malala to become an ambassador for peace, but her family say it is too dangerous. Malala starts locking the gate to their family home every evening. Her father explains that the Taliban have started coming after anyone who speaks out against what the Taliban stand for.

School bus stopped

Malala and her father are planning to travel to the villages in the Swat mountains during the next school holidays, to talk to parents and children about how important it is to learn to read and write.

Well be like education missionaries, says Malala to her father.

Malalas mother will not allow her to walk to school any more. Instead, she always travels by rickshaw. She travels home with twenty school friends, on the back of a truck with a canvas roof. In the back of the truck there are three long benches.

The school bus stops at the steps leading up to Malalas street. These days she is always afraid of the Taliban when she walks up the steps. Once the rest of her family have fallen asleep, she goes round checking that all the doors and windows are properly closed and locked. She prays to Allah for protection for her family.

Which one of you is Malala?

Its exam time. On the night of 8 October, Malala sits up late studying for an exam in Pakistani history. Her whole family eat breakfast together. Today, Malalas mother is going to start learning to read and write.

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The school bus does two runs after school every day. Malala and her friends are chatting after the exam, so they take the second run, at twelve noon.

Suddenly two men dressed in white step out onto the road, forcing the minibus to make an emergency stop. One of them, wearing a hat and a bandana covering his eyes, climbs onto the back of the bus and bends to look in under the roof, near where Malala and her best friend are sitting.

Which one of you is Malala? he asks.

Some of the girls shout for help, but the man forces them to be quiet. Malala is the only girl who doesnt have her face covered. Nobody says which one she is, but several of them glance at her. When the man raises his black pistol, Malala squeezes her best friends hand. The man fires three rapid shots. The first hits Malala in the head.

Awards and UN

Malala is flown first by helicopter to a military hospital, and then on to a hospital in the UK. Thats where she is when she regains consciousness a week later. One half of her face has been paralysed. But after an eight-hour operation the doctors manage to restore her facial nerves.

Malala receives several awards and even becomes the youngest ever nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. In newspapers she is included in lists of the most influential people in the world.

On 12 July 2013, the day that Malala turns 16, she is invited to the UN. 100 young people from 80 countries have come to listen to Malala and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, calls the day Malala Day. In his speech to Malala he says:

I urge you to keep speaking out. Keep raising the pressure. Keep making a difference. And together let us follow the lead of this brave girl. Let us put education first. Let us make this world better for all.

Malala replies to the head of the UN: Today is the day of every woman, boy and girl who has raised their voice for their rights. Let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism. Let us pick up our books and pens, they are our most powerful weapons. Education is the only solution. Education first.

Source: http://worldschildrensprize.org/