This copy belongs to: Name:.............................................................................. Class/Section............................................................ School...........................................................................................

Property Rights, pg 3

Doc Pills, pg 5

INSIDE

THE GL BAL TIMESVol. 3, Issue 10August 16-31, 2009

Visit www.theglobaltimes.in

Food for thought“Don’t be discouraged by afailure. It can be a positiveexperience. Failure is, in asense, the highway to suc-cess, in as much as every dis-covery of what is false leadsus to seek earnestly afterwhat is true, and every freshexperience points out someform of error which we shallafterwards carefully avoid.”

John Keats

AN AMITY INITIATIVE

Shweta Jain

Over with boards and graduationexams, many a students enter anew campus with their own set of

expectations. Fresh arrival Kushboo Sethi,who enrolled in MBA (HR) hails from Ra-jasthan and says that Amity was a naturalchoice to pursue this course. “I heard a lotof positive things about this university andits MBAcourses, even though it’s a privateone. After seeing the campus, I was morethan satisfied and took admission.”

Unique coursesSome of the courses offered at Amity areone-of-its-kinds and hence they draw a lotof students from all over India.Richa Maheshwari from Amity School ofand Communication (ASCO), a studentfrom Ahmedabad has two years of workexperience in journalism and when she de-cided to do masters, she thought of Amity.

“This was because not even the veryrenowned institutes offer a degree in mas-ters in this course.”Similarly Tania Sadiq from Jammu hadacademic reasons to choose Amity Uni-versity. She informs, “Amity is one of thevery few universities that accept MATscores. In my home state I missed takingCAT. So I only had MAT scores and sinceMBA placements are good I chose tostudy here.”MBA Rural management class has fresh-ers from various cities like Bihar, UP,Jamshedpur and Kolkata. Mamta Gupta’sfather runs an NGO and after graduationin psychology from DU, she chose to pur-sue this course to join her father’s NGO.

Hostel, thumbs up!Air-conditioned hostel rooms with a pantryare a hit with the resident students.Pragya Vaidya, another MBA studentfeels it’s like coming back home. “I lived

in Delhi moved to Kolkata for some timeand came here again. Amity is a good uni-versity but the hostel is strict. If we go outthen we have to return by 7pm. However,maintaining a discipline like this is im-portant and good for us.”

Safe and soundMany students agree that security andsafety and state-of-the-art infrastructureare other concerns that draw more parentsto the Amity Noida campus than them-selves. Hosteller Kamna Singh claims thather post graduation degree in MBA HRcomes with a full package. “Sports facili-ties are excellent. We already go for swim-ming and yoga classes early morning andalso have a 24X7 medical room.”B Tech IT fresher Abhinandan choseAmity as it was his father’s decision. “It’sonly been two days here and I am still get-ting acclimatised to this new environmentwhere I have to live in a hostel.”

Mouth wateringWhile many students complain about non-availability of non-veg fare inside the cam-pus, nevertheless they love the food plazathat has Café Coffee Day and Domino’sbesides the regular cafeterias that offer awide variety of delicacies and nutritiousfood. A health conscious Aman Ahujafrom Punjab has come to studyMBAAgri-culture and says that his new college hasall the facilities expect that he doesn’t seemuch of fresh fruits around. “We havepacked juices and other health stuff but Iguess I have to buy fresh fruits from out-side the campus. Otherwise the campus isat par with my expectations. Its a hi-techplace and I am going to enjoy my yearshere. I had visited a Russian University for15 days during my internship in Gradua-tion. The facilities atAmity University areat par with international standards.”�

More on Anti Ragging, pg 5

New friends, teachers, campus hot-spots, hostels, extra-curriculars, fashion andof course, studies – The Global Times chats up Amity freshers on their views…

Olympic winner Rajyavard-han Singh Rathore on hisachievements, setbacks and

life altering moments in a candidtete-e-tete with GT ReportersMridaLakhmani & Arushi (AIS Saket),Sachit Tandon & Satrajit Sahani(AIS Mayur Vihar), Gaurav Mohta& Ritika Mital (AITTM, Amity Uni-versity Noida)

The career high you received inAthens Olympics was a matter ofnational pride. What were your im-mediate thoughts upon winning?The immediate thoughts were asense of achievement, a sense ofcalm. More than excitement, it wasthe satisfaction of seeing the posi-tive outcome of something I hadworked hard for. The joy, happiness

and ecstasy were expressed by otherpeople, I was too tired to react.Everyone was telling me that I did-n’t understand the magnitude of myachievement. Others were lookingat it as what it meant to the nation asa whole. The sport of shooting re-quires such concentration and focusthat you’ll rarely see participantsjumping up with joy.Define Rajyavardhan SinghRathore - before & after Olympics.(He jokes, “How many marks ques-tion?”) There’ve been phases inwhich I can slot my life; the firstbeing 1998 -2002 when I first helda gun and tried my hand at shoot-ing. When I started, I was alreadythe Best Sportsman in the MilitaryAcademy. It felt that whatever sportI pick up, I’m good at it! So I

started shooting as well but thenthis doubt started clouding my mindthat maybe I’m jack of all and mas-ter of none! That’s when I realisedthat I must push myself and startedreading a lot of books. It wasaround this time that I received amail fromAnthony Robbins (authorand motivational speaker) saying,“It’s not your conditions but yourdecisions that decide your future.”That changed my mindset; I workedhard and started winning in majorinternational games including 2004Olympics. Conserving energy andhaving a positive attitude is what Itrained myself rigorously for. How-ever, post 2006, I underwent a se-ries of setbacks that set me downand affected my performance.�

…More on page 8

Mr &Miss DT, pg 10

Amit-E-Poll

My Role model:I admire specific

qualities in people.

My favourite sport:(other than shooting)

Football

A quote I live by:I CAN!

Favourite book:Godfather

Favourite pastime:Watching movies

Favourite holidaydestination:

Greece

Rapid Fire“ It’s not Conditions, but Decisions that

decide your future”

77%A SocialMenace

Ragging is...

Freshers’OrientationProgramme

Tradition

8%

15%Last updated on 20/08/09

Imaging: Pankaj Mallik

News with Views The Global Times, August 16-31, 2009

2 World Mirror

I love my school for its uniqueness; my school is like my family. I love my dear school. -Muskaan Mahajan, II E/ W B, AIS Noida

Sakshi Goel, VIII-AAIS Gurgaon-43

With the zeal for next year’sCommonwealth Games inthe air, preparations for the

same are already on at a fast pace! Al-though Delhi already has many featuresof a modern urban metro, the Govern-ment has taken several steps to improvethe city.Since these are the first CommonwealthGames to be held in India, the openingceremony of which will be at the Jawa-harlal Nehru Stadium, everything fromtransportation to security and tourism isbeing taken care of. Let’s take stock ofthe progress so far…

�Almost 5,500 DDA flats in VasantKunj and Jasola are being fully fur-nished to be operated by the IndiaTourism Development Corporation(ITDC) to bridge the shortage of roomsfor the 2010 commonwealth Games.The flats would be furnished by theITDC to three star standards spendingRs 4.5 lakh for each flat.�Ahelipad is coming up in Noida. Thespot, close to the Greater Noida Ex-pressway, shall allow the residents aneasy access to the helipad. It will comeup at a distance of 6.5 km away fromAmity Chowk and is on the main ap-proach route to the Expressway.Take a helicopter from Noida andreach Agra in 20 minutes or Dehradun

in 35 minutes!�A four-lane underground stretch hasbeen proposed from Ring Road toLodhi, linking the Games Village tothe Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. TheGames Village is a new, modern arenabeing built across the Yamuna bank inEast Delhi by DDA.� Free accommodation, cutting-edgehealth facilities, security, a pollution-free environment, entertainment fornon-competition times, transportation,and other amenities as well.� In preparation for a rush of English-speaking tourists for the Games, theDelhi government is implementing aprogramme to teach English to low-in-come individuals who will have to be in

close touch with tourists.This subset includes city cab drivers,waiters, gatemen and service staff.There will also be complete security,trained to handle tourist-related aspects.Despite the current Metro tragedy,E Sreedharan, Managing Director,DMRC, has promised that the ongoingMetro project will be finished beforethe Games.Apart from this, India has declared the2010 games as the ‘Green Games’,and has committed to prevent envi-ronmental degradation caused by theGames. Wow!These Games will be a must-watch foreveryone, and will meet internationalstandards too!

Helipad 4-lane link road Games Village

vouch international standards

Get ready to discover the fun of making your own newspaper. Bea reporter, editor, designer for the fortnight edition and sail throughthe GT awards. Watch out for the special contest issues…

ContestInter Amity

BringsTHE GL BAL TIMES

School Issue DateAIS Noida Sep 16-30, 2009

AIS Mayur Vihar Oct 1-15, 2009

AIS Vasundhra Nov 1-15, 2009

AIS Gur, 46 Dec 1-15, 2009

AIS Gur. 43 Jan 1-15, 2010

AIS Saket Feb 1-15, 2010

AIS Pushp Vihar March 1-15, 2010

GT School Awards• GT Best Newspaper Award• GT Design Award• GT Headline Award• GT Best Editing Award

GT Individual Awards• GT Outstanding Story Award• GT Best Photographer Award• GT Best Illustration• GT Best Graphics

A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself - Arthur Miller

GT Awards

* The Judges Panel to comprise experts from the media.

SaraMiller

Perspiring yet full of excitement,hundreds of students, diplomats,foreigners and citizens braved the

heat, long queues and traffic jams toreach Delhi University’s ConventionHall. However, whatever discomfortwas caused to them vanished the mo-ment they witnessed US Secretary ofState, Hillary Clinton beginning tospeak. Her lecture was surprisingly sim-ple and it managed to inspire one and all– despite differences of age, nationalityor political leanings. The concise yeteloquent speech stressed the importanceof ensuring that the fundamental humanrights worldwide are not violated for thesake of economic development.Clinton passionately proclaimed thatthe only way for a nation to realise itsfull potential is to empower its women.She applauded past political successesof Indian women. She also added thatnations all over the world must cometogether to break the ‘chain of poverty.’And she reiterated that nations mustempower its poor women with educa-tion and nutrition in order to help themraise their families.The last segment of her lecture threwlight on the immense importance of in-ternational teamwork, genuine culturalunderstanding and the responsibility ofworld’s youth to bring about positivechanges in everything.Clinton then mentioned United States’keen interest in having dialogues anddiscussions with India on matters ofconcern and ended her speech on a verypositive note.(The writer was a special invitee atHillary Clinton’s Talk, on July 20th ‘09,Convention Hall, Delhi University.Sara Miller (below) was in India fromJune 28 toAugust 8 to learn Hindi, undera special project sponsored by US StateGovernment hosted by AIS, Noida.) �

Green Games

Hillary’sConquest

5,500 DDA flats

Moolah MantrasThe Global Times, August 16-31, 2009

3Education & Enhancement

I love my school because I learn a lot of activities there. Sushma Mam is the best as she helps me in my studies. -Saloni Gupta, I C, AIS Gur-43

Shweta Jain

After nine years of churning outqualified professionals for thegrowing insurance sector, Amity

Institute of Insurance and Actuarial Sci-ence (ASIAS) has got the recognition ofbeing the best in a recent survey conductedbyNielsonORGMARG. Prof RRGrover,Director, ASIAS, claims, “Amity was thefirst educational institute to have recog-nised the potential of this industry. Hencewe started offering courses in insuranceand actuarial science. It began with a postgraduation diploma in insurance manage-ment and 43 students on the rolls.”By 2003, the institute started imparting

MBA degrees in Insurance and MSc inActuarial Science. For those who cannotenrol for a full time course, ASIAS alsohas an option to pursue MBA Insurancepart time. In the four masters programmea total of 240 students are taken in.Keeping a track record of 100 per centplacements is no mean achievement.Prof Grover says, “Only this year it was76 per cent. But in this figure I am notcounting those who scored poorly butstill got a job. That I don’t consider as anachievement.”Amongst its alumni in allthese years, some 40 students have goneabroad on various projects. Some of themajor players in the field of insurancevisit the campus for job hunting includ-

ing Max New York Life, Bajaj Allianz,General Life Insurance, HDFC, ICICILombard, etc.Interestingly, ASIAS’ students are madeto actively participate in its corporate so-cial responsibility (CSR) programme.Here students have formed a cricket so-ciety of which 16 insurance companiesare paid members. A cricket tournamentis held annually and all the proceedingsgo to the NGO Amitasha – for girlchild’s education. Prof Grover informs,“These students also go to old agehomes and interact with the membersthere to understand the importance ofsavings. This way these youngsters willbe able to sell insurance better.”The institute is the only one to be recog-nised by the Insurance Regulatory andDevelopment Authority. Prof Groverthrows some light on the actuarial sci-ence as a career with vast potential.“There’s a huge demand and supply gap.Till year 2000 there were only 5 insur-ance companies in India, now there are44. They all need actuaries. And so doesbanks. The best thing about the courseis, you can be from any stream and canstill join this course.”�

Some other patentsIndia rules

Indian experts in Ayurveda andYoga and scientists have cometogether to file patents of 600yoga postures on India’s Tradi-tional Knowledge Digital Library(TKDL).• Besides, data on 80,000 formu-lations in Ayurveda, 1,000,000 inUnani and 12,000 in Siddha hadalready been put in the TKDL,and is being made available infive languages — English,German, French, Spanish andJapanese.• Internationally patents havebeen granted for tea, chutneys,soya, coffee, cotton, pepper, cau-liflower, turmeric, cabbage, peas,melons, etc.• There was a case against UnitedStates Department of Agricultureand a chemical multinational forfiling a patent in Europe for afungicide derived from the seedsof the neem tree.But an Indian organisation, Re-search Foundation for Science,Technology and Ecology filed acase against it and won the case.It stated that the oil from neemhas been used traditionally by In-dian farmers to prevent fungus. Itwas neither a novel idea nor wasit invented.India certainly has the potential tomake unprecented breakthroughsin this field.

Ishita Kaushik, VIII-CAIS, Vasundhra

The words of Dr RA Mashelkar,former chief of CSIR, “Patentand prosper, publish and perish”

make me wonder. What is patenting andhow does it lead to prosperity?

What is patenting?The word originates from the Latin wordpatere. It means royal decree grantingexclusive rights to a person or organisa-tion. The rights are granted by the patentoffice of a country – valid only for thesame nation. It provides an enforceablelegal right to prevent others from ex-ploiting an invention.

How is a patent filed?

A patent application needs to be draftedfirst and then filed in every respectivecountry wherein the inventor wants toregister a patent. It takes 18 months be-fore being published as an applicationand is granted only after a thorough ex-amination. A patent is not granted to aninvention if it is already available withthe public either in the form of publishedliterature or common knowledge.

How long it lasts?A patent lasts for 20 years on regularpayment of patent charges, which runsinto lakhs. After it expires, it falls intopublic domain. However, restoration of apatent that lapses due to non-payment ofrenewal fees can be made within one

year of lapse. Till the validation period,only the patent holder can use the inven-tion for her/his commercial use.

What are the components of a patentapplication?The description of the invention is calledspecification. The complete specifica-tion (a provisional specification is filedbefore it) contains the full description ofthe invention and the best method ofmaking it work. It comprises of title,field of invention, background, descrip-tion of related art, drawbacks of prior art,details of preferred embodiments, claimsand abstract. The extent of patent pro-tection shall be determined by the termsof the claims.

Does India grant patent in medicine?Yes, such patents can be registered.With many path breaking initiatives un-dertaken in this direction, it is a field tobe fully tapped. �With inputs from Prapti Alok, VIII A

AIS Vasundhara

Intellectual property rights

Shweta Jain

Master of Fine Arts 2nd yearstudent at Amity School ofFine Arts, Deeksha

Bhardawaj was given an interestingproject by her teacher during summervacations. Deeksha says, “I was askedto work on abstract theme, right fromresearching about this art form to find-ing a good abstract artist and finallyimitating her/his work to get a hang ofhis techniques.” Deeksha who was al-ways drawn to fine arts, says that herwork was divided in various stagesover six weeks.“In the first week I had to search every-thing about abstract art – the what, when,how, where. Then in the next stage I hadto identify as many artists working withthis medium as possible.” When she jot-ted down names of nothing less than 200abstract artists, then the game of select-ing one out of them began. “It was prettytime consuming.And finally when I saw

Paul Sinus’s works, I was like that’s it!He produces awe-inspiring stuff and thisis what I wanted to imitate. His mixmedium combining photography withpainting is astonishing. Based on this col-lection, I have made two canvases, but Ihave refrained from mix-medium, sothere’s no photography in my work.”The project she informs includes twoparts. One was to make a replica ofartist’s original, and second was to usehis style but produce my own idea oncanvas. On being inspired by her fathershe says confidently, “It was my fatherwho insisted that I pursue a career in finearts because he himself is very good atdrawing and sketching. I wasn’t too keenon academics as such. So he fully sup-ported my aptitude.”And what will become of her canvasesshe has painted so far? “Besides thissummer project I am working on a serieson Sun Signs theme. If I get an opportu-nity in near future I’ll put up my exhibi-tion to sell my art.”�

InspiredArt

Pro@Project

A Promise FulfilledAmity files-in 100 Patents

This is story of courage, singleminded devotion, determinationand vision. It had its designed laid 12months back when the former Presi-dent of India visitedAmity Universityin August 6, 2008. Dr Kalam’s visitignited the minds of youth giving im-petus to the scientific innovations andresearch. Sharing the platform,Dr Ashok K Chauhan, Founder Pres-ident RBEF promised Dr Kalam thatAmity would file 100 patents withinone year.The year gone by witnessed its entirescientific machinery geared towardsachieving this mammoth goal. Theuniversity abuzz with scientists, re-searches and academicians drawnfrom world renowned scientific andresearch organisations collaborated inunison.The Promise fulfilled is an investmentwhose returns lie deep in the future.Today,Amity pioneers the public pri-vate partnership in research and tech-nology. The promise fulfilled bearstestimony to Amity’s commitment toimpact the development and globalimage of the nation.

Imaging: Pankaj Mallik

Deeksha with one ofher Sunsign works

Bank on Insurance &Actuarial sciences

Go Green The Global Times, August 16-31, 20094 Gyan Vigyan

I love my school because it gives us opportunities to showcase our talents. I daily gain knowledge of new things at school. Amity is the best! Sachika Khurana, III A, AIS Gur-43

Dr PK Gupta

The concept of food quality hasundergone a sea change duringthe recent years. Today, an in-

creasing number of consumers in devel-oping countries are becoming healthconscious. Hence the organic agriculturesector is growing at a fast pace.What is Organic Food?Organic products are grown without theuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.It is based on four international benchmark standards given by IFOAM thatwill allow diverse pathways towardsachieving objectives.Principles of Organic FarmingPrinciple of Health:Organic agricultureshould sustain and enhance the health ofsoil, plant, animal and human as one andindivisible.Principle of Ecology: Organic agricul-ture should be based on living ecologicalsystems and cycles, work with them,emulate them and help sustain themPrinciple of Fairness: Organic agricul-ture should build on relationships thatensure fairness with regards to the com-mon environment and life opportunities.Principle of care: Organic agricultureshould be managed in a precautionaryand responsible manner to protect thehealth and well being of current and fu-ture generations and the environment.Effect of Chemicals on Health:

Prolonged use of chemicals dramaticallyreduces the nutritional levels of cropsand foods. Many chemicals and poisonsare banned in countries such as the UK,US and Germany. These chemical arehighly toxic and often applied in exces-sive quantities right up to harvest time.They cause serious health problems likecancer brain haemorrhage to infant ab-normalities.

The average daily Pesticides intake forthe average Indian adult ranges from 140-722 %. The long term effects of chem-ical based farming is that it lowers theimportant trace minerals in fresh fruitsand vegetables. The experience in theUK and US has been a fall of 76 % intrace minerals from 1940-1991.Why Organic Food?Organic food is better it has a high nu-

trition level and also because there areno chemicals and GMOs used in thisfarming. While cooking remains same,the meal quality is enhanced as the in-gredients are of a higher quality, packedwith flavour and nutrition. Besides, anorganic diet is free of all poisonouschemicals. The appearance of organicproducts is better as the colours arebrighter and shinier.

The general observation made by thefarmers is that the organic crops have10-30 % longer shelf life. The process-ing quality of organic products was re-ported better as compared to inorganicproducts in all cases, except when thecrops were not processed.The Journal of Complimentary Medicinefound that organic food contains higherlevels of essential minerals, vitamins andanti oxidants. The relative differencesbetween organic and Non-organic foodsis shown in the table above.Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture,Amity University Campus Sector-125,Noida offers various Organic Products(rice, flour, pulses, cooking oil, honey,gram, dalia, fruits, turmeric powder etc.)for your sound health and social life.�(The writer is a senior Lecturer & Incharge, Organic Promotion Program,Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture,Amity University Campus, Noida)

Organic food better for healthVitamins andMinerals

Organic as com-pared tonon Organic

Vitamin C 27 % higherCalcium 25 % higherIron 21 % higher

Phosphorus 14 % higherMagnesium 29 % higherAnti-Oxidants 10-50 % higher

Botanical Description: Numerouslybranched herb. Leaves are dark greenin colour & hairy opposite. Stem pur-ple, hairy, giving out numerousbranches. Flowers purplish-pink, small.Propagation: Propagated by seeds. It-

grows in wide variety of soil and cli-matic conditions. Well-drained soil,humid weather, long days & high tem-perature are favorable for good growth.Uses: The herb is widely used incough, cold and fever. It possesses antifungal, antimicrobial, antiviral, insecti-cidal, activity.Amity Institute of Herbal Research

& Studies (AIHRS)

Botanical Name : Ocimum sanctumFamily Name : LabiataeEnglish Name : Basil, Sacred Basil,Holy : BasilCommon Name : TulsiUsed Part : Leaves, SeedsActive Principle : Eugenol, Carvocrol,

Methyleugenol

+ MedicinalPlants Tulsi

One of the oldest species on theplanet, having changed littleover the past 80 million years,

the Nile crocodile is a born survivor.Though it has suffered fromhabitat loss and persecution,its future now seems secure-all thanks to international pro-tection. The gigantic creatures have beenknown to reach up to 6 meters (19.7 ft) inlength! Most only reach till 5 meters(16.2 ft). You better stay away fromthem! Did you know that the word ‘croc-odile’ is derived from the Greek phrase

‘kroke drilos’ meaning ‘pebble worm’-areference to this reptile’s wobbly skin?Well, crocodiles are surely valiant sur-vivors who were there even when weweren’t. And now they are on the vergeof extinction, that’s very sad.

Quick Preview:Zoological name:Crocodylus Niloticus.Related Species: 12. Status: Endan-gered. Population worldwide: 250-500,000. Year protected worldwide:

1970.Outlook:Wild populationincreasing inAfrica but declin-ing in rest parts of the world.

Where found: Sub-SaharanAfrica, the Nile Basin andMadagascar. �

Compiled by:Nishant SaxenaAIS Vasundhara

Ujwal SachdevaAIS, Saket

‘Hemoglobin’ is a goods train,Responsible for carrying oxygen.From lungs through vessel-tracks,It supplies all organs.Red colour it gives to blood,Redness it gives to us.Made of protein & iron,It gives us strength & intelligence.Be it IQ, be it alertness,Exam performance or matches,It improves all of them.Let us know our Hb,

And keep it optimum.Doctors advice healthy diet,And keep sickness minimum.Green vegetables, sprouts & jaggery,Nuts & non-vegetarian.Cooking in iron utensils,Give us lots of iron.So friends, you will agree,That Hb is the ‘foundation’,Of individual, of society,And of a healthy nation.And then you will also agree,That anaemia is a ‘termite’,So let’s build a strong nation,Preventing and treating this ‘parasite.’�

Wild Card

GT Question: How is stone appleuseful in Ayurveda?Answer: Due to its digestive quali-ties, bel sharbat (drink made of stoneapple) is an effective home remedyfor diarrhoea and dysentery.

Keeping track of the increasingswine flu scare, this is a short series

to help you take care of yourselves andthose around you.What can I do to protect myself fromfalling sick?• Cover your nose and mouth with a tis-sue when you cough or sneeze. Throwthe tissue in the trash after you use it.• Wash your hands often with soap andwater, especially after you cough orsneeze.Alcohol-based hand cleaners arealso effective.• Avoid touching your eyes, nose ormouth. The virus can spread this way.• Try to avoid close contact with sickpeople.• If you get sick with influenza, stayhome from work or school and limitcontact with others to keep from infect-ing them.

What is the best technique for washingmy hands to avoid getting the flu?• Washing your hands often will help

protect you from germs.Wash with soapand water or cleaning with alcohol-based hand cleaner.• When you wash your hands with soapand warm water do it for 15 to 20 sec-onds. When soap and water are not

available, alcohol-based disposable handwipes or gel sanitizers may be used. Youcan find them in most supermarkets anddrugstores. Rub your hands until the gelis dry. The gel doesn’t need water towork; the alcohol in it kills the germs. �

Be a germstopper

Tracking Swine FluCrocodileof the Nile

U, Me & Hum 5The Global Times, August 16-31, 2009 Whose life is it anyway!

My school is my playground to read, write and learn to enjoy with my friends. -Ronit Mehta, I G, AIS Gur 46

Sakshi Goel, VIII AAIS, Gurgaon - 43

Peer pressure is the key factor af-fecting adolescents of Gen Y. It isa term describing the pressure ex-

erted by a peer group in encouragingpersons to change their attitude and be-

haviour and conform to, for the group’sactions, fashion and dress sense, taste inmusic and television, and outlook in life.Peer pressure can be both good and bad.The most common peer pressures todayare being jealous of other’s gadgets,their fashion sense and cool outlooks,and the peers’ freedom.

Positive Peer Pressure: Good peerpressure pushes us into something thatwe were unable to do, something we justcouldn’t cross our mind into. From this,we can learn something totally new; wecan overcome our fear and build self-confidence. It helps us in makingfriends, in socialising and making the

right choices.Negative peer pressure:Bad peer pres-sure is what pushes us into somethingthat we didn’t want to do, but still did tobe accepted by our peers, as they saidthat we should. It leads to trouble withlaw, with parents, and also affects ourhealth. Apart from this, threats and pun-ishments by parents put additional pres-sure on teens.It ultimately leads to drinking, smoking,drug intakes, and affairs. It results in lowself-esteem, lack of self-confidence, fearof one’s peers, close bonds with bullies,poor academic performance, etc.Learn to say ‘No’: To handle peer pres-sure, the first thing to be done is to learnto say the word ‘NO’ to fellow friendsfor something that we find unacceptableor uncomfortable. Although some peo-ple may not like you refusing them andyou might lose some friends, the deci-sion lies in your hands-you need to fightfor your rights. However, to combat it,one must never start bullying to fit in thepicture.Talk to someone whom you trust - if notyour parents. So buck up people! Tryand abstain from this, and trust me, youwill be better off!�

Learn to deal with peer pressure and gain from its positive influenceCombating Peer Pressure

Ruhi Kumar, XI D, AIS Noida

The TRPs of Sach ka Samna areon a rise. Yet when it comes toconfessing the truth before par-

ents, most teens today still feel scared.This is either because they are afraid ofa confrontation or they are notready to listen to their an-swers. And all this arisesbecause they firmly be-lieve that their parentswon’t understand any-thing. It is wrong to gen-eralise that all teenswould respond to a situa-tion in a similar way. Their re-sponse is governed by the situationand circumstances that they experiencein their lifetime. The adults who havelived their life often try to undo themistakes they made in their child. Theytry to live their unfulfilled dreamsthrough their child’s life. What theyneed to understand and accept is thatthe teens need their own space. Allow

them to make mistakes and learn fromthe same. We need to be watched andguided, not protected at every singlestep. We require our independence, sothat when we move on to college, weare able to manage our lives withoutany pressure and stress. As we growup, independence is an experience

we need to acquire in install-ments so that when we aresuddenly independent ofcurfews and set sched-ules, we know what todo and are not com-pletely lost. Parents needto listen. Yes, it is true they

were also kids and teens, butthey are grown up adults now.

They need to accept and adjust them-selves with the changing milieu. Theymight be able to sympathise with usbut they cannot empathise. We can, inno way, close the generation gap.However we can always make an ef-fort to reduce the gap. All we need is asympathetic heart and a receptive ear.

We need a sympatheticheart and a receptive ear

Do you remember your motherteaching you how to brush yourteeth at one year of age? Most ofyou will say ‘NO.’Parents usually are concernedwith different milestones of chil-dren but neglect oral cavity whosedevelopment starts in the womb ofthe mother. According to the den-tal surveillance, 50% of the chil-dren under 5 years of age havecarious teeth because they are

more prone to junk food thanhealthy food.10 Vital Tips for keeping yourteeth healthy:� Drink plenty of water. Garglewith water after every meal.Chew sugar free gums. Try Orbit,it is sugarless.� Always brush 10 minutes afteryou take acidic aerated drinks likePepsi, Coca cola, etc.� Brush every morning andnight. Eat food rich in vitamins.� Avoid junk food as it leads tostaining and cavities. Floss as andwhen you get time.� Use only IDA (Indian DentalAssociation) approved toothpastes.� Use a tongue scraper for addedbenefit and fresh breath� Last of all, visit your dentistevery six months.�

(Author is mother of MrinalSharma, II-C, AIS, Mayur Vihar)

Tips to maintain healthy teethDoc Pills |

Dr Geetika SharmaDentist

Abhimanyu Verma, XI-FAIS Noida

Every year, I sojourn to Kathmandu,Nepal, the home of my maternal grand-parents or mamaghar as the local lingo

suggests. That’s when I go for the ritual dar-shan at the Pashupatinath Temple. It is best togo to the temple by car or taxi. Getting to Kath-mandu takes an hour and 20 minutes by severalinternational carriers from New Delhi’s IGITerminal II. Pashupatinath temple, with itsPagoda style of architecture, is the most holi-est Hindu shrine, housing the sacred deity,Shiva. The temple is located on the banks ofthe Bagmati river. Today, it is has been declaredas a UNESCOWorld Cultural Heritage Site.Only believers in Pashupatinath (mainly Hin-dus) are allowed to enter the temple premises.The two level roofs are of copper with gold

covering. It has four main doors, all covered withsilver sheets. The western door has a statue oflarge bull or Nandi, again covered in gold. Thedeity is of black stone, about 6 feet in height andcircumference. Mythology states, a bored LordShiva, went in search of a place to escape to, whenhe discovered the enchanting Kathmandu Valley.There he gained fame as Pashupati, Lord of theAnimals. He disguised himself as a majestic deerand refused to help the other Gods, so Lord Vishnu

shattered his horns. Vishnu established a templeand used the broken horns to form a linga. Thetemple was buried and forgotten until a cow, se-cretly sprinkled her milk over the mound. Thecow herders found the lost linga and built a tem-ple in reverence. Legend also has it that Shivaagain returned to the valley as a Kirati hunter. Par-

vati, his wife, followed him disguised as a beauti-ful huntress. Shiva tried to seduce her, discoveredwho she was and returned home shamefully.Theunique feature of this temple is that only fourpriests can touch the idol. The Brahmin priests arealways from South India. This tradition wasstarted by Sage Shankaracharya in the 6th century,to stop the prevalent human sacrifices. Shivaratri,‘The night of Lord Shiva,’ is the most importantfestival celebrated in this temple.This year, Pashupatinath temple has generatedfresh controversy. In January 2009, after the forcedresignation by the chief priest of Pashupatinathtemple, the Maoist-led Nepalese government handpicked Nepalese priests. This appointment wascontested by the Bhandaris of the temple andoverruled by Supreme Court of Nepal, leading tonationwide protest. However, after dissatisfactionwas expressed by many, the government promptlyreverted its decision and reinstated Indian priests.�

The land of Lord Shiva

Travel Desk

Anti RaggingStudents at Amity University are

happy about not being ragged. Thestrict anti-ragging discipline has leftmany seniors scared to go after theirjuniors. At the same time, freshers likeparticipating in rituals of havan andpooja that are a part of their orientation.Sakshi Chana a student of MAAdver-tising & Marketing Management hascome from Coimbatore because shesays this is the only university that of-fers a regular degree course in her sub-ject and anti-ragging rule adds to mystudy experience. Talia Labi from Kash-mir believes, “The MBA HR faculty isgood and I’ve very helpful seniors. I likenot being ragged. Though it restrictscommunication with seniors a bit, as weapproach them in the first place.”�

Editorial The Global Times, August 16-31, 20096

Get in touch: Write to us at-The Global Times, AKC House, E-27, Defence Colony, ND-110024 | E-mail: tbanerji@amity.edu | Visit www.theglobaltimes.in | Call up at 41888380/41888381

In 1918, children would skip rope to the rhyme:I had a little bird / Its name was Enza.I opened the window / And in-flu-enza..

The influenza pandemic in1918-19 is estimated to havekilled 40-50 million peopleworldwide, approximatelyclose to 5% of the population.Diseases caused by viral in-fections have plagued the

world from time to time. They vary from lessharmful ones as chicken pox and cold sores toserious ones asAids, Avian influenza and Ebolathat required to be tackled with international ef-fort. Virals, in some form or the other, have con-tinued to claim many lives. Realizing the need totackle the issue with international co-operation,United Nations identified infectious diseases asone of the ten threats alongwith Terrorism,Poverty, Environmental degradation , Inter-statewar , Civil war, Genocide, etc.Alarming headlines, public warnings, postersand boosters….the war against this pandemic isin full swing. But, the pandemic persists.First it was the bird flu, then dengue and nowcomes the H1N1. Every time, I leave my son tothe bus-stop, there is a fear. Everyday when myhusband leaves for office, there is a scare. As Iwatch hundreds of commuters jostle in busesand metros, I can feel the virus silently stalkingits next victim. Do we stop living?The 2009 mantra hums…It’s just a virusBe cautious and not hyperEject Ignorance & ParanoiaLoad-in EducationInstall ProtectionDelete the FluAwareness is the funda.�

”Humanity needs practical men, who get themost out of their work, and, without forgetting thegeneral good, safeguard their own interests. Buthumanity also needs dreamers, for whom the dis-interested development of an enterprise is so cap-tivating that it becomes impossible for them todevote their care to their own material profit.”

Curie, Marie

Today I am reminded ofthe views of former Presi-dent Dr Abdul Kalamwhen he visited theAmitycampus for the valedictoryfunction of Vasudha,Amity’s national sciencecontest, that marked the firstlevel initiative in the history

of 16 years of National Children Science Con-gress. Sharing thoughts from the lives of greatscientists, he outlined three important character-istics essential for nurturing world class scientistsi.e. values of natural curiosity, scientific tempera-ment and creativity besides having an aim in life,continuously acquiring knowledge, hard workand perseverance. The activities designed forAmitians at school level, be it Vasudha, Mathe-maty or Geomaty provide to develop these qual-ities. Every activity, based on intensive researchwork under the guidance of experts are show-cased extensively for expert viewing.As students move from school to university, theirscientific temperament is further developed. I feelproud to share that under the guidance of ourFounder President,Amity Universe has facilitatedseveral research initiatives. Within a span of oneyear, over 100 patents have been filed-in.We are all dreamers. But if you have the vision,this dream can be reality. With a little organisedeffort, humanistic goals and enterprise, Amitypromises to turn them into reality.�

Dr. Amita ChauhanChairperson

Vira Sharma

Pandemic warfare

Muse

EducatingHumanity

� Weak can never forgive. Forgive-ness is the attribute of the strong.

Rabindranath Tagore� Always forgive your enemies –nothing annoys them so much.

OscarWilde� The real test of power is not ca-pacity to make war but capacity toprevent it and forgive your enemy.

Anne O Hare Mo Cormick� Aman may die, nations may riseand fall, but an idea lives on. Ideashave endurance without death. So

one need to forgive other to broadenideas.

John F Kennedy� To learn to forgive one needs tolearn oldABC – ability, big heart andcourage.

Charles Luckman�To forgive is to set a prisoner freeand discover that the prisoner wasyou.

Lewis B. SmedesAkansha Mathur

VIII C, AIS Mayur Vihar

Pearls of wisdom

The Global times Vol 3, Issue 8 hadlots of interesting information. The ar-ticle about Racism was really impre-sive and it has madeAmitians believethat discrimination on the basis ofcolour is not justified. The monsoonarticles were the right choice and ittold us about how to stay trendy andhealthy in monsoon season. The char-acters Zoo-Zoo,Chote-Bade were re-ally cute and this article was liked byall my friends and classmates. I alsowant to thank you for sending me theprize for ‘Know your GT-10.’Sheffi Tiwari, VII C, AIS Gur- 46I am an avid reader of your newspa-per and enjoy reading the various is-sues covered. I especially enjoy thecolumn written by our Chairperson. Ifind this newspaper an importantmedium to convey facts, emotions,knowledge and humour. It trulyabides by our school motto “wheremodernity blends with traditions”.Kudos to The Global Times.Partha Haldia, IX A, AIS MVIt gives me immense pleasure to be apart of the newspaper that involves acomplete knowledge of how to honeup our personality and be at par withthe latest buzz around the world. I per-sonally love to read the paper. I al-ways ensure to take part in thecontests organised by The Global

Times. My favourite page is The BigStory (Page 7) since it offers a com-plete low down on different topics.The Teen Diary offers a great range ofexperiences that have been shared bythe students. Reading The GlobalTimes is now my hobby.

Archita Goyal, X A,AIS Mayur Vihar

I am a regular reader of all the editionsof this fortnightly newspaper. Thoughall the pages feature columns interest-ing stories, what I like the most aresports, College Campus and Wassup.However, I would like to add that thesports column should feature the en-suing international events.

Vineet Arora, XI A, AIS SaketI am a big fan of Global Times. I ea-gerly wait for each edition and I readit as soon as I get it. I specially likereading the Big Story. I also like thesports section which is really worthreading. I feel that Global Times is al-ready a packed newspaper and it doesnot require any more articles. How-ever some crosswords, puzzles andmore comics would make it more at-tractive.

Oishee Bhattacharyya,IX-B, AIS Gur-46

I am a regular reader of your paperand even get inspired by many ofthem. The articles on global issues arereally inspiring and needed to bepraised.My favorite is ‘sports page’ as it givesme a lot of information on manysports events. From this column Icome to know about the personal andprofessional lifes of many greatsportspersons.

Ateek Singh, IX-A,AIS Gur-43

GT m@il

Printed by: HT Media Ltd, B-2, Sec 63, Noida (UP).Opinions expressed in GT articles are of the writers and do notnecesarily reflect those of the editors or publishers.While theeditors do their utmost to verify information published, they donot accept responsibility for its absolute accuracy.

Vasudha Singh, XI – G AIS Saket

Ignorance is bliss and education isnot doing anything to teach other-wise. There is no proper training

of crisis management as to how shoulda responsible citizen react.No basic evacuation techniques, self-defense tactics, strength of character,selflessness and presence of mind areincorporated in the students. There hasbeen a lot of debate about includingsurvival skills against man-made haz-ards in our courses since long but ithas always been deleted by some com-munists, who state the reason that thiskind of curriculum will have quite anegative impact on the children.The only impact it is going to have onstudents is that they will stop blamingothers and learn to take up responsi-

bility. An impact of that kind shouldsurely be harnessed.There should be compulsory drills andpractice sessions ensuring the protec-tion of each mind against the terror.Students may initially resent it butlater these skills will help them comeout of dire situations.It is high time that we accept these sit-uations as a part of our life and weshould learn to protect ourselves fromwhat is out there - the attack thatthreatens to put us at unease and ourfalse sense of security.It is time to come out of our cocoonand embrace the responsibility our na-tion seeks from us. Let us show herthat Chacha Nehru and Gandhijiweren’t her only sons but we are wor-thy of her too. India is what makes meall that I am.�

Ignorance is bliss

S. SiddharthAIS Gurgaon- 46

“I wish it were winter,” I said. “Itwould be nice with the temperaturelingering around 22 degrees Cel-sius instead of this hot summerwith temperatures around 55 de-

grees Celsius.” “When I was your age, the tempera-ture used to fall down to 5 degrees Celsius inwinter,” said my grandmother, smiling. It is May 23in the year 2049, and my grandparents have comeover. I am a ten-year-old boy. My grandparents andI am sitting at the dining table and my mother iscooking.“Mother, can you please give me water? I’m feelingvery thirsty.” I asked. “Not so frequently, son,” saidmy mother. “You know that you’re allowed wateronly once in four hours, presumably after eachmeal.” I can’t understand why I can’t drinkwater as much as my grandparents did whenthey were children like me. “There wasn’twater shortage then, as we have now,”said my mother. “And why is there watershortage, now?” I demanded. “When Iwas born in 1980, there was no water shortage.TVs had just then started to gain importance. Infact when I was born, there was no TV in ourhouse.We bought a TV a few years later.Air Con-ditioners were there only in a few houses. When Iwas around three or four years of age, I started play-ing on the road.”“Do you mean to say that you did not play videogames?” I asked, shocked. “Video games had juststarted to gain fame,” said my Grandfather. “But itwas not as important as it is now. When I was six, Ijoined school.” “Did you join the kindergarten onlythen?” I inquired. “No, no. I joined the 1st standardat that time. My teachers said that one of the reasonswhy the days became hotter was because of the lat-est technologies.” “What has that got to do with theincrease in temperature?” I asked, puzzled.“Due to these technologies, many factories andbuildings were built,” said my Grandfather. “Tobuild factories, land was required and people cut offtrees to fulfill this requirement. Now, when you drawa factory, how do you draw it?” “I draw a long chim-ney from which smoke is coming out,” I said, puz-

zled by the question. “We draw factories with longchimneys which emit smoke because that is whatthey do. Now do you know what the smoke consistsof?” “No,” I replied.“The smoke emits carbon dioxide. You know thattrees need carbon dioxide for the preparation of food.Now, if there were trees, they would use up all thecarbon dioxide. But as the trees are getting cut, thecarbon dioxide is getting accumulated due to whichit is getting hotter,” he said. “I see,” I said slowly.“But I still can’t understand how this water shortage

is created.” “Potable water i.e. water fit for drinkingis limited,” said my grandfather. Due to the growingheat, the water from lakes, rivers, seas and oceans isgetting evaporated. This is known as Global Warm-ing. Hence, the water shortage.”“And no scientist foresaw this?” I asked furiously.“Scientists did foresee this and warned us too. But no-body paid much attention to this warning.And the re-sult of all this is what we are all facing now,” said he.“So, is it possible to go back to those days? I mean,can we solve this problem?” I asked, hopefully.“Of course, it is possible; the only problem is that

everyone should take this matter seriously and try towork upon it”, said my grandfather. “We should re-duce the usage of electricity as that would reduce theemition of gases. And we should plant more trees.”The next day was a Saturday, and as my father wasusually not working on Saturdays, we decided to gotoAgra. We visited the Taj Mahal. That was the firsttime I had ever been there, so I was very excited.Of course, I had seen many pictures of it before, butseeing it in reality is very exciting. When I saw theTaj Mahal, I observed it carefully and asked my fa-ther “Isn’t there something extra in the photographsof Taj Mahal that is actually not there?” “Ah, so youhave noticed”, answered my father. “Indeed, you areobservant. There is nothing extra in the photographsof Taj Mahal; and yet something is missing whichwas here forty years ago. The river Yamuna is miss-

ing. It has dried up now.”Is all this real or I am dreaming? Thank good-ness it’s just a dream for it cannot go on likethis. Due to global warming, natural beautywas fading. Who knows, maybe in anotherfew years, there might be no person on thisEarth as there might be no water and wateris essential for our survival. I ponderedover the situation day and night, and finallycame to a conclusion. If nobody begins to

start taking action against this calamity, thenI will. I’d call upon my friends and form a group.

We’ll plant trees wherever land is available. But canjust a bunch of guys make a difference? Certainly,we can. After all, somebody has to make a start. Iacted upon this idea. I called upon my friends andwe started planting trees here and there. When wewent out of town for school projects, we encouragedthe people around us to plant more trees and now wehave taken the ultimate step; that of writing a book.Yes friends. We are writting this book not for thesake of writing a story, but to encourage my readersto take action on this mammoth problem.Together, we can make a huge difference. So, let uswork together to go back to those good old dayswhen there was enough water for everyone and whenthe weather was pleasant i.e. not too hot nor too cold.After all, “Old is Gold.”�(The essay secured 2nd position in the story writ-ing competition titled “Global Warming” held by

PRAYAS for the theme “Plant an Idea”)

The world, then and today

7Reader’s digestThe Global Times, August 16-30, 2009Big story

I love my school because it teaches me good values and team spirit, and I like to play with my friends. -Aryan Singh, IV D, AIS Gur-46

Is Potter magic evanescent asthe dawn breaks the Twilight?

Wands vs Fangs

Kanchan JonejaIX-J, AIS Noida

“Hewent down for breakfast the nextmorning to find the three Dursleysalready sitting around the kitchen

table. In a zap of a moment, hundreds of let-ters started pouring in from the fireplaceand the door slit, incidentally deliv-ered by owls. He picked one upfrom the floor to see the red sealof Hogwarts, a smile spreadfrom ear to ear.”Sounds familiar? Yes it isindeed what you’rethinking of... HarryPotter-The ChosenOne.As we slipped into anew year, the num-ber of Potter fanswaiting ferventlyoutside bookstoresi n c r e a s e d .Whether it is ourPC wallpaper, ourstationery or ourvery own pillow‘The Boy WhoLived’ ruled ourworld. Right fromthe very beginning,when JK Rowlingwrote ‘The Philoso-pher’s Stone,’ the crazefor this ground-breaking

novel spread like wild fireacross the globe. Ever since,

every book of the series hasbeen coming back with a bang.

When the last book of the fantasyseries was released in 2007, it was

hard to ignore the immense number ofchildren, teens as well as adults burying their

noses in it, reading obsessively. The factor thatkeeps every one hooked on is Rowling’s writingstyle which is so captivating.THE DEATHLY HALLOWS:Apparently Rowling’s decision to

end the series with the 7th book Deathly Hallowsmetwith world –wide disappointment and despair. But asit is well known, all good things come to an end.Through out the series of unfolding events, the lastbook Deathly Hallows showcased a very predictableending – a happily ever after! But then we are all ac-customed to such a climax for no one wants a sad one,that too for Harry Potter! Rowling stated that she couldnot change the ending even if she wanted. “Thesebooks have been plotted for such a long time, thatthey’re all leading to a certain direction. So, I reallycan’t.” She also commented that the final volume re-lated closely to the previous book in the series, HarryPotter and the Half-Blood Prince, “Almost as thoughthey are two halves of the same novel.”THE 6TH MOVIE: With the release of a new movie eachsummer, the fans would be booking their ticketstwo months in advance. Such was the enthusiasm.Moreover as the series ended last year, the muchawaited 6th movie that released this July awaitedthe same gusto.It was unbelievable that just in the first 5 days HarryPotter and the Half-Blood Prince generated $159.7million in sales in US and Canadian theatres itself.Good news for all Potter fans is that the 7th movie isgoing to be filmed in two halves for everyone to relishall details deeply, as the series ends. Part I is slated forrelease on 19 November 2010, and Part II on 15 July2011. Now that’s some good news for Potter fans.TWILIGHT AND HARRY POTTER: Living in the MuggleWorld, we all were used to spells like “Petrificus To-talus,” the amazing game of Quidditch [imaginingthe Firebolt chasing the golden snitch], chocolatefrogs, subjects like Defence against the DarkArts andthe various kinds of potions and magic wands. But itseemed that at the end of the horizon, we could seethe breaking of a dawn, but the question is whether itwould really brighten up the gloom as Rowling endsher series?Last year, the Twilight saga was such a rage amongteenagers all over the globe that some might thinkit would surpass the Potter glory. But even thoughthe Twilight series has been phenomenal selling53 million copies worldwide, whereas HarryPotter has sold more than 400 millioncopies, I believe that it would not do jus-tice to compare the two awesomenovel series.�

Asmita Singh & Sanober Khan, IX-JAIS, Noida

Meyer’s Lion Who Fell in Love with theLamb or Rowling’s Boy Who Lived,which one do you prefer? We love them

both. Both the series have great plots, are terrifi-cally-written and very gripping. Their charactersseem real and move you. They are both bestsellers,and their movies are blockbuster hits. It is not ap-propriate to make judgments based on comparisonbetween the two as they have very different plots,which means that the main topic of comparison be-tween them is their authors.The theme:�According to Rowling, the major theme in the se-ries is death: “My books open with the death ofHarry Potter’s parents. There is Voldemort’s obses-sion with conquering death and immortality.�The major theme in Stephenie’s series is love. Thestory is about a girl who falls deeply in love with adangerous vampire.Origin:�Rowling spent ten years plotting the story of herseries including the 7 books.�Meyer dreamt the famous ‘Meadow Scene’ fromtwilight and felt compelled towards starting a bookwhich further went on to become a saga of 4 books.Caters to:�Rowling’s books appeal to people of all ages,from children to adults.�Meyer’s books are not really recommended forchildren neither are they liked by boys.Writing styles:�Rowling puts a lot of mystery in her books and is

able to take readers by surprise very often. Sinceher aim was to publish the books, her writing has aprofessional edge to it.�Since Meyer’s aim in the beginning was to writethe book for personal entertainment; her writingstyle is more easy to understand yet interesting.Sub-themes:�Rowling’s books comprise many other themes,such as abuse of power, love, prejudice, and freechoice they are, as Rowling states “deeply en-trenched in the whole plot.”�Meyer has exactly done the opposite and writtenthe whole series based mainly on these themes(power, abuse of power, love, prejudice and freechoice).Fiction Vs fact:�Besides the characters, the places around whichthe story is spun and all the small details such asthe Flying Car and Hogwarts etc. are also fiction.Rowling literally creates a new world.�The places around which Meyer’s story is set arereal along with some other details like Forks or TheQuileute Reservation and the characters are also de-rived from well-known myths.Intriguing:�The most exciting thing that Rowling introducedin her books was the game of Quidditch aboutwhich every child was found fanaticizing.�The biggest thing in Meyer’s books was that shechanged the image of vampires to a great extent.These were vampires without fangs, heartbreak-ingly beautiful, vegetarian, impossibly fast andstrong and did not burn in the sunlight but sparkled.Views:�Some newspapers such as The Scotsman said that

Harry Potter Series had‘All the makings of aclassic’ and called it‘Magic Stuff.’�Many people thinkthat Meyer’s writ-ing is underdevel-oped but that isonly because she isa newcomer in theworld of authorsand is not as expe-rienced.Addressing readers:�Rowling writes herbooks in the third per-son which though doesnot stop us from beingengrossed in it, somehowmakes it difficult to acceptall the thoughts of the char-acters the way we would haveof Bella in the Twilight Saga.�Meyer writes her books in thefirst person that makes it easier toaccept her prose because you think ofit as Bella’s thoughts.Characters:�The background of each character is so in-genious and deep that Rowling could write abook on each.�In Meyer’s book only the two main charactershave been laid emphasis on and thought upon, asfar as their background is concerned. The othershave a vague or simple origin. �

Harshita, AIS 43 Gurgaon

In July 2009, the magical world of Harry Potter re-turned with an all new movie, much to the delight ofthe fans of the young wizard across the globe. But

what is all the crazy hype about? Read on to find out.The film in reference to the book, begins on a happynote, by Harry receiving an owl which brings up hisO.W.L (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) results which arefairly good and make him relieved. He is also made theQuidditch Captain for Gryffindor. But soon the tighten-ing grip of Lord Voldemort on both the magic and theMuggle world pops Harry’s happiness like a soap bub-ble. Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was.Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the cas-tle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing himfor the final battle that he knows is fast approaching.Together they work to find the key to unlock Volde-mort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruitshis old friend and colleague, the well-connected and un-suspecting Professor Horace Slug horn, whom he be-lieves holds crucial information, who turns out to be animportant key in conquering Lord Voldemort for tem-porary peace and harmony. The film ends on a shockingnote, which I think you all must wait to find out!Ruchismita Bhattacharjee ofAIS Vasundhra saw themovie right after its release. She says, “I liked The HalfBlood Prince quite a lot. It is a must watch film for all.Whether you are a Harry Potter fan or not, watch it forthe romance, comedy and adventure and the fantabu-lous performances by Daniel Radcliffe,Emma Watson andRupert Grint!”�

Movie Review

Sports8The Global Times, August 16-31, 2009Howzatt!?!

I love my school because the teachers are very nice and the children are very good. Tvisha Mutreja, I – D, AIS Pushp Vihar

...continued from Pg 1Please shed some light on your practiceregimen.I wake up at least 3 hours prior to mypractice schedule which generally be-gins at 9 am. I kick start my day with alight, healthy breakfast and practice till2pm. My practice generally consists oftraining exercises like aiming, trigger-ing, holding and focusing, one at a time.The afternoons are relaxed. I prefer read-ing a book or catching a movie. Around5 pm, I begin my gymming which takescare of my muscle training.An early nu-tritious dinner followed by an eveningstroll sees the end of my day.And I don’tforget to meditate before hitting the bed!With the official duties that go with an

army career, how has it affected yourlove for the sport?It is difficult to have your legs in twoboats - I started my army career in Kash-mir in 1994-96. Having to live in differ-ent cities devoid of material comforts, Irealised the sportsman within me. Beingan army man, I also had the option ofbeing a golfer and was also in the armyteam but there were two flying targets inmy life - shooting, which thrilled me orpushing my army career. I was lucky tobe in a career that allowed me the free-dom to pursue my favourite sport.What are the essential qualities re-quired for a shooter? How does thissport enhance one’s personality?For a sport like shooting, one needs to

be able to control one’s emotions; havepositive outlook and good concentrationpower. Self belief, continuous practiceand most importantly, focus help one be-come a good sportsman.India has had a winning edge inshooting, in 2004 (you) and now in2008 (Bindra), do you think Indianshave an eye for shooting vis-à-visother countries?Indians are very good in skill basedsports. We were the undisputed hockeychampions and we are the best in chess.Indians are also good in snooker and bil-liards. Power and speed, to some extent,is because of genes.An event like shoot-ing requires skill, determination andconcentration, which we Indians have

enough of.With two Olympic medals, what has In-dian government done to boost thissport?I think the Indian Government has defi-nitely brought about certain changes. Adecade ago, there were barely a coupleof shooting ranges and there wasn’tmuch craze among people as well.Today, across the country you find asmany as over 25 ranges with an ever-in-creasing membership. Of course, weneed to come up with even more shoot-ing clubs that allow the members tocome and practice the sport; this canonly be achieved if the government takesup the responsibility.The countdown for Commonwealth hasalready begun. With the current sce-nario of traffic jams, security lapsesand unmet deadlines, do you thinkIndia is ready to host an internationalevent of that stature?Right now the nation’s prestige is onstake, I’m sure we will be able to pull it

off. It is known that India does things atthe 11th hour. Given India’s wealth, I be-lieve we can host ten simultaneous com-monwealth games.Which events are you preparing fornow?The year 2010 has a lot in store: Com-monwealth Games, Asian Games and acouple of more competitions. I will startmy preparations for them very shortly.You are looked up as a Youth Icon,what is your message for the youth?At this point of time, I feel that if I wereyou I would have changed this worldwith the kind of learning experience I’veundergone. If all of you are able to learnat this stage what I have learnt over theyears, then the world’s yours. Each oneof you should learn how to communicateboth verbally and in writing. It’s veryimportant to know and speak your mind,how to enjoy life, how to make goodfriends, maintain a good reputation andmost importantly, one should know howto conserve energy. �

Self belief and focusmake a good sportsman

Tulika Banerji

“Some people think footballis a matter of life and death.I assure you, it’s much

more serious than that,” said BillShankly, Britain’s most respected foot-baller and manager.That speaks volumes of the affinity

youngsters all over the world have forfootball. To tap the potential of youngfootball aficionados,Amity United Foot-ball Club (AUFC) and Indian NationalsFootball Club (INFC) organised aneight-day fully residential summer campat the picturesqueAmity Education Val-ley campus at Manesar. The camp, heldunder the tutelage of Mr Aseem

Chauhan, President AUFC and INFCand guidance of Chief CoachAUFC MrRohit Parasher, Chief Coach INFC MrO Bernard and Manager & Coach MrHansraj, was an out and out success.Approximately 60 students from vari-ous schools in Delhi/NCR includingAmity, St Columbus, Modern School,Pathways International, GD Goenka,etc. participated in the camp. Coach MrHansraj informs, “The day began at 5am with yoga and warming up exercisesfollowed by training. From 10am to12:30pm were theoretical classes, aimedto provide a sound base to the game.The regime had other interesting activ-ities like rock climbing, visit to theherbal garden, indoor and outdoorgames, and TV time.”Students who attended the camp weremighty pleased. “You get to learn manysports nuances from expert coaches.The food is sumptuous, fresh from thefarms. And then, the freedom to beaway from the parents!” exclaimedAmol (class VI) of AIS Pushp Vihar.Chaitanya of Cambridge School Noidaclaims, “I learnt new skills like passingthe ball at others in the right positionand working in groups with friends.”The icing on the cake was a Camp or-ganised in association with Magic ofFootball Club held at Amity University,Noida on the last day where the partici-pants got to learn the fine nuances of thegame from celebrities like Sunil Chet-tri, Vice Captain of Indian FootballTeam and Rahul Bose, actor and avidRugby enthusiast. �

Bend it like Amitians

Myfavourite game

Amlaan KumarVI F, AIS Noida

Myfavourite game is football.It’s generally played out-doors. Two teams, comprising

11 players each, are pitted against otherand they try to control the ball.Whichever team scores more goalsagainst it’s opponent wins the game. Ilike the game because it is all about tech-nique, control, concentration and stam-ina. It’s played for 90 minutes. There isa break after 45 minutes.It’s a game about mind-feet coordina-tion. Whoever is able to blend the twoperfectly is the master of the game. Thegame is played all across the world. But

it’s more popular in Europe and SouthAmerica. Now, even Africa is catchingup with the sport. There is a differencebetween European and South Americanfootball. While the latter is more aboutflair, artistry and attack, European foot-ball is more physical and defensive.Brazil, in South America has won themaximum World Cups – 5. Neighbour-ing Argentina has won it twice. Myfavourite player is anArgentine – LionelMessi, known as the Golden Boy offootball. This 21-year-old also plays forFC Barcelona. He was voted as thesecond best player of the world last yearand is tipped to win the award this year.He helped his club win the Championsleague and Spanish Premiera Ligathis season. �

The world’s best loved sport

Use and reflect positive energy:There’s an enormous amount of energyin all of us which is spent reacting todifferent stimuli around us. For eg,when someone says something badabout us, the first reaction is to get backat him; that takes energy out of us. Theother option is to ignore it and walkaway, obviously that takes away energyas you forcibly control yourself, butyou save a bit of energy there. If youdon’t even encounter an unpleasant sit-uation like that, you save a lot of en-ergy. So it’s important to avoid negativepeople and situations. I learnt to thinkpositive and surround myself with pos-

itive things to conserve my energy.Visualisation: It’s a technique throughwhich helps you train your mind andnerves. On the night before an impor-tant event (eg. Exams), close your eyesand visualise yourself doing the task. Ifit’s an exam, think about the entire se-quence of events beginning from wak-ing up, getting ready, taking your I Cardand writing the paper. (In my case, be-fore a shooting event, I would visualisethe hits and misses, the referee’s com-ments and my own reactions to them.)That way, you’ve already been there,done that in your mind. It prepares youfor the event even better.

Rajya Mantras

To submit your answers, log on towww.theglobaltimes.in

(Postal/courier entries will not accepted.Last date: August 31, 2009 )

15

1. Who won Mr. & Miss DT con-test in Amity University?

2. How long does a patent last?

3. Mention one legend related tothe Pashupati Temple.

4.Give one reason why we shouldconsume organic food.

5. How many Twilight series havebeen released so far?

9PotpourriMosaic

I love my school because I learn new things there and have lots of friends. -Ishanya Singhal, IV B, AIS Vasundhra

Laugh Inn!Mehr Gupta

VI B, AIS Mayur Vihar

Wife: Do you want to have dinner?Husband: Sure, what are the choices?Wife: ‘Yes’ and ‘No’

***Santa Singh:Why are so many peoplerunning?Banta Singh: This is a race and the win-ner will get a prize.Santa Singh: If only the winner will geta prize, then why are the others running?

***Teacher: “I killed a man.” Convert thissentence into future tense.Junior Santa: The future tense is, “Youwill go to jail.”●

Sanjana SinghV B, AIS Saket

This is a story about a girl namedSinduja who was eight-year-old.She was a very fussy eater. She

was a nice child quite intelligent for herage. One day her mother gave her curdrice which she hated. She refused tohave it and started crying. Her fathercame and said, “Take a mouthful of it,Sinduja just for my sake.”"Okay dad, but if I finish the entire curdrice; will you give me whatever I askfor," replied Sinduja. Her father agreedto it. After finishing her meal she said toher father, "Dad, I want my hair to beshaved today." Her father was shockedto hear it and asked her to change heropinion. She refused his suggestion andwas adamant on her decision.The next day she went to her schoolwith her clean shaven head. Just then a

boy came shouting, "Sinduja wait forme." Her father saw that the boy had nohair."Your daughter is a wonderful person,"a lady came forward and addressed Sin-duja's father, "that boy walking alongwith your daughter is my son Harish.He is suffering from Leukaemia. Harishcould not attend school whole of lastmonth. He lost all his hair due tochemotherapy. He refused to come backto school fearing his school mates’taunts. Sinduja had visited him lastweek and promised that she would makesure that no body would tease him. ButI never imagined she would sacrifice herown lovely hair for the sake of my son.Sir, you and your wife are blessed tohave such a wonderful daughter."Sinduja's father stood transfixed withtears in his eyes and said, "Thank youSinduja for telling me how selfless reallove is."�

A True Friend

Did You Know?

Isha Singh, I-D, AIS Noida

Yashvi Malhan, V B, AIS Mayur Vihar

Short Story

The Global Times, August 16-31, 2009

Deeksha Singh, II-C,WG-B, AIS Noida

PictureWriting ContestGet creative. Jot down five lines on thepicture given and win exciting prizes.Post your entries to: Picture WritingContest, The Global Times, E-27,Defence Colony, New Delhi 110002.Last Date: September 5, 2009.

Attention: The contest is open for stu-dents upto Class III only)

School Maze ContestThanks for the overwhelmingresponse to this contest.

Winners: Aanchal, IV B, AIS Gur-gaon Sect 46 ● KhyatiAggarwal, IVA,AIS Gurgaon Sect 43, ” ● HridyanshYadav, KG E, AIS Pushp Vihar ● Pr-isha Singh, V B, AIS Gurgaon Sect 46● Renu Kumari, VI, Amitasha Saket ●

Yaashika MahajanVI B, AIS Mayur Vihar

■ Giraffe is taller than any other ani-mal. Yet its long neck has 7 bones, thesame number as men.■ If the sun was as big as a football, theearth would be as small as a pea.■ To make just one spoon of honey,bees have to visit about 5000 flowers.■ The most frequently sung song is..Happy Birthday to You.■ An alligator’s jaw is actually quiteweak. Aman can easily hold an alliga-tor’s mouth shut.■ Lungs have an area of 70 m, over 30times greater than the area of skin onthe body.■ Out of 2400 species of snakes, onlya few dozen have venom powerfulenough to kill a person.

College CampusUniversity Buzz The Global Times, August 16-31, 200910

“If I were a Cloud, I would like to fly over the lakes and mountains.” -Mehul Mathur, I-D, AIS Vasundhra

Radio Mirchi RJs Anant andSaurabh performed both on stage

and off it. They did a round of gagsgrabbing every one’s attention. Not tomentioned, they congratulated Amityfor providing a state-of-the-art infra-structure. Off stage they asked all sorts

of fun questions to the semi-finalists inthe third round. Just for sample, ‘Whatif your girlfriend is cheating on you anddating your best friend?’ or ‘What ifyour boyfriend turns out to be gay?’An-other judge was model Sangeeta fromShoot Talent Management. �

What?Where? How?

at Amity Campus

It seemed as if thousands ofAmitians,both freshers and seniors swarmed

towards the I-block auditorium ofAmity University, Sector 125, NoidaCampus, to be a part of Mr and MissDT Contest held on July 11. On enter-ing the auditorium, one’s own voice be-came inaudible, as the only thing thatfell on ears was the blaring music andshouting cheers of students.The event started with a round of get-ting’-jiggy-with-it session, where theauditorium turned into a mini dis-cotheque. The contest was divided intothree rounds. The first round gave plat-form to every student who wanted to do‘just anything’on the stage. Songs, poor

jokes, senseless one-liners, mimicries,dance movements, gymnastics and otherloud antics were performed on stage.Most of the participants of course got‘boo-oos’ and thumbs down. And restof them, to the count of 25, got selectedfor the second round. Amidst all frolicand laughter, emcee Manav kept every-one’s attention right there on the stage.Siddharth Chauhan from BJMC said,“This is a rocking show. The atmos-phere is so lively. I am here to sing asong, as that’s my passion.” His class-mate Sankalp Raj said that it was justthe right platform and he grabbed theopportunity to be in front of the entirecollege. �

In the second round, contestants weregiven two choices, either they couldask the audience to give them an optionto perform what they want or the par-ticipant can do their own thing. Most ofthem of course loved to gyrate to themost unexpected music, belted by theDJ. A very hep-dressed girl would beput to her wits end by being playedsarkai lio khatiya, or dhak dhak karnelaga; or a young dude would be made todance on choli ke peeche and other suchkinky numbers.Some of the real talents sent audience

doubling up with laughter, a sports en-thusiast did some gimmicks with foot-ball; somersaulting and gymnastics wasone’s key talent while another boyrapped away to applause.Making sounds of tabla from mouth orbeatboxing or playing guitar, the talentwas varied and immense. GurkritiSharma, from B Tech-ECE, who per-formed beatboxing (vocal percussion)said, “It’s a well organised event. Thehost and DJs are entertaining. I partici-pated because I wanted to promotebeatboxing in India.” �

Stage Ablaze

Judges perform

Ritika Gupta, BJMC says she was on stagebecause her friends forced her to. And

friends can’t be more wrong in spotting her tal-ent, as the girl went on to win the second MissDT runner-up title. The Mr title in this categorywas awarded to Himanshu who stunned everyone with his football antics (He said “it was adream he was waiting to realise”).The Ms DT female first runner up is Monikawho sang a Sufi number in talent round. Andthe Mr DT first runner up is Saurabh.

And the one’s who took the crown wereRuchika BA (Gen) for her flexible waistmovements to Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie andYajur BA LLB for his uber cool hip-hopdance and personality.Aditya Gupta, B Tech Mechanical sums upthe whole experience as “A sort of learn-ing experience very different from tradi-tional classrooms types. It’s a great platformfor freshers like me to mingle with the rest ofthe college mates.”�

And the winners are…

Wassup 11The Global Times, August 16-31, 2009 School Lounge

I love my school because it is the base of my life and if the base is strong, then I can touch the sky. - Dhwani Bhargava, IV D, AIS Vasundhra

Mathamity’09, held at AmityInternational Schools Noidaand Saket, conducted under

the aegis of the Amity Centre for Excel-lence in Mathematics, promotes excep-tional standards in mathematics andencourages students to explore mathe-matical concepts through research andsurvey.AnAmity initiative – the event is a brainchild of Dr.Amita Chauhan. The variousdisplays by the Primary, Middle andSenior wings highlighted Amitians’ in-genuity and creativity exhibiting theprowess of the students in exploring thejourney of Maths.Amity International School, Noida:The school organised Mathamity on July16 and 17 based on the theme, ‘MathsAround Us.’ Principal Mrs. Mohina Darin her welcome address stated that‘Mathamity’ is hosted with the objectiveof making students understand funda-mental mathematical concepts by stress-

ing on different problem solving tech-niques.Common mathematical concepts likevolume, capacity, weight, ratio propor-tion and statistics were innovatively pre-sented through 3D effects. Mathematicsin architecture and astronomy, trade,sports and music were some of the top-ics researched by the students. The Pow-erPoint presentations by the Class XIand XII students provided new and freshinsights into relevant and contemporarytopics like Maths Doppler Effect, Math-ematical Modelling for Disease Spread-ing, and Maths in Economics andCommerce among others.The Chief Guest Dr. Ajit Iqbal Singh,visiting professor at the Indian Statisti-cal Institute, applauded the efforts of thestudents. Two Senior school studentsgave presentations on interesting topicslike ‘Maths in Nature’ and ‘MobiusStrip.’ Vice principal, Mrs. Renu Singhproposed the vote of thanks.

Amity International School, Saket:‘Mathamity-Aakriti’ – a unique platformpresenting a fresh and refurbished man-ifestation of Maths was inaugurated atAIS, Saket on July 24, 2009. It wit-nessed an overwhelming and whole-hearted participation of students fromnursery to Class XII. Dr. Hukum Singh,Prof. NCERT graced the occasion as theChief Guest. Dr. T VVenkateshwaran, aScientist at Vigyan Prasar presided asthe Guest of Honour.Agalaxy of eminent guests included Ms.Shweta Khurana, Regional ManagerNorth-East India INTEL, Ms. DivyaArora from the Americal Field Service.The jury panel included Dr. BiswaranjanBehera, Asstt. Prof., Dept. of Maths IITNew Delhi; Mr. Robin Kumar & Ms.Monika Bahl, eminent faculties at theDept. of Nanotechnology – Amity Uni-versity. School Principal, Mrs. BharatiSharma accorded a cordial welcome tothe august gathering. �

Usha Verma

Amity International School, Noidasuccessfully hosted the thirdconsecutive Geography inter-

school competition, GEOMATY 2009for the students of Classes III to X onAu-gust 1, 2009. Brainchild of Chairperson,Dr. Amita Chauhan, it was also Amity’snovel commitment to cultivating holisticeducation.A total of 600 students from 37prestigious schools from Delhi and NCRparticipated. Forty teachers from variousschools in Delhi and NCR attended the‘enrichment’ workshops on ‘DigitalMapping’ and ‘Climate Change andLow Carbon Future.’This year, the GEOMATY challenge forClass III students was ‘Dresses of India’that included a presentation on custom-ary attire of any one State, region or tribeusing dramatic enactment and artisticprops. ‘The People of the World’ seg-ment for Classes IV and V included dis-tinct cultural forms as a special means tocelebrate ‘unity in diversity.’A Geography quiz, both oral and writ-ten, including map reading, marking andidentification were for the older stu-

dents. ‘On the Spot Model Making’ dis-played inventive use of recycled mate-rial. Questions from the allied subjectsof Astronomy, Geomorphology, Clima-tology and Hydrology were asked in theform of general awareness, crosswordpuzzles and jumbled words.PowerPoint presentations were made ontopics such as the retreating HimalayanGlaciers, lessons to be learnt from re-cedingArctic Ice, Increasing ocean tem-peratures and their impact failed

monsoons, global warming, etc. Tenprominent judges Dr. Sudhanshu Singha(British High Commission), Dr. RumaShukla, (Geographic Information Sys-tems), Mr. Anurag Khandelwal (an ar-chitect), Dr. Kakoli Singh (Geographer),Mrs. Gargi Seth (Artist and art pro-moter), Mrs. Princy Kaul (Free-laceArtist in Fine Arts), Mrs. ManishaTrivedi (Geographer), Mrs. Manju Tan-don (Educationist), Mrs Neeru Rao (Ge-ographer) and Ms. Suparna Sood

(Danuse of Bharatnatyam), amongst oth-ers, judged the event.School principal, Mrs. Mohina Dar gavea brief talk on the concept and purposeof GEOMATY 2009.Amity Performance ResultsDress of India (Class III): Consolation:AIS Mayur Vihar, ■ Delhi People of theWorld (Class IV & V): Second: AIS,Mayur Vihar ■ Written Quiz & MapStudy (Class VI &VII) First: AIS, Saket(C1 Team) ■Model making (Class VI &VII) - First: AIS, Mayur Vihar (C I) ■Oral Quiz (Class VIII & IX) First: AIS,Vasundhara (D1) ■ Map Making (ClassVIII & IX) - First: AIS, Vasund-hara (D1); Third: AIS, Pushp Vihar, ■Delhi PowerPoint Presentation (CL 10) -First: AIS, Vasundhara (E1); Second:AIS, SEC 46, Gurgaon (E1); Third:AIS, Mayur Vihar (E I)Ruchismita Bhattacharjee & Chitra Jainof AIS, Vasundhara won the first prizein PPT competition. Their topic was‘Desertification.’Ruchismita said, “We didn’t even havethe time to practice properly; our teachersaw our presentation for the first time inthe competition itself!”�

TheGeographyChallengeGEOMATY 2009

Sudhi Bhatia

Children have always had a fascina-tion for kites. They remind them of

unfettered freedom. To make learningmore enjoyable, a kite making activitywas conducted in the premises of AISVasundhara on 16th July, 2009. The re-source person was from NIE, and gavelearners creative inputs on making kites.Participants were from classes VI-VIIIand made kites from bright coloured pa-pers in varied shapes and sizes creatinga plethora of hues. The workshop honedand showcased the creativity of youngAmitians. �

Kite makingworkshop

AIS Vasundhra

United Nations is synonymous toidealism, unity and utopianism.

Today’s world faces grave and complexchallenges which can best be resolvedwhen all the nations come together andwork for the people. The Amity ModelUnited Nations conference, held fromAugust 1-3 ‘09, was an important step inunderstanding the global issues and re-sponsibilities. It provided a platform forthe coming together of new ideas andbeliefs; and all these were channeledinto a common thought, that somedaysomebody might compel the change to-wards a better world.The first day brought with it the enthu-siasm and passion of bringing about arevolution of 210 delegates. The execu-tive board of committees helped the del-egates learn the language of an MUNerand get acquainted with the methods andproceedings of the forum. The delegatesseemed well informed on the secondday. The way they spoke, the contentand the confidence in their voice-theywere completely into their characters.Emergencies tested the knowledge andalacrity of the participants. On the thirdand the last day participants were ex-cited and elated since all their effortswere going to yield titles, prizes and cer-tificates. �

2009METHAMITY

MathematicalMusings

Picture yourself sauntering on cob-bled boulevards, castles loominggrandly on sprawling lawns, the

cerulean sky and icy lakes floating -that’s Germany in a nutshell. AnantAgarwal, Rohan Chandra, Raghav Mit-tal and I, Karan Saharya, along withMrs. Mira Sharma, our teacher, were for-tunate to be selected for the Student Ex-change Programme between AmityInternational School Noida and theJawaharlal Nehru School in Neustrelitz.Neustrelitz is a town about 150 km eastof Berlin, quaint and elegant, with a pop-ulation of just over 20,000! It is a townthat once lay in the 17th century Duchyof Mecklenburg-Gustrow, and today liesin the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpom-mern. Once in Germany, we were to staywith German families in their homes,people we had never met or heard of, toobserve their routines for two weeks.Initially communication was a challenge,as English is not widely understood, butquickly we got accustomed to the lifethere, the native accents, food, and soonthe carbonated water and the absence oflocks in the bathroom doors did not

bother us anymore! The teachers andfamilies took excellent care of us! Theywere all very helpful, accommodatingand loving. Everyday we would havehour-long conversations about Indian tra-ditions, and it was really enjoyable.Infact, three German newspapers alsotook our interviews, and we were morethan happy. We had never imagined thatso much fun could be had in an alienland. We went strolling in the woods,swimming in the lakes, and visited

Berlin, Dresden and Schwerin - allbreathtaking and panoramic. We saw thehorrors of the Concentration Camps, theBerlin Wall and the Nazi Bunkers. Wewere taught about the War, the Unifica-tion and the lifestyles of the contempo-rary Germans.Since our return we cannot stop talkingabout all the fun we had there and I amsure many years down the line we willcontinue to remember it all with fond-ness and nostalgia!�

Our Experiences In ‘WunderschÖn’ Germany

Placingyou in UNPlacingyou in UN

�Angelina-Pitt adopt their 99thchild. They say, “We expect to hit acentury in a couple of months.”�Daniel Craig signs another Bondflick at the age of 82. Sylvester Stal-lone is ready to do Rambo onceagain. �After the success of KungFu Panda, come Kung Fu Doggy,Kung Fu Mouse and KungFu Elephant. The KungFu master, Jackie ChanKung Fus himself afterseeing so manyfilms on Kung Fu.For more suchnews, keep readingTGTBN (TheGlobal TimesBollywoodNetwork )

�Harman Baweja gives his 2050th flop.�Hrithik Roshan releases his 50th sequel ofKrrish.�Shah Rukh Khan releases Chak De!Kabadi, in which he plays the role of FakeerKhan, who gets disqualified from the teambecause in every game he says,” EeeehhhhhKKKKKkabadi KKKKKKKkabadi.”�Dev Anand announces, “Abhi toh main jawanhoon”.�Akshay Kumar jumps from a 50-storey build-ing to promote Thums Up, and his fake teeth fallout. Geegs!�Himesh Reshammiya praises his remake,Hummmm just like Karzzzz.

�Darsheel undergoes plastic surgery for his teeth!�Big B falls ill again. Amar Singh’s party falls dueto this reason.B

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Sachit Tandon, AIS Mayur Vihar

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2050

A look at how cinema might appear in the next 40 years!

Angad Singh, Saumya & Ishita TyagiAIS Gurgaon- 46

The Suite Life of Zack and Codydepicts the tricks played and thefun had by twins Zack and Cody

who stay at Hotel Tipton in Boston.They tease the employees of the hoteland love to skateboard in the hotel. Theyhave a sweet mother who always stopsthem from doing wrong things. In theentire series, there are different back-grounds and different places to visitwhich make it interesting.The suite life on deck: The suite life ondeck is quite similar to The suite life ofZack and Cody; the difference beingthat the twins are studying on a cruiseship. It focuses on love and relation-

ships and it should not be viewed bychildren under eight. Here, they don’thave their sweet mom. So they can dothings which they should not do; that’sinteresting! The ship travels throughseveral countries adding to the fun ele-ment in the sitcom.

What Amitians sayRohit: ‘Suite life of Zack & Cody’ isbetter.Upasna: The ‘Suite life on deck’ is cool.Ayush Shah: The voice of the twinsdoes not match their characters in the‘Suite life on deck.’Ishita Sahai: Both are equally good. �

The Global Times, August 16-31, 2009Bag Pack12

Variety

The Global Times Team: Managing Editor-Vira Sharma; Assistant Editors- Tulika Banerji, Shweta Jain; Chief Designer- Dinesh Kumar; Designer- Pankaj Kumar Mallik

The suite lives ofZack and Cody

SSiittccoomm rreevviieeww

Mehak Gautam AIS Gurgaon-43

TV, video games and movies; whatdo they have in common? Well,no prizes for guessing that they

are recreational activities. Leisure is nei-ther idleness nor non-activity, but it im-plies an activity which is meaningful,fruitful and enjoyable. The modern ageof automation, better standard of livingand longevity has further broadened andliberalised the concept of leisure. Thewonderful scientific and technologicalinventions, discoveries and develop-ments have reduced the hours of work-ing and consequently, man has moretime to enjoy leisure and hobbies. Dif-ferent people spend their leisure in dif-ferent ways. Some people have nodefinite idea or plan in this respect. Tomany others, it is a time of some creative

and aesthetic pursuit and inner fulfill-ment and growth. These days leisure hasgrown into a big business and industry.People have invested huge sums ofmoney in developing luxury hotels,motels, holiday homes, video games,resorts, health clubs, etc. Our life is nowfar more free and leisurely than it wasfor our forefathers. Leisure provides uswith a rare opportunity to satisfy ourinner spiritual and aesthetic demands. �

Leisure inModern Age

Tulika Banerji

When I sought out for ournext I-Zone contestant, Ithought I was going to

meet a Numismatist (one who col-lects coins) but there I was, lookingat the most exotic collection ofstamps! A philatelist and numismatistrolled into one, Vaishnavi Sridhar ofX E, AIS Noida, appears to jugglemany hats quite effortlessly. My I-Zone: Vaishnavi has 1000+stamps and an ever piling collectionof coins from all over the world. Herfavourites are 3-D stamps fromBhutan and animal ones from Ger-many and India. Among coins, she’s

fond of half and 1 anna, one paise andhalf rupee from India. Treasure trove: Her stamp collectiondates back to 1999; when she was fiveand her father entrusted her with astamp collecting diary for the first time.Vaishnavi is fortunate to have inheritednot only her father’s but also her grandfather’s and grand uncle’s burgeoningcollection. Stamps of animals, birds,freedom fighters, oil paintings or firstday releases, you name it and she has it.Displaying her collection in neatlystacked albums, Vaishnavi takes pridein carrying on the family legacy. My piggy bank: Fondly christened‘dumb boxes’, sturdy briefcases storeVaishnavi’s treasure trove of stamps.She uses CD boxes to store her coinswhich belong to more than 19 countriesincluding Sweden, Singapore, Indonesia(where she lived for two years), US, etc. All that glitters is ‘coins’! When herancestral house in Chennai was beingsold, Vaishnavi’s grandma asked her tocheck out some old books in hergrandpa’s cupboard. It was dark in theroom and as she groped around to findthe books, she spotted something glit-tering. Looking closer, she was over-joyed to spot 2 and 3 paisa coins inthere, which needless to say, find placeof pride in her collection. Tell me your dreams:Her ultimate de-sire is to build a museum for her as-semblage! This is not all. Winner ofHeritage Quiz at AIS Saket for fouryears consecutively, Full AttendanceAward from class II (with a break onlyin class VII) and Academic Topper, nowonder Vaishnavi has been bagging the‘Best All Rounder Trophy’ as well!.

Coining astamp story