Dear readers

'Winter is NOT coming'

The significance of this statement that catches

the eyes of the GOT fan base acquired a totally

different colour when Greta Thunberg, the

youngest UN diplomat brought around an

epiphany all across the infinite lands. She did

something Trump could never do, bringing the

UN to wake up to the reality of today to

ques�oning the leaders of tomorrow to

unleashing the climate strikes all over the globe

an effort to convert our planet into something

more sustainable.

Greta Thunberg, a teenage girl captured

everyone's a�en�on worldwide in the fortnight

gone by and VDJS is no excep�on to it. We did

no�ce girls on the campus discussing about her

and the large-scale impact that she managed to

have. And then on an en�rely different plain

another thing which intrigued the girls the most

was the surprise edi�on of the La Vidijeunesse.

So as men�oned in the earlier edi�on, welcome

to our “RANG-BIRANGA” issue. This makes it

special because the demands for a coloured

edi�on were overflowing our mail-boxes just

like HARRY POTTER'S when he kept receiving

unending le�ers from Hogwarts. So to all those

who asked about an edi�on like this, here we

are out with it. Hope you enjoy the content,

illustra�ons and design. As always, thoughts

and feedback are welcome.

We are just over with the two much awaited

events of the year and these were, the Annual

Sports Meet and Dussehra Celebra�on.

This year's Annual Sports Meet was no less than

the one that Abhimanyu and Rohan had to go

through in the movie STUDENT OF THE YEAR, it

felt as if two bestest of friends were on the

absolute verge of waging a war as Sarojini and

Laxmibai had a difference of only one point and

THE ONE and ONLY SAROJINI, took away the

rolling trophy for sports this year. WELL DONE

SAROJINITES! In fact, good job to each and every

par�cipant, you deserve all the applause.

And Dussehra brought another layer to the

fes�ve outbreak in the campus. With the track

field decked up with pre�y ladies, Dussehra

gave the beauty-freaks another chance to look

up for pre�y matching JHUMKAS once again, to

pose infinite �mes, looking for a perfect Tumblr-

sort-of picture. And of course how can one miss

the RAM-LEELA which adds the extra zing to the

fes�val. The fes�val also reminds us of the

importance of le�ng go of the evil that resides

in each one of us, burning down the anguish,

jealousy and several other vices that none of us

can find an escape from. Your very own Student

Editors agree on the fact that the burning of the

effigy of Ravana is a symbolic representa�on of

the fact that anything and everything can

change in the blink of an eye. It takes only a li�le

spark to burn it all down into ashes. Anyways

philosophy apart with the pre�y fire-crackers

and the JAM session, the fes�val turned out to

be yet another unforge�able event for all of us.

Lined up in the fes�ve season, we have the

Annual Day which is a gala event for our school.

It is quite evident from the way the kids get

engrossed in the prac�ces what this event

means to each and every one of us. Prac�sing at

odd hours to never ending run-throughs, to

receiving awards, the Annual Day encompasses

everything. So be ready to be dazzled by our

phenomenal talent.

This mega celebra�on then opens the gates for

each one of us to part away for our favourite

mini-vaca�on, the Diwali Break. The joy of

jumping off late from beds, to sleeping at

midnight to watching innumerable shows on

Ne�lix, to actually being with our biological

families is much more than tubs and tubs of

chocolate ice-cream under a sky. lilac

But there is something that kept us from not

wan�ng our parents to visit us and that was the

REPORT CARD, that our teachers designed very

ar�s�cally so that it appears appealing to our

folks. “GOODBYE EVERYBODY, I'VE GOT TO

GONNA LEAVE THIS ALL BEHIND AND FACE THE

TRUTH”, I guess Queen just made this song up

for all of us, my mates.

With everything said and done, clock strikes the

hour now for all of us to depart for our breaks

and it feels great to strike off the last countdown

and disappear into our cocoons.

So un�l it's �me to break off your cocoon and

return back to this home away from home,

GOODBYE.

HAPPY VACAY-MODE.

October 23, 2019Vol. : XXVI X

Editorial

Varnika Gupta

Yashi Singh

Editorial Board 2019-20

32The Annual Sports Day 2019

Sports teaches us discipline, respect, leadership skills, teamwork, sportsmanship and much more! It has so much to teach us, and that is why this day holds a unique essence every year. This year the Annual Sports Day was held on 5th October, 2019.

The Chief Guest of the day was Ms Shiwangi Pathak, the youngest woman to scale the majestic height of Mount Everest. Born in Hisar, Ms Shiwangi Pathak climbed the lofty peaks of Mount Everest spreading the message that a woman can overcome any obstacle to achieve her goals. She has also scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.

The celebration commenced with the guard of honour accorded to the Chief Guest by the School NCC Cadets. The superb display of School Band comprised a spectacular depiction of discipline and perfect synchronization.

The students showcased their stamina and skill in various track events, namely 100m sprint, 200m race and 4X100m Relay Race. The events were held successfully and one could hear the crowd cheering aloud due to the excitement of the day. There was a neck to neck competition between the participants and the best teams won. What added to the zest and gust of the day was the medley of performances put up by

the different sporting disciplines. The Phase Drill comprised a parachute drill wherein the students made different formations to the tunes of music; the Taekwondo display had our martial art experts show their skill through their drill, jumps and tile breaking act. The

yoga display was the showstopper with nimble students performing the different asanas with dexterity and coming up with several spectacular formations. The ace shooters and archers also showed their skill by taking the perfect shot at their target.

Best Players 2018-19

S.No. Name Class House Game Group

1. Kashish Gupta VIII SAV Taekwondo Junior

2. Kareena XII LAX Senior

3. Mrignayani VIII SAR Archery Archery Junior

4. Ishika Singla X LAX Senior

5. Devika Rai Mehtani XII KAS Shooting Pistol

6. Sanya Bhatia X LAX Rifle

7. Shareya Fatma (jr) VIII SAR Basketball Best Scorer

8. Jiya Birara (sr) XI LAX

9. Astha Khetan (jr) VIII SAR Best Player

10. Jiya Gupta (sr) IX SAV

11. Neha Nain V SAV Swimming Sub-junior

12. Pramika Dhaka VIII SAR Junior

13. Nehal Sheoran X LAX Senior

14. Noor Gahlot VIII KAS Table Tennis Junior

15. Vanshika Beniwal IX SAV Senior

16. Trishla Kumari Motani VII SAV Hockey Jr Best Player

17. Kashish Lohan VII SAR Jr Scorer

18. Shivanshi Arora VIII SAR Jr Goal Keeper

19. Anshika Yadav X SAV Sr Best Player

20. Tanushree Madhogaria XII LAX Sr Scorer

21. Devanshi Lohia IX SAV Sr Goal Keeper

22. Arushi Godara VIII SAV Soccer Jr Best Player

23. Pearl VII KAS Jr Goal Keeper

24. Deepali Yadav VIII LAX Jr Best Scorer

25. Sharanya Bose XII SAR Sr Best Player

26. Rashi Khanna X SAR Sr Goal Keeper

27. Bhumika Behl IX SAV Sr Best Scorer

28. Pramika Dhaka VIII SAR Triathlon Junior

29. Nehal Sheoran X LAX Senior

30. Khushi Sehrawat X KAS Band Leader Band

31. Mahi Todi IX LAX Best Piper

32. Arpandeep Kaur IX LAX Best Drummer

33. Gracy Jindal VII LAX Yoga Junior

34. Nikita VIII SAV Junior

35. Damini Bishnoi X SAR Senior

36. Neha Nain Athletics Gr. A (4th& 5th )

37. Tamanna Nain Gr. B (6th ,7th,& 8th

38. Riya Kumari Gr. C (9th& 10th )

39. Kashish Choudhary Gr. D (11th& 12th)

40. Krishna Rewar VIII LAX Gr. A (4th& 8th )

41. Kopal Rungta X SAV Skating Gr.b (9th& 10th )

42. Kumkum Suneja XI LAX Gr. C(11th& 12th)

43. Meghna Mittal VII SAR Jr Best Player

44. Noor Gahlot VIII KAS Jr Best Server

45. Jasmeen Kaur XI KAS Volleyball Sr Best Player

46. Pranjal Saini XII SAV Sr Best Server

S.No. Game Overall Winner House

1. Archery Sarojini

2. Basketball Laxmibai

3. Hockey Savitri

4. Shooting Kasturba

5. Skating Savitri

6. Soccer Sarojini and Savitri

7. Swimming Laxmibai

8. Table Tennis Sarojini

9. Taekwondo Laxmibai

10. Triathlon Savitri

11. Volleyball Kasturba

12. Yoga Kasturba

13. Athletics Savitri

14. Cross Country Savitri

Overall Winner House Sarojini

Overall Winner House

The most awaited moment of the day was the Prize Distribution

Ceremony, wherein each House had something to celebrate. The

Chief Guest gave away prizes to the winners of the various

categories. Sarojini House lifted the Overall Trophy for

Athletics, 2018-19.

The Chief Guest, in her address, expressed her delight on the

winning streak of the young Jindalites and further motivated

them to do the best in the field of their choice. She complimented

the Principal, the staff and the students for putting a lot of hard

work to make this event a grand success. She inspired the young

Jindalites by narrating her journey to Mt. Everest. The

programme concluded with 'Vote of Thanks' proposed by the

School Sports Prefect, Yana Beniwal conveying gratitude to the

Chief Guest and the VDJS family for making the occasion a

memorable one.

fot;n'kehfot;n'kehfot;n'keh

The spectacular Yoga display

Touching the Finishing Line

Sarojini Girls with Overall Trophy

Taking a perfect Shot

32The Annual Sports Day 2019

Sports teaches us discipline, respect, leadership skills, teamwork, sportsmanship and much more! It has so much to teach us, and that is why this day holds a unique essence every year. This year the Annual Sports Day was held on 5th October, 2019.

The Chief Guest of the day was Ms Shiwangi Pathak, the youngest woman to scale the majestic height of Mount Everest. Born in Hisar, Ms Shiwangi Pathak climbed the lofty peaks of Mount Everest spreading the message that a woman can overcome any obstacle to achieve her goals. She has also scaled Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.

The celebration commenced with the guard of honour accorded to the Chief Guest by the School NCC Cadets. The superb display of School Band comprised a spectacular depiction of discipline and perfect synchronization.

The students showcased their stamina and skill in various track events, namely 100m sprint, 200m race and 4X100m Relay Race. The events were held successfully and one could hear the crowd cheering aloud due to the excitement of the day. There was a neck to neck competition between the participants and the best teams won. What added to the zest and gust of the day was the medley of performances put up by

the different sporting disciplines. The Phase Drill comprised a parachute drill wherein the students made different formations to the tunes of music; the Taekwondo display had our martial art experts show their skill through their drill, jumps and tile breaking act. The

yoga display was the showstopper with nimble students performing the different asanas with dexterity and coming up with several spectacular formations. The ace shooters and archers also showed their skill by taking the perfect shot at their target.

Best Players 2018-19

S.No. Name Class House Game Group

1. Kashish Gupta VIII SAV Taekwondo Junior

2. Kareena XII LAX Senior

3. Mrignayani VIII SAR Archery Archery Junior

4. Ishika Singla X LAX Senior

5. Devika Rai Mehtani XII KAS Shooting Pistol

6. Sanya Bhatia X LAX Rifle

7. Shareya Fatma (jr) VIII SAR Basketball Best Scorer

8. Jiya Birara (sr) XI LAX

9. Astha Khetan (jr) VIII SAR Best Player

10. Jiya Gupta (sr) IX SAV

11. Neha Nain V SAV Swimming Sub-junior

12. Pramika Dhaka VIII SAR Junior

13. Nehal Sheoran X LAX Senior

14. Noor Gahlot VIII KAS Table Tennis Junior

15. Vanshika Beniwal IX SAV Senior

16. Trishla Kumari Motani VII SAV Hockey Jr Best Player

17. Kashish Lohan VII SAR Jr Scorer

18. Shivanshi Arora VIII SAR Jr Goal Keeper

19. Anshika Yadav X SAV Sr Best Player

20. Tanushree Madhogaria XII LAX Sr Scorer

21. Devanshi Lohia IX SAV Sr Goal Keeper

22. Arushi Godara VIII SAV Soccer Jr Best Player

23. Pearl VII KAS Jr Goal Keeper

24. Deepali Yadav VIII LAX Jr Best Scorer

25. Sharanya Bose XII SAR Sr Best Player

26. Rashi Khanna X SAR Sr Goal Keeper

27. Bhumika Behl IX SAV Sr Best Scorer

28. Pramika Dhaka VIII SAR Triathlon Junior

29. Nehal Sheoran X LAX Senior

30. Khushi Sehrawat X KAS Band Leader Band

31. Mahi Todi IX LAX Best Piper

32. Arpandeep Kaur IX LAX Best Drummer

33. Gracy Jindal VII LAX Yoga Junior

34. Nikita VIII SAV Junior

35. Damini Bishnoi X SAR Senior

36. Neha Nain Athletics Gr. A (4th& 5th )

37. Tamanna Nain Gr. B (6th ,7th,& 8th

38. Riya Kumari Gr. C (9th& 10th )

39. Kashish Choudhary Gr. D (11th& 12th)

40. Krishna Rewar VIII LAX Gr. A (4th& 8th )

41. Kopal Rungta X SAV Skating Gr.b (9th& 10th )

42. Kumkum Suneja XI LAX Gr. C(11th& 12th)

43. Meghna Mittal VII SAR Jr Best Player

44. Noor Gahlot VIII KAS Jr Best Server

45. Jasmeen Kaur XI KAS Volleyball Sr Best Player

46. Pranjal Saini XII SAV Sr Best Server

S.No. Game Overall Winner House

1. Archery Sarojini

2. Basketball Laxmibai

3. Hockey Savitri

4. Shooting Kasturba

5. Skating Savitri

6. Soccer Sarojini and Savitri

7. Swimming Laxmibai

8. Table Tennis Sarojini

9. Taekwondo Laxmibai

10. Triathlon Savitri

11. Volleyball Kasturba

12. Yoga Kasturba

13. Athletics Savitri

14. Cross Country Savitri

Overall Winner House Sarojini

Overall Winner House

The most awaited moment of the day was the Prize Distribution

Ceremony, wherein each House had something to celebrate. The

Chief Guest gave away prizes to the winners of the various

categories. Sarojini House lifted the Overall Trophy for

Athletics, 2018-19.

The Chief Guest, in her address, expressed her delight on the

winning streak of the young Jindalites and further motivated

them to do the best in the field of their choice. She complimented

the Principal, the staff and the students for putting a lot of hard

work to make this event a grand success. She inspired the young

Jindalites by narrating her journey to Mt. Everest. The

programme concluded with 'Vote of Thanks' proposed by the

School Sports Prefect, Yana Beniwal conveying gratitude to the

Chief Guest and the VDJS family for making the occasion a

memorable one.

fot;n'kehfot;n'kehfot;n'keh

The spectacular Yoga display

Touching the Finishing Line

Sarojini Girls with Overall Trophy

Taking a perfect Shot

Hope is that you will carry,

Hope is that you will carry on,

When you are down and out of life,

Hope is the flame that burns.

When there is darkness all around,

Hope is that which smiles, which brightens,

Even on a dull day in your life,

Hope is that dream which you can fulfil.

When you are ready to strive,

Hope is that freedom when you are caged,

That you will find a way in life.

So do not lose hope in life,

As that is the only way to life,

Just keep your hope alive.

Arya Tiwari, VIII D

Hope

4 5

lk{kkRdkj

For any institution which deals with humans, it is essential that it caters to all those vital aspects which makes it humane. Health is undoubtedly an indispensable aspect of human life wherein mental health surely surpasses all other health domains.

To cater to the same primary goal, we conceived the idea of rejoicing the World Mental Health Day in various innovative ways.The School observed Mental Health Week from 10th -16th October. Grounded in positive psychology-based interventions and strategies, we strategized to fuel the dimensions of hope, gratitude, resilience and optimism as the four wheels of the chariot of mental health in young Jindalites.

The odour of enthusiasm spread across the corridors of VDJS as the students made and wore mental health badges on the first day of the week. The badges carried scribbled messages emitting bright ideas of hope, joy, optimism, courage and other nutshells of positivity.

In the following days, the character strength of resilience was tested for the students in the age group of 14-17 years through a psychometric test- 'Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale'. The test was conducted, and the results are being analyzed by the Psychology Student volunteers.

The girls of grade IV took part in the 'My Safe Space' activity. They drew the space they felt the safest in and wrote about it. They wrote about how they feel happy in their safe space and what all they do there.

Grade V and VI students, exhibited their gratitude by making stunning 'Thank You' cards for the ones they are thankful to.

A session was conducted for grades VI and VII where activities targeting teamwork using hula-hoops were conducted. They watched a non-verbal video prompting their reflections. To everyone's surprise, they came up with insights about how one has to shape up oneself based on the scenario one is in, need to be self-caring, the ill effects of too much of anything, the joy of giving, to mention a few. Class VII students thereafter wrote stories based on their learnings of the day and came up with some well-structured stories.

The sports activities conducted in this duration were also coloured, targeting mental wellbeing. Based on the idea of how physical and mental health go hand in hand, class XI students conducted activities for classes VI-IX. The activities included sequential-coordinated dance, passing the positive current and the hula-hoops activities for teamwork and resilience.

The students also wrote slogans and quotes on mental health and displayed the same.

On the closing day, a special assembly was conducted for classes VIII-XII. In the assembly, the students were shown videos based on the themes- the authentic self(Identity), beliefs about self, body image and propagating love and positivity(Water experiment by Dr Masaru Emoto). They also watched a Ted talk wherein a teen shared why teens lose self-confidence and how they can develop the same. They watched the story of a resilient dog Pip. It was fun to conduct the hot seat activity wherein students from the audience became the protagonist dog, and the audience asked him questions, and Pip answered from the character's perspective.

There was then an open mic session where the students of classes VIII, IX and X presented self-written poems on the topics - 'Hope' and 'The Optimistic Me'. Apart from that, the students took the opportunity to express their personal ideas about 'Mental Well-being'.

The enthusiasm and the vigour of participation in the entire event was a delightful sight, and the energy of it travelled across the campus. There is definitely a hope that it would stay and would be nurtured by the enchanting, joyous minds.

Parul Dhingra

Life Skills Counsellor

Mental Health Week

Life Skills Counsellor addressing the Girls

Shivangi with PM Narendra Modi

Of altitudes and attitudes

Giving Psychometric Test

Hula-hoops Activity in progress

Hope is that you will carry,

Hope is that you will carry on,

When you are down and out of life,

Hope is the flame that burns.

When there is darkness all around,

Hope is that which smiles, which brightens,

Even on a dull day in your life,

Hope is that dream which you can fulfil.

When you are ready to strive,

Hope is that freedom when you are caged,

That you will find a way in life.

So do not lose hope in life,

As that is the only way to life,

Just keep your hope alive.

Arya Tiwari, VIII D

Hope

4 5

lk{kkRdkj

For any institution which deals with humans, it is essential that it caters to all those vital aspects which makes it humane. Health is undoubtedly an indispensable aspect of human life wherein mental health surely surpasses all other health domains.

To cater to the same primary goal, we conceived the idea of rejoicing the World Mental Health Day in various innovative ways.The School observed Mental Health Week from 10th -16th October. Grounded in positive psychology-based interventions and strategies, we strategized to fuel the dimensions of hope, gratitude, resilience and optimism as the four wheels of the chariot of mental health in young Jindalites.

The odour of enthusiasm spread across the corridors of VDJS as the students made and wore mental health badges on the first day of the week. The badges carried scribbled messages emitting bright ideas of hope, joy, optimism, courage and other nutshells of positivity.

In the following days, the character strength of resilience was tested for the students in the age group of 14-17 years through a psychometric test- 'Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale'. The test was conducted, and the results are being analyzed by the Psychology Student volunteers.

The girls of grade IV took part in the 'My Safe Space' activity. They drew the space they felt the safest in and wrote about it. They wrote about how they feel happy in their safe space and what all they do there.

Grade V and VI students, exhibited their gratitude by making stunning 'Thank You' cards for the ones they are thankful to.

A session was conducted for grades VI and VII where activities targeting teamwork using hula-hoops were conducted. They watched a non-verbal video prompting their reflections. To everyone's surprise, they came up with insights about how one has to shape up oneself based on the scenario one is in, need to be self-caring, the ill effects of too much of anything, the joy of giving, to mention a few. Class VII students thereafter wrote stories based on their learnings of the day and came up with some well-structured stories.

The sports activities conducted in this duration were also coloured, targeting mental wellbeing. Based on the idea of how physical and mental health go hand in hand, class XI students conducted activities for classes VI-IX. The activities included sequential-coordinated dance, passing the positive current and the hula-hoops activities for teamwork and resilience.

The students also wrote slogans and quotes on mental health and displayed the same.

On the closing day, a special assembly was conducted for classes VIII-XII. In the assembly, the students were shown videos based on the themes- the authentic self(Identity), beliefs about self, body image and propagating love and positivity(Water experiment by Dr Masaru Emoto). They also watched a Ted talk wherein a teen shared why teens lose self-confidence and how they can develop the same. They watched the story of a resilient dog Pip. It was fun to conduct the hot seat activity wherein students from the audience became the protagonist dog, and the audience asked him questions, and Pip answered from the character's perspective.

There was then an open mic session where the students of classes VIII, IX and X presented self-written poems on the topics - 'Hope' and 'The Optimistic Me'. Apart from that, the students took the opportunity to express their personal ideas about 'Mental Well-being'.

The enthusiasm and the vigour of participation in the entire event was a delightful sight, and the energy of it travelled across the campus. There is definitely a hope that it would stay and would be nurtured by the enchanting, joyous minds.

Parul Dhingra

Life Skills Counsellor

Mental Health Week

Life Skills Counsellor addressing the Girls

Shivangi with PM Narendra Modi

Of altitudes and attitudes

Giving Psychometric Test

Hula-hoops Activity in progress

76

What are the different drills that are taken up by you as part of the

Self Defence training?

The drills are designed age appropriately to support it with the mental

and physical prowess of the participants. Some of the drills we do are-

Anti-kidnap Drill- It prepares the participants to be alert in places where

probability of such a crime is high. The physical techniques based on

“KravMaga” and KAPAP are combined with mental preparedness to

avoid real life situations like somebody trying to pull into a room,

somebody trying to lift and push into a car, somebody trying to abduct on

an emotional pretext.

Anti stalking Drill- A lot of times we are too caught up in our thoughts to

recognise people present in our environment who might be following us

waiting for an opportunity to pounce upon us. This Drill helps us stay

alert to react immediately when stalked. The physical techniques

provide minimum time with maximum impact.

Anti Rape Drill- Most real life crime scenarios end up in rapes and it is

therefore very important to educate the students on how and why of

rapes. This Drill focuses on mobility in ground and techniques to fight

back when pinned on the floor. The laws pertaining to rapes in India are

also introduced to understand our rights and responsibilities.

Situational Awareness- This is the key to success in any given crisis

situation. Having a mind than can read a tell tale sign helps preempt a

situation before it happens.

Travel Safety Drill- Travelling is an integral part of our everyday life and

therefore, safety in various modes of transport like cabs/ trains/

aeroplanes and even while walking onfoot is practised in this Drill.

Multiple Opponent Survival System- The fear of multiple attackers is

deeply ingrained in most people. The techniques to fight back many

people at a time is what is taught in this Drill. It gives a great deal of

confidence to the participants to practise a real life situation like this.

Apart from the self defence techniques what are the other aspects

that your team touches upon?

We believe that self defence has a reactive measure. If we want to be safe,

we need to practise self protection, the all round safety concept.

Physical safety can be ensured only when we have mental and emotional

robustness. That is why we work on various concepts of confidence like-

3 Body language

3 Body shaming

3 Judgements and biases

3 Gender sensitivity

3 Boundary lines- learn to say NO

3 Anger management

How do you structure the flow of the sessions?

A typical session is divided into 3 parts-

Mental preparedness- We introduce a real life case study in the form of

storytelling and create an ambience of threat to promote analytical

thinking of the participants. The participants come up with solutions

Tête-à-têteMs Dipti Shankar (Dee) Founder and Director “Safe Campus” is the first Indian woman to have been trained in Israel in Reality Based Self Defence systems. She has been working with women and for children empowerment for the last 6 years. Having intervened with more than 1,00,000 plus individuals so far, she carries the rich experience of knowing and handling real life situations faced by children.

Dee has been conducting Self Defence classes at VDJS for the past three years. The classes were conducted in a progressive certification format and have been received very positively by the students. Here's Dee in conversation with the members of the Editorial Board.

based on their understanding and practice from previous lessons.

Emotional preparedness- Most of the crimes are committed by people

who we know and that is why overcoming emotional boundaries is very

important. We talk of data and statistics to hammer the concept of “your

safety is your responsibility”.

Physical Preparedness- Physical exercises for strength and stamina are

introduced to work on reflexes. The martial arts techniques are then

introduced to facilitate solutions to real life situations.

We believe that a programme like yours cannot be completely

planned in advance. How much of it is preplanned and how much is

dynamic?

We definitely have an age appropriate syllabus to cover in each class.

Every session works as the foundation for next session and upgrades

the participants to the next level. Since the subject is very dynamic,

we leave a 20% space to cater to the team dynamics, current incidents

and experience based scenarios. This is why every session is unique

in itself.

A very important component of emotional and physical

empowerment of girls is formation of strong bonds with their inner

circle of people. How do you help in the building of bridges with

parents and teachers?

We strongly believe in creating the Safety circle for our participants. We

help them identify their trusted adults and bring forth the importance of

building trustworthy relationships with their teachers and parents. This

definitely gives them confidence and courage. Helping them understand

the generational differences and their roles and responsibilities in

building trust with each other to give them the space to share their lives

without the fear of being judged.

This is your third year in VDJS. What are some changes that you

have found in our girls over these years?

It has been a beautiful journey of growth for all of us. The most

significant change I notice is that they have become more confident and

fearless in speaking their minds and sharing their personal situations on

open platforms. Acceptance of one's self helps them open the doors of

growth and self-appraisal.

Tell us in detail about the 'Warrior Princess Programme' that you

started?

The warrior princess program is a social outreach program aimed

at creating sustainable empowerment for girls and women in the

rural sector of India. It is a 'Train the Trainers' format where our

students who have been undergoing the regular self-protection

program for more than 2 years are given an opportunity to go out and

teach self defence to the underprivileged girls and women. This helps

create a sense of responsibility and sharing attitude amongst the

students.

What was the idea behind starting a module for the teachers and the

pastoral team?

In a boarding school format specially, the teachers and pastoral team are

the ones who spend maximum amount of time with our students. It is

therefore important for them to understand and relate with the concerns

and issues the students are dealing with in their journey of personal

growth. The program for teachers helps us build the bridge between

teachers and students so that we can create an environment of safety for

our students. They feel more confident when they are trusted and not

judged on basis of their decisions which sometimes could be right and

sometimes wrong. They get a constant mentoring and guidance in the

right direction.

F Gender sensitivity lessons for boys

The world is changing very fast ...buckle up and catch the wind!!

F The biggest hurdle in your work

The stereotypical mindset that only girls need to be protected

F The most important tip for the girls

Believe in yourself ...there is nothing you can't do!!

F Physical strength or mental strength?

Mental strength

F One change that you wish to see in the society

Equal opportunities for each one of us

F An adjective for the Jindalites

Warrior Princesses!!

Rapid

Fire

Fifteen NCC cadets along with teacher escort, Mrs Suman Arora, attended the NCC Combined

Annual Training Camp organized by 1HR BN held at Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Complex,

Rohtak from 21st-30th September. They got training in various fields such as map reading,

battle craft, weapon training, conventional signs and section formations. They even got a

chance to fire from .22 Rifle which was very thrilling as it was the first time that they held real

ammunition in their hand. Shreya Bharti and Anandita Raj of grade IX got selected for Best

Cadet whereas Karen Wadhwa got selected for Cultural Programme - Republic Day Camp.

This camp not only taught them punctuality and discipline but also prepared them for future

examinations and various competitive exams such as SSB.

NCC Combined Annual Training Camp (21st-30th September)

Eight students attended NCC Annual Training Camp held at Haryana Agricultural University,

Hisar organized by I HAR R & V NCC from 1st -10th October. In this duration, they attended

various drill and firing sessions. They also got an opportunity to learn about horses and

horse riding. In the competitive sports activities, Ananya Dalania of Class IX bagged 2nd

position and Jindalites secured the 1st position in group dance. It was a great learning

experience for all the cadets.

Annual Training Camp (1st -10th October)

Twelve NCC cadets along with teacher escort Ms

Shriya Bhalla attended the NCC Combined

Annual Training Camp organized by 1HR BN

held at Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Complex,

Rohtak from 3rd-12th October. They learnt some

of the very important life skills such as map

reading, compass usage, self-defence, and a lot

about field craft and battle craft. They also

attended firing sessions using .22mm Rifle.

Anandita Raj of Class IX got selected for Best

Cadet, whereas Shreya Bharti and Samriddhi got

selected for Cultural Programme - Republic Day

Camp. Ms Shriya Bhalla conducted classes on

Yoga & Mindfulness, Communication Skills and

SSB Interview Preparation. She was appreciated

f o r h e r o u t s t a n d i n g p e r f o r m a n c e a n d

recommended for the post of Associate NCC

Officer(ANO). It was a great learning experience

for all the participants.

NCC Annual Training Camp (3rd-12th October)

NCC Activities

Girls with Ms Dipti Shankar (Dee)

Proud NCC Cadets

76

What are the different drills that are taken up by you as part of the

Self Defence training?

The drills are designed age appropriately to support it with the mental

and physical prowess of the participants. Some of the drills we do are-

Anti-kidnap Drill- It prepares the participants to be alert in places where

probability of such a crime is high. The physical techniques based on

“KravMaga” and KAPAP are combined with mental preparedness to

avoid real life situations like somebody trying to pull into a room,

somebody trying to lift and push into a car, somebody trying to abduct on

an emotional pretext.

Anti stalking Drill- A lot of times we are too caught up in our thoughts to

recognise people present in our environment who might be following us

waiting for an opportunity to pounce upon us. This Drill helps us stay

alert to react immediately when stalked. The physical techniques

provide minimum time with maximum impact.

Anti Rape Drill- Most real life crime scenarios end up in rapes and it is

therefore very important to educate the students on how and why of

rapes. This Drill focuses on mobility in ground and techniques to fight

back when pinned on the floor. The laws pertaining to rapes in India are

also introduced to understand our rights and responsibilities.

Situational Awareness- This is the key to success in any given crisis

situation. Having a mind than can read a tell tale sign helps preempt a

situation before it happens.

Travel Safety Drill- Travelling is an integral part of our everyday life and

therefore, safety in various modes of transport like cabs/ trains/

aeroplanes and even while walking onfoot is practised in this Drill.

Multiple Opponent Survival System- The fear of multiple attackers is

deeply ingrained in most people. The techniques to fight back many

people at a time is what is taught in this Drill. It gives a great deal of

confidence to the participants to practise a real life situation like this.

Apart from the self defence techniques what are the other aspects

that your team touches upon?

We believe that self defence has a reactive measure. If we want to be safe,

we need to practise self protection, the all round safety concept.

Physical safety can be ensured only when we have mental and emotional

robustness. That is why we work on various concepts of confidence like-

3 Body language

3 Body shaming

3 Judgements and biases

3 Gender sensitivity

3 Boundary lines- learn to say NO

3 Anger management

How do you structure the flow of the sessions?

A typical session is divided into 3 parts-

Mental preparedness- We introduce a real life case study in the form of

storytelling and create an ambience of threat to promote analytical

thinking of the participants. The participants come up with solutions

Tête-à-têteMs Dipti Shankar (Dee) Founder and Director “Safe Campus” is the first Indian woman to have been trained in Israel in Reality Based Self Defence systems. She has been working with women and for children empowerment for the last 6 years. Having intervened with more than 1,00,000 plus individuals so far, she carries the rich experience of knowing and handling real life situations faced by children.

Dee has been conducting Self Defence classes at VDJS for the past three years. The classes were conducted in a progressive certification format and have been received very positively by the students. Here's Dee in conversation with the members of the Editorial Board.

based on their understanding and practice from previous lessons.

Emotional preparedness- Most of the crimes are committed by people

who we know and that is why overcoming emotional boundaries is very

important. We talk of data and statistics to hammer the concept of “your

safety is your responsibility”.

Physical Preparedness- Physical exercises for strength and stamina are

introduced to work on reflexes. The martial arts techniques are then

introduced to facilitate solutions to real life situations.

We believe that a programme like yours cannot be completely

planned in advance. How much of it is preplanned and how much is

dynamic?

We definitely have an age appropriate syllabus to cover in each class.

Every session works as the foundation for next session and upgrades

the participants to the next level. Since the subject is very dynamic,

we leave a 20% space to cater to the team dynamics, current incidents

and experience based scenarios. This is why every session is unique

in itself.

A very important component of emotional and physical

empowerment of girls is formation of strong bonds with their inner

circle of people. How do you help in the building of bridges with

parents and teachers?

We strongly believe in creating the Safety circle for our participants. We

help them identify their trusted adults and bring forth the importance of

building trustworthy relationships with their teachers and parents. This

definitely gives them confidence and courage. Helping them understand

the generational differences and their roles and responsibilities in

building trust with each other to give them the space to share their lives

without the fear of being judged.

This is your third year in VDJS. What are some changes that you

have found in our girls over these years?

It has been a beautiful journey of growth for all of us. The most

significant change I notice is that they have become more confident and

fearless in speaking their minds and sharing their personal situations on

open platforms. Acceptance of one's self helps them open the doors of

growth and self-appraisal.

Tell us in detail about the 'Warrior Princess Programme' that you

started?

The warrior princess program is a social outreach program aimed

at creating sustainable empowerment for girls and women in the

rural sector of India. It is a 'Train the Trainers' format where our

students who have been undergoing the regular self-protection

program for more than 2 years are given an opportunity to go out and

teach self defence to the underprivileged girls and women. This helps

create a sense of responsibility and sharing attitude amongst the

students.

What was the idea behind starting a module for the teachers and the

pastoral team?

In a boarding school format specially, the teachers and pastoral team are

the ones who spend maximum amount of time with our students. It is

therefore important for them to understand and relate with the concerns

and issues the students are dealing with in their journey of personal

growth. The program for teachers helps us build the bridge between

teachers and students so that we can create an environment of safety for

our students. They feel more confident when they are trusted and not

judged on basis of their decisions which sometimes could be right and

sometimes wrong. They get a constant mentoring and guidance in the

right direction.

F Gender sensitivity lessons for boys

The world is changing very fast ...buckle up and catch the wind!!

F The biggest hurdle in your work

The stereotypical mindset that only girls need to be protected

F The most important tip for the girls

Believe in yourself ...there is nothing you can't do!!

F Physical strength or mental strength?

Mental strength

F One change that you wish to see in the society

Equal opportunities for each one of us

F An adjective for the Jindalites

Warrior Princesses!!

Rapid

Fire

Fifteen NCC cadets along with teacher escort, Mrs Suman Arora, attended the NCC Combined

Annual Training Camp organized by 1HR BN held at Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Complex,

Rohtak from 21st-30th September. They got training in various fields such as map reading,

battle craft, weapon training, conventional signs and section formations. They even got a

chance to fire from .22 Rifle which was very thrilling as it was the first time that they held real

ammunition in their hand. Shreya Bharti and Anandita Raj of grade IX got selected for Best

Cadet whereas Karen Wadhwa got selected for Cultural Programme - Republic Day Camp.

This camp not only taught them punctuality and discipline but also prepared them for future

examinations and various competitive exams such as SSB.

NCC Combined Annual Training Camp (21st-30th September)

Eight students attended NCC Annual Training Camp held at Haryana Agricultural University,

Hisar organized by I HAR R & V NCC from 1st -10th October. In this duration, they attended

various drill and firing sessions. They also got an opportunity to learn about horses and

horse riding. In the competitive sports activities, Ananya Dalania of Class IX bagged 2nd

position and Jindalites secured the 1st position in group dance. It was a great learning

experience for all the cadets.

Annual Training Camp (1st -10th October)

Twelve NCC cadets along with teacher escort Ms

Shriya Bhalla attended the NCC Combined

Annual Training Camp organized by 1HR BN

held at Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Complex,

Rohtak from 3rd-12th October. They learnt some

of the very important life skills such as map

reading, compass usage, self-defence, and a lot

about field craft and battle craft. They also

attended firing sessions using .22mm Rifle.

Anandita Raj of Class IX got selected for Best

Cadet, whereas Shreya Bharti and Samriddhi got

selected for Cultural Programme - Republic Day

Camp. Ms Shriya Bhalla conducted classes on

Yoga & Mindfulness, Communication Skills and

SSB Interview Preparation. She was appreciated

f o r h e r o u t s t a n d i n g p e r f o r m a n c e a n d

recommended for the post of Associate NCC

Officer(ANO). It was a great learning experience

for all the participants.

NCC Annual Training Camp (3rd-12th October)

NCC Activities

Girls with Ms Dipti Shankar (Dee)

Proud NCC Cadets

98Keynote Speakers

It is rightly said that 'everyone smiles in the same language'. Six Jindalites-

Seerat Dhesi, Shaily Sharma, Vasudha Agarwal, Tara Dube, Khushpreet

Kaur and Shristy Dalania have experienced this truth by participating in

Round Square International Conference 2019.

It is near impossible to even think of meeting the entire world under one

roof. But the Round Square is an organisation that connects students

from all over the world under one umbrella and helps students to

inculcate six important ideals- Internationalism, Democracy,

Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service. This year, The

Emerald Heights International School, Indore hosted The Largest

Conference ever and warmly welcomed 700+ delegates from 159

schools across the world.

India is well known for its hospitality and welcoming nature and the

Emerald Heights International School upheld this quality by giving a

royal welcome to each delegate. Dhols were beaten energetically,

forehead adorned with traditional tilak and a garland put around the neck,

that is how Emeraldites warmly welcomed each one of us. We felt like a

celebrity feted with royalty.

The grand Opening Ceremony on 2nd October marked the beginning of

this extravagant conference and introduced the theme of the conference:

SARVODAYA- THE WORLD WE WISH TO SEE. The best part of the

conference was attending sessions of some brilliant personalities. We got

the golden chance of meeting Mr Kailash Satyarthi, Dr Shashi Tharoor,

Sophia, Major DP Singh, Kiran Gandhi and Swami Gaur Gopal Das as

our keynote speakers during the conference. Their tales and anecdotes

infused determination and motivation in each heart present there.

For the daily activities, all the participating schools were divided into 4

Barraza groups- Jal, Vayu, Aakash and Prithvi with a further division in

each group. These groups provided a platform to each student to express

his/her views regarding the given issue and suggest solutions as well for

the same. The Barraza sessions kept us thoroughly engaged and also

brought us closer to each other, helped us know diverse human nature

and even expanded our friendship list altogether.

The places we visited during the conference included a school for blind

girls, a school for the deaf, an old age home, a special school, and the

Gyanodaya School. We painted walls, bed sheets and pillow covers for

old people; helped people in decorating diyas and making Laddoos for

Diwali; and many more trivial activities which brought a smile on the

face of those not so privileged ones. We could feel the same happiness

back justifying the third law of great scientist, Isaac Newton.

We also got an opportunity to visit Mandu and Maheshwar, the historical

places of the region. Mandu is known as “Our Own City of Joy”, the

largest fortified city of the medieval era. On the other hand, a walk

around Maheshwar, the city of Shiva, gives an extraordinary feeling

which one needs to experience it to believe it. The visits enhanced our

knowledge about medieval India.

This conference also gave us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to

participate in the Run for Cancer with a lionized runner, Major DP Singh.

This ignited the spirit of adventure in all of us.

Not the days alone, every night was also different as it had a theme

associated with it. The themes covered in these seven days were-

Carnival, the Essence of India, Padhahro Mhare Desh, God's Own

Country, Festivals of India and finally the Bollywood Night. The host

tried their best to liveup to the expectations of the theme. Despite being

bone-tired because of the day-long activites, we all used to dance to the

beats of the DJ (and many a time in the mud due to heavy rains in Indore,

fields got muddy). It wouldn't be fair if we missed mentioning the

delicious food served by the School…. literally finger-licking food all

through the Conference!!!!!

We were so busy enjoying and making memories that we failed to see the

closing ceremony approaching. It felt like we blinked our eyes and the

days passed. Every brick of the wall indulged us and made us feel like we

were a part of their family.

On 8th October, we came back enriched and rejuvenated to our home

away from home. Miss you RSIC 2019!

Aradhna Malik, RS Rep

Round Square

International Conference 2019

RSIC 2020 will be hosted in Melbourne and Tasmania by Ballarat Grammar School, Ivanhoe Grammar School and Scotch Oakburn College. The conference dates are 13th to 20th September 2020. Interested students can give their names by 30th November 2019 to the RS Rep.

Interested students can give their names for the upcoming International Round Square Conferences. You can choose the conferences according to your age and for additional information contact the RS Rep.

RS 2020 Conferences

VDJS Round Square News ROUND

SQUARE

M r S a t y a r t h i h a s b e e n tirelessly working for the protection of children's rights for four decades from now. He s t a r t e d t h e c a m p a i g n “Bachpan Bachao Andolan”

(save the childhood movement). He has rescued over 88,000 children from the scourge of bondage, trafficking and exploitation. He shared his philosophy of 3D (Dream, Discover and Do), which motivated us to not wait for any leader rather become our own leader and work for the betterment of others.

Mr Tharoor is currently s e r v i n g a s M e m b e r o f Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala since 2009. Tharoor is an acclaimed writer having

authored 18 best selling works of fiction and non-fiction since 1981 which are centred on India and its history, culture, film, politics, society, foreign policy and more related themes. He reminded children of the importance of learning how to think rather what to think.

Sophia is Hanson Robotic's most advanced human-like robot, created by combining breakthrough innovations in robotics, AI and artistry. She is endowed with remarkable

expressiveness, aesthetics and interactivity and can stimulate a full range of facial expressions, track and recognize faces and hold natural conversations with people. She told children to be kind to themselves, the world, environment, and she lives in the world you wish to see.

Ms Kiran Gandhi, who also performs as Madame Gandhi, is a female drummer and activists whose mission is to elevate and celebrate the female voice. She travels the

world to perform and speak about modern gender equality and will release her album Visions in Fall 2019. She shared her vision for the world as a more collaborative and non-competitive space.

This 45-year-old man is a proud Kargil war veteran. Injured severely during Kargil war to the tune of being declared dead, Major Singh survived to shine as India's 1st

amputee marathon runner, famous as an Indian Blade runner. He has completed 26 marathons till date. He understands that don't change anything around you but yourself because you are the boss of your life. He believes that whatever happens, happens for something good. Accept, learn and move on. He thinks that conquer yourself to conquer the world (Man Jeete Jag Jeete..). He motivated everyone to give up ….GIVING UP!

Swami G. Gopal Das is a renowned life coach all over the world. He has been s p e a k i n g a t v a r i o u s p r e s t i g i o u s a c a d e m i c institutions and corporate

firms in India and abroad for over two decades and has even spoken at the British Parliament. 'He explained to us the meaning of success. You don't need someone to tell your value or worth. You have infinite value and worth. There's a fire inside you. Push and explore the sky. It might be limitless but do not forget to keep your one leg on the ground. Be humble.'

Dates Hosts Cost Location Age Theme Delegates

9 to 14 March Cheong Shim International 2 lakh approx. South Korea 13-15 Reverence for the past, 5 + 1 accompanying2020 Academy aspirations for the future teacher

23 to 27 April Prem Tinsulanonda 2 lakhs approx. Thailand 10-12 Sustainable Siam- 6 + 1 accompanying2020 International School sustainability and equity teacher

28 April to St. Cyprian’s School 2.75 lakhs South Africa 12-14 Simply sustainable 6 + 1 accompanying2 May 2020 approx. teacher

29 June to St. Mary’s Colchester 3 lakhs approx. The United Kingdom 11-13 Our past, your future- 5 + 1 accompanying3 July 2020 conservation in action teacher

13 to 19 April Brook house School 2.5 lakhs Kenya 16-18 The African Footprint 6 + 1 accompanying2020 approx. teacher

22 to 26 Feb. St. George’s Diocesan School 2.5 approx. Namibia 13-15 Giving nature a voice 6 + 1 accompanying2020 teacher

30 April to Glenlyon Norfolk School 3 lakhs approx. Canada 12-14 Nature is our home and 3 + 1 accompanying6 May 2020 where our adventure begins teacher

RSIC 2020 Registration Opens

RSIS Big Build Tanzania: 24th March – 9th April 2020 – 3 students

These positions fill up quickly so if you are interested in applying, please don't delay in getting your application to the RS Rep.

Space available for RSIS Projects

Mr Kailash Satyarthi(Nobel Prize Laureate)

Mr Shashi Tharoor(Member of Parliament)

Sophia(The First-Ever Robot Citizen)

Kiran Gandhi(Electronic Music Artist and Activist)

Major D.P. Singh(First Blade Runner of India)

Swami Gaur Gopal Das(International Life Coach)

VDJS Delegation with Rod Fraser, Chairman, Round Square

98Keynote Speakers

It is rightly said that 'everyone smiles in the same language'. Six Jindalites-

Seerat Dhesi, Shaily Sharma, Vasudha Agarwal, Tara Dube, Khushpreet

Kaur and Shristy Dalania have experienced this truth by participating in

Round Square International Conference 2019.

It is near impossible to even think of meeting the entire world under one

roof. But the Round Square is an organisation that connects students

from all over the world under one umbrella and helps students to

inculcate six important ideals- Internationalism, Democracy,

Environment, Adventure, Leadership and Service. This year, The

Emerald Heights International School, Indore hosted The Largest

Conference ever and warmly welcomed 700+ delegates from 159

schools across the world.

India is well known for its hospitality and welcoming nature and the

Emerald Heights International School upheld this quality by giving a

royal welcome to each delegate. Dhols were beaten energetically,

forehead adorned with traditional tilak and a garland put around the neck,

that is how Emeraldites warmly welcomed each one of us. We felt like a

celebrity feted with royalty.

The grand Opening Ceremony on 2nd October marked the beginning of

this extravagant conference and introduced the theme of the conference:

SARVODAYA- THE WORLD WE WISH TO SEE. The best part of the

conference was attending sessions of some brilliant personalities. We got

the golden chance of meeting Mr Kailash Satyarthi, Dr Shashi Tharoor,

Sophia, Major DP Singh, Kiran Gandhi and Swami Gaur Gopal Das as

our keynote speakers during the conference. Their tales and anecdotes

infused determination and motivation in each heart present there.

For the daily activities, all the participating schools were divided into 4

Barraza groups- Jal, Vayu, Aakash and Prithvi with a further division in

each group. These groups provided a platform to each student to express

his/her views regarding the given issue and suggest solutions as well for

the same. The Barraza sessions kept us thoroughly engaged and also

brought us closer to each other, helped us know diverse human nature

and even expanded our friendship list altogether.

The places we visited during the conference included a school for blind

girls, a school for the deaf, an old age home, a special school, and the

Gyanodaya School. We painted walls, bed sheets and pillow covers for

old people; helped people in decorating diyas and making Laddoos for

Diwali; and many more trivial activities which brought a smile on the

face of those not so privileged ones. We could feel the same happiness

back justifying the third law of great scientist, Isaac Newton.

We also got an opportunity to visit Mandu and Maheshwar, the historical

places of the region. Mandu is known as “Our Own City of Joy”, the

largest fortified city of the medieval era. On the other hand, a walk

around Maheshwar, the city of Shiva, gives an extraordinary feeling

which one needs to experience it to believe it. The visits enhanced our

knowledge about medieval India.

This conference also gave us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to

participate in the Run for Cancer with a lionized runner, Major DP Singh.

This ignited the spirit of adventure in all of us.

Not the days alone, every night was also different as it had a theme

associated with it. The themes covered in these seven days were-

Carnival, the Essence of India, Padhahro Mhare Desh, God's Own

Country, Festivals of India and finally the Bollywood Night. The host

tried their best to liveup to the expectations of the theme. Despite being

bone-tired because of the day-long activites, we all used to dance to the

beats of the DJ (and many a time in the mud due to heavy rains in Indore,

fields got muddy). It wouldn't be fair if we missed mentioning the

delicious food served by the School…. literally finger-licking food all

through the Conference!!!!!

We were so busy enjoying and making memories that we failed to see the

closing ceremony approaching. It felt like we blinked our eyes and the

days passed. Every brick of the wall indulged us and made us feel like we

were a part of their family.

On 8th October, we came back enriched and rejuvenated to our home

away from home. Miss you RSIC 2019!

Aradhna Malik, RS Rep

Round Square

International Conference 2019

RSIC 2020 will be hosted in Melbourne and Tasmania by Ballarat Grammar School, Ivanhoe Grammar School and Scotch Oakburn College. The conference dates are 13th to 20th September 2020. Interested students can give their names by 30th November 2019 to the RS Rep.

Interested students can give their names for the upcoming International Round Square Conferences. You can choose the conferences according to your age and for additional information contact the RS Rep.

RS 2020 Conferences

VDJS Round Square News ROUND

SQUARE

M r S a t y a r t h i h a s b e e n tirelessly working for the protection of children's rights for four decades from now. He s t a r t e d t h e c a m p a i g n “Bachpan Bachao Andolan”

(save the childhood movement). He has rescued over 88,000 children from the scourge of bondage, trafficking and exploitation. He shared his philosophy of 3D (Dream, Discover and Do), which motivated us to not wait for any leader rather become our own leader and work for the betterment of others.

Mr Tharoor is currently s e r v i n g a s M e m b e r o f Parliament, Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala since 2009. Tharoor is an acclaimed writer having

authored 18 best selling works of fiction and non-fiction since 1981 which are centred on India and its history, culture, film, politics, society, foreign policy and more related themes. He reminded children of the importance of learning how to think rather what to think.

Sophia is Hanson Robotic's most advanced human-like robot, created by combining breakthrough innovations in robotics, AI and artistry. She is endowed with remarkable

expressiveness, aesthetics and interactivity and can stimulate a full range of facial expressions, track and recognize faces and hold natural conversations with people. She told children to be kind to themselves, the world, environment, and she lives in the world you wish to see.

Ms Kiran Gandhi, who also performs as Madame Gandhi, is a female drummer and activists whose mission is to elevate and celebrate the female voice. She travels the

world to perform and speak about modern gender equality and will release her album Visions in Fall 2019. She shared her vision for the world as a more collaborative and non-competitive space.

This 45-year-old man is a proud Kargil war veteran. Injured severely during Kargil war to the tune of being declared dead, Major Singh survived to shine as India's 1st

amputee marathon runner, famous as an Indian Blade runner. He has completed 26 marathons till date. He understands that don't change anything around you but yourself because you are the boss of your life. He believes that whatever happens, happens for something good. Accept, learn and move on. He thinks that conquer yourself to conquer the world (Man Jeete Jag Jeete..). He motivated everyone to give up ….GIVING UP!

Swami G. Gopal Das is a renowned life coach all over the world. He has been s p e a k i n g a t v a r i o u s p r e s t i g i o u s a c a d e m i c institutions and corporate

firms in India and abroad for over two decades and has even spoken at the British Parliament. 'He explained to us the meaning of success. You don't need someone to tell your value or worth. You have infinite value and worth. There's a fire inside you. Push and explore the sky. It might be limitless but do not forget to keep your one leg on the ground. Be humble.'

Dates Hosts Cost Location Age Theme Delegates

9 to 14 March Cheong Shim International 2 lakh approx. South Korea 13-15 Reverence for the past, 5 + 1 accompanying2020 Academy aspirations for the future teacher

23 to 27 April Prem Tinsulanonda 2 lakhs approx. Thailand 10-12 Sustainable Siam- 6 + 1 accompanying2020 International School sustainability and equity teacher

28 April to St. Cyprian’s School 2.75 lakhs South Africa 12-14 Simply sustainable 6 + 1 accompanying2 May 2020 approx. teacher

29 June to St. Mary’s Colchester 3 lakhs approx. The United Kingdom 11-13 Our past, your future- 5 + 1 accompanying3 July 2020 conservation in action teacher

13 to 19 April Brook house School 2.5 lakhs Kenya 16-18 The African Footprint 6 + 1 accompanying2020 approx. teacher

22 to 26 Feb. St. George’s Diocesan School 2.5 approx. Namibia 13-15 Giving nature a voice 6 + 1 accompanying2020 teacher

30 April to Glenlyon Norfolk School 3 lakhs approx. Canada 12-14 Nature is our home and 3 + 1 accompanying6 May 2020 where our adventure begins teacher

RSIC 2020 Registration Opens

RSIS Big Build Tanzania: 24th March – 9th April 2020 – 3 students

These positions fill up quickly so if you are interested in applying, please don't delay in getting your application to the RS Rep.

Space available for RSIS Projects

Mr Kailash Satyarthi(Nobel Prize Laureate)

Mr Shashi Tharoor(Member of Parliament)

Sophia(The First-Ever Robot Citizen)

Kiran Gandhi(Electronic Music Artist and Activist)

Major D.P. Singh(First Blade Runner of India)

Swami Gaur Gopal Das(International Life Coach)

VDJS Delegation with Rod Fraser, Chairman, Round Square

10

With the Midterm exams over we finally celebrated

INDEPENDENCE DAY! The only thought dominating our minds

was ‘Ye khushike bas do pal hai, jee lo inhe fir toh result hai.’

Under the aegis of IAYP, 82 students along with 7 escort teachers

packed their luggage and set out for the adventure trip to

Dharamshala. While fulfilling the requirement of the award

programme, it was also perfectly timed to serve as the best refuge

after the anxiety and stress of the exam days. So while a long list of

adventure activities had been planned we too had our own agenda

with some of us planning to meet Dalai Lama (though remained a

fantasy only). Then there were the others who dreamt of shopping,

momos and cartons of tuck (hard-core foodie you know!).

We left VDJS at 7:00 in the evening, and everyone was excited for

the overnight journey (because after 9 pm House se bahar rah kar

tou dikhao). The night passed away in dancing, gossiping and

sleeping (best use of time mein to hamara jawab nahi). The

following day, we reached our destination in the afternoon, where

we were gladly received by the Camp organizers. Here we enjoyed

our first meal in the lap of nature. The cool breeze and frigid

ambience of the camp was a great relief from the scorching heat of

Haryana. Soon it started raining, and we relaxed in our tents to

dodge the perpetual lightning and rain which was straight out of a

horror movie (kitna filmi tha!).

Evening activities comprising Flying Fox, Mowgli Walk and

Commando Net thrilled and challenged our body and mind at the

same time.

The next day getting up at 5:30 in the morning for tea-biscuits and

exercises was not at all a big deal. (Thanks to Morning PT

schedule!). But the following vigorous trek of approximately 20 km

at the height of about 7000 feet made us realize the side effects of

missing track field rounds. (Short cuts are always long cuts.)

The trek commenced with the slogan, “HOW’S THE JOSH?” and

the delegation moved ahead witnessing the alluring beauty of

nature in its pristine form. The sky-scraping mountains seemed to

be galvanizing us to trounce the obstacles and reach the pinnacle.

During the trek, it was Ananta who benefitted the most. You know

how? She got a new companion, adog, which she fondly named

‘Oreo’. Soon Oreo became popular in the group. It never left

Ananta’s side throughout the trek as if they had been friends

forever. ( I’m sure Ananta will miss Oreo over the years.)

BICHOO BOOTI remained, as usual, a scary monster which could

munch anyone without any prior notice. Though we had read the

last group’s encounter with it, to experience it personally was just

too irritating. Thanks to our experienced teachers who were well

equipped with a good stock of spinach leaves and who kept on

reciting the mantra,” Girls be careful, stay away from bichoo

booti”, that many of us were saved of this misadventure. During a

brief halt at Handi, we splashed icy cold water and clicked loads of

pictures to freeze the happy moments. The divinity and sanctity of

the environs were an absolute wonder.

With shopping at Mcleodganj the trip came to a full circle.

Looking back, we feel such trips strengthen our bonds with one

another. We got to know so many hidden aspects of our peers which

we couldn’t have possibly known in the regular classroom setting.

The trip also added a whole new dimension to the way we view our

teachers. We realised that they are so much more than just educators

who come and deliver lectures and then demand loads of homework

in return. Their genuine concern for our comfort and enjoyment all

through the trip was all so touching. The last evening at Dharamshala

went in Princy’s grand birthday celebration on the street, which

definitely left an indelible imprint on her happy memory list. Then we

had to leave for VDJS - our home away from home.

In a nutshell, the three-day excursion was more than a holiday. Be it

the food, the stay, the time spent in the company of such wonderful

people, jam sessions and Princy’s grand birthday celebration,

everything is etched in our mind to be cherished forever. Actually, it

was a way of learning and experiencing life. It helped us to get out

of our comfort zones and create new and lasting relationships.

Kanika Mittal, XII D

IAYP Adventure Trip to Dharamshala

11Campus News

The educational magazine Career 360 carried an article by Principal Ms Shalini Mehrotra wherein she expressed her views on the importance of teacher training and its impact on the learning outcomes. A comparative analysis of the US and South Korean education systems helped bring to fore that importance of recruiting and then developing meritorious teachers for enhancement of academic standards. The article is also available on the School Website.

Celebrations

Media Coverage

On 2nd October Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated through several meaningful observances.

150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

In an effort to bring students close to nature, know more about plants and inculcate gardening skills in them, the School had planned to set up a Botanical Garden this year. And no other occasion could have been more opportune than Gandhi Jayanti to initiate sapling plantation for the same.

Principal Ms Mehrotra, planted the inaugural sapling followed by staff members and students. She inspired the students to visit the botanical garden on a daily basis and nurture the saplings planted there. She reminded them of the need to conserve nature for a healthy tomorrow.

The Botanical garden is divided into different sections to facilitate systemic and scientific learning about plants. There are more than 15 types of medicinal plants, different varieties of palms, variegated plants, spices, roses, cactus, succulents, fruits, roses, shady plants, gymnosperms and many more varieties.

The Garden is taking shape in full swing and very soon the beautiful butterfly shaped pond will be full of lotus, lilies and other water plants. A wide variety of Bonsai are an added attraction of Garden. Touch me Not (Mimosa) is a special plant which, everyone wants to touch. All the plants will be marked in coming days and labelled with botanical names with their importance. The garden has already become very popular and students are often found requesting teachers for outdoor classes and nature walks to this new attraction.

Inauguration of Botanical Garden

A slight nip in the air in the early mornings is an indicator that Summer is on its way out. The season in the School too is in a transitional stage. We are preparing for the crescendo in the form of yet another mega Annual Day. For us these celebrations mark the culmination of the last few months of activity packed schedule only to switch gears after vacation and plunge headlong into academics.

Anyways for now let us all drown ourselves into the beats of music, the tapping of feet and the drama of our thespians. And of course let us have the loudest applause ready for all those who did us proud through their excellence in their respective elds.

Here's wishing everyone a joyous 33rd Annual day

Career 360 features an article by Principal Ms Shalini Mehrotra

Special Assembly

To give a befitting start to 2nd October celebrations, an 'Awareness Assembly on Plastic' was held in the morning. Through an informative talk and a poem the students were educated about the perils of using plastic and the urgent need to minimise its use. The assembly concluded with the entire School taking a Shapath on 'Say No to Plastic'.

GGSY Workshop

Later in the day, 75 girls from grade VI-XII prepared solar lamps in a workshop led by Mr S.R. Ganti, Ms Shravani Ganti -ATL In-charge and Dr Muneesh Rathore. The workshop was organized under the Gandhi Global Solar Yatra

(GGSY) initiative. The GGSY aims at promoting self-sufficiency in energy for sustainability, mainly for those who lack access, while protecting the environment, creating livelihood and empowering locals. The teacher trainers had received online training under IIT Bombay for the smooth and successful conduct of the workshop. The training began with everyone being briefed about the different types of energy resources, their production, the merits and demerits of conventional sources of energy and their impact on environment. This was followed by the assembling of the lamp with the material provided. The workshop winded up with everybody taking a pledge to save the environment.

A step closer to Nature Adventure with fun

Workshop Participants showcasing Solar Lamps

10

With the Midterm exams over we finally celebrated

INDEPENDENCE DAY! The only thought dominating our minds

was ‘Ye khushike bas do pal hai, jee lo inhe fir toh result hai.’

Under the aegis of IAYP, 82 students along with 7 escort teachers

packed their luggage and set out for the adventure trip to

Dharamshala. While fulfilling the requirement of the award

programme, it was also perfectly timed to serve as the best refuge

after the anxiety and stress of the exam days. So while a long list of

adventure activities had been planned we too had our own agenda

with some of us planning to meet Dalai Lama (though remained a

fantasy only). Then there were the others who dreamt of shopping,

momos and cartons of tuck (hard-core foodie you know!).

We left VDJS at 7:00 in the evening, and everyone was excited for

the overnight journey (because after 9 pm House se bahar rah kar

tou dikhao). The night passed away in dancing, gossiping and

sleeping (best use of time mein to hamara jawab nahi). The

following day, we reached our destination in the afternoon, where

we were gladly received by the Camp organizers. Here we enjoyed

our first meal in the lap of nature. The cool breeze and frigid

ambience of the camp was a great relief from the scorching heat of

Haryana. Soon it started raining, and we relaxed in our tents to

dodge the perpetual lightning and rain which was straight out of a

horror movie (kitna filmi tha!).

Evening activities comprising Flying Fox, Mowgli Walk and

Commando Net thrilled and challenged our body and mind at the

same time.

The next day getting up at 5:30 in the morning for tea-biscuits and

exercises was not at all a big deal. (Thanks to Morning PT

schedule!). But the following vigorous trek of approximately 20 km

at the height of about 7000 feet made us realize the side effects of

missing track field rounds. (Short cuts are always long cuts.)

The trek commenced with the slogan, “HOW’S THE JOSH?” and

the delegation moved ahead witnessing the alluring beauty of

nature in its pristine form. The sky-scraping mountains seemed to

be galvanizing us to trounce the obstacles and reach the pinnacle.

During the trek, it was Ananta who benefitted the most. You know

how? She got a new companion, adog, which she fondly named

‘Oreo’. Soon Oreo became popular in the group. It never left

Ananta’s side throughout the trek as if they had been friends

forever. ( I’m sure Ananta will miss Oreo over the years.)

BICHOO BOOTI remained, as usual, a scary monster which could

munch anyone without any prior notice. Though we had read the

last group’s encounter with it, to experience it personally was just

too irritating. Thanks to our experienced teachers who were well

equipped with a good stock of spinach leaves and who kept on

reciting the mantra,” Girls be careful, stay away from bichoo

booti”, that many of us were saved of this misadventure. During a

brief halt at Handi, we splashed icy cold water and clicked loads of

pictures to freeze the happy moments. The divinity and sanctity of

the environs were an absolute wonder.

With shopping at Mcleodganj the trip came to a full circle.

Looking back, we feel such trips strengthen our bonds with one

another. We got to know so many hidden aspects of our peers which

we couldn’t have possibly known in the regular classroom setting.

The trip also added a whole new dimension to the way we view our

teachers. We realised that they are so much more than just educators

who come and deliver lectures and then demand loads of homework

in return. Their genuine concern for our comfort and enjoyment all

through the trip was all so touching. The last evening at Dharamshala

went in Princy’s grand birthday celebration on the street, which

definitely left an indelible imprint on her happy memory list. Then we

had to leave for VDJS - our home away from home.

In a nutshell, the three-day excursion was more than a holiday. Be it

the food, the stay, the time spent in the company of such wonderful

people, jam sessions and Princy’s grand birthday celebration,

everything is etched in our mind to be cherished forever. Actually, it

was a way of learning and experiencing life. It helped us to get out

of our comfort zones and create new and lasting relationships.

Kanika Mittal, XII D

IAYP Adventure Trip to Dharamshala

11Campus News

The educational magazine Career 360 carried an article by Principal Ms Shalini Mehrotra wherein she expressed her views on the importance of teacher training and its impact on the learning outcomes. A comparative analysis of the US and South Korean education systems helped bring to fore that importance of recruiting and then developing meritorious teachers for enhancement of academic standards. The article is also available on the School Website.

Celebrations

Media Coverage

On 2nd October Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated through several meaningful observances.

150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

In an effort to bring students close to nature, know more about plants and inculcate gardening skills in them, the School had planned to set up a Botanical Garden this year. And no other occasion could have been more opportune than Gandhi Jayanti to initiate sapling plantation for the same.

Principal Ms Mehrotra, planted the inaugural sapling followed by staff members and students. She inspired the students to visit the botanical garden on a daily basis and nurture the saplings planted there. She reminded them of the need to conserve nature for a healthy tomorrow.

The Botanical garden is divided into different sections to facilitate systemic and scientific learning about plants. There are more than 15 types of medicinal plants, different varieties of palms, variegated plants, spices, roses, cactus, succulents, fruits, roses, shady plants, gymnosperms and many more varieties.

The Garden is taking shape in full swing and very soon the beautiful butterfly shaped pond will be full of lotus, lilies and other water plants. A wide variety of Bonsai are an added attraction of Garden. Touch me Not (Mimosa) is a special plant which, everyone wants to touch. All the plants will be marked in coming days and labelled with botanical names with their importance. The garden has already become very popular and students are often found requesting teachers for outdoor classes and nature walks to this new attraction.

Inauguration of Botanical Garden

A slight nip in the air in the early mornings is an indicator that Summer is on its way out. The season in the School too is in a transitional stage. We are preparing for the crescendo in the form of yet another mega Annual Day. For us these celebrations mark the culmination of the last few months of activity packed schedule only to switch gears after vacation and plunge headlong into academics.

Anyways for now let us all drown ourselves into the beats of music, the tapping of feet and the drama of our thespians. And of course let us have the loudest applause ready for all those who did us proud through their excellence in their respective elds.

Here's wishing everyone a joyous 33rd Annual day

Career 360 features an article by Principal Ms Shalini Mehrotra

Special Assembly

To give a befitting start to 2nd October celebrations, an 'Awareness Assembly on Plastic' was held in the morning. Through an informative talk and a poem the students were educated about the perils of using plastic and the urgent need to minimise its use. The assembly concluded with the entire School taking a Shapath on 'Say No to Plastic'.

GGSY Workshop

Later in the day, 75 girls from grade VI-XII prepared solar lamps in a workshop led by Mr S.R. Ganti, Ms Shravani Ganti -ATL In-charge and Dr Muneesh Rathore. The workshop was organized under the Gandhi Global Solar Yatra

(GGSY) initiative. The GGSY aims at promoting self-sufficiency in energy for sustainability, mainly for those who lack access, while protecting the environment, creating livelihood and empowering locals. The teacher trainers had received online training under IIT Bombay for the smooth and successful conduct of the workshop. The training began with everyone being briefed about the different types of energy resources, their production, the merits and demerits of conventional sources of energy and their impact on environment. This was followed by the assembling of the lamp with the material provided. The workshop winded up with everybody taking a pledge to save the environment.

A step closer to Nature Adventure with fun

Workshop Participants showcasing Solar Lamps

Visit to Special School

12

Visits

Student Editors : Varnika Gupta, Yashi Singh

Published By : Ms Shalini MehrotraPrincipalVidya Devi Jindal SchoolDelhi Road, Hisar, Haryana-125044

Photography IC : Mr Santosh Mishra

Staff Advisor : Ms Puja Pant

Staff Editors : Ms Anita Dhull (English)

Mr Pramod Nag (Hindi)

Photographer : Shambhavi Satyal, Sneha Majoka

Illustrators : Sanover Kaur GillTapasya Devyanshi Agarwal

Reporters : Shaily Sharma, Kumkum SunejaKashika Khasa, Archita

Phone :

Fax No. :

Email :

+91-1662-281000 to 281002

91-1662-281005

info@vdjs.edu.in

TEAM

19 Jindalites went on an educational visit to Asha school, Hisar on 5th October. Asha School is a school for differently abled children and is run by Army at Hisar Military Station. This trip provided them an opportunity to know about the challenges faced by such children. Students went on a School tour and learnt about the teaching strategies and room arrangements for imparting basic education and vocational training to the special children. They also met with children suffering from ADHD, intellectual disability, mild mental retardation and hearing impairedness. The students also interacted with the staff and learnt about various therapies and tools used by them. Exploring the sensory paths with different textures meant for blind children was altogether a different experience for the girls. It was quite encouraging to meet Ms Suman who was once the part of this school being hearing impaired and now is a craft teacher in the same school. The girls returned with a better understanding of differently abled children.

School Life Inter-House Cross Country Run : Season 3

Inter-House Cross Country Run: Season 3 was held on 29th September. It was no less than a carnival with all the children turning out in large numbers hoping to do their house proud! The event was conducted in three groups. Group I comprised Classes IV-VI, Group II Classes VII-VIII and Group 3 had Classes IX-XII. The idea behind cross country was not just promoting competition but to develop camaraderie by taking everyone along and run, motivating each other and never giving up until each one crosses the finish line. While Group I had a distance of 1 km, Group II & III had 2.5km to cover. Congratulations to Nidhi Choudhary, Kashish Lohan & Gurman Kaur for coming first in Group-I, II & III respectively.

VDJS community celebrated Dussehra with great pomp and show on 8th October. (Detailed report on Pg 3)

Dussehra Celebration

Thirty five NCC Cadets attended different NCC Annual Training Camps held at Hisar & Rohtak. (Detailed report on Pg 7)

NCC Annual Training Camps

The Annual Sports Day was organized on 5th October with great enthusiasm. (Detailed report on Pg 2,3)

Annual Sports Day 2019

The School observed Mental Health Week from 10th-16th October 2019. (Detailed report on Pg 5)

Mental Health Week

A workshop on Vedic Math was conducted by Ms Suman Arora, Faculty of Mathematics for the wards of the Support Staff on 13th October. The Children actively participated in it and learnt the techniques of developing tables and fast calculations through a series of fun activities. They were also given a brief introduction of Shri Shri Bharti Krushan Tirthji Maharaj, founder guru of Vedic Math. Students were very excited about their enhanced calculation speed.

Workshop on Vedic Math

A workshop on the topic 'Nutrition and Healthy Life' was conducted by Ms Neelam Sharma, Faculty of Science, for IAYP students on 13th October. 106 students attended the workshop which covered the topics from our general food routine to scientific analysis of food items in terms of nutrients. The concepts like Balanced Diet and Food Pyramid formed a significant part of the talk. The need of nutrients for adolescents was also explained. Various concerns like the unethical commercial practices of the food industry for profit maximization with utter disregard to health were also highlighted. In the interactive session, the resource person answered the queries of the students about their common health concerns and suggested remedies. It was a very informative session for the students and will also help them in conducting future Health Surveys under the IAYP programme.

IAYP Workshop on Nutrition and Healthy Life

ObituaryThe VDJS Family mourns the sad and untimely demise of Kaushika Hada ( Batch of 1999).

Fondly remembered as a calm and humble person she made a mark in whichever field she forayed into. Married into the royal family of Jaipur she, along with a few family members, converted the Diggi Palace into a heritage hotel and took various initiatives like hosting the famous 'Jaipur Literature

festival' and other cultural events there. She also led a few community service projects for the staff members of the palace. In recognition of her contribution Australian author Jonathan and Angela Scott wrote a book on her 'A day in India' which is part of the school curriculum in some Australian schools.

May God grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the family to bear the irreparable loss!

Guidance Programme on Stream Selection

Mr Chetan Bhupatlal Jariwala and Ms Deepali Palande from Univariety conducted individual counselling sessions with Class X students on ‘Stream Selection’ from 10th-12th October. The one to one interactive session followed the scientific process of providing individual guidance on the basis of aptitude, interest, the result of Stream Selection Test and the academic performance of a student.

They also conducted a one-hour long workshop on ‘Stream Selection’ for the students of Classes IX-X on 11th October. The workshop aimed at developing a proper understanding of different streams and thus helping the students in decision making. The resource persons, explained to the students about different career options available in different streams and careers in trend nowadays. Different university courses, duration, eligibility criteria and career prospects were also dealt in detail. Students’ queries were also taken up in the Q-A session.

Workshop in progress

Individual counselling in progress

Interaction in progress