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December 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India |
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HAMARA SCHOOL
The beautiful building of Vivek High School with its sprawling lawns has become a landmark of City Beautiful, attracting students only from
neighbouring states but far flung countries like Thailand and Great Britain. But its beauty is not just skin deep which is limited to the building or a bevy of smartly dressed up students and staff members, the school is a living organism with a soul. "Education and Integrity" as the motto says, goes much beyond the school campus for the Vivekites. The school has become renowned for its sense of social service. The services are being provided to the less privileged section of the society through schemes like Duke of Edinburgh and International Round Square which takes the students out of their personal gambit to feel the reality. So when the time comes for each class to visit their adopted 'Pushtak' school to educate the slum children or senior citizens homes to cheer up the senior citizens, there is no room for hesitation. Started in 1984 by Bhagwant Singh, Vivek High has come a long way - both in terms of developing infrastructure or imparting quality education. Spread over six acres of land, Vivek High now fully equipped to handle all the three streams science, arts and commerce upto Plus Two. Besides enjoying the highest teacher student ratio, 120 teaching staff to about 15000 students, the school has all the necessary equipment including modern labs in physics, chemistry and biology. But most impressive among all is the library, with 15,000 book collection, computers with internet connections has just the right ambience to make the visits a pleasant experience. Though reading books is something Vivek High encourages, it has left no stone unturned to make all the students computer savvy. However it is not just labs and libraries which gives Vivek High an edge over the others. The strength of the school lies in the personal care being provided to each child. The school has a full fledged counselling department who gives guidance not only careers by right from rectifying one's food habits to emotional trauma to coping up with the problems of growing up. And the result is there for everyone to see. It is not the academic side or extra curricular activities in which the Vivekites are surging ahead but the students are also acquiring the foundation which requires an human being to be a perfect living being - independent,
successful and rational and humane.
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‘Giving tuition is like giving crutches to a child’
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Even though I have only two years of Vivek High in my pocket, amazing how much
confidence and self esteem the school has instilled in me. The exemplary quality of teaching, the warm and patient faculty, the happy, eager faces of the fellow students make every single day a new learning experience. Opportunities for all round development and the support system provided by the faculty members to grab those are unfathomable. In only two years time I have transformed from a shy
youngsters to a confident person to shoulder responsibilities of the Students Council and the school Editorial Board. The only disappointment about Vivek High comes only when you are about to leave her. But then Vivek's essence, her sound education and values will always linger on as you move forward to combat many battles of life. What makes Vivek High as a school with a difference and a school with a heart is her high 'spirit' which binds all Vivekites as a family. Mayank Maheshwari, class XII A |
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Poems by students Why me?
The target of Pain Why me? Hurt's aim Why me? Sneers and tears Why me? The constant fear Why me? Restrictions imposed Why Me? Bound by this world Why me? For freedom I begged for a chance I bled the try mattered but the hope shattered A helpless cry - Why me? An honest sign- Why me? Suchreet Ruchi, class XI Strawberry It came from Solan In a wisp of straw Planted in my backyard, Safe from crow and macaw. Soon the bush began to grow, Come winter and some queer Looking fruit began to show. The queer berry became Strawberry. Lush red and juicy, It made me merry. With ripening done, I bit into the sweetest one. Lovely juice flowed like a stream, What did it remind me of? Jam? Chocolate? or Icecream?
Yuvraj S Kohli, class VI
My brother I have a brother Who often acts like my mother. He’s a young lad, But I think he’s mad. He likes to eat, But when he does he’s not very neat. The problem is that he doesn’t know, Where the food should go. He says I know this and that, But he doesn’t know how to hold a bat. Though he gives me a punch, I have a hunch. That this naughty clot, Loves me a lot. When I’ll go away, He’ll miss me everyday. Shireen Sharma, class VI
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Art works by children on display Chandigarh, December 1 The exercise, which began on the occasion of Children’s Day (November 14) today culminated with the entries sent by children being displayed in the gallery in the form of an exhibition. The first step was to invite entries from the various city-based private and government schools. Over 2,500 entries were received. Now the entries have been displayed and adjudged. The best part of the exercise is that a corporate body has cared to take interest in increasing children’s involvement in creative activities. Most of the children have used crayons, pencil colours and pens to add life to the sheets. The exhibition was opened and concluded today after a prize-distribution function presided over by Mr Nek Chand. |
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Seminar
on fire safety in buildings Chandigarh, December 1 Talking about the large-scale destruction and damage caused to the built environment, economy, infrastructure, human life, social and economic fabric of society or an area, the chief guest, Prof Aditya Prakash, former Principal, College of Architecture, emphasised the need of mixed land use pattern as high-rise buildings have been a major source for fire-related hazards. Delivering the key-note address, Mr S. K. Dheri, former Chief Fire Officer, New Delhi, quoted the example of World Trade Center which despite of being equipped with all modern fire-fighting gadgets, was destroyed because of the wrong type of elements used in the building. He urged the architects to use fire-resistant elements in the buildings. Mr S. D. Sharma, architect, who was the guest of honour, said that the focus of an architect should be practical and service-oriented to fight all sorts of disasters. Mr Ajit Kumar Jha, chairman of IIA, while highlighting the need to take all the necessary actions at the very initial stage of lying down the foundation of a building, urged everyone present to create awareness about the need to protect man and material from the destruction caused by fire. More than 100 architects from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh took part in the seminar. |
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Cards painted by slum
kids released Chandigarh, December 1 Mr Sandhu today released over 30,000 greeting cards which bear the beautiful paintings created by these kids, who work in the morning and study in the evening. The release function took place on the campus of Government High School, Sector 24. Not only have the cards been released, they will now also be available for sale at English Book Shop, Sector 17, Capital Book Store, Sector 17, Panday Book House, and the book store in PU’s Students Centre complex. Besides, Anup Mircha, joint secretary of Theatre Age, promised that about 15,000 cards would be sold under his care. The slum kids had been painting for long now and they had created some 20 designs, six out of which have been finally selected for print. The printed season’s greetings beckon the art lover with their freshness and beauty. Where last year only 5,000 cards had been printed, this year the number has increased six times. Anyone wants to buy these cards can contact Mr Zulfiqar Khan on 9814108146.
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Play on environment by kids Chandigarh, December 1 The students presented colourful dance items like bhangra, ballet and other group dances. However, the most impressive among the items was a play “Save Me” in which the kids disguised themselves as sun, moon, flowers, trees and birds to make an appeal to all to save environment from further depletion. The final item was a “dandiya” dance which compelled all the guest to join them by chanting “Hare Rama Hare Krishna”, rounding up the show with a feeling of spirituality. Mrs Kuljit Suri, principal of the school, read out the annual report. Mr Amar Singh Chandel, Deputy Editor, The Tribune, was the chief guest on this occasion.
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Jazz musicians unleash nostalgic melodies Chandigarh, December 1 As one heard Lydia, the musician from the Netherlands spill the most nostalgic of melodies, one could not help thinking in the language of music. On the sprawling lawns of Lake Club, music fanned the most innate of desires. The ultimate goal of jazz musicians, she said, is to achieve the highest level of musical interaction that sparks new ideas which, in turn, become challenges for the musical communicators. The vocal factor, perhaps even more than the instrumental one, brings the importance of the audience to the fore. “That is the reason why the selection of songs to be presented under the jazz concert has to be made after gauging the pulse of the gathering,” said the vocalist. Bart van Lier, internationally recognised as one of the best trombonists of the world, lived up to his reputation today also. Known for single handedly taking the art of playing this demanding instrument many steps further, Bart played wonderfully well this evening, enough to invite frequent applause from the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), who was chief guest on the occasion. Another world-renowned member of the troupe John Engels played the drums with adorable ease. Having played with the jazz greats all over the world, Engels is reputed for having participated in famous recordings like the one with trumpeter Chet Baker in Japan. Berend van den Berg on the piano provided the most sensitive accompaniment possible. His quality of his music has kept him in demand for all the 20 years he has been in the field. Finally it was Hans Mantel, who charmed the gathering just as all others did. Mixing tunes well enough to keep pace with the vocalist, the double bass musician is known for his knowledge of everything pertaining to music. |
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Jazzy storms carnival venue Chandigarh, December 1 As the sun prepared to set, the ambience suddenly stood converted from a wild to a whacky one. The word spread that Jazzy Bains was going to dole out some of his Punjabi charm on the stage in Leisure Valley, the carnival venue. In his patent style, the singer, better knows as Jazzy B, began with a religious offering in “Singaan di kaum bahadur hai.” Overly dressed and accessorised as always, Jazzy drew more attention on account of his attire than on account of the music he presented. Anyhow, his young fans kept him great company throughout the show which was dotted with Punjabi songs. Living upto the real elements of Punjabi music — heavy tone and tune — Jazzy presented one hit song after the other. He presented as his best songs — right from “Naag samle zulfaan de” and “O kehri to tera roop” and “Mitraan ch khadak pai gai”. After catering to the demands of the crowd, Jazzy took them further by presenting the ultimate of Punjabi offerings — boliyaan, which forced the audience up in their seats. |
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Bubbles
to portray ‘Women in Black’ Chandigarh, December 1 Back again with yet another statement from the heart, Bubbles Sabharwal today talked about ‘Women in Black’, her contemporary theatre production. Written by Bubbles, ‘Women in Black’ is a crude account of lives that a mother and daughter live on their respective levels. The monologue, in which Bubbles plays twin roles, will be staged in Tagore Theatre at 7 pm tomorrow. Black is the colour which both central characters in the play live with, notwithstanding their level of hatred for it. The story is about a mother, who has given in to the idea of a second woman in her husband’s life, and the daughter, who has grown up hating the mother for the provincial attitude she adopts. As life takes a turn, the daughter finds herself becoming the second woman in somebody’s life. She is now faced with a precarious situation where she will have to define strength, which she thinks her mother never possessed. She must choose whether she wants to go back to the situation by accepting a triangular relationship or wants to break away and retain the strength of character. Directed by Arvind Gaur, the production uses both English and Hindi. Recorded music plays in the background. Bubbles says, “When the mother is on stage, Pakeezah songs play in the background. When the daughter comes, the tone of music changes.” Brought to the city by the Durga Das Foundation and Spice Telecom and sponsored by The Tribune, the production has already run 15 shows in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. It is a forerunner in a series of plays written on an all woman cast. Says the writer, “The story is a sensitive portrayal of fears and loneliness which a mother and daughter fight against at their respective levels. Interwoven into the script is the daughter’s urge to break away from filial ties and experiment with relationships. She wants to be as different from her mother as possible, but her mannerism is still the same as that of her mother. Finally both of them are fighting the same fears. The mother is shown as strong. The fabric of her life is tattered, but she has still sewn it together. The daughter is exuberant and is breaking shackles all the time. Finally, it’s about how instead of taking to divergent tracks they find themselves walking parallel to each other. Entry passes are available at Nehru Bhavan, Sector 24, Chandigarh. |
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The best description that suits Ms. P K Singh, Principal of Vivek High, is that she is a judicious blend of kindness and rigidity. And it is perhaps her way of handling matters, which she does with an iron hand laced with a heavy dose of generosity, which has made Vivek High, one of the most sought after schools in the city. It is difficult to portray her and the school as two separate entities — as both have been growing together, becoming almost inseparable eversince she joined the school about years back.
