Ta Agore E Inter Rnatio Va Onal S Asant Schoo T Viha Ol Ar

Tagore International School

Vaasant Vihaar

Highlights of Session 2012-2013

Path Breakers of the Session………

Art to Art exchange –Tagore International School and Jinyuan Senior High School, Shanghai, China

Tai Chi is the oldest form of martial art of China. A group of students from the school’s Taekwondo club have the unique opportunity to learn this art through video conferencing by the Tai Chi teacher at Jinyuan Senior High School, Shanghai,China. This is a weekly program that is ongoing. Beginning at a slow pace, the martial art then moves to a normal one, picks up momentum once it is mastered by the performer. Once mastered the students will perform in the same school in China a few months hence. We reciprocate to the students of Jinyuan Senior High School with the teaching of Kathak, a form of North India’s classical dance through video conferencing. Ms. Shruti, the dance teacher of the school has introduced our Chinese counterparts to the basic hand movements and to the footwork of Kathak dance. Visitors from Lycee Francais school Delhi for an exchange program

French students and teachers from Lycee Francais school in Delhi visited the school for an exchange program on 17th April 2012 and participated in various activities. 1

Visit to Lycee Broceliande, Guer, France from 24th April 2012 to 10th May 2012 under Indo‐French Exchange Programme

Fifteen students, along with three teachers of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar had the unique opportunity to visit France from 24 April to 10 May 2012. This visit was a part of an Indo French exchange programme to Lycee Broceliande, a school in Guer in the province of Bretagne, France. The visit was a unique exchange in that each French correspondent played host to one of the visitors from Tagore International. As a sequel there will be a visit of the French correspondents in the month of January 2013 when they will be hosted by the Indian correspondent during their stay in India. The visit was a fifteen‐ day long trip, with 13 days being spent as hosts to the French families and two days in Paris. Bretagne which formed a major part of their stay was typical French countryside with scenic beauty. Classes were also attended and a visit to Lycée et Collège Broceliande. A visit to the city of Rennes, the capital, a visit to Mt. Saint Michel, part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, rappling at Domaine de Trémelin, situated in a 220 hectares forest was a part of the itenerary. At Maure de Bretagne there was a grand Repas Indienne, an Indian night where an Indian meal was prepared not only by the student correspondents but even the parents and the teachers of Lycee. At the Town Hall the students attended a reception with the Mayor of Guer. The students also visited Paris, the capital of France, which they found picturesque and full of monuments. Eiffel Tower, Dame the church, Le Louvre‐the museum, Versailles Palace, Arc de Triomphe, Champs‐Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Place Vendome and Gare du Nord were also visited. The host families showered each visiting Tagorean with care and attention, making the visit memorable for one and all.

Visit to Auckland, New Zealand under teachers' exchange programme in June 2012

A 15 day tour aiming at building relations with the Auckland Girls Grammar School, New Zealand began on 28th May when Ms. Preeti Chadha (Junior School Headmistress) and Ms. Neha Maheshwari (French Teacher) took off for New Zealand. It was indeed a pleasant exposure for us to assess the working of this school. The level of confidence and social responsibility that exudes in all their interactions is something to marvel at. Their methodology is soaked in practical experiential learning, much advanced than the CCE pattern in India. It was heart‐warming however to find out that our students are also in the league of international learning. Having attended the MUN (Modern United Nations) meeting, it re‐assured our faith in the teaching and learning patterns of our school. The discipline patterns here at our end are definitely more effective. Our visit consisted of attending classes along with the students, cooking an Indian meal for the staff, interactions with the teachers, visiting the city’s museum, cinema, food joints etc. and above all having the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed between the two schools in order to facilitate the student exchange program between the two schools, or actually between the two cultures, nations and race of human beings.

An experience to cherish life long, our visit to Auckland taught us the nuances of building relations and understanding. And we hereby look forward to the physical exchange of students of Auckland Girls Grammar School preceded by the virtual exchange through e‐mails.

A visit to Kennedy Space Center, Orlando, U.S.

Thirteen students along with Ms. Ishita Mukherjee,TGT Math were a part of a delegation that visited the hub of technology and discovery, Kennedy Space Centre near Orlando.The visit gave them an opportunity to tour up close NASA’s launch and landing facilities, experience interactive simulators where they were trained to be astronauts in the simulators room, enjoy live shows and have jaw‐dropping encounters with massive rockets. Plus, they even met a veteran NASA astronaut, Wendy Lawrence who spoke about her experiences and journey with NASA. The students interacted over lunch. It was all what the students could expect from an inspiring day at the Kennedy Space Center. During their six day stay in Orlando the students visited Universal Studios, Disney world, the famous cocoa beach, Apollo Saturn V Centre and Florida mall. The various rides like the roller coasters and various water rides in Disney world and Universal Studios made it a fun and enjoyable experience. Also the shopping sprees at the very famous Wal‐mart and Florida Mall added to the excitement.

On the 7th day the group left for New York. In New York they travelled in metros and also walked long distances. Their tour guide Mr. Guwaana shared enlightening and interesting facts about the history of New York. On the last day of their nine day trip from the 10th to the 19th of May, they also got to visit famous places like The Statue of Liberty, Times Square and Central park. Over all it was a wonderful and amazing trip with a perfect blend of education and fun where they learned valuable life skills. NASA especially motivated them to choose a career as astronauts.

Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) in Washington D.C and New York, United States from 18th June 2012 to 27th June 2012.

K.Lakshmi Alekhya and Antriksh Kaul of class 12th of Tagore International School , Vasant Vihar , represented the school at the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) in Washington D.C and New York in the United States from 18th June 2012 to 27th June 2012. The conference brought together about 130 students from over 100 countries around the world and provided a platform for cross cultural communication. The representatives of the countries were divided into the groups of five permanent members of the United Nations ‐ UK , Russia, China, USA and France The goal of the program was to provide the representatives direct access to the leaders of tomorrow and to critically examine complex global issues. Sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership council (CYLC) the program is a leadership program which focuses on role play and simulations of the United Nations agencies like the Security Council. The students were provided opportunities to display leadership skills through role play and simulations of the United Nations Security Council, discussions on global issues, debates and critical thinking . Besides, interactions with Mr. Gary Weaver‐professor ,the American university ,Ms.Liz Forkin Bohannon‐founder and CEO of Sseko designs. ,Ms. Shawna Walsh –event coordinator at Int’l Monetory Fund , Patrick Hayford – Director of the office of the special advisor on Africa at the UN headquarters gave the students an insight into global issues and enhanced their cross cultural thinking. The global summit brought the program to a close. Besides, visits to Lincoln memorial, Vietnam memorial, Holocaust museum , The Embassy of Egypt in Washington DC and the Statue of Liberty , Rockefeller plaza and Times Square in New York were a part of the itinerary. They

5 were taken to Philladelphia , the birth place of US Democracy , The Times Square & China Town . They also got a chance to see the construction of the new World Trade Centre . In the evening, the farewell dinner on a boat cruise at Chelsea Piers sealed the emotional bonds that were created among the representatives during the course of the program. The trip was very informative , educational and interactive for one and all.

Visit by teachers from Indonesia on 11th July 2012.

A Group of teachers and delegates from Ministry of Education, Indonesia visited school on 11th July 2012

Students visit Italy as jury members in International Film Festival hosted at Giffoni from 14th July 2012 to 24th July 2012

Three students along with Ms. Uma Chopra, TGT from Tagore International School Vasant Vihar, who are a part of Chinh International Childrens’ Films Cooperative had the unique opportunity to travel to Italy to attend the Giffoni Film Festival. The Giffoni Film Festival is a film festival which continues for a period of 10 days every year in the month of July. Each year representatives from over 39 countries from all over the world participate in this festival. The Jurors are first divided on the basis of their age group ranging from 5+ , 10+, 13+,16+ 18+ to 20+.

On landing in Rome, sightseeing was on the agenda for the representatives. The next stop was in the province of Salreno, where the Giffoni Film festival was scheduled. On reaching the venue of the festival, the students received a warm welcome by the jury coordinator and fellow jurors from other parts of the world. The students were then introduced to their host families with whom they were to spend the remaining ten days. 6

All the jurors were shown one movie each day and the screening was followed by a question‐answer session with either the director or the producer of the movie and two meetings with the celebrities. The jurors had the golden opportunity to meet celebrities like Nicholas Cage and Diana Argon. The jurors then attended the cultural activities organised by Giffoni which included a discotheque. Interactions with fellow jurors made the experience enriching. On the last day of the festival, six short films were screened and the jurors voted for the best feature film and the best short film. The award ceremony that followed in the evening had the winning movies in each category announced and their directors being presented the award. Later on, a famous Italian singer was invited for the closing ceremony. With this, the Giffoni Film Festival came to an end but not without leaving all the jurors with beautiful memories.

Students win accolades at the Shanghai International Youth Science and Technology Expo 2012 held in Shanghai, China from 20th July 2012‐ 24th July 2012

Another global event that had seven Tagoreans and two teachers from Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar outshine was the winning of the First Prize for the presentation of their model of a green city called ANKRAST at the Shanghai International Youth Science and Technology Expo 2012 held in Shanghai, China. The model was of an intelligent city which is eco friendly focussing on aspects such as waste management, environment protection, energy generation, essential services, communication and transportation. Out of the 14 countries and 42 schools which participated in the Expo from 20 July 2012 to 24 July 2012, the school bagged the Best Model prize for creativity in the model, the creativity in the power point presentation, the animation, as well as in the hand ‐ made posters displayed in the creative corner. Not only this, in the Teacher’s Forum, the teachers presentation based on green technology also bagged the first prize. The presentation showcased, in a 15 minute long power point, the school’s effort 7 at implementing green technology in day to day teaching practices, like the paper recycling plant, e‐ waste generation, water harvesting, the EVS labs and so on.

On their arrival at the Pudong Airport of Shanghai the representatives received a warm welcome by the SIYST Expo organisers. The opening ceremony to the SIYST Expo was held on 21 July 2012. Apart from the exhibition, arrangements for sightseeing around Shanghai, evening parties and Circus were part of the itinerary. Visits to the Estuary Science and Technology Museum of Yangtez River Museum, Baoshan International Folk Arts Exposition, Shanghai Circus World, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Yuyuan Garden made the experience a memorable one. The farewell dinner that followed was an interactive but tearful one. On the 25th of July the group visited the Tiananmen Square along with the Forbidden City, the Water cube (Beijing International Aquatics Centre) and the Great wall Of China in Beijing . All of these were spectacular sights which would always be cherished by the group.

agoreans selected to represent India for Asian Youth Development Programme 2012 held at Okinawa, Japan from 4th August – 10th August 2012

Akshit Chopra and Sanya Chhikara of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar had the unique honour of being the only two representatives from India who were selected by the Okinawan Government as Youth leaders for the Asian Youth Development Programme 2012 (AYDPO’12 ) held at Okinawa, Japan from 4th August – 10th August 2012. This program, fully sponsored by the Okinawa Prefectural Government has high school students from different Asian countries coming together on a platform that helps them to interact for the learning and understanding of a wide range of issues related to the environment, communication, cultural differences and so on. During this program, the two representatives from the school were not only there as participants but were 8 especially selected to help and guide the other representatives who had come to attend the program. This year the programme had 54 youth leaders from 14 countries attend lectures on topics such as how to become citizens of the 21st century, International Cooperation in the field of water and Education For Sustainable Development. The two selected youth leaders prepared presentations, skits, role plays to make the others understand about the aims of AYDPO and to solve the problems related to daily life. As Youth leaders, they needed to help the participants in their learning activities, guide them to the right path, solve their queries and most importantly, make them feel at home. A talk session was held where the focus was on some major problems faced by the youth of today‐ communication, making friends and breaking cultural barriers. With the stay with host families, the students learned a lot about traditional Okinawan culture. In the final presentation the representatives were divided into four committees namely Draft committee, Performance Committee, Art and Visual Committee and Liaison Committee. The draft Committee came up with a declaration 2031 which included the students’ vision for 2031. The Performance Committee presented the declaration in the form of a monologue and the AYDBOT in the form of a skit. The cultural experiences and the lovely food made the week full of fun, understanding, learning and also establishing networks. ‘Haari’ or the boat racing activity in which groups competed with each other and a backstage tour of a musical ‘Kimutaka No Amawari’, constituting of 170 actors and singers from the middle and high school, describing the life of the king of Kingdom Ryukyus, made the trip a memorable one. The trip would go a long way in helping the two become better leaders of the World in the future.

Visit by teachers of Ghiyasuddin International School, Maldives on 22nd August 2012

Visit by teachers from Japanese School, Delhi on 31st August 2012

Students from King's College, London visited school on 12th September 2012 under UKIERI program

Exchange program with a school in Lahore, Pakistan TIS has initiated a program with a school in Lahore, Pakistan. This program is spearheaded by an NGO, Routes 2 Roots, which attempts to bring likeminded citizens together in dialogue. Students of six schools from three Indian cities will exchange only letters, pictures and videos about their city, school and family with students from Pakistani schools. Two students per school will be selected at the end of one year to visit the partner schools in Pakistan. To kickstart this program, four teachers from Citizens Archive of Pakistan visited our school on the 1st of October and spoke about the various activities involved in this exchange program. They also shared a brief presentation on the history and culture of Pakistan. Two students from St. Paul’s school, shared the experiences that they gained during their visit to Pakistan last year under the same program. Students and teachers from Fuchun Secondary School, Singapore visited school on 24th November 2012

Visit by students and teachers from Lycee Broceliande, Guer, France from Mon.14th Jan.’13 to Mon. 28th Jan.’13

A nineteen member French delegation consisting of sixteen students, two teachers and a parent from Lycée Brocéliande in Guer, Bretagne, France are on a visit to Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar from 14 January to 28 January’13. The visit is a part of the school’s ongoing International French Exchange Programme. This is the third such visit since the commencement of the exchange three years earlier. Each member of the délégation is being hosted by the Indian correspondents of the exchange from Tagore International. The delegation was warmly welcomed by the school Principal Ms. Madhulika Sen in a special assembly organised for them on 21 January ’13. The welcome was conducted in traditional style with garlands as well as flowers, in the form of Rangoli. The discipline and fervor with which the assembly was conducted greatly impressed the guests who complimented the same. Ms. Catherine, Head of the Dept from the exchange school spoke to the students on how she was deeply touched by the warmth and hospitality extended by the Principal Ms. Sen and the families of their hosts. They were taken around the school and also attended classes during the regular school days. The delegates also visited important heritage sites in and around Delhi like the Qutb Minar, Red Fort, Lotus Temple, Lodhi Gardens and were even part of the Heritage Walk organised by Itihaas to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. They also visited Agra, Jaipur and the Navdanya Farms in Meerut. A taste of Indian handicrafts was provided to them with visits to the emporiums in Connaught Place, Jan path and handicraft bazaars like Dilli Haat. In a special program that was organized for them on 23 January ’13, the Indian Music Choir welcomed the students by singing the song, Su Swagatam, which in Sanskrit means ‘We Welcome You’. Sanya Chikara of Class XI spoke about the beginnings of Indo French relations and also about the camaraderie and friendship that has been built between Lycée Brocéliande in Guer and Tagore International School in the past four years. Since then there have been mutual exchanges every year between teachers and the students studying French in the school. Miheer of Class XI and his French correspondent were invited to share their experiences on visiting France and India respectively. Both spoke of strong bonds being created. Five students of The Jinyuan Senior High School, Shanghai, China who are also part of another delegation on a visit to the school, presented a Chinese dance. A violin recital by Anusha Sridhar of Class XI, with Sagar and Abhishek Jayaram, accompanists on the tabla was followed by the Chiraw or the Bamboo Dance, by the students of Classes IX to XI, which left everybody mesmerized. An enthralling Sufi dance by students of Class IX brought the event to a close. The exchange has given the French and the Indian students the opportunity for a close observation about the lifestyle and culture of each other’s country. In the words of the Principal Ms. Madhulika Sen this exchange is a part of the school’s effort to provide to the students an enriching experience wherein they learn essential life skills and also make the students globally local citizens.

Visit by students and teachers from Jinyuan Senior High School, Shanghai, China from Thurs.17th Jan.’13 to Wed. 23rd Jan.’13

Tagoreans performed at Chinese Embassy in an event to celebrate Spring season on 2nd Feb.'13

MoU signed for partnership between TIS and Middle School Attached to Shandong University, Jinan Province, China on 25th February 2013

Events of the Session

April‐May 2012

Students performing a skit to observe NO TOBACCO DAY on 12th Apr. 2012

VIRASAT 2012 hosted by school was inaugurated by a mesmerizing performance by Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma on 13th Apr. 2012

If music is what feelings sound like then the audience at Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar would unanimously say that Pt.Shivkumar Sharma's music not only delighted the soul but also uplifted spirit. Tagore International School, in collaboration with Spic Macay, organised a recital filled with the magic of music with the doyen of santoor ‐Pandit Shivkumar Sharma who graced the event with an enthralling performance. The recital was organised by the cultural conduit of the school in continuation of its tradition of hosting various cultural events. The event was a part of the Spic Macay Virasat 2012, dedicated to Shrimati 13

Sumitra Charat Ram recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award and founder of the Shriram Bharatiya KalaKendra , an Indian cultural institution which runs a noted school for music, dance, performing arts and also imparts training in Indian classical dance styles. Tagore International School has always shown great zeal and vigour in organising such events with a mission of acquainting the students with the richness and purity of Indian classical art forms who are otherwise influenced by the western ways of the world. Shri Ramkumar Mishra who was giving a splendid support by playing tabla and Shri Deepak Kalra who captivated the audience with his mastery of tanpura added to the beauty of atmosphere created by the concord of santoor. Together it sounded like a perfect blend of music which not only relaxes the mind but is also soothes the soul. The fact that santoor is now not only a regular instrument in the Indian classical music, but also the most popular instrument among the aspiring artists, is due to the persistent efforts of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. He madechanges in the physical structure of the instrument by modifying it into an instrument of 91 strings, which traditionally consisted of a 100 strings. The recital captivated the audience throughout. It was an enchanting to experience the presence of such a personality and listen to his expertise and mastery of santoor.

Ustd. Sabri Khan playing Sarangi in a workshop held for the students from 17th Apr.‐19th Apr. 2012

Collage making competition was held for the Primary school on 18th Apr. 2012

Collage making Competition was held on 18th April for class III. The theme was to design a mascot for Olympics with a motto. The aim was to explore the students’ creativity. A great enthusiasm was seen in 14 the students during the event. They used a variety of material to create the collages. The efforts of the students was remarkable and the most creative collages were adjudged the winners.

World Heritage Day

On invitation from Aga Khan Trust for Culture , New Delhi, 27 members of the Heritage Club went to Humayun’s Tomb on 18th April 2012 to participate in celebrating the World Heritage Day. The program included a heritage walk at Humayun’s Tomb, a narrative prepared by the children from Nizamuddin on the story of baoli at Nizammuddin Dargah called “Jal jal uthey the diye” and a skit called “Kissa Dilli Ka: Purani Dilli Bacchon ki Zubaani”.

The Archaeological Survey of India, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and CPWD under their urban renewal programme had organised a programme at Humayun’s tomb on the occasion with the theme “Kissagol”‐ stories from Ancient cities of Delhi”.

Turn Coat competition for classes IV& V on 19th Apr. 2012

An interclass Turn Coat competition was held on 19th April for classes IV and V both in English and Hindi. All the participants were well prepared and spoke with confidence casting a spell on the audience and the judges. It was indeed an enriching experience to discuss the pros and cons of each topic. The 15 students were encouraged by the judges to continue working hard. The topics for students of class IV were “ School children and technology” in English and “Television” in Hindi. For class V the topics were “Team spirit” in English and “ Video games mein guzarta bachpan”.

Vidushi Rita Ganguly , a renowned Indian music vocalist performed in school under Virasat 2012 celebrations on 20th April 2012

On Friday, 20 April 2012, the auditorium of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar resounded with the mellifluous notes of the world renowned vocalist, Prof. Rita Ganguly. SPICMACAY which stands for Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth rendered the students of the school the golden opportunity to witness the mesmerising and soul stirring performance of an extraordinary artist, who has devoted her entire life to Indian classical music. The school is celebrating the majestic culture of India which has been nurtured over the years by hosting an event named, VIRASAT 2012 , with the aim to make the youth aware about the rich traditions, culture and heritage of India. Just like fragrance adds on to the magical effect of the flower, the entire team of maestros on the various instruments, added charm, melody , rhythm and note to the lyrics of the vocalist. Each musician displayed capabilities beyond comparison in their own genres vis‐à‐vis Janaab Akhtar Hussainji on the tabla, Janaab Srighulamaliji on the sarangi, Janaab Salamataliji on the harmonium and Sushree Rajnandini on the tanpura. None of the students knew what was in store for them until the performance began. Rita Gangulyji started with the song‐ ‘Mere Ram Gadi Vale.’ Her voice and the tune of the song captured the minds and hearts of all and no one could help but sing along with her. After this, on popular demand she played‐ Rag Bhairavi and Rag Sohini. Everyone was mesmerized with her performance. Sri Gulam Ali played the Sarangi and Janab Akhtar Hussainji played the tabla beautifully to match perfectly with the Ragas. Rita Gangulyji went on to imparting her knowledge about notes, octaves and scales. She talked about the 12 notes and explained that everyone can sing up to one and a half octave. The students were 16 curious to know more so they had an interactive session with her. Enthusiasm was displayed both by the students and Rita Gangulyji during the interactive session. Questions of immense importance were asked and Rita Gangulyji enjoyed answering the questions with utmost enthusiasm. In the end, all the students had mixed emotions of heartfelt gratitude, awe and immense appreciation which masked their faces. It is indeed true, that “Music is the purest form of art. The singer has everything within him. The notes come out from his very life. They are not materials gathered from outside.” The bond that the extraordinaire and the students shared was not just of an artist and an audience, rather a strong connection between the souls of the two. This day has cast its spell on everyone and is sure to be remembered as, one of the most special day ever!

Orientation for parents of class VI and new parent members of middle school and Sr. school was held on 21st April 2012

Earth Day celebrated in school on 23rd April 2012

Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar celebrated the International Earth Day on 23rd April 2012. The event was celebrated by organizing a Special Assembly, highlighting the importance of conservation of resources on the Earth. The center of attraction was the logo of Tagore International School which was made entirely of plastics and CDs. It was indeed a sight to behold. Sanya Chikara, a student of class XI enlightened the students about the history of Earth Day and the importance of saving the Earth. Two students of the Primary Wing, dressed up as a crane and a rhinoceros, recited rhymes to underscore the jeopardy that we have put various species into. This was followed by a thought‐provoking street play by the students of class X which highlighted the plight of Mother Earth. A mesmerizing dance performance followed, which captivated the minds of the audience. Sahaj and Priyanshi, both students of class VII sashayed in beautiful outfits that had been accessorized with waste materials that we tend to consider waste like CDs, ice‐cream sticks etc. To put various lessons into practice, a sapling was planted to increase the green cover the school. Principal of the school, Ms. Madhulika Sen further acquainted the students with various steps that can prove to be invaluable for sustainable development. The Earth Day sensitized the students about the urgent need to take steps to ensure a greener and more stable future.

Students of Class XI spent a day at Healing Centre on 24th April 2012 sharing warmth and love with cancer survivors

Interhouse Debate competition for students from classes VI‐VIII was held on 24th April 2012

Birthday of the playwright William Shakespeare was celebrated through play readings, enactments, song, dance etc. in school on 24th April 2012

Students and teachers visited France under the exchange programme from 24th April 2012 to 10th May 2012.

From the day of departure at the IGI Airport in Delhi to the departure from the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, this has been an amazing experience all together. From learning to having fun, we've done it all. At the airport in Delhi, while our luggage was being checked in we were busy filling our immigration forms which had certain terms that took us a while to figure out. Next, we proceeded for immigration and later we were in‐flight and onboard all set to go to Paris. Seated at the end of the aircraft, it almost became a train compartment where we played dumbcharades with the friendly flight crew. On arrival at the CDG airport we boarded a bus and off we were driven on a eight hour journey to Guer in Bretagne. The following day, 25th of April, a Wednesday, we were with our respective host families when most of us went out for a walk to see the neighborhood with our French correspondants. On Thursday, 26th of April, we spent our day at the school our correspondants went to, Lycée Broceliande where we were greeted with warmth at the official reception by the principal. We were divided in groups and attended as well participated in classes with the French students. That night, we went to a creperie and ate galette bretone and had crepes (pancakes) for desert. A visit to the city of Rennes, the capital of the state of Bretagne, was made by us on Friday, 27th of April where we went shopping and as Preeti ma'am had already informed, it sure was the time of sales in stores. That evening, with my correspondent and a friend of hers, I went to watch The Avengers in the cinema hall in French. Indian students along with the French, went rappling on 28th of April at Domaine de Trémelin, which is a unique tourist complex, situated in a forest of 220 hectares around an ornamental lake of 50 hectares. With a variety of paths for us to rappel, we sure were excited and anxious. For those who were afraid of heights, nervousness was also evident. Most of us managed to complete the entire course which had over 12 varites of paths for us to find our way through. We also had a picnic and ate our meal for the day at the same place. In the evening, we visited the fun fair where we went of rides and ate many candies. The same night, Jaya and Maelle came over to my correspondent's house for a night stay. The next day, our correspondents took us for bowling. The session break before this new school year began was utilized by us to choreograph a dance to perform on the Indian Night in France. We had been working really hard and the day when we were to showcase it had arrived on the 30th of April. It was at the Maure de Bretagne where there was an Indian meal prepared and there were definitely plenty of people who had come for the occasion. We spent the entire day there assisting in making the food, helping to decorate, practicing our dance. We 20 also played around in the parking lot while we got time. Besides our dance performance, the even consisted of other performances such as the singing of a French song, a presentation as well as dance by the students of St Mary's School, another song by our students was performed, and a Kuchipudi recital performed by me. Hectic and tiring, that Monday was probably one of my favorite Mondays seeing how others are sulky being the first day of the week after the weekend where we all have to go to school. My correspondent wasn't feeling too well and thus we stayed home the day after the grand Repas Indienne although I did go to the doctor, if that counts. On 2nd of May, we attended a reception from the Mayor of Guer and walked in the forested area which had stones frome the mesolithic age. While our correspondants were at school, us Indian students went to Vannes on the 3rd of May where we walked in a place what used to be a castle in olden days and was now a major tourist spot and we got the chance to shop mainly for souveniers though. Mesmerizing and utterly beautiful, we went to Mt Saint Michel on 4th of May. The monument is located on a rocky island that has been a strategic point holding fortifications since ancient times, and since the 8th century AD it became the seat of the Saint‐Michel monastery, from which it draws the name. The Mont Saint Michel and its bay are part of the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. We returned after visiting a beach and got late. On top of that, the weather was not in our favor seeing how it was raining cats and dogs. That evening, all of us got together at our friend Sophie's house where we ate and danced. In the weekend that followed, most of us, with out hosts went to Rennes for ice skating which was extremely fun. The day after, which was Sunday, my host Ariane and I went boating with Jaya and her host, Maelle. Monday, the 7th of May, was spent by us at their school, Lycée et Collège Broceliande where we visited their primary school. Since it was our last day with our hosts, we had the permission to do whatever we wanted thus while some of us were in the music room jamming, the others were playing foozeball in the room where students would go when they didn’t have a class to attend which they called le foyer. We ended our day at their school by playing football and basketball which was definitely a lot of fun. Saying goodbye, almost all of us were in tears but this was not all the teary‐eyed‐ness. The next morning, when we had to depart for Paris, was a morning with teardrops from heaven as well as teardrops from people’s eyes that became rivers on their cheeks. After a good forty minute long session of ‘Goodbyes’ and ‘I will miss yous’ we finally boarded our bus and began our journey to the capital before which we made a visit to Versailles and saw the gorgeous Palace of Versailles. On entering the city we saw the river Seine and the Eiffel tower from the bus. Our hotel rooms were neat and just enough to accomodate three with common bathrooms on each floor. By the time we had a hearty meal in McDonald’s that evening and by metro we reached the Eiffel Tower, it had gotten dark. And boy does that monument look marvellous at night with its beautiful light effects and the traffic down below. We were on the streets of Paris till about 3 AM, urban trekking and visiting places like the posh area of Champs Elysees where we saw the Arc de Triomphe and also witnessed a car accident. Although we weren’t able to have a boat ride on the River Seine, I think I was satisfied by the amount of places we walked through in Paris. The next morning after breakfast and loading the bus with our luggage, we climbed to the top of the 320m high monument we had seen the previous night. We then saw Place de la Concorde, Place Vendome and Gare du Nord along with many other buildings that hold a lot of historical importance on our way to La Louvre. Unfortunately, due to being in a big group and having lagged behind, many of us weren’t able to enter the museum at all, let alone see the Mona Lisa. Straight from the Louvre, we headed for Charles de Gaulle Airport for our return to India. In flight, 21 we were allowed to sit on any vacant seat we found, which by the way, were many in number as the aircraft was 70% empty. So empty, that it was possible for all us us to lie down on three adjacent seats and there would still be space left for more passengers. Sad and upset, wondering where these fifteen days went by, all of us weren’t as enthusiastic on our way back as much as we were on our way to Paris. After landing and immigration customs, collection of luggage from the luggage belt we were greeted by our parents and of course the Delhi heat and thus ended one of the best trips ever, one of the best things that had ever happened to me. And believe me, I won’t be wrong if I said that I was speaking for the rest of us as well.

Students enjoying the electrifying performance by the famous Laal Band from Pakistan on 25th April 2012

All rounder from the Indian Cricket Team, Mr. Irfan Pathan visited school on 26th April 2012

The Book Week was inaugurated on 30th April 2012

Students of classes I to XII participated in the Book Week, celebrated with vigour and enthusiasm at Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar from 30 April to 4th May 2012. Imagination and creativity were the key words in the wide range of activities that involved each and every pupil. StoryTelling ‐Book Flip by Gita Mehta, Making Book Marks, Who Am I (Quiz on Statesmen) were some of the events that made the children think and created an urge for reading more. Equally enjoyable was the task of Unscrambling the Book Pizza (5 piece Jigzaw), drawing and making a cut out of a musical Instrument and making a head Gear for a character from a book they have read. This involved creativity and deftness of the fingers. Interview of a contemporary artist as well as the illustration of famous speeches helped the children relate themselves to many renowned personalities. The sparkling eyes of children spoke their interest in the activity Description of supernatural characters. Budding artists could be seen in middle school and senior school students,who, through their posters and banners either advertised a book or announced the book week celebration. Apart from these, Scholastic Book Fair was held where books were available for one and all. Mr. Ajit Narayanan, Ms. Sunayana and Mr. Ketan conducted workshops on Cartoon Making, Puppet Making and Jazz. The senior children wrote about their favourite dance form or wrote a poem in calligraphy. The children had fun in the week long events which was not only entertaining but also enlightening.

Plethora of activities during the Book Week With the support of our Principal Ma’am and the initiative of the library department , our school is celebrating Book Week from the 30th April to 4th May 2012. In this week‐long event children from classes I to X will participate in various book related and creative activities. Scholastic Book Fair has also been organized as a part of this festival. The various activities that have been organized are:

Class I: Story Telling; Book Flik by Gita Mehta . Class II: Dress up an ice‐cream stick to make a book mark on Freedom Fighters. Class III : Quiz on Statesman. Class IV : Book Pizza (5 pieces). Class V : Draw and make a cut out of an Indian musical instrument. Class VI : Make a fascinating head gear for a hero of 20th‐ 21th century. Class VII : Interview a contemporary artist (painter and sculptor). ClassVIII: Illustration of famous speeches. ClassIX : Write about a dance form. Class X : Write a poem in good calligraphy. Inter‐House Competitions Banner making: Book week celebration for classes IX – XII on 4th May’12 Poster making: For selling a book for classes VI – VIII on 4th’May’12

Workshop for children Workshop on cartoon making by Mr. Ajit Narayan Workshop on puppet making. Workshop on Jazz dance .

Students thanked the support staff of the school for their constant co‐operation on the Labour Day on 1st May 2012

Inter house competition SPOT AD for classes IX‐XII was held on 1st May2012

Spot Ad an inter house competition for classes 9‐12 was held on 1st May 2012. The students were given a topic on the day of the competition itself and were asked to prepare an advertisement on it within half an hour. The allotted duration of the advertisements were of 2 min each. The competition was held in two team categories– Hindi and English. This year the topics were selected to sensitise the students to serious issue like‐ Female foeticide, Child marriage, Child labor and AIDS. The students did a wonderful job and Ekta House, with the topic Female Foeticide, won in the English category, whereas Shanti house won the multi lingual category.

Su. Uma Sharma presented kathak dance form in a Spic Macay performance in school on 4th May 2012

Under the aegis of SPIC MACAY , Ms. Uma Sharma, the noted Kathak exponent along with her accompanists, Pandit Jwala Prasad on Gayan, Janab Khalid Mustafa playing Sitar and Mr. Janak Mubarak Hussain, performed at Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar on Friday, 4th May 2012. Umaji shared her knowledge about Kathak and demonstrated various techniques‐ “Tora, Tukda, Bada”. Kathak portrays various mythological stories on lives of people. She dramatized the characters from the chapter of Ramayan‐ Panchvati. She also performed the Dhrut Laya Teen Taal and “Sundar Gopalam”, beautifully portraying Krishna. She enlightened the audience with the idea of “Nav Bahar” meaning spring. She concluded her performance by an exquisite Jugalbandi.

Rabindra Jayanti Celebrations held on 7th May 2012

Students of X B at Muskaan on 9th May 2012

Students of classes VIII‐XII visited Sanskriti Museum on 18th May 2012 and attended a workshop in supervision of Ms. Meena & Mr. Anjon, Arts facullty of school.

JULY 2012

French National Day celebrated in the school on 12th July 2012 with the esteemed presence of Mr. Daniel Rignault

On the occasion of the French National Day on 14th July, the students of classes 6th to the 10th, of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar who have French as their optional or second language, celebrated the French National Day on 12th July. This day was celebrated for the second time in the school. The celebration began with a small speech in French by Niharika Wadhwa, a student of class XI, telling the students about the significance of the day to the French, which was simultaneously being translated into English by another student for the benefit of the non‐French students, The students presented a small programme which showcased their high involvement in and enthusiasm for the language and how they have embraced the French culture much like their own. Mr. Daniel Rignault, Attache for Cooperation in Education, was invited as the Chief Guest along with Mr. Jatinder Singh to appreciate the students for their excellent efforts. The celebrations began with a short skit by the students of class 10, which showcased some interesting facts about the French culture and traditions, during which some French lessons were also shared. The skit was followed by a dance performance by the students on the famous French single "Je veux". Niharika Wadhwa, a class 11 student, was awarded a certificate by the Chief Guest Mr. Daniel Rignault for securing 92.5 % in the DELF A2 Examination.

The highlight for the day was the release of a French newsletter, a compilation of articles in French by the students, the French teacher, Ms. Neha Maheshwari by Mr Rignault, Mr Jatinder Singh and the Principal, Ms. Madhulika Sen. was next. The Chief Guest expressed his happiness on seeing how the French language had become a part of the active vocabulary of each of the students learning French. He appreciated the students for coming up with the idea of celebrating the day and remarked on the accurate pronunciations of the students. He was privileged to be associated with the school.

Intra class Mask making competition for classes III‐V held on 18th July 2012

The students of classes III to V were encouraged to exploit their creativeness by offering them a platform to showcase their prowess in mask making by organizing a mask making competition on 18th July 2012.

The competition saw children working in pairs and come up with amazing artwork. The masks were a treat far our eyes and made the selection for our judges extremely difficult. The topics for classes III, IV, V were Statesmen, My favourite character and musicians respectively.

Intra Class Poetry Recitation competition for classes I‐III held on 19th July 2012

To enhance their oral expressions , an intra class poetry recitation competition was held on 19th July 2012 for classes I, II and III. The children were allowed to recite a poem of their choice. All the participants displayed their talent with confidence coupled with wonderful expressions. The judges appreciated the entertaining performance of the children.

Mountaneer,Ms. Santosh Yadav , who has scaled Mt. Everest twice in a year, interacted with the students in school on 25th July 2012

We were honoured to have amongst us, Ms. Santosh Yadav, an achiever and a successful mountaineer, who happened to climb the mighty Mt. Everest twice. She shared her experience with students about her mountaineering expeditions, hardships and thrills of her adventurous career. It was worth appreciation knowing about her modest background, her childhood grooming and schooling days. Videos featuring her expeditions encouraged the students to be focused, positive and adventurous in life. A simple woman and a great social worker, Santosh Yadav, left a great impact in our hearts and minds. The interactive session with her was fun filled and a great learning experience.

Orientation for the parents of class XI students was held in school on 28th July 2012

Students from Nursery classes at their Class Presentation on 31st July 2012

August 2012

ORDINATRIX 2012 , our Annual Interschool Computer Festival culminated successfully on 1st August 2012

Ordina@trix 12.0, the Annual Computer Festival pioneered by Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, went into its tenth successful year on 1st August 2012. One of the biggest computer festivals hosted in Delhi, the event provides a platform to students of classes III to XII, not only from Indian but International schools as well, to display their technical wizardry in a variety of computer related events. The event focussed making movies and creating posters in jpg format. Over 37 schools of the capital and the NCR region participated in the grand event. The computer department of the school planned a range of innovative events for the day, thus setting new trends. The events included Movie@trix or movie‐making for classes XI – XII wherein the participants had to make a short movie on a given topic. The topics were innovative and called for creativity. Some were ‘A click is mightier than a pen,’ ‘Counter the Strike,’ and Caught Behind Bar//Code // and so on. For all the other events the topics were given on the spot. Pixel@trix for classes IX and X had students clicking photographs and making posters which were submitted in jpg format along with a tag line. Wiz@trix for classes VI to VIII had first a preliminary round of twenty questions and then a final one with four teams. This had a Direct Question Round, a Buzzer Round, an Infinite Bound, a Visual Round, an Audio Round and a Rapid Fire round. Presen@trix opened new avenues for children from classes III to V to make presentations on topics that had a wide range. Each event targeted a specific age group. The purpose of each event was to hone talent and to help each participant explore as well as learn through the experience. The judges for the event included Ms. Meenakshi Rai and Mr.Vinay Rai (National award winning filmmakers and cultural activists) ,Mr. Viswanath from EZVidya, Mr Puneet Makhija and Mr. Ashok Kumar from JIL and Ms Sonal Kapoor, founder of NGO Protsahan. The event awarded the first, second and third prize for individual events. CHINH International also awarded students for technical excellence in four categories viz. best teamwork, Original photography, Best Animation and best editing. This year, the first prize winners in the four categories Movie@trix, Pixel@trix, Wiz@trix and Present@trix were, Holy Child Auxilium, Vasant Vihar, D.P.S. Rohini, D.P.S.Noida, and Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar respectively. D.P.S. Noida was declared the overall winner for the event. The event had moviemakers, image creators, tech wizards and presenters all come together enthusiastically to showcase their talent. It was indeed an enriching experience for one and all.

Rakhis made by the students for the Jawans posted in border areas in association with Pidilite Indus. Ltd. & AWWA

To recognize the efforts of the soldiers who guard our frontiers , the school organized a Rakhi making activity for sending these to our jawans. Creativity brimmed over as the children designed and crafted their own unique rachis. This activity was organized in association with Pidilite Industries and AWWA.

Students of Kinder Garten celebrated festival of Rakshabandhan in school on 3rd Aug.2012

Blood Donation Camp was organised by TESA in school premises in association with Rotary Blood Bank on 4th Aug. 2012

The purpose of life is not to be happy ‐ but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. With this intent Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar was the venue of a Blood Donation Camp organised By the Tagore Ex‐Students Association (TESA) and Rotary International on Saturday 4 August 2012. Prior to the event, news of the camp was spread to include the parents of the students too. On the day of the camp the volunteers appeared in large numbers to donate blood to save a life.

Interschool Literary Festival hosted on 8th Aug.2012 commemorating 100 years. of Indian Cinema

Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar hosted its Annual Literary Festival‐ LiFe on 8th August ’12. Pioneered by Mrs Rumna Mitra Lala, HOD (English), a first of its kind inter‐ school event, the event went into its 7th year this day. This year the event commemorated 100 years of Indian cinema. Each category of the event was innovatively planned to base it on either the title of an Indian movie or a scene from an 31

Indian film or on Indian cinema in general. The event had an overwhelming participation of students from classes XI and XII from over 30 reputed schools of Delhi and the NCR region. Each of the events emphasized on originality, creativity and innovative ideas being implemented in all of the specified genres.

Mr. Vikram Chandra , CEO of NDTV visited school for an interactive session with the students on 9th Aug.2012

The students of classes IX and X of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar had the golden opportunity of interacting with Mr. Vikramaditya Chandra, CEO of NDTV Networks on 9 August 2012. His visit was a part of the celebration of the school completing its forty years. Vikramaditya Chandra has been associated with NDTV since 1994 and is not only one of India's leading news personalities and anchors, but has also taken on corporate responsibility for several years. He headed NDTV Profit from its creation and led it to become India's leading business channel. As one of India's best known anchorpersons he presents 'The Big Fight', which has long been one of India's toprated news and current affairs programmes and 'Gadget Guru' along with several other special shows. As a special correspondent, he has extensively covered the Siachen & Kargil wars, and the conflict inKashmir.

He enlightened the students about journalism as a career‐ the delights of being a journalist and the inevitable hardships that a journalisthas to face. Not listing the hardships as dangers, he spoke about credibility being the guiding force that could build a bond of trust between the journalist and the viewer. He emphasised that the students, who are fortunate enough to attend a good school and receive quality education, must do their bit for the betterment of the country. Being himself actively involved with environmental issues, he also acquainted the students with the need to conserve the Earth and the role that the youth can play in reversing the damage that has been caused to the environment. On being questioned by the Principal Ms. Madhulika Sen whether the children have a better world to look forward to, Mr Chandra replied on a rather positive note, highlighting the fact that the younger generation is inheriting a much better and more developed India than their generation had. The session was quite interactive as students asked gruelling questions to which he responded with wit and at times, humour.

Tiny Tots looking dressed as Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha for their Janmashtami celebrations on 9th Aug.2012

Independence Day celebrations in school on 14th Aug. 2012

Investiture Ceremony on 14th Aug.2012

On the 14th August,2012 Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar held an investiture ceremony of the newly appointed forty‐nine cabinet members of the school. The Chief Guest, ACP Dr G Ram Gopal Naik ,ACP, South district, New Delhi arrived in the school premises at 9:30 in the morning. He was given a warm welcome by the Principal, teachers and the students of the school. The national flag was unfurled by the Chief Guest as the students sang patriotic songs with pride and honour to celebrate the Independence Day. He was then briefed by the Principal in her office about the progress of the school over a cup of tea and refreshments. Then he was led towards the school auditorium by the Head boy and the Head girl. Mrs Mallika Preman, the Senior School headmistress gave a brief account of the proceedings of the investiture ceremony. The names of the forty eight cabinet members were announced one by one and they came marching to receive their badges from the honourable Chief Guest. Sashes by the principal were proceeded by the oath ceremony. The Chief Guest congratulated the newly inducted Cabinet members. It was followed by an inspirational speech to the new members as well as the students of the school. The Principal congratulated the cabinet members and expected that they would perform their duties to the best of their ability and with honesty. She referred to them as the future builders of the country who could make the country proud by their noble deeds. The Achala Nadgir Proficiency Awards for obtaining the highest marks in class tenth board examinations was given away by the Chief Guest to Aakash Chugh , Sanya Chikara and Niharika Wadhwa. A vote of thanks by the senior school Headmistress marked the end of the investiture ceremony.

Inter house Fusion Dance Competition on 14th Aug.2012

An Inter‐house Dance and Music competition called 'FUSION' was organised by the school on 14th August 2012 in the School Auditorium. The students had to perform a patriotic dance with live music on various themes such as Anger, Grief, Happiness and Ecstasy. The students presented a fusion of dance, drama, song and orchestra. The air was charged and the atmosphere was electric, as the auditorium reverberated with the cheering andclapping of excited students who had gathered to witness the much awaited fusion show after the investiture ceremony. The Shakti house students bagged the first prize by their heart touching performance. The Shanti house secured second position. The Pragati house stood 3rd with just 2 marks difference. The Ekta house was at fourth position. The innovative, lively and mesmerizing performances thrilled the audience.

Intra class Singing competition of Pre Primary School students was held on 17th Aug.2012

Music expresses feeling and thought without language, it was after and before speech and it is above and beyond all words” Singing competition was held for Nursery class on 17th August 2012. As they say, music is universal language of mankind. The tiny tots performed on the stage with full confidence. It was wonderful to see them sing full stanzas of the songs.

Spelling Bee ‐ Intra class competition for classes I‐V was held on 22nd Aug. and 23rd Aug. 2012

A spelling Bee Competition was held for classes III to V on 22nd August. Six teams took the stage to the enthusiastic applause of their friends. The students were tested their spelling skills against their peers in a bid to win the competition. Their friends in the audience encouraged them with applauds. The competition was tough and the students demonstrated a high level of knowledge.

School hosted the conference meet of the National Progressive Schools on 28th Aug. 2012 in the esteemed presence of Mr. Vineet Joshi, Chairman C.B.S.E.

Singing Competition for Kinder Garten students held in Aug.2012

Class Presentation of Nursery school students on 30th Aug. 2012

A delegation of teachers from Japanese School, Delhi visited school on 31st Aug.'12 for a brief interaction

K.G. students at their best for the Class Presentation on 31st Aug. 2012

September 2012

Card Making competition for the students of Kinder Garten on 4th Sep.'12

Talent Hunt

Talent Hunt serves as a wonderful platform to encourage the students to explore and express their talent. To showcase their talent , competition was held for classes III to V on 10th and 12th of September 2012. It comprised of four categories‐ solo singing, solo dance, mono acting and instrumental music. The young talent with their creative minds and innate caliber were at their best. They put up a scintillating display of their talent. All the events kept the audience spellbound and entertained throughout.

Teachers' Day celebrations on 5th Sep.'12 at T.I.S. in its 40th Year with the theme‐"Red Carpet Glam"

Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt ,creator of the MOHAN VEENA and the winner of the GRAMMY AWARD performed in school on 12th Sep. 2012

An enthralling performance by Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, renowned Mohan Veena player and Grammy‐ award winner, was held at Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar on 12th September 12. It was held in the school auditorium for Classes VI to VIII. It was part of SPIC MACAY, a movement which promotes various aspects of Indian culture amongst the youth. An introduction was given by two students about SPIC MACAY and about Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, too. The Pandit was greeted with a huge applause from the students and the lamp was lit by him. He interacted with the students by telling them something about his musical background and about his creation, the Mohan Veena. To start off the performance, he played the Raga ‘Bhairav’ on the instrument while entertaining and mesmerising the students, who were truly enchanted by his skillfulness. He was also accompanied by another musician, a tabla player. Throughout his performance, he gave tidbits of information regarding classical music, such as telling the students a bit about the ‘Teen Taal’, a famous ‘taal’ used in Hindustani music.

To conclude his performance, students interacted with him with questions about his musical career and the Mohan Veena, which is a modified guitar which contains 20 strings. To sum it up, it was a wonderful opportunity for the students to witness in action, one of the maestros of Indian classical music. The school feels privileged to have had him perform for the students.

HINDI DIWAS celebrated in school on 14th Sep.2012

Students of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar were exposed to the finest expressions in the Hindi language on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on 14th September’12, speaking volumes of the schools’ emphasis on the mother tongue. The event aimed to make the students aware about the great works of Munshi Premchand as well as bring forth creativity in the usage of the language through a Kavi Sammelan. The program had as its Guests of Honour, two renowned poets of Hindi Literature, Sri Dinesh Raghuvanshi and Dr. Vineet Pandey. Sri Dinesh Raghuvanshi has written many poems for radio stations like Akashvani and television channels like Saadhna, Zee TV. Dr. Vineet Pandey is also a proud receiver of several awards such as the Bhojpuri Sahitya Parishad and the prestigious Vidya Vachaspati Alankaran. The guests lit the ceremonial lamp along with the Senior School Headmistress, Ms. Mallika Preman and the Junior School Headmistress Ms. Preeti Chadha along with the HOD Ms. Archana Chauhan. A brief introduction of the two guests outlined their achievements in the form of their publications and the awards earned by each. The Inter – House competition Laghu Natika, organized on that day had students from each of the four houses of classes VI to VIII stage one act plays based on short stories written by the benchmark of Hindi literature, the great Munshi Premchand. While Ekta House enacted Aansuon ki Holi, Shakti House scripted in a humorous way an adaptation of the story Panchparmeshwar. Pragati House dramatized Shatranj Ke Khiladi while Shanti House performed Sava Ser Gehun. Each enactment transported the audience to the bygone era with apt costumes and props. The event was characterized by originality and creativity. The proud winners of this competition was Shanti House followed by Shakti and then Ekta. In the Senior category, the Kavi Sammelan focused on poetic expressions based on the theme of corruption, wherein each member of the four houses recited poems penned by the participants themselves. The humour, originality, powerful expressions with intonation and apt costumes added to the overall effect. In the Kave Sammelan category, Hardik Bhatia of Pragati House bagged the first position. Besides, exhibits of innovative language games made by the students in the classrooms welcomed all while a literary feast of the finest pieces of creative writings by the students was put up on the various display boards, each bearing testimony to the effective teaching of the language. The students’ efforts were highly appreciated by the Chief Guests. In his speech Mr. Raghuvanshi expressed his sincere thanks on being invited for the function and also related some of his real life incidents. He lauded the efforts of the teachers who had been instrumental in instilling a love for the language, so

40 evident in the enthusiastic performance. Dr. Vineet Pandey was also grateful to the school for having been invited. He cracked some good jokes with the students and encouraged them to pursue Hindi as a subject. September 14th is aptly celebrated in the school every year as a mark of acknowledgement to the Indian official language.

LAGHU NATIKA AND HASYA KAVI SAMMELAN

14th September, was indeed a day, full of fun,frolic and laughter for students of class 9 and 10. Two important inter‐house competitions were held, which were Laghu Natika and the Hasya Kavi Sammelan. These were between the four main houses, Ekta, Pragati, Shakti and Shanti. Laghu Natika,meaning a short skit was mainly based on the stories written by the benchmark of Hindi literature, the great Munshi Premchand. All the students were given this theme and had to prepare a short skit for about 7‐8 mins on this. Some of the skits were Aansuon ki Holi, presented by Ekta House, Shatranj ka Khel presented by Pragati House, Panchparmeshwar by Shakti house and finally Sava Ser Gehun by Shanti House which was much appreciated by the audience. The proud winners of this competition were Shanti House. Followed by this was a Hasya Kavi Sammelan, which was also held between the houses and the topic for this was, Corruption in our Country. All the students put up an excellent performance and was enjoyed by one and all. The celebration concluded with the announcing of the results and the appreciation of the proud winners.

Quiz

General knowledge quiz provides an impetus to sharpen the minds of the children, to develop their personality and become more confident. A quiz was held on 20th September 2012 for classes III to V. The participants had to go through five rounds of questions based on science, math, literature, English and general awareness. All the participants were confident and impressive. The audience witnessed a display of competitive spirit, team work and wit.

Intra class Quiz Competition for Class II held on 24th Sep.'12

Intra class Quiz Competition for the students of class I held on 25th Sep.'12

October 2012

Ms. Arpana Caur, an Internationally renowned Indian contemporary artist had an interactive session with the students of classes VIII‐XII in school on 4th Oct.'12

Students of class X with Ms. Ishita Mukherjee in a meditation workshop by Ahimsa Trust at Vasant Valley School from 4th Oct.'12‐10th Oct.'12

Students of class X visited PCRA and Crafts Museum on Friday,5th Oct.'12

10th Annual Interschool Origami Competition hosted by our school in association with Japanese Embassy witnessed huge enthusiastic participation by the students on 11th Oct.'12

Tagore international school, Vasant Vihar hosted the Inter School Origami competition on 12th October 2012. The event had participants from almost thirty eight reputed schools of Delhi and the NCR region..

The Japanese art of paper‐ folding and its presentation based on given themes was done in creative and innovative ways. The competition had seven categories on the basis of age groups. For each of the three age groups‐ junior, middle and senior, there were solo as well as group categories. The topics were as follows: Junior solo had for its theme My Kimono Show while the Junior Group category had Doll Me Up as its theme. In the middle solo and group category the themes were Breathing Fire and Poetry In Tea. The Senior solo and group had Magic‐A‐Toon and Rising From the Ashes as the theme while in the teachers’ category presentations had to depict a Believe it or Not Tale from Japan. Within 90 minutes the participants had to show their creativity through paper, without the use of scissors or glue. As beautiful figures dressed in colorful kimonos and other such objects took shape, the level of the competition rose to new heights in creativity and neatness in the compositions. The Judges for the competition were from the Japanese Embassy – Mr. Haruhisa Usui, Mr. Norimichi Takemura and Mr. Yugo Horigania. In the junior solo category Tagore International School, East of Kailash and Amity International School, Saket took the first and second Prizes respectively while in the group category, Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar and The Mother’s International bagged the first and second positions. In the Senior solo and group category, Mother’s International and St Mary’s School, Safdarjung Enclave were the proud winners. In the middle group solo category too, The Mother’s International won the first prize while Tagore International School, East of Kailash won the first prize in the Middle group category. In the teacher’s category, Monica Kakkar, of the host school bagged the first prize depicting a Japanese Believe it or not story. The judges were highly impressed with the young talent and the host school’s ingenuity in deciding the themes. Each of the winners went back with a sense of satisfaction for getting an opportunity to showcase their talent and for being appreciated too for the same. The prize distribution ceremony will be held on 2nd November 2012 at the Japanese foundation.

Costume Parade

A costume parade was held on 15th October 2012 for classes III to V. The children participated to captivate the audience and expressed their artistic flair during the competition. It was a show of creativity and imagination in which the costumes were thought provoking, funny, compelling and colourful. The theme for class III was fictional characters and for classes IV and V were headgears and famous personalities/musicians respectively.

Former Delhi High Court Judge, Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh and an author, Justice Leila Seth visited school for an interactive session with the students on 22nd October 2012

The students of classes IX and X of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar had the golden opportunity to interact with Justice Leila Seth, author of the autobiographical “On Balance” on 22nd October 2012. Her visit was a part of the celebration of the school completing its forty years. Justice Seth, mother of the eminent author Dr. Vikram Seth, has been the first woman Judge of the Supreme Court of India and the first woman to become the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. She has also been the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. The warmth and friendliness with which she greeted the students immediately struck a chord. Welcomed by a bouquet of flowers, she then addressed the students. On being asked what made her write the book ‘We, the children of India’ she replied that the constitution of India is a fact book. Reading out the preamble to them, she apprised the students about the basic values in words like secular, justice, equality, citizen etc in the preamble through real life stories. Each story she related gave a message. One message was to speak up against the wrongs. Through another such story about monkeys she highlighted on the importance of initiative and effort at the individual level to improve the malaise in society while one highlighted on the significance of thinking out of the box. Each of her stories fascinated the students. She was calm, kind and polite to the students even with questions about her personal likes and dislikes. She declared that she enjoyed being a judge as well as a writer.

Each of the queries was answered convincingly and effectively. The session ended with her listing some of the difficulties she faced in the legal profession as a woman.

Students of Class VIII at Indian Habitat center for a glimpse into the life of Mahatama Gandhi on 22nd Oct.'12

Dussehra Celebrations in school on 23rd Oct.'12

Tagoreans celebrated Dusshera on 23rd October 2012. Students of all classes attended the celebration. Commencing with an appropriate speech highlighting the significance of Dusshera, what followed was Durga Stuti sung by the Indian music choir, extolling Goddess Durga who is said to relieve human beings from all their worries. The dance students of classes VIII and IX performed a dance which left the viewers in awe. Soon after, the class representatives of classes 6 ‐12 spoke about the evils the students would like to eliminate from their lives. The students had written these evils or negative feelings on coloured pieces of paper representing each house in an activity conducted in the classroom. These were stuck on the effigy of Ravan before it was burnt. At that moment each Tagorean stood united in their fight against all forms of bad qualities and ill feelings. Then came the much awaited moment everyone was waiting for, the burning of the effigy of Ravan. The head boy and the head girl of the school were called to ignite the effigy. Within seconds the effigy burst into flames, burning all the evils along with it. A huge round of applause broke out from the audience as the effigy broke down into pieces and was completely destroyed. One of the students then closed the ceremony, thanking everyone and wishing them a happy Dusshera.

Students of classes VI‐VIII along with their teachers enjoyed a musical hour with the musicians from D club who played various percussion instruments on 25th Oct.'12

Eid celebrations in school on 26th Oct.'12

On a chilly October morning, the children along with the teachers assembled within the inner quadrangle at 9.30 a.m. for the celebration of Bakra – Eid for the first time in the school. It took some time for everyone to settle but after some time the programme commenced the way it was planned, with an opening speech. The speech enlightened the students about the festival and the story behind the celebration. God asked Ibraham in a dream to sacrifice his son, Ibraham along with his son started moving towards Medina for the sacrifice. Some of the demons tried to direct Ibraham away from his goal but Ibraham was true to God and as he was just set to kill his son, God stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice, instead of sacrificing his son. This festival is thereby said to be a festival of sacrifice. Some people celebrate Eid‐ ul‐ Adha because it ends the pilgrimage or Hajj for those Muslims who make a trip to Mecca each year. After the speech a class 11 student recited a few verses of the holy book ‘Quran’ and also apprised the students with their meaning. A melodious Sufi song by the school choir. had all swaying to the beat and rhythm. Then came an apt and elegant performance by the dance students of class 9 on the song ‘Piya Hajji Ali.’ Dressed in white, the dance group brought a kind of serenity and calmness to the surroundings. Well choreographed by the dance teacher Ms. Shruthi, the dance did captivate and mesmerize one and all. A huge round of applause followed. And what celebration is complete without the depiction of the story of the festival through a play. So the students from classes 1,7,9,10 presented a play in the form of a nukkad natika. The play, directed by the inimitable Ms. Uma Chopra depicted the story of Ibraham and his love for the Almighty which made him willing to sacrifice his beloved son at the altar. It was divine intervention, that saved his son, who was then replaced by a goat. As for the play, everyone thought that it was wonderful and full of energy. Following the play was a speech by Urvashi Jain of class IX A on Valmiki Jayanti which falls on 29th October.

At the end of the programme , the Principal Ms. Madhulika Sen spoke a few words on the school’s effort in instilling a feeling of brotherhood with the celebration of all major festivals. Elaborating on the word ‘Secular’ in the Preamble she highlighted on the need to practice tolerance and respect for all religions in a secular state as India. She reiterated that one should try and be secular so that peace and harmony can be restored within the society. Her words did leave an impact as greetings of Id Mubarak echoed till later. It was indeed a celebration all would cherish forever.

Puppet Show by Mrs. & Mr. Louis Montoto from Czech Republic for the students of class V on 30th Oct.'12

November 2012

LEAD ON 2012 , Annual Leadership Summit for the Head Boys and Head Girls of the prestigious schools in Delhi was held on 5th Nov.'12

Theming this year’s Lead On ‘Breaking Barriers’ the event commenced with the key‐note address being delivered by Mr. Navin Jindal who spoke about his own personal experiences rather than quoting the clichéd ones. Since the event was themed Breaking Barriers he began by telling the participants how there are two main types of barriers one faces—internal and external‐the internal one which is fear, being more important yet difficult to overcome and the latter was how to deal with society’s norms. Having been the founder of the Flag Foundation of India, he threw light upon how, during his stay in the United States of America he noticed that the citizens were allowed to hoist and display their respective nations’ flag. This he noted was in vast contrast with the situation in India that didn’t allow its own citizens to display the flag publically. He aspired to change this and did so after a long struggle of a decade. Mr Jindal emphasized on the fact that the nation’s identity is far more supreme than any individual, religion or community or even political view. The gist of these words can be stated as you can

48 take the Indian out of India, but you cannot take the India out of the Indian. He further states that life is not a cakewalk and barriers are present because they’re meant to be broken for if they could easily be walked over then perhaps they wouldn’t be present at all. Next, he spoke of the 3 Ds that he believes are the stepping stones to achieving one’s goal in life. They are –desire, discipline, and dedication, and their necessity is self explanatory because if one doesn’t have the burning desire or the disciplined organization or the striving dedication, he or she may never be able to reach his or her aim. He also apprised the students that one cannot always entertain the majority as their opinion might actually be of negative impact in the long run. He finally told the students that barriers are only in one’s head, they are fun to break and breach but only by using our sense of judgement. All barriers could be crossed with a smile.

After about an hour and a half of having heard wise words from Mr Jindal, the event had had Mr Pavan K. Verma deliver the keynote address, post tea. He commenced by saying that leaders aren’t products of training but are those who wish to think independently astray from any foreign influence. Mr Verma stated that the real crisis for India is to face the challenges of a young nation and the journey of an ancient civilization. From his speech, the students learned that our civilization is marked by antiquity, and continued to exist in spite of grave struggle. It had its peaks of refinement, and is an assimilation of various cultural identities. Speaking of the Natyashastra, he told us that truth is one and the wise people call it by different names. He insisted that one must allow knowledge to flow from all corners of the world but one must retain retaining our own heritage and build our citadels based on what one believe. His words did make the participants question themselves, ‘Am I capable of individually analyzing and applying my mind to situations without borrowing ideas from others?’ According to him, the crisis in our nation is primarily of good governance and corruption. He advocated electoral reform to combat corruption while setting up a systemic solution for a systemic crisis. Encouraging the students to think out of the box, Mr Pavan Varma warned them that photocopies do not earn respect and we must be rooted to our culture or we might easily be swept away and turned into caricatures. Another agenda he spoke on was the importance of the mother tongue as the language of communication which cannot substitute the mother tongue as it opens windows to folklores, culture, lullabies, scents, and the very essence of being an Indian. Mr Verma ended his speech by reciting an Urdu verse, “Mat poocho kya haal hai tera mere peechay.. mat poocho kya haal hai tera mere peechay. Tu dekh ki kya rang hai tera mere aagay.” But Lead On does more than merely offer a chance to interact with leaders, it also makes the participants, do, so after the key note addresses the session continued with an activity that was well suited to the theme. This was conducted by a team of facilitators from among the student council of the school. ‘Political Whisper’ which had words related to the current political scenario given to one member of a group. Each member had to pass on that word to the next member through actions, which was in turn interpreted and then passed on to the last member. The aim was to encourage better communication among the members even with the unspoken word. Some of the words to be interpreted were Scam, Colgate , sting operation. It was more like a game of Chinese whisper. The members then broke off for tea. Post tea session , the rejuvenated crowd had the unique opportunity to interact with Mr. Pawan K. Verma who then addressed the students. The members then broke off for lunch. The second activity involved a game of values wherein the participants were divided into groups of eight. Each group was given five values which they had to make use of in dealing with the situations that were read out to them. Each team was left with the one value that they did not discard but cherished the most. Giving reasons why they did so the game provoked teamwork and direction. The third event ‘If I were a Leader,’ had each group of 15 members dealing with a (hypothetical) situation in the state of 49

Nagaland. As young leaders, the representatives were asked to provide a solution to the problem. It brought out their ability to handle a crisis situation which the country may face and also gave each participant to think out of the box. Finally the high tea was followed by the valedictory function. The event ‘Lead on’ made each participant realize their immense potential as leaders. What each one also realized was that if leaders think creatively, interact with clarity and with compassion, they can forge ahead boldly towards even unknown and unexplored territories and achieve their goals. But with leadership comes great responsibility and it is only ‘a vision’ ‐ the essence of it all, that can help one achieve their targets. All in all, Lead On was a successful event, giving the participants an insight into what is leadership.

Students posed the following questions to Mr Jindal: Q. Sir, can you please throw some light on the pros of patriotism? A. This one time when I went to Rishi Valley, someone asked me “Mr. Jindal, you’ve fought for our nation’s flag but do you not think it shows very narrow mentality? Moreover it (the flag) is the one thing that makes nations have conflicts as well,” to which he replied, “It isn’t narrow mentality because maybe one day there won’t be a need for patriotism that won’t cause such conflict, but till that day is here, we will have to come together as a nation first so as to break the barriers.” Q. Being a leader, how can one strike a balance between autocratic and assertive? A. See, the thing is, there’s always going to be people who won’t agree with you but it your job to convince them, to be smart enough to find your way out using your charm even if it does not suit everybody.

Students posed the following questions to Mr Pavan Verma: Q. How does one expect us to speak our mother tongue when the criteria for admission in the very own colleges requires you to have studied English? A. It will never be easy to bring about this change but it will only happen when you yourself start. Q. You have travelled extensively. Can you give us instance where you put forth Hindi to be recognized on the international stage? A. There’s not point doing so at an international stage unless it isn’t recognized in out own nation. I mean look around, Hindi bolnay mein ek sharam si aati hai aajkal ke yuvaon ko. There’ll be parents standing outside school waiting for their wards talking and praising them with a faint satisfaction when they say “Lekin Hindi mein thoda kamzor hai.” Q. Is it plausible to separate the economic decision‐makers from the parliament? A. Your question is very good, but at the same time such methods are fraught with danger and the separate organ may end up taking decisions that not really beneficial.

Junior School Sports Day and Grandparents' Day celebrations in school on 8th Nov.12

Diwali Celebrations in school on 9th Nov.'12

Students of our school played matches in Football and Basketball at Inter school Sports Meet held at Japanese School, Delhi on 9th Nov..'12

Just a Minute‐ Intraclass competition for classes I‐III was held on 22nd Jan.'13

Students of class V in an interactive session with Ms. Asha Nehemiah ,author of children books on 22nd Nov.'12

Students and teachers from Fuchun Secondary School, Singapore interacting with students from various classes in school on 24th Nov.'12

Athletic Meet for Senior School students was held on 27th Nov.'12

Finally , the Tagoreans got to experience, one of the most awaited events of the year , the Senior School Athletic Meet . As the clock ticked 9 , the programme began with the welcoming of the chief guest Ms.Sheeba Megan , an eminent Indian basketball player and coach . The athletic meet started with an energetic march past followed by the oath taking ceremony and the declaration of the opening of the meet by the Chief guest . But before the events started , the cheerleaders stepped in to heat up the athletic meet with some tremendous dance performances by each house. The first event was the fastest of all , the 100 m flat race , in which a couple of records were broken , followed by other flat races such as 200m and 400m and field events such as discus and short put. Every event saw a new record breaker , while a few were disappointments too . But all this keeps the spirit of the game alive . After a couple of events, there was a short break of 15 minutes after which everyone resumed to the field. The events that followed were high jump , hurdles and a few races for the staff . There were also few fun races which were , as the name suggest , ‘fun’ to watch . After all these events , it was now time for the most important and thrilling races . The race between the houses , the relay race and it was promising like always . With a couple of dramatic finishes , the race did deliver what the audience wanted , ‘entertainment’ . The declaration of the various best athletes in their respective age groups were carried out after the prizes for all the events were given . But the most important prize , the trophies for the runners up and the winning house which proved to be the best that day were saved for the end . Pragati (green) house and Shanti(yellow) house received

53 the runners up and the winner’s trophy respectively . The athletic meet was now heading towards its end but it did end on a good note with a few ‘words of wisdom’ by the honorable chief guest. And like each year , every participant and viewer returned with a couple of new experiences and lessons learnt. Guru Purab was celebrated in school on 29th Nov.'12

On 29th November 2012, the school celebrated Gurpurab festival. The students of classes 4th to 11th had gathered in the inner quadrangle for the programme. The programme started when Siddhi Pal of Class IX and Sohini Chakraborty of Class VIII gave a short speech on Gurpurab. They told the students about why the festival was celebrated. The day being the birthday of Guru Nanak, the first guru of the Sikhs, the day bears sanctity among the Sikhs. Students were also informed about the life and struggles of Guru Nanak in his quest for truth. After the speech, the school choir sang a Sikh prayer (Gurbani) in the form of a song. All the students in the school joined in. The song was followed by a skit presented by students of classes VII and VIII. They presented the life of Guru Nanak and depicted how Guru Nanak went on to become a great man and how he spread his ideas across the country. They concluded their skit by reciting a short khalsa prayer. The students of class X then presented a humorous street play which was a satire on the religious beliefs of Indians and how easy is it to make profits out of these. They illustrated the way land can be acquired by turning it into a place of worship. The message was to make people aware of how people with vested interests only pretend to be devotees but in reality, they use the name of god for monetary gains. The programme was concluded by a speech given by Mrs Preeti Chadda, the junior headmistress. She enlightened the children on the meaning of the word Sikh. She said that Sikh means a student and also said that each and every child in the school was a Sikh as they all are students. Indeed, Tagore International School does know how to celebrate festivals like Gurpurab. Mr. Sanjay Muttoo, Documentary Film Maker, in an interactive story telling session with the students of classes III & IV on 29th Nov.'12

Sports Meet of Sarv Sahodaya schools' cluster held on 30th Nov.'12

News Hour ‐ Inter House competition for Classes IX‐XII held on 30th Nov.'12

Character Potrayal ‐ Inter House competition for classes VI‐VIII held on 30th Nov.'12

December 2012

HORNBILL Music Festival in Nagaland from 1st Dec.‐7th Dec.'12

A trip was organised by our school to attend the Hornbill festival in Nagaland. The school principal, Ms Madhulika Sen accompanied me, Sreoshi and Richa, all from class XI, to Nagaland. On 1st December’12 we reached Dimapur airport in the afternoon and after a travel of three hours we reached Zakhama where we were scheduled to stay. The next day we visited Kisama, the heritage village, where the hornbill festival was being conducted with pomp and show. We witnessed the dance performances, rituals and various other cultural activities by seventeen tribes and some other sub‐tribes from the north eastern states that had specially come to showcase their traditions. These tribes could be easily distinguished by the colourful and intricately designed costumes, jewellery and beads that they adorn. All of us bought a lot of things for gifting and for ourselves including traditional earrings, jackets, handicrafts, Shawls and curios which are really pretty and attractive! We also saw the piglet catching competition, the greased bamboo pole climbing competition, the top spinning competition, the chilly eating competition and various other activities which were indigenous to one tribe or another. In the next four days we visited various places like the War Cemetery and memorial, Manipur border, Churches, museums and various other picturesque sites. We all tried a lot of different dishes like fried grasshoppers, pupas and sticky rice with spicy pork pieces; they were all very different and delicious! We also came to know about the strategic importance of Nagaland during the World War – II as it was a way for the Japanese soldiers as intruders to enter the northern part of India from the then Burma .

The place had a salubrious climate and a picturesque surrounding and a lot of greenery with undulating heights. The local people were very warm hearted and helpful. The trip was very memorable, educative and entertaining for all of us and we shall cherish the unique and eventful stay in Nagaland!

Astronomy Day celebrated in school on 7th Dec.'12

“Man must rise above the Earth ‐ to the top of the atmosphere and beyond ‐ for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.” The school’s Astronomy Club Krittika works on the same philosophy and believes in expanding the horizons of its students with a vast knowledge of space science. On 7 December 2012 the students of the club decided to propagate their knowledge to other students on the event of the Astronomy Day. A plethora of activities were organized to celebrate the spirit of curiosity and scientific thinking. These activities included a scintillating rocket launch, an astounding comet making session and an exhausting but enlightening solar walk. The exhibition commenced early in the chilly winter morning with Madhu ma’am satisfying her curiosity about the mystifying and exquisite moon followed by Mallika ma’am, Preeti ma’am and Saroj ma’am all realizing the splendor of the wondrous sky above. An excited group of Class V students watched in awe as almost authentic‐looking comets were made out of unbelievably common materials like mud and as they watched the phenomenal sun with the special goggles. The teachers were in for a surprise as a unique journey across the stunning solar system had been exclusively arranged for them. They enthusiastically took part and the walk proved to be an eye opener for them. These activities were absolutely delightful but the most thrilling of them all was the hydro rocket launch. It was in the true sense the main highlight of the event and a favorite with the students as well as the teachers. Everyone held their breath as the pressure of water built inside the rocket and then as the countdown began, the rocket left the ground to venture into the limitless sky. Everyone applauded and cheered spiritedly. The Astronomy Club tackled all the little mysteries related to our daily lives that arouse wonder and awe, the event did answer most of our questions but it also generated more curiosity about the unexplored space.

Students of our school participating in city level Science Fair held on 7th Dec.‐8th Dec.'12

WINTERLUDE 2012‐‐ Biennial School Fete on 15th Dec.'12

Students observed Mathematics Day on 21st Dec.'12,commemorating 125 birth years of Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan

Ms. N. Saroj, Dean‐ academics, attended Courage to Lead Programme organised by Disha India at Jim Corbett National Park from 22nd Dec.'12‐27th Dec.'12

N. Saroj, Dean‐ Academics attended the first module of Courage to Lead Programme , a fully residential 9 day expedition organised by Disha India.The first module comprised of a six day expedition at Syat Camp, Jim Corbett National Park from 22nd Dec’12 to 27th Dec’12 .The theme of the workshop was Jungle Expedition and was based on experiential model. The purpose of the expedition was to redefine learning systems and structures in the schools and in the process empower school educators to re‐invent schools. The objective of the programme was to experience and understand how to use real‐life experiences as a pedagogy for teaching and learning in schools .The second module will be held from Feb 8th to Feb.10th 2013 in Gurgaon.

January 2013

Helpers' Day celebrated by the tiny tots of Pre Primary school on 17th Jan.'13

Just a Minute‐ Intraclass competition for classes I‐III was held on 22nd Jan.'13

Hasya Kavi Sammelan for classes IV & V held on 23rd Jan.'13

Graduation Day and Farewell party for the students of class XII on 24th Jan.'13

February 2013 Our student as animal panelists at climate change exhibition held in Feb.'13

Young Tagoreans participated in CanSupport’s Walk For Life in Delhi flagged off by Ms. Gursharan Kaur on 3rd Feb.'13

Prize distribution ceremony for Preschool & Pre primary school on 6th Feb.'13

Prize distribution ceremony for Junior School was held on 7th Feb.'13

Prize Distribution Ceremony for the students of senior school was held on 8th Feb.'13

The program started with a welcome song ‘Sapne, Aankhon Mein Hain Kai Saare’ written and composed by Ms. Sumita Dutta and sung by the Indian Music choir of the school. It was appreciated by each and everyone present there. The Prize Distribution began with giving of awards to winners of Inter‐House competitions. Fusion Dance, Laghu Natika, Hasya Kavi Sammelan, News Hour, Ignited Minds, to name a few. These competitions add to the house totals done each month in the school.

Taking a break from the Award Ceremony, students of class X put up a skit titled ‘Jago India Jago! ’ . The skit was indeed humorous and entertaining. Along with that, it conveyed a strong message to the audience about the current situation in India and the need to wake up for a call of action. Then it was the turn of western music students of classes VI and VII to put up their show. They presented the song ‘Painters’ which uplifted the spirit of one and all present there. The lyrics of the songs were highly appreciated by all.

The function continued after the break, by acknowledging the hardworking cabinet members who have left no stone unturned to take the school to greater heights. It’s their tremendous and consistent contribution towards the school which has got the school here. After this was the distribution of the most prestigious awards of the school. To start with, The Shobha Bhavnani Ability Award, awarded to three students of each house for their sincere contribution towards all house activities. From Ekta House, the winners were Sohini Chakravarty, Nikita Arora and Aishwarya Ranade. From Pragati House, it was Drishti Bose, Chahat Kakkar and Bhavya Mathur winning the award. Manaswini Chawla, Bhavya Singh and Aashi Bhatnagar from Shakti house won this award and Akshat Kela, Habiba Praveen and Antriksh Kaul from Shanti House were the lucky ones to get this award. J.K.Sen Excellence in Sports was the award next in line. It is awarded for performing consistently well in sports to the best four students. Praveen Singh and Vanshika Sejwal of class 8 won these awards in the junior boys and girls category respectively. In the senior category, it was Aayush Saha of class IX and Khusboo Tanwar of class XI getting the award in the boys and girls category respectively. TESA, the TIS ex‐students association awards a student for the best performance in class XI This award was received by Amlan Panda for performing consistently well in all fields. One more major award of the school is the Dr. H. Sen Memorial Award, which is awarded to the best students of class IX and X. This award was bagged by Siddhi Pal of class IX and Swasti Acharya of class X.

After a long list of these awards, the second break was for a dance performance titled ‘Tarana’ by students of classes VIII, IX and XI. The dance was a spectacular sight to watch and left everyone enthralled. It was followed by a huge round of applause.

After so many awards won by the students, it was the turn of the teachers to come into limelight. It started with Ms. Geeta Gosain who won the award for completing 10 years of commendable service in the school. Once again TESA that is the TIS Ex‐students Association awarded and acknowledged our very own Saxena Maam for all her efforts in getting the school to where it is today. All students were delighted to see their ex‐Headmistress present for the event.

Then came the most awaited moment of the day, The award for the Best House. The result for this category is the most awaited by one and all. Finally it was announced and Pragati House was declared Runner’s up. All Pragati house members were elated to hear this and they all got together and went up to the stage to get their trophy. Once again anxiety spread amongst the audience awaiting the result for the winner position. It was Ekta House this time. That was the most ecstatic moment in the lives of the Ekta house members, and especially the cabinet members and teachers who had put in their heart and soul to get it from the last position last year to the topmost position this year.

The program ended with a few words by the Chief Guest Ms. Annapoorna Sehgal. First of all she thanked our Principal for giving her an opportunity to be present for the function. She then congratulated all the prize winners and motivated others to be one of them next year. Ms. Sehgal was highly impressed at the variety of talents she saw in the school ranging from culture to art to technology to literature. Finally Ms. Sehgal said that she would be delighted to be a part of the future events to be held in the school.

Career counselling session for the parents of class X was held in school on 16th Feb. 13

Sanchayan‐ Annual Performing Arts Festival for classes I‐V was held on 22nd Feb. & 23rd Feb'13

SANCHAYAN 2012 ‐ The Performing Art Festival of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar saw students of classes I to V paying tribute to legendary personalities from different fields‐ the shooting star Colonel RVS Rathor, Bravehearts of 1857 like Rani Laksmibai and Mangal Pandey, statesmen like Chanakya the great teacher, authors J.K. Rowling and R.K. Narayan and famous musicians. The festival itself is a culmination of the year‐long effort of the students and teachers of the various performing arts and club‐activities during the current session. Through a chain of performances which included performances in theatre, poetry, public speaking, dance, vocal and instrumental music as also through paintings and an art and craft exhibition the students depicted the life and achievements of each of the personalities chosen as their theme. In fact so wide was the canvas that the Guests of honour, who were the proud parents, were all too enthralled by the entire presentation. It was not only the creativity in the way each group’s performance was woven but also the innovative techniques adopted, the riot of colours in the dress and stage props and to top it all the smiling, confident faces of the students, fully charged with emotion when performing his part.

Huge banners and collages, paintings, sculptures in clay adorned the atrium of the school in the art and craft exhibition. Images of the personalities in water colour and pencil sketches fluttered on the school walls surrounding the atrium. The show itself had musical performances by the western and Indian music choirs, enactments by the theatre groups, dances by the students of Indian classical dance and elocution by the Public speaking groups of each of the classes. What was novel was the puppetry by the students learning the art form. Brave hearts of 1857 by the students of class 2 not only enlightened but also captivated the audience. The public speaking group with their voice modulation, diction and expressions brought their characters to life. “Authors” –the class 4 presentation had authors from J.K.Rowling to our very own R.K.Narayan as the subject of their presentation. A well blended mixture of music, dance, literature, puppetry, etc. made the show receive a huge round of applause. This presentation made the parents realize the importance of books in a student’s life. The rhythmic steps of kathak, whether depicting the importance of sports or depicting patriotic feelings, brought the stage alive. The instrumental music students played different pieces for each class presentation on their synthesizers. Even the vocalists sang songs with full enthusiasm. The fusion between the vocal music students and the instrumentalists was the highlight of “Exquisite Expressions” presented by class 5, with their theme ‘Music. ’ Each performance spoke at length not only of the students’ caliber but also the collective effort of the teachers. The performance concluded with the Principal’s speech in which the efforts of all the participants and the teachers was commended. The festival did leave a lasting impression on the parents who were all too happy and satisfied that the school leaves no stone unturned in bringing forth the talent in each child.

‘Expressions’‐ Tiny Tots Show held on 9th March'13

After days of hectic rehearsals, under the able guidance of the teachers, the budding artists did put their best foot forward and did their parents and teachers proud. There was no sign of nervousness, but only an enthusiasm amongst the children. The students of Nursery enthralled the parents with a graphic presentation of Noddy visits India. Songs, music and dances from different states of India, was interspersed with theatre, providing a glimpse into the court of Akbar and Birbal. The confidence and clarity in speech, especially in the narration by the tiny tots was what added to the special effects. The colourful costumes added to the visual appeal. The KG section showcased their myriad skills with a presentation of ‘TopsyTurvy Land’ which brought together characters from famous fairy tales but with a twist in the roles they perform as the magic had 65 disappeared from fairytale land. So there was a Prince who has turned into frog and is doomed to remain so till the magic happens. So it becomes Brenda the Witch’s mission to restore the magic into fairyland so he could live Happily ever After. Dressed appropriately, all looked perfect to play their part on stage, especially in the circus scene. The Parents’ participation with their valuable presence and gesture of encouragement was note‐worthy. Each of the kindergartners sang, danced and waltzed their way into the hearts of the parents, leaving the auditorium resounding with a thunderous applause, reflecting the hard work and talent of the tiny tots and teachers alike. The school shall forever encourage and motivate its students to identify and hone their special skills in order to develop their personality.