THE LEGACY WRITE FOR THE RIGHT EDITION VI 2020 Shri. S. R. N. Mudiraj (1930-2003) Founder Chairman Johnson Educational Society WRITE FOR THE RIGHT The world is in a state of never-ending crisis today. We face a climate catastrophe, impending war, innumerable humanitarian concerns and on top of all this – the virus pandemic. Countless rights of minorities are lost and breached every day. There also exists stigma against mental illness, body positivity, and ethnic groups. The English class provided us an opportunity to take an essay writing competition on the theme Write for the Right. The essays that came out of this were diverse, nuanced and brought about awareness on sensitive issues in their uniquely creative styles. The winning essays - ‘A Colour of Concern’ spoke the blunt truth of racism against the colour of skin, not only in America but also back home in India. ‘Making Room for Hope…’ showed us how casteism still exists in this country many years after independence. And ‘The Afghan Girl’ spoke about how we ignore the toll war takes on children and innocent people who face the repercussions. Further, yet other essays talked about matters we often forget in the larger scheme of things. These include: the stigma we have on seeking help for mental health issues; bullying people you think are lesser than yourself; and the pain the trees endure by what we’ve done to the ecosystems of the world. We hope reading these essays in this magazine makes you aware of how much we still have to accomplish, and the might of the pen that could take these issues forward. Ananya Beura Student Editor Mission To achieve and sustain exemplary standards, at national as well as global level, in both formal education and student discipline by providing quality education and all round development for every student. We are committed to build and maintain a culture for continuous improvement in all functions of our institution and monitor every success. Vision To ensure all children from our school are able to adjust with respect in this fast-changing global environment, along with the ability to lead in any field of their choice with the utmost integrity and courage. The journey continues at JIB The Editorial Board Staff Editorial Board Ruchi Sethia Ruchi Sethia Bindu C.G. Malathi Ramaswamy Student Editorial Board Anuroop Mantripragada Haarika Chitti Tanvi Raparla Aditya S. Krishna Aaditya SriKrishna Sivapriya Ganti Ananya Beura Designers Anuroop Mantripragada Aaditya SriKrishna Anuroop and Aaditya - It has been a great endeavor to be a part of the magazine. In the beginning, it was difficult to envision how the magazine would look like, but we are quite happy with how it has turned out. This magazine challenged our creativity and made us realize our hidden potential. It has been an enriching experience which will remain with us throughout our lives. Student Editors Tanvi Raparla Ananya Beura Tanvi – Getting the role of an editor was a splendid way to contribute to the magazine. I was super excited to put my skills to use and everything turned out great. Also, Ananya was an ideal person to work with. We couldn't have done it alone. Though it took a lot of time and effort, we edited all the articles and write ups to the best of our ability. Ananya – Although Tanvi and I hadn’t anticipated the volume of work we had to do, it was nevertheless a novel experience. Being in charge is never easy and putting up this magazine pushed us to take tough decisions. While the pandemic slowed the process I’m proud of all my classmates who put in work into making this magazine possible in these uncertain times. Coordinators Haarika Chitti Sivapriya Ganti Aditya S. Krishna Haarika – This responsibility to collect pictures has been a great job because every time I had to find something, it wasn’t only the pictures, but I also found myself reminiscing those amazing times in JIB. Sivapriya – Collation of all the write ups was not a cakewalk and it required a lot of patience. developed my communication skills while coordinating with my team members to bring forth the best of the ideas. Aditya - It was a pleasure working with a group of bright minds like my team and I learnt a lot along the process. Although my contribution was less, I had fun working on the Legacy of JIB and that's my biggest takeaway from this. About the Cover Page Cover page Credits: Sivapriya Ganti, Grade 11 “Verba virtute” -painting symbolic of Write for the Right. Over the years, writings do not fade as what is once written is not erasable. The green hand signifies the origin of writings on palm leaves with a quill being used initially. Metamorphosis occurs but writings serve in the fight for the Right. Newspaper bits in the background depict the power words possess to stand for the Right in the attainment of justice. Contents In Conversation with the 1 Administrator The Principal Writes 5 The COO’s Voice 6 One for the Album 7 Colour of Concern 8 Haiku and Ikebana 9 Making Room for Hope... 10 The Hindu Young 11 World Quiz The Afghan Girl 12 Quaking Bali 13 Anantagiri Hills 14 Drama Club 15 National Science Day 16 ACK Alive 17 The Crowning 18 My Musings…On a Lighter Note 19 Dance for the Nation 21 Un-economic Debate 22 Knowing our Weaves 23 Hindi Corner 24 Strokes of Creativity 26 Theatre Club 27 Teachers’ Day 28 Ongoing training-The road is 29 endless! Teachers’ Workshops Potpourri 30 A Toothsome Blend 31 Speak Up 32 Munnar 33 Paper Tales 35 Cultural Club 36 What to expect from 37 the future? Children’s Day 38 Voice of Trees 39 Stellar Scintillations 40 Studio 42 VA exhibition 44 University Fair 47 Eco e-Newsletter 48 French Corner 49 Silenced by Stigma 51 Christmas Celebrations 52 Mathemagic 53 Republic Day 54 A Statue Speaks 55 When the Stakes are High 56 To Aadi, From Adi 57 Science Club 58 Wonderla 59 Voice for the Voiceless 60 Me and My Bookshelf 61 with Bindu C.G. 63 8 things you should know before you join IB 64 Uncut Gems Farewell-Walk in Venetia 66 From Within to Without 67 Alumni Response 70 Placements List 72 IN CONVERSATION WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR Q – Would like to hear from you Sir, in your own words, the meaning and interpretation of the JGS logo. A – The JGS logo encompasses the entire philosophy of what according to me a school should aim at seeing in its students. The logo itself has had a transformation journey from a rigid triangle to a flexible one which you all see today. The logo initially comprised of a rigid triangle denoting the process of education. Later, I changed it to a flexible triangle because the entire process of education is flexible and child centric. The human figures moving into the triangle symbolise that the first purpose of a human life is to receive education through experiential learning and aim to get enlightened. The figures rise high to show development in their personalities and finally move out of the triangle. It conveys a message that ‘sky is the limit’ for any child who acquires education. Once they get educated, they should pass on this wisdom and serve their purpose in the society. ‘Joy of Being’, was very carefully chosen as JGS always aims at making the children learn to be happy and not rich. When a child wants to be happy, he strives for excellence and understands the rue values of life. Q – Who has been your inspiration? A – My father is my primary source of inspiration. He is also the Founder of JGS. He not only taught me several life lessons but also showed me how to dream big and work hard to turn your vision into a reality. Along with him, many pioneers, teachers and students at various points in my life have continued to inspire me. Q – We would like to hear more about our Founder Chairman, his convictions, his ideologies, his aspirations that served as the driving force to lay the foundation of JGS. A – I personally feel, my father belonged to a generation that we will not see again. He belonged to a time when people never searched for short cuts to succeed. They struggled hard to achieve their vision, took pride in their struggle and never shied away from sharing their failures that became important learning lessons for their successors. My father started his career as a government school teacher and retired as a Headmaster. He wanted to do something for the society and felt that education is the key to development for any nation. He had a strong conviction that every teacher should be given utmost respect. With his vision to provide ‘quality education to all’, JGS, Habsiguda was established in 1983. Dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, JGS is a comprehensive system with an inspiring and dynamic curriculum that will help students to realise their full potential, encourage them to pursue new interests and equip them with the skills required for success in the competitive 21st century. Q – Have you ever felt the weight of the legacy vested upon you? A – Yes, because I always understood the gravity of the responsibility vested upon me. At that time, I was focusing on building a career for myself in the field of genetics which was also my passion so I was reluctant to be an Administrator. My father tried to pass on all his wisdom to me but it took some time for me to detach myself from I was pursuing and realise that I had to abide by my responsibility as the eldest son and take this legacy of JGS forward.