The Inventure Academy blog is where you get to know all the latest happenings and events at the school and beyond, and where you can make your voice heard.
Showing posts with label Grade 10. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grade 10. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Samit Basu interacts with Inventure Academy students
Meet Samit Basu, one of the first Indian English writers, who dropped his management course at IIM Ahmedabad to pursue course in broadcasting and documentary University of Westminster, London.
Having written three best selling novels, The Simoqin Prophecies, The Manticore’s Secret, The Unwaba Revelations, Basu now 31, published his first work when he was 23, making him one of India’s youngest authors at the time. He was also declared as India’s most promising `Emerging Indians’ by a survey conducted by IMRB and The Week.
The writer is in the city to launch his fourth novel- Terror of the Titanic- Morningstar Agency Adventure and also visited Inventure Academy to address the students, prior to the launch on Tuesday, 13th July 2010.
``I chose to be a writer because of a complete lack of other skills,’’ chuckles Basu while answering a question from one of the students on the reason for him being a writer.
On a serious note he elaborates, `` There is nothing magical which inspires me to write. Be it writing a script for a movie, a graphic novel or a column in a newspaper, it is something that I love doing and comes to me easily.”
Explaining to students on how to plan a story, he suggests, “ I had read somewhere that every story, real or reel, happens as we all want something and the story ends with us, either being successful in getting it or failing to do so. Design your plot first as that helps a big deal”
Students quizzed him on various topics ranging from the reason why Hitler is one of the most well known personalities from history; influence music has on creative writing and if he could name one of his future characters in graphic novels after Ishaan Pujari, their mischievous classmate!
Summarizing his healthy interaction with Inventure Academy students Basu opines, “There are obviously not many schools in India which encourage a child to think and Inventure Academy is one of them.’’
Having written three best selling novels, The Simoqin Prophecies, The Manticore’s Secret, The Unwaba Revelations, Basu now 31, published his first work when he was 23, making him one of India’s youngest authors at the time. He was also declared as India’s most promising `Emerging Indians’ by a survey conducted by IMRB and The Week.
The writer is in the city to launch his fourth novel- Terror of the Titanic- Morningstar Agency Adventure and also visited Inventure Academy to address the students, prior to the launch on Tuesday, 13th July 2010.
``I chose to be a writer because of a complete lack of other skills,’’ chuckles Basu while answering a question from one of the students on the reason for him being a writer.
On a serious note he elaborates, `` There is nothing magical which inspires me to write. Be it writing a script for a movie, a graphic novel or a column in a newspaper, it is something that I love doing and comes to me easily.”
Explaining to students on how to plan a story, he suggests, “ I had read somewhere that every story, real or reel, happens as we all want something and the story ends with us, either being successful in getting it or failing to do so. Design your plot first as that helps a big deal”
Students quizzed him on various topics ranging from the reason why Hitler is one of the most well known personalities from history; influence music has on creative writing and if he could name one of his future characters in graphic novels after Ishaan Pujari, their mischievous classmate!
Summarizing his healthy interaction with Inventure Academy students Basu opines, “There are obviously not many schools in India which encourage a child to think and Inventure Academy is one of them.’’
Friday, June 25, 2010
INVENTURING- A unique foundation program at Inventure Academy
A new academic session at Inventure Academy does not start with books, uniforms or in classrooms but with Inventuring - a unique foundation program aimed at cementing bonds between teachers and students, making new students comfortable and setting the key note for expectations at Inventure Academy.
Students engage in projects – both single and in groups – and experience first hand, the creative process, thinking-out- of- the- box and being active participants in a team. The hidden agenda is helping students realize their inner potential, making them believe in themselves, understanding ways of true learning and respecting interdependence.
“It is because there is no `One Way’ to get the best out of the children,’’ states Inventure Academy Head of Kindergarten and Primary, Shaheen Shafi, who has been the architect and part of this tradition of Inventuring since inception.
Designed on Howard Gardener’s theory of Multiple Intelligences and Inventure’s core values , the 2010-11 ‘Inventuring’ started with a daily schedule of students participating in four broad categories- Outdoor, Classroom Projects, Choice Time and Golden Time.
During Inventuring, each day started with an outdoor activity, like dance or sports, to kick-start mental and physical agility and facilitating team bonding. This was followed with classroom projects based on exploring Multiple Intelligences (MI) of students.
The classroom projects on multiple intelligences had larger themes like Colors Of Our World, Creative Sparks, Think-a thon under which students were tasks specific to their grades.
In Colors of Our World, students of grade 1 and 2 created pictures using cardboard shapes, grade 3 and 4 created a family using balloons, wool, paint, fabric and cotton. Grades 5 and 6 students created a chandelier using empty bottles, straws and paper cups. Grade 7 and 8 painted their groups to create a “people sculpture” based on a few topics/themes, and grades 9 and 10 had to create an installation based on the topic of the cityscape using the fabrics & card board.
Similarly under creative sparks, each class was divided into groups of five students who made an advertisement either on washing powder, shampoo, dog food, energy drink, tooth-paste and sell it in the most convincing manner to their peers and teachers!
Think-a-thon was equally fun as students in primary section were either asked to make a toy using plastic glasses and straws, make a card game and define its rules and demonstrate how to play, make a 3-D model of a house from a given floor plan.
``The activities of project, were designed to judge their logical thinking, functionality, creativity, variety, co-ordination, rhythm and stage presentation,’’ adds Shaheen.
``It was amazing to see the creative ideas in students and their conviction in presenting it as the best,’’ exclaims Ekta Bhasin a teacher of grade 5B.While students from smaller grades designed telephone, bells, bouncing balls and juice set for Barbie by using only five plastic glasses and straws, the higher grades students designed different phases of a space ship prior to its launch.
Classroom projects were then followed by Choice Time which would give students a choice of activity from options like sketching, climbing wall, mosaic art, gardening or cooking. The aim of having a Choice Time as part of Inventuring is to nurture individuality and give students an opportunity to explore different choices before zeroing in on what they are best at.
The Inventuring day wrapped up with Golden Time- an integral part of learning, where students’ reflected on their day’s learning and sharing related experiences.
`` My project on choosing natural elements to create music during Wild Wide World has changed my view towards my surrounding. I realized that even a few pebbles in a plastic bottle can create a beautiful beat,’’ says new student Aishwarya Hirve, grade 4 summarizing her understanding facilitated by Golden Time.
Curtains came down on Inventuring with a Sleepover for grades 3 and above during which students along with teachers stayed back in school for a night, a once-in-a year event. ``It was sports, bonfire, music, dance and good food on offer. Most of the arrangements were made by our school and it was only fun and activity for us,’’ says Tarang Shah of grade 5 B.
Students and teachers went around the campus, collected wood for the bonfire, and danced around on music, played games. ``While some used mattress provided by school, others got their sleeping bags and chatted till late in the night.
``This is what the aim of Inventuring is, to notice one child amongst many and to look at the world through his eyes,’’ summarizes Shaheen.
Students engage in projects – both single and in groups – and experience first hand, the creative process, thinking-out- of- the- box and being active participants in a team. The hidden agenda is helping students realize their inner potential, making them believe in themselves, understanding ways of true learning and respecting interdependence.
“It is because there is no `One Way’ to get the best out of the children,’’ states Inventure Academy Head of Kindergarten and Primary, Shaheen Shafi, who has been the architect and part of this tradition of Inventuring since inception.
Designed on Howard Gardener’s theory of Multiple Intelligences and Inventure’s core values , the 2010-11 ‘Inventuring’ started with a daily schedule of students participating in four broad categories- Outdoor, Classroom Projects, Choice Time and Golden Time.
During Inventuring, each day started with an outdoor activity, like dance or sports, to kick-start mental and physical agility and facilitating team bonding. This was followed with classroom projects based on exploring Multiple Intelligences (MI) of students.
The classroom projects on multiple intelligences had larger themes like Colors Of Our World, Creative Sparks, Think-a thon under which students were tasks specific to their grades.
In Colors of Our World, students of grade 1 and 2 created pictures using cardboard shapes, grade 3 and 4 created a family using balloons, wool, paint, fabric and cotton. Grades 5 and 6 students created a chandelier using empty bottles, straws and paper cups. Grade 7 and 8 painted their groups to create a “people sculpture” based on a few topics/themes, and grades 9 and 10 had to create an installation based on the topic of the cityscape using the fabrics & card board.
Similarly under creative sparks, each class was divided into groups of five students who made an advertisement either on washing powder, shampoo, dog food, energy drink, tooth-paste and sell it in the most convincing manner to their peers and teachers!
Think-a-thon was equally fun as students in primary section were either asked to make a toy using plastic glasses and straws, make a card game and define its rules and demonstrate how to play, make a 3-D model of a house from a given floor plan.
``The activities of project, were designed to judge their logical thinking, functionality, creativity, variety, co-ordination, rhythm and stage presentation,’’ adds Shaheen.
``It was amazing to see the creative ideas in students and their conviction in presenting it as the best,’’ exclaims Ekta Bhasin a teacher of grade 5B.While students from smaller grades designed telephone, bells, bouncing balls and juice set for Barbie by using only five plastic glasses and straws, the higher grades students designed different phases of a space ship prior to its launch.
Classroom projects were then followed by Choice Time which would give students a choice of activity from options like sketching, climbing wall, mosaic art, gardening or cooking. The aim of having a Choice Time as part of Inventuring is to nurture individuality and give students an opportunity to explore different choices before zeroing in on what they are best at.
The Inventuring day wrapped up with Golden Time- an integral part of learning, where students’ reflected on their day’s learning and sharing related experiences.
`` My project on choosing natural elements to create music during Wild Wide World has changed my view towards my surrounding. I realized that even a few pebbles in a plastic bottle can create a beautiful beat,’’ says new student Aishwarya Hirve, grade 4 summarizing her understanding facilitated by Golden Time.
Curtains came down on Inventuring with a Sleepover for grades 3 and above during which students along with teachers stayed back in school for a night, a once-in-a year event. ``It was sports, bonfire, music, dance and good food on offer. Most of the arrangements were made by our school and it was only fun and activity for us,’’ says Tarang Shah of grade 5 B.
Students and teachers went around the campus, collected wood for the bonfire, and danced around on music, played games. ``While some used mattress provided by school, others got their sleeping bags and chatted till late in the night.
``This is what the aim of Inventuring is, to notice one child amongst many and to look at the world through his eyes,’’ summarizes Shaheen.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Democracy is the best form of Government
An Introduction:
The following excerpt was a part of the speech used for the recently concluded Tournament of Minds debate competition. My teammate, Bharat Sekar and I affirmed the topic ‘Democracy is the best form of Government’.
We wanted to do something fresh and different and decided that a rap would be a fantastic way to put across ideas of democracy and freedom. Rap and Hip-Hop originated as a medium of political expression and we feel that it was the perfect way to bring out the strongest arguments of our case. All in all, it turned out to be a good experience representing our house, Venturers and we stood second as a result of our efforts!
Surya Nimmagadda
Grade 10
Of the people, By the people, For the people
In the old days people used to suffer and hate
They hated the one power that had brought them their fate
After many months of waiting, a young man is finally granted audience with the king.
“Your majesty, your highness
What is up with this bias?
The price of food for the poor, has been raised to the highest
While the rich remain untouched by these rules that bind us”
The King, uninterested, eyes dim
Mutters two words to say “Kill Him”.
More recent is our very famous Hitler
The cause of the world wars had begun his rule
He wished to conquer everything like it was his private pool
He slaughtered the Jews
Ignored the catcalls and boos
Lead his country to doom
like bang, bang, bang, KABOOM.
And in the end he put a gun to his head
And now he’s dead.
Dictators
Part of authoritarian rule
Something much worse than what we may have learnt at school
It’s the rule of the minority
Where the rich take all the authority
No justice, I repeat, No justice is ready
So how do you propose we keep this nation steady?
Democracy is the best of the best
Better than anarchy, monarchy and all the rest
First off, In democracy lies freedom
In freedom lies peace and abolishment of kingdom
Democracy is our base and we build till we’re free
Don’t we all want the world to express itself and see?
What the millions of different voices on this planet can mean,
Freedom of speech, freedom of equality,
Freedom that will allow me to be me.
I can follow whatever religion I want,
Tell the government what I thought
Tell them where I feel we need to improve a lot.
Second, A nation is made up of people and not the land itself
So, shouldn’t the people be allowed to make the choices themselves?
A majority of us want the majority to win
I don’t want my voice to be flagged as a sin.
Hence the only way it is possible for us to free
Is to live by the tenants of democracy
Surya Nimmagadda,
Grade 11
The following excerpt was a part of the speech used for the recently concluded Tournament of Minds debate competition. My teammate, Bharat Sekar and I affirmed the topic ‘Democracy is the best form of Government’.
We wanted to do something fresh and different and decided that a rap would be a fantastic way to put across ideas of democracy and freedom. Rap and Hip-Hop originated as a medium of political expression and we feel that it was the perfect way to bring out the strongest arguments of our case. All in all, it turned out to be a good experience representing our house, Venturers and we stood second as a result of our efforts!
Surya Nimmagadda
Grade 10
Of the people, By the people, For the people
In the old days people used to suffer and hate
They hated the one power that had brought them their fate
After many months of waiting, a young man is finally granted audience with the king.
“Your majesty, your highness
What is up with this bias?
The price of food for the poor, has been raised to the highest
While the rich remain untouched by these rules that bind us”
The King, uninterested, eyes dim
Mutters two words to say “Kill Him”.
More recent is our very famous Hitler
The cause of the world wars had begun his rule
He wished to conquer everything like it was his private pool
He slaughtered the Jews
Ignored the catcalls and boos
Lead his country to doom
like bang, bang, bang, KABOOM.
And in the end he put a gun to his head
And now he’s dead.
Dictators
Part of authoritarian rule
Something much worse than what we may have learnt at school
It’s the rule of the minority
Where the rich take all the authority
No justice, I repeat, No justice is ready
So how do you propose we keep this nation steady?
Democracy is the best of the best
Better than anarchy, monarchy and all the rest
First off, In democracy lies freedom
In freedom lies peace and abolishment of kingdom
Democracy is our base and we build till we’re free
Don’t we all want the world to express itself and see?
What the millions of different voices on this planet can mean,
Freedom of speech, freedom of equality,
Freedom that will allow me to be me.
I can follow whatever religion I want,
Tell the government what I thought
Tell them where I feel we need to improve a lot.
Second, A nation is made up of people and not the land itself
So, shouldn’t the people be allowed to make the choices themselves?
A majority of us want the majority to win
I don’t want my voice to be flagged as a sin.
Hence the only way it is possible for us to free
Is to live by the tenants of democracy
Surya Nimmagadda,
Grade 11
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Graduation Ceremony -2010
There are certain events of our lives such as our graduation day or the first day of our job that are very special to all of us. At Inventure, we feel that these important milestones of our lives is cherished and celebrated with joy making it memorable for the rest of our lives. So, the D-Day- 29th January,the Occasion- the Graduation ceremony of our second graduating batch, our 10th graders the batch of 2009/2010.
The day started with a list of things to do.We organised our selves with the stage decoration, which was actually fantastic-- personalised banners with individual graduates names.. how nice.The MC's rehearsed and went over their scripts a number of times.The Grade teacher for the graduating batch,Mrs.Arpita Deb, went over her list a number of times to keep the occasion special,flawless and memorable.And yes!! It was just that.. no... much more than that...
Ishaan and Abhilash-The MC's
At about 3 P.M, we were all set for the show and the graduates started arriving accompanied by thier parents and relatives. The event began with an Invocation dance by Alisha Kalyanpur.This young dancer has performed her Arangetram on the 16th January 2010 and here she led all of us into a trance by her scintillating dance performace of a Ganesh Stuthi,Vaathapi Ganapathi...Nooraine Fazal, the Head of School lit the lamp of Knowledge and inaugurated the auspicious event.
Alisha Kalyanpur-Invocation Dance.
Nooraine Fazal, the Head of School Lighting the lamp of Knowledge.
The graduates arrived at 4 P.M in their mind blowing costumes…. The girls in a light blue crepe sari’s and the guys in their black tuxedoes. The event started with our MC’s Abhilash and Ishaan giving a brief introduction of "what life and graduation is all about and its significance in our lives".
Mrs. Jagriti Prabhukiran
After this the Head of academics for middle and senior section, Mrs. Jagriti Prabhu kiran gave an inspirational speech.She brought out specific points and quotes which touched our heart . Mr Bhargava,Akriti's dad, gave a speech on following your dream and always doing what you like and believe in. He also expressed his strong belief in Inventure's culture and as a student of Inventure his explanation reminded me of our Core purpose -to instil in students the ability and conviction to realise their full potential and excel anywhere in the world. .
Mr.Bhargava.
The Valedictorian, Akriti Bhargava gave a fantastic speech--in her own style which just fantastic...her memories,her experiences,her thoughts.. just too good.
Akriti Bharghava
Ms. Nooraine Fazal, the Head of School was invited to light lamp of knowledge,the flame of which was used by the teachers of the graduating batch to light the individual candles of the students. Marcos and Roshan gave some hilarious comments about the students as each teacher proceeded to light the candle. Mrs. Arpita Deb, grade teacher led the graduation oath. And finally the students were declared Graduates!!
Grade 11 students Asha, Harini & Pushkal gave inspirational speeches to the graduated batch. The choir sang two songs “I will be your friend” and “Aasheein” .Shalaka's vote of thanks was simply superb.She thanked each and every person with a beautiful remark of their contributions.
All in all it was a day to be remembered. Well done Graduates. Keep it up!!!!!
K.N.Harini (Co-curricular Editor)
Disco Deewane.. the 2010 Graduation Party
Grade 10: With a rock on disco theme…..
After the exciting Graduation Party Ceremony for the 2010 batch, everyone was pumped up for the graduation party organized by the 9th and 11th graders. The theme was DISCO and the venue-our music room.
After the ceremony, the students went to dress in their funky western dresses. The party was to start at 7.00 but the party animals took their own sweet time to get dressed into those amaaaaaaaaaaazing outfits.After they sashayed on the stage in those ethereal blue sarees and smart tuxedoes, the young graduates emerged attired in awesome clothes.To add fuel to fire, our 9th graders and the 11th graders dazzled.Aditi,Tanu,Prerana,Asha-- "wow" is the term to describe them. What about the accessories-- Asha wore those amazing giant sized goggles and left all of us wondering about the view, we had Marcos in with his blonde wig.. and Sid our random star of grade 11 in his rainbow coloured clown wigs. Also lets not forget Tushar who wore a Jamican braided wig to show of his equally smart sense of style. They all really looked cool.
The Wiggly story
The ambience of the music room went into a huge transformation...courtesy Poornima ma’am and her magic wand(..sorry students). She also proved that she was the best DJ we have.
I am seriously not going to miss out the teachers in this one, as they grooved alonglike......... Sinduja Ma’am, Nooraine, Kishen sir and Reena Ma’am. This was a must to watch eventtttt.The rest of our teachers kept popping in and out of the dance arena cheering us and enjoying themselves at "our Chilled our State".
We danced and danced and danced and ---------danced and --------.It was an endless groove.
Students of Grade 9 had made a nice slide show of some nice memorable pics of the graduating batch which left us crackling with laughter. Each and every picture showed the happy memories that they had spent together. Nihal’s Pic was an unforgettable one as he looked so small in 7th Grade.
What next, we got the nice aroma of the stream of starters which were served with a nice creamy dip. The supply of coke, sprite & Pepsi was never ending.All the dance and movement left us HHHHHhhunnnnngrryyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!.
Graduates also cut a fresh cream cake which said “ All the Best”. Towards the end of the Party Surya Beat Boxed which was awesome. The party was concluded as everyone danced for the song “TIK TOK” by Kesha.
An unforgettable day, an unforgettable ceremony, an unforgettable party and as a whole an unforgettable experience.
Best of luck Graduates!! ROCK ONNNN!!!
K.N.Harini (Co-curricular Editor)
Graduation Ceremony Speech of Mrs.Jagrithi Prabhukiran, Head of Academics, Middle and Senio School.
Nooraine Fazal, CEO and Head of School, Ms Benjamin, Board Advisor, members of the faculties and the most important people present, the families of those who are graduating. You are the most important because you are the ones who have made today possible. While we are here to celebrate the achievement of the Graduating class, it is a milestone on a long, long road on which your families have been accompanying and encouraging you for many years.
Your graduation from Inventure Academy today can be likened to a stage in a manufacturing process. You now have the potential to acquire life skills. They are not yours yet. Part of the implicit contract into which you entered many years back when you enrolled at Inventure was that you would be exposed to much more than lecture room and library knowledge. You would gain much more than new friends and technical skills. You would learn lifelong values which would differentiate you from others, who had read as you have.
That quality is what I call the Inventure Brand. It is not just a turn in mind acquired over your years here. It is not just a style of behavior of what we call the entrepreneurial spirit. It is all these but so much more - much of which you will only discover that you have acquired some time - may be years in the future.
I am talking of the “carpe diem” the ability to seize the day, a commitment to social responsibility and a self awareness that when we do wrong we know it’s wrong. All this, and so much more, constitutes that Inventure Brand with which I now urge you to go ahead - heads high with proud steps to change the world.
I am moved to be sharing this special moment with parents and teachers and not least, you have many illustrious alumni lighting the way.
First, success only knocks on your door if you win the National Lottery or the Irish Sweepstakes. All the rest of us have to work for it.............hard.
There's that old joke...How do you get to represent India at the Olympics? Practice, practice, practice. That's a major point Malcolm Gladwell makes in his book "Outliers." He writes that to truly master something, you need to spend at least 10-thousand hours doing it. Take Bill Gates, for example. He dropped out of Harvard and he still became Bill Gates...by devoting his every waking moment to building and understanding computer codes. The Beatles might have seemed like an overnight sensation, but they played together more than a thousand times before that famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. For them, it really was a hard day's night...night after night after night...for four years!
I'm no Beatle or Bill Gates, but I've learned the importance of hard work, as well.
Next, don't be a hater. Inventure has taught you to think critically, to approach things with a healthy dose of skepticism...and that's a good thing, as Abdul Kalam would say. But you really must guard against the cynicism and nastiness that are so pervasive today, particularly on the internet. It can be a wonderful, powerful and equalizing tool, but it's also populated by haters and trolls. People think they can say or do anything online under the cloak of anonymity. Don't get sucked in...In his book, entitled "Snark", David Denby writes, "Snark often functions as an enforcer of mediocrity and conformity. In its cozy knowingness, snark flatters you in assuming that you get the contemptuous joke. You've been admitted or re-admitted to a club, but it may be a club of the second rate."
Rise above the nastiness and instead....celebrate excellence. The joy of reveling in someone else's success is much sweeter than the bitter vitriol of sites like Juicy Campus.
It's not all about you. No matter what your opinion may be about the wars this world is fighting, the men and women of the military are making sacrifices every day...and deserve our respect and support when they're deployed...and when they come home.
But there are many ways to serve. The unsung heroes of this countries...scientists, doctors municipal workers who work day in and day out...without fame or big checks so many more people can live with disease and not die from it.
There are smaller, quieter ways to serve...that are just as important. Never underestimate the contribution you can make. It’s been said: "If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito."
So give something back. After all, you're graduating from Inventure! You are so lucky. And do me a favor...thank your parents or whoever helped you achieve this goal. Then, transform your gratitude into action...and give back to a world that has already given you so much.
Parents, your children, too, can achieve anything because you gave them strong shoulders to stand on and the tools they'll need to succeed. The silver lining of these tough economic times is that it may be the wakeup call that helps recalibrate our values.
The truth is closer to the Old Italian Proverb that says: "At the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back in the same box."
What really matters in the end is how you've played the game of life...that you've lived it with honor, integrity and character... old fashioned qualities that never go out of style...whether you're a fan of Ella Fitzgerald or Lady Gaga.
Finally, take some chances. Get out of your comfort zone, even if that's extremely uncomfortable. Mark Twain once wrote, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."
T he old Chinese saying is "Boats are always safe in the harbor. But that's not what boats are built for." So set sail, even if the waters are choppy and the territory uncharted...you'll be amazed at what you learn about the world and about yourself...and through it all, cherish the handful of people you can always depend on to throw you a life preserver when you need it the most.
To the Class of 2010... My personal congratulations to you all and to your families. I wish you well in your futures.
On behalf of Arpita and the proud team of teachers who taught Grade 10 I end with Joan Baez’s words that Salome will sing for us.
May God's blessing keep you always,
May your wishes always come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever youngMay
Your graduation from Inventure Academy today can be likened to a stage in a manufacturing process. You now have the potential to acquire life skills. They are not yours yet. Part of the implicit contract into which you entered many years back when you enrolled at Inventure was that you would be exposed to much more than lecture room and library knowledge. You would gain much more than new friends and technical skills. You would learn lifelong values which would differentiate you from others, who had read as you have.
That quality is what I call the Inventure Brand. It is not just a turn in mind acquired over your years here. It is not just a style of behavior of what we call the entrepreneurial spirit. It is all these but so much more - much of which you will only discover that you have acquired some time - may be years in the future.
I am talking of the “carpe diem” the ability to seize the day, a commitment to social responsibility and a self awareness that when we do wrong we know it’s wrong. All this, and so much more, constitutes that Inventure Brand with which I now urge you to go ahead - heads high with proud steps to change the world.
I am moved to be sharing this special moment with parents and teachers and not least, you have many illustrious alumni lighting the way.
First, success only knocks on your door if you win the National Lottery or the Irish Sweepstakes. All the rest of us have to work for it.............hard.
There's that old joke...How do you get to represent India at the Olympics? Practice, practice, practice. That's a major point Malcolm Gladwell makes in his book "Outliers." He writes that to truly master something, you need to spend at least 10-thousand hours doing it. Take Bill Gates, for example. He dropped out of Harvard and he still became Bill Gates...by devoting his every waking moment to building and understanding computer codes. The Beatles might have seemed like an overnight sensation, but they played together more than a thousand times before that famous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. For them, it really was a hard day's night...night after night after night...for four years!
I'm no Beatle or Bill Gates, but I've learned the importance of hard work, as well.
Next, don't be a hater. Inventure has taught you to think critically, to approach things with a healthy dose of skepticism...and that's a good thing, as Abdul Kalam would say. But you really must guard against the cynicism and nastiness that are so pervasive today, particularly on the internet. It can be a wonderful, powerful and equalizing tool, but it's also populated by haters and trolls. People think they can say or do anything online under the cloak of anonymity. Don't get sucked in...In his book, entitled "Snark", David Denby writes, "Snark often functions as an enforcer of mediocrity and conformity. In its cozy knowingness, snark flatters you in assuming that you get the contemptuous joke. You've been admitted or re-admitted to a club, but it may be a club of the second rate."
Rise above the nastiness and instead....celebrate excellence. The joy of reveling in someone else's success is much sweeter than the bitter vitriol of sites like Juicy Campus.
It's not all about you. No matter what your opinion may be about the wars this world is fighting, the men and women of the military are making sacrifices every day...and deserve our respect and support when they're deployed...and when they come home.
But there are many ways to serve. The unsung heroes of this countries...scientists, doctors municipal workers who work day in and day out...without fame or big checks so many more people can live with disease and not die from it.
There are smaller, quieter ways to serve...that are just as important. Never underestimate the contribution you can make. It’s been said: "If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito."
So give something back. After all, you're graduating from Inventure! You are so lucky. And do me a favor...thank your parents or whoever helped you achieve this goal. Then, transform your gratitude into action...and give back to a world that has already given you so much.
Parents, your children, too, can achieve anything because you gave them strong shoulders to stand on and the tools they'll need to succeed. The silver lining of these tough economic times is that it may be the wakeup call that helps recalibrate our values.
The truth is closer to the Old Italian Proverb that says: "At the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back in the same box."
What really matters in the end is how you've played the game of life...that you've lived it with honor, integrity and character... old fashioned qualities that never go out of style...whether you're a fan of Ella Fitzgerald or Lady Gaga.
Finally, take some chances. Get out of your comfort zone, even if that's extremely uncomfortable. Mark Twain once wrote, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."
T he old Chinese saying is "Boats are always safe in the harbor. But that's not what boats are built for." So set sail, even if the waters are choppy and the territory uncharted...you'll be amazed at what you learn about the world and about yourself...and through it all, cherish the handful of people you can always depend on to throw you a life preserver when you need it the most.
To the Class of 2010... My personal congratulations to you all and to your families. I wish you well in your futures.
On behalf of Arpita and the proud team of teachers who taught Grade 10 I end with Joan Baez’s words that Salome will sing for us.
May God's blessing keep you always,
May your wishes always come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever youngMay
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Getting Geared up for the Graduation Ceremony and the Retro Theme Graduation Party.
A lot is happening for the 10th Grade Graduation Ceremony and the Party. The Art department has been preparing for the D-day for the last 15 days! Everything has to go right, from the hand made streamers, the retro theme disco party to the satin sashes with the graduates’ names on them and the rapid fire Dabba Quiz, which has questions like, “What do you think of a vacuum cleaner?”. We can see the 9th graders scurrying busily to organize the party with the Retro Theme. The choir is getting geared up for the performance and so are the others.
All in all, tomorrow is going to be lots of fun for the 10th graders!
I dream, there’s nothing that’s too tough
There’s nothing that’s hard enough
For me and you, to get through
There’s not a goal, we can’t reach in time….. sings Christina Aguilera .
Seems like this has been written just for our 10th graders.
May all their dreams come true.
Parthiv Shah and Siddharth Jairaj
Grade 7A (Media Pod)
All in all, tomorrow is going to be lots of fun for the 10th graders!
I dream, there’s nothing that’s too tough
There’s nothing that’s hard enough
For me and you, to get through
There’s not a goal, we can’t reach in time….. sings Christina Aguilera .
Seems like this has been written just for our 10th graders.
May all their dreams come true.
Parthiv Shah and Siddharth Jairaj
Grade 7A (Media Pod)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
OUR TRIP TO COORG =]-Grade 9,10&11 of Inventure had fun at the Inme Camp
Up!Up! and away!!!
Reaching the pinnacle of success?
Gossip Galore
Cycling Spree-Mountain biking is tough!!
Waking up to dogs barking or cars honking isn't exactly the ideal peaceful environment. As much as we all love Bangalore, the city is polluted and traffic has become a nuisance. Inventure Academy, being on the outskirts of the city provides quiet, and serenity. The yearly school trip was coming up and knowing IA, it was bound to be a very "different" experience. When I first heard that we were going to spend 5 days in Coorg at a nature resort, I wasn't too happy. I didn't feel like it was a trip I would actually enjoy.
But, as much as I hate to say it, I was proved wrong! INME, a camp for adventure seekers provided us with an opportunity to embrace Mother earth AND have loads of fun at the same time!
Grades 9,10 IG and 11 were all whisked away on a bus, in which we drove to Coorg. The journey was pleasant and we all were excited to see what the camp was all about. As the first classes to go for the trip, we still were uncertain of the activites the counsellers would plan for us. All we knew, was that we were going to stay at a beautiful estate deep in a forest of Coorg.
But, It wasn't till we arrived, early afternoon, that we realized how beautiful it actually was. The moss covered path ways and the old fashioned housing was lined with trees everywhere. The hilarious counsellers showed us around and we settled in quickly. Bustling with energy, we sat down for lunch which was surprisingly delicious. We felt at home immediatly, but it really wasn't "home" at all. It was a place full of lively new people who were gearing up to show us the wonders of camping.
We were split into two groups, each equally strong. As told, we knew there was going to be a competition between us and my group, the "Ninzies" were up for the fight. Our counsellers, Paddy and Nish, showed us on the first day, how to handle the ropes. Led into a forest, there were 2 ropes set up. One was to hang on, and the other was to walk on! We each had a partner whom we were supposed to hold on to and use as support as we crossed it. Giggling, most of us managed to reach the end!
Later on, after a special activity where we had to put together a shelf, we huddled outside and got ready to eat dinner. But, the evenings were always followed by extremly fun nights where we stayed up talking and laughing and enjoying our surroundings.
The following day we were awakened to Birds chirping and the extreme cold. Sleepily, we got ourselves dressed and headed down for a cup of coffee and our morning excercises. I must say, Morning stretches were never so entertaining. Singing, and dancing to INME's original songs and rhymes distracted us from the fact that it was 6:30 in the morning. We already felt fresh and alive.
My group was sent to a tall tree, after breakfast. A rope was suspended from the top and after being pulled up with a harness we were supposed to jump of the branch and hit a bottle. It looked tough from the bottom, but with support from our group most of us managed to hit it. After that, we were brought to a Big ladder made out of bamboo sticks. Now, we had no idea what we were supposed to do. When Paddy told us, we were amazed. It was called the "friendship ladder". The aim was to work together with your partner to pull eachother up and finaly reach the top stick. Proving to be difficult, I thought it was the best activity we had because it taught us how to work as a team, and also to trust the other person. Although, we did manage to throw in a couple laughs on the way up there, it was our sweat and perservence that made us get to the top.
The next two days were spent doing the other activity, Biking. We had to practice a lot for this because it was not only risky, but required immense patience to cycle up a steep and rocky mountain. There were many trails that we could follow and as a group we decided to embark on a fairly hard one, but also one that promised to take us somewhere amazing. So through a lot of grumbling, and also a lot of cheering (from the faster people), we made it to a stream lined by boulders. Cameras in hand, we walked down the stream, sitting on the rocks and took a couple of pictures that made it to everyones Facebook profiles.
Once we came back, we gathered around a bonfire and sang songs while we warmed ourselves up. Later on, we scared eachother with ghost stories. These were moments that would be unforgettable for us. Each and every activity brought us all together as classmates, and peers.
Knowing there was a surprise in store, we were up bright and early the next morning. Today was the day we were supposed to go camping high up on a mountain. Packing our bags and tents, we carried food, water and our clothes up a huge mountain to the top. There we set up our tents and made our own dinner from scratch, (which is now a very useful thing to know :]) Manging to create a delicious meal that everyone enjoyed. Sitting under the stars and just gazing at the wonderful nature around us, was really a sight I'll never forget in my life. With our flashlights, we went to bed, snuggled in our sleeping bags, feeling closer than ever to the the basic joys of life.
The sudden urge to use the bathroom woke us up. Tired and hungry we made our way down the mountain carrying our stove,gas cylinders, and utensils back down. We learned not to leave a trace, because we don't have the right to hurt animals and plants that reside in the area. We were told to leave the place as we found it.
After showering, (With cold water! We roughed it out quite a bit!) the counsellers directed us to the courtyard where we were challenged to see who could make the best catupult. Later, we met Gaurav, a chirpy and lively man who started INME as well as idiscoveri. The whole lot of us came together to make a Samba band. Each one of us had a beat to keep and once we played the instruments together we sounded great! Gaurav even told us, that we were the best group he has had. Exhilirated from the music, we decided to record ourselves the next morning.
On our Final day, we played games at the camp site. A different version of football had us playing the game with our hands and trying to score in mini goals. Also, we had to learn how to shoot with a rifle and we played a game called 360 degrees. Stunned, we lifted our team mate upside down while she was holding a mug filled with water. All of this contributed to the overall group points which would determine who had the most at the end.
Our bus ride home wasn't complete without disapointment and sadness to leave. Everyone, including Poornima Ma'am and Srini Sir who had just as fun as we did, if not more, did not want to leave the camp. Hugging our counsellers, who we had grown attached to, we boarded our bus. We missed everything the place had to offer, including the animals we had seen (there was one dog in particular), the nature trails we had trekked down, the cozy rooms we slept in through the serene night and of course the Memories we each created for ourselves. I know, that I would love to go back there and take part in INME's camp all over again!
BY DIVYA IJARI, GRADE 10
Friday, October 23, 2009
An encounter with the Swiss Education Minister.
Not Swiss Chocolates, But Swiss Education!!
Earlier, whenever I heard of Switzerland, all that came to my mind was chocolates (yum yum!!), Alps and the best of summer camps. But it wasn’t until an encounter with the Swiss Educationist and a Swiss education Minister Ms. Sandra Hutterli who had visited the Aditi Mallya International School on 9th of October , that I got to know about Switzerland’s unique and well-thought education system. It was the occasion of completion of 60 years of India and Switzerland’s friendship and the year of Science and Education of Switzerland Year, that Ms. Hutterli chose to grace. It proved to be a great opportunity to open the window of prejudice and let the light of opportunities in.
The conference started with Roshan, Karthik and I going all around the school to find the Conference room! To celebrate our discovery then, we snacked and found ourselves places in a classroom which was apparently the conference venue. We went in with an impression that what would it be about?.........middle school, high schools, colleges and Universities in Switzerland! But as soon as the key address came to an end we were prepared for some new facts to vibrate our eardrums (so... better be awake!:)) . Firstly, we were told that as small a country as Switzerland is divided into 26 Cantons(states)!Every Canton is responsible for every child’s education within the Canton, making their literacy rate pretty high. Secondly, Switzerland has 4 national languages ;French, German, Italian and Romansh! (Imagine, school there is called ‘centro Scolastic’, ‘Primaschule’, ‘ecole’ and ‘casa da scola’). These two facts make Switzerland a land of educational opportunities, since the cantons support students so much, and also a slightly difficult place to survive in due to the language problems.
However, due to the large no. of immigrants, the students of India wouldn’t be the lone foreigners around and will find Ubringe, Turks, Ex-jagoslavians, Portugese and Spanish as well!
So.... here is how the Swiss education system goes. The 11th and 12th graders from India would be Swiss Upper Secondary students. Thus they either would have an option to attend the special middle schools, which are very popular, or go for Matura schools which come with the option of full time studies or Professional Matura schools which pay special attention to after school Apprenticeship for early experience. After Matura and High school one is eligible to go to University. Switzerland has brilliant universities, Universities of Applied Sciences, Federeal Institutes of Technology and research Institutes.
You must be wondering by now that usually, English management and Economic education, Indian technological education, Australian Medical Education are the famous ones, but what about Swiss education’s Strength? Actually all the big car company’s of Germany that we hear about are full of swiss people designing their most minute ofall parts . Besides who hasn’t heard about the Swiss watches? They are all about intrigue technology and design. Thus, the Swiss technology education is qute popular and specialized. The federal institutes of technology have even yielded Nobel Prize winners! For Management patrons the IMD at Lausanne comes in the top five management colleges in the world! For more information on the best of universities for Law, Economics and Humanities feel free to Google.
For applying directly to Universities, you need a course or diploma in at least one of the national languages of Switzerland and you need to appear for the entrance test of the university and produce your previous 3 yrs’ results in the subjects you’ve been doing. The Swiss embassy gives scholarships every-year. You can do Bachelors’, masters’ or Master Of Advanced Studies from Switzerland which is assessed on the European Credit transfer System. However, Medical studies aren’t open to foreign students. So, I hope this article of mine has been successful in advertising the earlier-in-dark Swiss education, which was exactly the aim of this Conference. I had a great time exploring all these opportunities. I can already imagine myself in the lap of Alps!!!
Gauri Billore,
Grade 10 ICSE
Earlier, whenever I heard of Switzerland, all that came to my mind was chocolates (yum yum!!), Alps and the best of summer camps. But it wasn’t until an encounter with the Swiss Educationist and a Swiss education Minister Ms. Sandra Hutterli who had visited the Aditi Mallya International School on 9th of October , that I got to know about Switzerland’s unique and well-thought education system. It was the occasion of completion of 60 years of India and Switzerland’s friendship and the year of Science and Education of Switzerland Year, that Ms. Hutterli chose to grace. It proved to be a great opportunity to open the window of prejudice and let the light of opportunities in.
The conference started with Roshan, Karthik and I going all around the school to find the Conference room! To celebrate our discovery then, we snacked and found ourselves places in a classroom which was apparently the conference venue. We went in with an impression that what would it be about?.........middle school, high schools, colleges and Universities in Switzerland! But as soon as the key address came to an end we were prepared for some new facts to vibrate our eardrums (so... better be awake!:)) . Firstly, we were told that as small a country as Switzerland is divided into 26 Cantons(states)!Every Canton is responsible for every child’s education within the Canton, making their literacy rate pretty high. Secondly, Switzerland has 4 national languages ;French, German, Italian and Romansh! (Imagine, school there is called ‘centro Scolastic’, ‘Primaschule’, ‘ecole’ and ‘casa da scola’). These two facts make Switzerland a land of educational opportunities, since the cantons support students so much, and also a slightly difficult place to survive in due to the language problems.
However, due to the large no. of immigrants, the students of India wouldn’t be the lone foreigners around and will find Ubringe, Turks, Ex-jagoslavians, Portugese and Spanish as well!
So.... here is how the Swiss education system goes. The 11th and 12th graders from India would be Swiss Upper Secondary students. Thus they either would have an option to attend the special middle schools, which are very popular, or go for Matura schools which come with the option of full time studies or Professional Matura schools which pay special attention to after school Apprenticeship for early experience. After Matura and High school one is eligible to go to University. Switzerland has brilliant universities, Universities of Applied Sciences, Federeal Institutes of Technology and research Institutes.
You must be wondering by now that usually, English management and Economic education, Indian technological education, Australian Medical Education are the famous ones, but what about Swiss education’s Strength? Actually all the big car company’s of Germany that we hear about are full of swiss people designing their most minute ofall parts . Besides who hasn’t heard about the Swiss watches? They are all about intrigue technology and design. Thus, the Swiss technology education is qute popular and specialized. The federal institutes of technology have even yielded Nobel Prize winners! For Management patrons the IMD at Lausanne comes in the top five management colleges in the world! For more information on the best of universities for Law, Economics and Humanities feel free to Google.
For applying directly to Universities, you need a course or diploma in at least one of the national languages of Switzerland and you need to appear for the entrance test of the university and produce your previous 3 yrs’ results in the subjects you’ve been doing. The Swiss embassy gives scholarships every-year. You can do Bachelors’, masters’ or Master Of Advanced Studies from Switzerland which is assessed on the European Credit transfer System. However, Medical studies aren’t open to foreign students. So, I hope this article of mine has been successful in advertising the earlier-in-dark Swiss education, which was exactly the aim of this Conference. I had a great time exploring all these opportunities. I can already imagine myself in the lap of Alps!!!
Gauri Billore,
Grade 10 ICSE
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Grade 10-Students Portfolio
A Long Way Home…
I have mastered the art of letting random thoughts flow through my head till I end up confusing myself. This happens a lot these days, especially when I get bored pretty often. I have nothing to do right now, except…think.
Gosh! It’s a long way home from school, especially when your car breaks down and you have to walk all the way!
I started thinking…
The recent attacks in Mangalore, and the subsequent ban on Valentine’s Day – both assaulted the rights of women all over India. Feminism flew right out the window as women were robbed of their basic rights. Oh, and one more thing, why is it that WOMEN were targeted and not MEN?
By this point, I had crossed the road and almost got ran over by a bus. The bus driver swore at me in Kannada and drove on with a scowl on his face.
Phew! What a narrow escape!
I turn around and run away from the glares of the people around me, almost tripping over my open shoelace. I run into an empty lane. I can hear my heart pounding as I stop to tie my shoelace. I continue walking…
Death. A narrow brush with it just scared the living daylights out of me. How do people even have the guts to attempt suicide? A depressed person, or a matyr – how do they manage to do it? I can’t even think of dying without getting scared. How would I voluntarily hurt myself?
I was in my own world as I continue walking. Soon enough, I noticed someone following me. I turned around and saw a man who glared at me and turned around and walked away. I walked on.
So…I’m bored. Sheesh! Am I really having a conversation with myself? No wonder people think I’m weird!
Soon enough, I got the feeling that someone was following me, again. I turned around and saw the same man standing a few metres away from me.
I panicked!
I slowly bent down and picked a stone up; and pretended to walk on fearlessly.
“Excuse me, miss. I’ve been trying to call you for the last 5 minutes, but I don’t think you were paying attention.”
I turned around. It was the ‘stalker’ (or so I thought).
“Yes?”
“It’s just that”, he stuttered. He glanced at the stone in my hand, and swallowed before continuing. “This fell out of you pocket”, he said, as he gave me my watch.
“Oh…thank you”, I replied sheepishly, and dropped the stone.
Gosh, Shalaka! You’re so silly! You’ve been watching too many movies! Did you really think some man was going to attack you in broad daylight? You were so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you didn’t even realize that he had called you! Go on; just assume that every person you see on the road has evil intentions!
Anyway, how much longer will it take to get home?
I glanced at my watch, and groaned as I noticed the time. I was missing my favorite show! All because the car broke down!
Life’s so unfair! Just because SOME people couldn’t be responsible enough to send the car for servicing on time, I had to suffer! Thanks a lot! Today had to be the day when the best episode was on! Of course! Because NOTHING works out for me! It’s so unfair! Wait - haven’t I said that already? Oh well…my vocabulary IS pretty bad…
I was getting tired and I was panting by the time I reached the rail crossing. Due to my magnificent luck, the gate was closed! So, I had to wait for the train to cross before I could continue walking.
Though I was happy for the break I was getting from walking, I needed to get home fast! I had already missed one TV show and I didn’t want to miss the other one. (In case you’re wondering - my life does revolve around TV shows!)
I was getting impatient as I waited by the crossing, waiting for the train to pass by.
For someone who needs to be entertained every two seconds, this wait was excruciatingly painful.
I hate waiting! Why can’t the train just hurry up and pass by? I need to get home! People are so inconsiderate! The driver, the people who made these roads that don’t even have sidewalks! I hate everyone! The irresponsible driver, who couldn’t send the car for servicing, the train driver, who can’t move faster, the people who made these roads full of potholes, the cows that leave their blessings on the road, the person who created trains, the person who thought of the concept of railway crossings, the person who invented quadratic equations…
Now, I couldn’t stop myself…
I hate Physics, Quantum of Solace, Truman, Himesh What’s-His-Name…
Now, the wait wasn’t that boring anymore! I had something to entertain myself with! Sure, I had spoken to myself on many occasions (after all, who would pay more attention to me, than ME?), but this was different. I had never actually thought about all the things, people, places, animals, inanimate objects...that I had hated! What scared me was that my list was pretty long!
Number 459 on my list – the color brown, Number 460…ouch. This list is getting longer! I’ve spent so much time on this list, it seems like forever! And the train isn’t even here yet!
Back to my list...where was I? Oh right…Number 460…
Now, I was a woman on a mission. My aim was to figure out all the things I hated before the train arrived. Looking at the state I was in now, the task seemed pretty accomplishable.
(SOME TIME LATER)
Number 480…okay now I’m bored…
And the train isn’t even here yet! This is so frustrating! How do people expect me to get home if the whole universe is working against me? This is just a giant plot to make sure that I don’t get home, and miss my TV shows, and stay miserable for the rest of my life!
LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!
Wait…that’s the third or fourth time I’m saying that isn’t it?
I’ve had enough!
Now, I decide to take matters into my own hands.
The train hasn’t passed by. So, instead of waiting, I slowly take off my bag and throw it as far as possible over the crossing. I hold my breath as I see it fly over in what seems to be slow motion. As it lands on the other side, I let out a sigh of relief.
Then, I put one leg over the gate and jump across, onto the railway tracks. I bring my other leg over and steady myself.
Half way there! Home, sweet, home – here I come!
I start moving forward, towards the gate on the other side.
Wait – why isn’t my foot moving?
I look down at my right foot; and notice that a bit of the track had caved in, taking my foot along with it! I was stuck!
I’m stuck!
As I try to free my foot, I can hear the wail of a siren in the distance.
Uh-oh…
Shalaka Kurup
Grade 10 – IGCSE
Hinglish,Kanglish ????????????????
English came into India, due to the colonial rule of the British over us. Though it wasn’t a great period as far as Indian prosperity is concerned, there were several advantages; one being that English was introduced in India, and is now one of the worlds most spoken languages.
In India, there used to be this whole hype about being Americanized, but now I believe it is reducing. The fact that now people not only speak English but Indian English is a little proof of that.
English has now, if I may call it that, evolved. In India it has taken various forms and has words taken from varying regional languages, all from various parts of India.
In several parts of India, Hinglish is spoken, which is said to be a mixture of Hindi and English. People use words like, ‘karoing’ which basically means karo – to do (from Hindi) and the –ing from English.
In ‘Namma’ Bangaluru, which means our Bangalore by the way, Kanglish is spoken. And yes, you guessed it right. It’s a mixture of Kannada and English.
There are several regions in India which mix their own regional languages into English, especially since most of India is not educated well enough to be able to speak English properly.
In Mumbai as well, Mumbaiya hindi or mumbaiya English is spoken, which a colloquial form of both English and Hindi.
Following are some words and phrases that are used in English and further explain the influence of various languages on Indian English:
• Tag questions: The use of "isn't it" as a generic question tag, as in "The office building will be ready by early next year; isn't it?" More recent tag questions include "no?" (used colloquially) as in He's here, no? ('na' often replaces 'no' in Hindi speaking areas; the South replaces 'no' with the 'ah' sound, as in Ready, ah?, an influence of colloquial Tamil and Kannada.)
• Use of the words but or only as intensifiers such as in: "I was just joking but." or "It was she only who cooked this rice." Or even "I didn't go only" to mean "I didn't end up going after all." (Influenced by Hindi syntax.)
• Adding "U" to all english words e.g. LeftU for left, BusU for Bus; especially people from South Indian states mainly Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have the habit of when speaking Tamil and Kannada and Telugu respectively
• Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in an English conversation between Indians, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; 'ra', 'da', 'machaa' is more frequently used in the South.
• Use of "baazi"/"baaji" or "-giri" for the same purpose, as in "business-baazi" or "cheating-giri." (Also prevalent mainly in Hindi-speaking states.)
The list seems to be endless.
As Eddy Peter quotes
“Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets”
Statistics quote that there are 5 billion different languages in the world but a smile :-) speaks them all.
Ambika Natesan
Grade 10 IGCSE
I have mastered the art of letting random thoughts flow through my head till I end up confusing myself. This happens a lot these days, especially when I get bored pretty often. I have nothing to do right now, except…think.
Gosh! It’s a long way home from school, especially when your car breaks down and you have to walk all the way!
I started thinking…
The recent attacks in Mangalore, and the subsequent ban on Valentine’s Day – both assaulted the rights of women all over India. Feminism flew right out the window as women were robbed of their basic rights. Oh, and one more thing, why is it that WOMEN were targeted and not MEN?
By this point, I had crossed the road and almost got ran over by a bus. The bus driver swore at me in Kannada and drove on with a scowl on his face.
Phew! What a narrow escape!
I turn around and run away from the glares of the people around me, almost tripping over my open shoelace. I run into an empty lane. I can hear my heart pounding as I stop to tie my shoelace. I continue walking…
Death. A narrow brush with it just scared the living daylights out of me. How do people even have the guts to attempt suicide? A depressed person, or a matyr – how do they manage to do it? I can’t even think of dying without getting scared. How would I voluntarily hurt myself?
I was in my own world as I continue walking. Soon enough, I noticed someone following me. I turned around and saw a man who glared at me and turned around and walked away. I walked on.
So…I’m bored. Sheesh! Am I really having a conversation with myself? No wonder people think I’m weird!
Soon enough, I got the feeling that someone was following me, again. I turned around and saw the same man standing a few metres away from me.
I panicked!
I slowly bent down and picked a stone up; and pretended to walk on fearlessly.
“Excuse me, miss. I’ve been trying to call you for the last 5 minutes, but I don’t think you were paying attention.”
I turned around. It was the ‘stalker’ (or so I thought).
“Yes?”
“It’s just that”, he stuttered. He glanced at the stone in my hand, and swallowed before continuing. “This fell out of you pocket”, he said, as he gave me my watch.
“Oh…thank you”, I replied sheepishly, and dropped the stone.
Gosh, Shalaka! You’re so silly! You’ve been watching too many movies! Did you really think some man was going to attack you in broad daylight? You were so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you didn’t even realize that he had called you! Go on; just assume that every person you see on the road has evil intentions!
Anyway, how much longer will it take to get home?
I glanced at my watch, and groaned as I noticed the time. I was missing my favorite show! All because the car broke down!
Life’s so unfair! Just because SOME people couldn’t be responsible enough to send the car for servicing on time, I had to suffer! Thanks a lot! Today had to be the day when the best episode was on! Of course! Because NOTHING works out for me! It’s so unfair! Wait - haven’t I said that already? Oh well…my vocabulary IS pretty bad…
I was getting tired and I was panting by the time I reached the rail crossing. Due to my magnificent luck, the gate was closed! So, I had to wait for the train to cross before I could continue walking.
Though I was happy for the break I was getting from walking, I needed to get home fast! I had already missed one TV show and I didn’t want to miss the other one. (In case you’re wondering - my life does revolve around TV shows!)
I was getting impatient as I waited by the crossing, waiting for the train to pass by.
For someone who needs to be entertained every two seconds, this wait was excruciatingly painful.
I hate waiting! Why can’t the train just hurry up and pass by? I need to get home! People are so inconsiderate! The driver, the people who made these roads that don’t even have sidewalks! I hate everyone! The irresponsible driver, who couldn’t send the car for servicing, the train driver, who can’t move faster, the people who made these roads full of potholes, the cows that leave their blessings on the road, the person who created trains, the person who thought of the concept of railway crossings, the person who invented quadratic equations…
Now, I couldn’t stop myself…
I hate Physics, Quantum of Solace, Truman, Himesh What’s-His-Name…
Now, the wait wasn’t that boring anymore! I had something to entertain myself with! Sure, I had spoken to myself on many occasions (after all, who would pay more attention to me, than ME?), but this was different. I had never actually thought about all the things, people, places, animals, inanimate objects...that I had hated! What scared me was that my list was pretty long!
Number 459 on my list – the color brown, Number 460…ouch. This list is getting longer! I’ve spent so much time on this list, it seems like forever! And the train isn’t even here yet!
Back to my list...where was I? Oh right…Number 460…
Now, I was a woman on a mission. My aim was to figure out all the things I hated before the train arrived. Looking at the state I was in now, the task seemed pretty accomplishable.
(SOME TIME LATER)
Number 480…okay now I’m bored…
And the train isn’t even here yet! This is so frustrating! How do people expect me to get home if the whole universe is working against me? This is just a giant plot to make sure that I don’t get home, and miss my TV shows, and stay miserable for the rest of my life!
LIFE IS SO UNFAIR!
Wait…that’s the third or fourth time I’m saying that isn’t it?
I’ve had enough!
Now, I decide to take matters into my own hands.
The train hasn’t passed by. So, instead of waiting, I slowly take off my bag and throw it as far as possible over the crossing. I hold my breath as I see it fly over in what seems to be slow motion. As it lands on the other side, I let out a sigh of relief.
Then, I put one leg over the gate and jump across, onto the railway tracks. I bring my other leg over and steady myself.
Half way there! Home, sweet, home – here I come!
I start moving forward, towards the gate on the other side.
Wait – why isn’t my foot moving?
I look down at my right foot; and notice that a bit of the track had caved in, taking my foot along with it! I was stuck!
I’m stuck!
As I try to free my foot, I can hear the wail of a siren in the distance.
Uh-oh…
Shalaka Kurup
Grade 10 – IGCSE
Hinglish,Kanglish ????????????????
English came into India, due to the colonial rule of the British over us. Though it wasn’t a great period as far as Indian prosperity is concerned, there were several advantages; one being that English was introduced in India, and is now one of the worlds most spoken languages.
In India, there used to be this whole hype about being Americanized, but now I believe it is reducing. The fact that now people not only speak English but Indian English is a little proof of that.
English has now, if I may call it that, evolved. In India it has taken various forms and has words taken from varying regional languages, all from various parts of India.
In several parts of India, Hinglish is spoken, which is said to be a mixture of Hindi and English. People use words like, ‘karoing’ which basically means karo – to do (from Hindi) and the –ing from English.
In ‘Namma’ Bangaluru, which means our Bangalore by the way, Kanglish is spoken. And yes, you guessed it right. It’s a mixture of Kannada and English.
There are several regions in India which mix their own regional languages into English, especially since most of India is not educated well enough to be able to speak English properly.
In Mumbai as well, Mumbaiya hindi or mumbaiya English is spoken, which a colloquial form of both English and Hindi.
Following are some words and phrases that are used in English and further explain the influence of various languages on Indian English:
• Tag questions: The use of "isn't it" as a generic question tag, as in "The office building will be ready by early next year; isn't it?" More recent tag questions include "no?" (used colloquially) as in He's here, no? ('na' often replaces 'no' in Hindi speaking areas; the South replaces 'no' with the 'ah' sound, as in Ready, ah?, an influence of colloquial Tamil and Kannada.)
• Use of the words but or only as intensifiers such as in: "I was just joking but." or "It was she only who cooked this rice." Or even "I didn't go only" to mean "I didn't end up going after all." (Influenced by Hindi syntax.)
• Adding "U" to all english words e.g. LeftU for left, BusU for Bus; especially people from South Indian states mainly Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have the habit of when speaking Tamil and Kannada and Telugu respectively
• Use of yaar, machaa, abey, arey in an English conversation between Indians, mainly by people of native Hindi-speaking origin; 'ra', 'da', 'machaa' is more frequently used in the South.
• Use of "baazi"/"baaji" or "-giri" for the same purpose, as in "business-baazi" or "cheating-giri." (Also prevalent mainly in Hindi-speaking states.)
The list seems to be endless.
As Eddy Peter quotes
“Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets”
Statistics quote that there are 5 billion different languages in the world but a smile :-) speaks them all.
Ambika Natesan
Grade 10 IGCSE
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