Editorial

This year the newsletter has undergone a makeover, and now it is on its way to becoming a magazine. So On the Verge will not only publish school news but will publish myriad ideas and tons of creativity. Much happened since the beginning of this school year; from the elections for the Student Council, the symbol of our Democracy to the intergroup debate, expressing ideas. We also have new teachers like Hariharan sir, Pooja maam and Stuti maam who bring us new avenues to explore and experience. As we read this a lot of things are happening in this world and beyond the school boundaries. This year our focus is to provide a perspective, an opinion on issues that we often overlook. For this edition we have child-like but NOT a childish story about Revenge and the psychology of revenge. This and many such different narratives will be explored across the next edition. We would like to emphasise that this newsletter is our voice, our reflection as a school. So good or bad, all things find space in the newsletter. With this understanding, I also take this opportunity to also speak to you as the Head Boy. You would agree that since a last few weeks our behaviour has been far from what we can be call acceptable. All of us have been have been bunking sports, loitering in corridors, not reaching class in time, walking into prayers late...the list is non-exhaustive. However, let us not quantify our mistakes but try and find a solution. I believe, we lack a sense of responsibility for our actions. We are not even conscious of many of our actions; and thus most of our unacceptable behaviour is not intentional but a result of not putting a thought before our actions. Let us reflect upon what we do, before we actually do it. Let us take responsibility for our actions. All this because this school is not the walls, but it is all of us. We make the school and it is in our hand to make this school a better community. Jay Tekwani
with the Editorial Team

Contents

4/ Election Fever 6/ Debating Matters 8/ Learning Deutsche 9/Baba Ramdevs Three wishes: An imaginary interview 10/ Mochikam: a disappearing art 12/ Portfolio 19/ Arches and Niches: Architecture in India 21/ Revenge: A story 22/ From pigeons to post to e-mail 24/ not boring old math 26/ Dial T3
Editorial Team: Jay Tekwani, Jay Batavia, Kunal Kamania, Juhi Palan, Aishwarya Gosai Photographs: Aalok Akbari, Shyamal Vibhakar Distribution: Amar Govani Contributors: Pranav Sejpal, Juhi Palan, Neel Rakholia, Parth Mehta, Aalok Akbari, Rohan Dhamsania, Nishka Raman, Vishnupriya Jadeja, Prachi Patel, Vaidehi Chotai, Ms. Stuti Vasavda, Ms. Luna Banerjee Proof reader: Shyamal Vibhakar Teacher advisor: Ms. Gopika Jadeja

Election Fever!

Straight from the heart speeches about everything from school rules or The month of August saw TGS caught the lack of them to discipline issues and promises and aspirations of in election fever. leading the best Student Council TGS Days of campaigning ended in a has seen--ever! grand finale with the election Here are some images of the speeches. No fireworks here Just campaigning and election day.

Photos: Aalok Akbari, Shyamal Vibhakar

And the Investiture Ceremony...

Head Boy Jay Tekwani

Akash Captain Agni Captain Jal Captain Prithvi Captain Parth Mehta Devi Jagani Harsh Limbasia Amar Govani 5

Head Girl Aishwarya Gosai

Akash Vice captain Agni Vice Captain Jal Vice Captain Prithvi Vice Captain Vaidehi Chotai Rohan Dhamsania Prachi Patel Raveena Doshi

DEBATING MATTERS: THE INTER-GROUP DEBATES SEMI-FINALS

JAL V/S AAKASH
MOTION : This house believes that in the opinion of the house, social networking is not conducive to developing society. For The Motion : AKASH Against The Motion : JAL After the campaigning and the elections, came the much awaited inter-group competitions. For many of us, elections mean a series of exciting group events and competitions. And what better way could be there to kick-start such events than a debate competition. Having an innate tendency to persuade, convince and prove our opinion to be correct, debates have always been a favorite among teenagers. And thus, this long series of events were inaugurated by a debate competition. In the first round, Aakash competed against Jal and Prithvi against Agni. While arguments coming from the for team focused on issues like wasting of time, cyber bullying, threat to privacy, threat to face-to-face interaction and misinterpretations, the against team talked about connectivity, earning opportunities via social networking sites and the fact that they are not charged. Though the debated digressed a little from the topic by focusing more on the pros and cons of social networking rather than its conduciveness to developing society, it nevertheless was an exciting, enthusiastic and an informative debate. I would even say that the arguments put forth by both the teams made the benefits and drawbacks of social networking clear to the audience. One impressive feature of the debate was that the participants were well prepared. Though there was scope for improvement, the participants should be appreciated for their efforts considering the less time they got for the preparation. And as is the case in any competition or any event, it is a success only if the audience is kept engaged, if they are kept thoroughly involved in the competition. And I must say that this debate did manage to involve the audience. Far from getting bored, this was the most enthusiastic audience I have ever seen. WINNER : JAL

AGNI V/S PRITHVI

MOTION : This house believes that in the opinion of the house, in a mans world, a woman cannot evolve.

For The Motion : PRITHVI Against The Motion : AGNI The chair, Gopika maam, asked the team FOR the topic to make their point. Raveena Doshi was the first to come up on the mike. Raveena emphasized on womens qualities. She believed that they are sincere, perfect and to the point; but if they did anything outside these qualities, they would be considered incapable. She stated that only 10% of worlds income is earned by women and only 1% of the worlds property is owned by women. Thereby, making a strong base for her team for the rest of the debate. Devi Jagani, the captain of Agni group gave some very strong examples like Indira Gandhi and Indra Nooyi to defend here point. The German chancellor is also a great example of a very powerful woman. Devi quoted If all men are born free, why women are born slave. Thus, countering the proposition. Nishka Raman was the next speaker from Prithvi. She strongly stated that all popular women had succeed just because of their opposite gender. In short, she wanted to convey that it is extremely difficult for women to progress without mens support. Shreya Vaghela was the next from Agni. She believed that Evolution is not an overnight process, it is a slow and a gradual process. She then elaborated the point and hammered it into the judges head. Shreya gave a very interesting statistics about women. Did you know that 57,000 more women achieve masters degree in various fields then men? Jeshika countered with a very valid point. She said that women are progressing in educational fields because of their parents mindset. Then she gave some statistics to end her speech. Bhoomi Patel focused on womens achievements in co-curricular activities. . On a lighter note, it was said that Ekta Kapoor has brought television sets to almost every Indian through her famous serials. Jay Tekwani made a very impactful speech. He asked why are most of our mothers housewives, is it by choice or by compulsion? This baffled the opposition completely. Elf Patel stood up to the challenge and strongly backfired. After all, men are in this world because of women. Then the teams questioned each other. Judges also questioned the two teams for the last time. And finally it was the time for results! Agni stood on 300 points while Prithvi stood on 301 points. This had been the closest debate so far. It truly was very engaging debate! WINNER : PRITHVI

DEBATING MATTERS: THE INTER-GROUP DEBATES FINALS

AAKASH V/S AGNI
MOTION : This house believes that in the opinion of the house, extremism in the defense of liberty is not a vice. For The Motion : AKASH Against The Motion : AGNI With the first rounds out of the way and Prithvi and Jal in the finals for 1st and 2nd positions, it was Aakash and Agni battling it out for the 3rd and 4th. The atmosphere in the dome was charged and the teams as well as the audience were looking forward to some spirited debating. Boy, did they get what they hoped for. There was a brief a small explanation of the topic for the audiences benefit so that over the course of the debate they would be able to formulate thoughtprovoking and stimulating questions to ask the teams. The debate started off with Aakash making the opening. They developed their stand quite well, dissecting the motion and then stating their case. Their argument had many facets but the most important arguments they raised were based on things we already know. They stressed that freedom or liberty was an unalienable human right, further extending that in the defence of these rights when all else fails taking an extreme approach becomes nigh necessary. They also pointed out that to fight for what is rightfully ours is human nature and that in the face of oppression, the rising of the oppressed is hardly a vice. They took examples of history mostly saying that Bhagat Singh, Rajyaguru and Sukhdev were called extremists by the British, yet we idolise them, have their portraits up on our walls and make movies out of them. If what they did was a vice, it hardly makes sense to do what we do. Agni also laid out their case quite well. They made some very new and interesting points saying that violence, which is a by-product of extremism, not only causes lives but also causes damage to the ecological environment around us. They also took examples of the past saying that a moderate approach, historically, has been more effective in protecting ones liberty; citing Gandhiji as the prime example. They even mentioned Anna Hazare and his fast as a means to constitutional reform. Another argument that by the team was that patience is an allconquering virtue and a moderate approach coupled with this patience would definitely protect ones liberty. One of the most impressive points made was that Gandhijis fast unto death was in itself a form of extremism. The judges as well as the audience questions really tested the conviction of the participants. To conclude, although the debate went a tad astray from the topic at places, the audience got to witness a lively and spirited debate. WINNER : AGNI

JAL V/S PRITHVI

MOTION : This house believes that in the opinion of the house, sustainability does not go hand in hand with development . For The Motion : PRITHVI Against The Motion : JAL

Both groups seemed eager to plunge into the debate confident in their arguments and research, but while Prithvi seemed to have its viewpoint in place with statistics and specifics, Jal appeared to be floundering and had to resort to rhetoric which after some time metamorphosed into a sparring match between the two captains.

Prithvi seemed to have its viewpoint . Jal appeared to be floundering

The other participants on both teams appeared to have been overshadowed by the aggression of their leaders although they certainly had their arguments and deliberations in place. The cross-questioning soon translated into a merry -go-round of clarifications and contentions. Jal kept stating that sustainable development is possible and cited examples to support their argument. Prithvi on the other hand strongly stated that they felt sustainable development, although desirable can be nothing more than a utopian ideal. The stalemate was broken by the judges questions which required both teams to scrutinize their respective standpoints. This may well have been the turning point: contrary to all expectations, Jal won the debate. The audience enjoyed supporting their group and participated well in all phases of the debate by asking thought provoking questions to the teams. All the debaters showed promise. Heres looking forward to a debating culture.. Reports: Rohan Dhamsania, Juhi Palan, Jay Batavia, Luna maam; Photos: Aalok Akbari GRAND WINNER : JAL

Learning Deutsch
We have a new teacher for German at TGS. To have a new teacher with us makes us want to know about him. We were all very keen to know about him and his background in knowing different languages. These are a few questions we asked our new German teacher, Mr. Hariharan SharmaPrachi Patel and Vishnupriya Jadeja

What made you choose German as a language you wanted to acquire? Are you fluent in any language other than German? I was impressed by Germany as a country right from my childhood. Made in Germany was a very impressive seal that I came across and I wanted to learn this language only out of curiosity. Later it turned out to be a good decision and I mustered a lot of courage to go about my path all alone as there was no one in my family or relations who could be of any help to me whatsoever. I went on to do a postgraduate degree in German Philology from Mumbai University along with completion of all the semester exams from Goethe Institute, Mumbai. I know Russian and have a Certificate and Diploma in Russian language from AIIRL, New Delhi. I am fluent in around 5 Indian languages and I have learnt Sanskrit too, which helped me a lot along my way. I tried my hand at Chinese and Japanese 8

too but I could not make much progress because of various preoccupations. Can you please tell about your experience in Germany? How long have you stayed there? I was in Germany (the erstwhile German Democratic Republic) as a German Interpreter for M/s Toyo Engineering Corporation for their projects in Petrochemical Complex, in Schwedt, GDR for around 5 years before returning to India to join the Kodaikanal International school, Kodaikanal, South India as a Teacher of German for IB. Have you always been a teacher? What other schools have you taught at? Before going to Germany I was a German language teacher for the Indian Navy as well as for M/s Mazagon Docks Ltd, Mumbai. I

got a lot of private exposure to teaching Jr College (11th and 12th Graders) students who came out with flying colors after being unsuccessful in their exams. I was also engaged as a German teacher and translator for several organizations and institutions in Mumbai before and after my experience abroad. I had a long stint as an administrator and part time teacher/ translator for the multinational Steel company M/s Essar Steel Ltd for their academy at Hazira, Surat Dist.

What do you expect your students to know by the end of this year in German? A student who has sound common sense and puts in a little hard work, should be able to have a good working knowledge of German language. In a matter of around 50 hours of training, such a student should be able to speak in simple German and express his/her feelings and emotions without any difficulty.

In her assignment for the English class, Vaidehi Chotai writes an imaginary interview with Baba Ramdev, the Yoga Guru and would -be politician and activist, in the tradition of satire...

Interviewer: Hello and welcome to the show, Interviewing India. Today we have with us Baba Ramdevji! Namaste Baba Ramdevji! BR: Namaste! Interviewer: So, Baba Ramdevji, it is heard that you had made 3 wishes and your wishes were fulfilled, can you please tell us about the wishes? BR: Sure, why not. I had made 3 wishes and 1 of them has been fulfilled. The first wish was to become famous. Now, you must be thinking, why does a yoga preacher want to earn fame? But, dont get me wrong, I want fame for the good of my countrys people. If I become famous then, people will support me for my various campaigns against corruption and black money; and the more the people support me, more powerful and effective would be my campaign! Interviewer: Wow! What great thinking! So, how was this wish of yours fulfilled? BR: The recent fast of mine, didnt it make me famous? Everybody knows me now. Anna Hazare made me join his team and after that I decided to fast and that did make me very famous with a lot of people following and supporting me now. Interviewer: Oh, thats good. Now, tell us about your second wish, what was it about? BR: Oh, my second wish was about retrieving the 400 lakh crore black money of India lying in

the Swiss bank. Interviewer: And that didnt get fulfilled right? BR: No, sadly it didnt; the black money couldnt be retrieved. Interviewer: Instead, allegations were made of you turning black money to white money, right? BR: No! No! These allegations are completely incorrect; I do not change any black money to white money. Neither do I have any black money. Interviewer: But, then various political leaders questioned about how you got the money to build your ashram? BR: All the money I use for building my Ashrams are from donations. Secret Donations. Interviewer: Oh! I see... and you dont need to pay taxes for donations, right? BR: No, donations are not to be taxed, and whatever I have are donations from my numerous supporters. Interviewer: OK, so your second wish was not fulfilled. You couldnt bust the people who have black money in Swiss Banks and you yourself were busted with allegations of black money against you. The wish really took a U-turn! BR: I wish to talk no more about it. Interviewer: So now, about your third wish. BR: Oh! My third wish was about winning the

votes of the people. Interviewer: Votes? BR: Yes, votes of people. I wanted people to vote for me as their leader. I wanted to and still want to become the peoples leader, I want to bring about many social reforms in the country, I want to end corruption and retrieve all the black money lying in foreign backs. Interviewer: Wow, what great ambitions, truly like a leader! Anyway, so this wish of yours remained unfulfilled, right? BR: No, it didnt. I was really sorry about it. Interviewer: But you did get the most votes from the people, right? Last month, the Forbes list of Indias 10 most corrupt people was released and you did rank first and got the most votes for the King of Black Money position, right? BR: No! No! No! People are very innocent. They have just been poisoned by the Congress Leaders; throwing allegations at me and publicly telling them that I am a Dhongi Baba and I am very corrupt. All this is FALSE! Congress Leaders just got scared of me because of me going on fast to retrieve their black money from the Swiss Bank. They are the real corrupt ones! Interviewer: Hmm... I see. Thank you very much Baba Ramdevji for joining us this evening. And we are very sorry for you Babaji that only one of your wishes came true. Thank you again and Shubh ratri!

Mochikam:
a disappearing art
Vaidehi Chhotai (with the guidance of Ms. Puja Chauhan)
This column is about the Disappearing arts of India. Many art and craft methods, which were predominant in the earlier times, are now disappearing because of the lack of dignity of labor in the Indian society. Arts and craft such as leather work, pottery, weaving, barbers etc. are now being considered as lower caste labors. The other reason for the disappearance of art and craft in todays world is substitution of these arts and crafts by modern methods using machinery. These arts are actually very scientific and require a lot of skill to practice it. So to rediscover these arts, Pooja maam and I went to a mochi. Mochikam is now one of the disappearing arts in India. Leather work and tanning (the process of preserving animal skin) is the oldest form of art known to human beings; before pottery, weaving, spinning etc. Early humans saw that animal skin was indeed more thick and strong than the human skin and they thus started using it for various purposes to protect feet, to keep them warm in winter etc. Leatherwork is actually science; the whole process of removing leather to tanning is full of scientific processes which came as a result of observation and experimentation.
We went to Das bhai, one of the rare mochis in Rajkot. He makes fantastic leather shoes with utmost skill.

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When we went there he proudly showed us his creations compiled in a photo album, they were actually great products; very fine, well finished products. He showed us the tools and methods he used to create such good shoes. He showed us how he cut leather, finished it and folded it skillfully into a shoe. He used to use all types of leather for making his shoes. The leathers he used were from Chennai which was famous for its leather. Das bhai actually comes from a village called Dhrol. Dhrol was famous, in earlier times for mochis. He had come to Rajkot before 7 yrs to get more customers and was getting much more customers than he used to get in Dhrol. When we asked him about the number and type of customers he got, he said that he did get a lot of customers because of the fine, finished cheap leather shoes he sold. The shoes he sold were of a lesser price than that of big companies and of the same quality. He also said that he got all types of customers, including people with foot disabilities. For example, he had a regular customer who

had one of his feet smaller than the other. In fact, persons with special needs require custom made products of the kind that Das bhai and other such independent artisans are able to offer, unlike the uniform products of chain stores. We also met Das bhais son there. He has also taken up mochikam. When we asked Das bhai the reason for his son taking up mochikam, he said that, its hereditary and he is proud of continuing their business. He also said that they are respected a lot by everyone around, because they are one of the rare mochis here and that is also one of the reasons why his son took up this business! He was so proud about his work, he also enjoyed it a lot, and his face said it all the excitement which he had for explaining us stuff could not stay hidden! When asked about mochikam in todays world, he said that it is really disappearing. He said that one reason for the decline of mochikam is the lack of craftsmen. People are not willing to work so much, give so much time and energy for this skill. He said that it took him 24 hrs to make just a pair of shoes. One more reason for people not taking up this art is because there are no good academies or schools where people can be taught these skills. Also, substitutes for mochis, machines, are now being used in big commercial factories. Most factories follow the method of division of labor. Which means, the workers do not make the whole of shoe themselves, instead there is a division wherein a person does only one step in the process, for example, sole fitting. At the end, he showed us some steps he used to make shoes, and looking at that, I realized that it really needed a lot of skill and practice. He did it all so smoothly and skillfully without making any mistakes

Das bhai has been working in Rajkot for the past seven years. He moved to Rajkot in search of more work .

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Portfolio
As part of our aim to showcase student work we will be bringing you a portfolio of work (writing, art, photography) by our students. This month we feature the photographs of Aalok Akbari of IBDP2. If you have work you would like to share with the school community write to us:

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ARCHES&NICHES:
Architecture in India
In this new column beginning with this issues, our Art teacher Stuti Maam, will tell us about architecture in India .
Architecture, the word always sounds quite rich as it contains quite heavy weight of various aspects that exist in universe. Aesthetics plays its role within various domains in the house of architecture; such as art, science, geography and considering its scope and depth, culture, philosophy and spirituality too. As a student at school level one should have a basic understanding of the integration of all these aspects mentioned above before stepping into this field; not only in terms of pursuing B.Arch or M.Arch but also as a part of his/her future, personality and life. Many of these aspects are taught as part of the academic curriculum in this discipline. Though each of these has its own significance and depth, philosophy and spirituality are what make up the intangibles and which cannot be compromised. History and heritage have given us a treasure trove of great artefacts and monuments which help us study the intangibles because they have been designed keeping the spiritual aspect in mind. One of the oldest treasures of architecture are the Gothic churches examples of how physical structures spread divinity and spirituality using a combination of natural elements, light - The Stained Glass Windows. The windows are placed so as to create an equal spatial balance on the wall with the concrete portion. All the windows are constructed with colourful glass and painted with a particular kind of paint, so as to create a semi transparent layer on the glass. This particular intensity and opacity of colours allows light to enter the room within certain limits, creating a kind of subtlety: in other words spreads Divine Light which creates the ambience/aura/atmosphere for worship. Though stained glass painting is purely a visual art, its incorporation into architecture shows us

that the focus was on divinity and spirituality, as well as aesthetics. India is a land of spirituality and philosophy how can we miss discussing the fabulous architecture that our forefathers have gifted us? Some of these gifts are labeled as Hindu Temple architecture and Step Wells!! Hindu Temple Architecture is one of the most dynamic and happening movements in the history of Indian architecture. Right from the ancient era till now, the basic design of temples has remained same more or less the same, although innovation in terms of design and structure has not been lacking. There is very strong philosophical reason behind the particular identity of Hindu Temples in terms of their architectural design. That is appreciation, importance, respect and strong belief in god and to place him in the form of a deity or murthy systematically with a sound protection. To serve this purpose the ancient architects came up with a very significant design which is followed to this day. While designing a temple, several parts of Temple architecture are considered Jagati, a kind of platform or terrace upon which the temple is raised

An example of Gothic architecture. Courtesy:

www.gargoylegothica.com and www.templenet.com

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Mandapa, a pillared outdoor hall which is the main entrance to the shrine/sanctum Antrala, the middle portion of the temple leading from the Mandapa towards the deity Garbha griha (Womb Chamber) where the deity is placed

yielding tree) and Navagraha (nine planets) along with gods and goddesses. These depictions are said to attract villagers for worship during marriages and other ritualistic ceremonies. Even today there are some communities who hold wedding ceremonies at the same place. It is believed that the temperature inside the well used to remain about five degrees lower than the outside. It is one of the reasons the ladies who used to come to fetch water, spent some time there and used to worship gods and goddesses depicted on the various levels. Though these carvings relate more to the sculptural aspect than architectural, they contribute to the element of worship and spirituality, similar to the stained glass windows in Gothic churches. Today, when world is rocking with fast track technology, how aspects like philosophy can be incorporated into architecture has become an issue! But it is an undeniable fact that philosophy has its own place within this domain along with science and technology. More on this in our next issue!!

The garbha griha is sheltered by Shikhara or Vimanam, a rising tower form over it. The particular structure itself shows intense involvement with god and spirituality. Step wells were designed with the purpose of dealing with the problem of scarcity of water, which has been perennial to the western part of India since ages, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The technical aspect and development of this design itself may take up another long and elaborate write up. Many step wells contain beautiful, intricate carvings based on the philosophy of life; for example Amrit Khumbh (symbolic pot of the Many step wells contain beautiful, intricate carvings based on the philosophy of life; for example Amrit Khumbh (symbolic pot of the nectar of life), Kalp Vriksha (the wish/desire

Hindu temple architecture has developed over two thousand years. It has evolved within very strict boundaries and rules based on religious texts. The architect had to observe the basic proportions and rigid forms as prescribed since centuries.

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Revenge

Nishka Raman (Grade 8)

I was going to give him death. That was the only solution; what else did he deserve? My friend had got death, so would his killer. I had it all set, and it was only a matter of hours before that killer dog and his friends would face their unfortunate doom. I put in anything that would make my broth more filthy and stinky and dreadful. My mom and dad were linguists and had gone for a little two-day trip to research on medieval English. This only led to my profit; now no one could stop me from preparing my death make it. Three black cunning, greedy dogs often hang around the corner dustbin in the town park. I had gone to the park with Bruno. I had left him on the garden bench with a big piece of biscuit. Just meters away there was a stall selling biscuits; I bought some and returned to the bench. Just in time to see the merciless dogs looting poor Bruno of his food and injuring him at the same time. The park sweeper helped me drive away the dogs. Good Mrs. Hathaway phoned my parents and the blue cross ambulance. My parents in turn, called the dog catchers. We took Bruno to his veterinary hospital only to realize that my cute, little, playful puppy could not survive. The dog-catchers were coming in the I let the stinky broth I had made boil. I put in some chili powder, some more spices, a little orange juice, and finally some toxic dishwashing liquid. I put in everything without thinking. I even put in sugar, body lotion and toothpaste and some blueberries. I sacrificed a chocolate of mine because I knew chocolate was harmful to dogs. I thought of putting some vinegar and onions too. This thing smelled dreadful yet interestingly toxic; it emitted yellow fumes. I opened the kitchen windows for ventilation and covered my mouth with a handkerchief just to be on the safer side. The yellow smoke blew away. My potion was brownish- purple and this is the best I can describe the shade which it bore. As I had run out of things to put in it, I switched off the gas supply. want the smell or the steam to be too obvious. I poured the mixture in a big two liter bottle which went into the refrigerator. A couple of hours later, I poured the liquid into a tray and was pleased to find that it was almost odorless. The liquid, to my surprise, in a few minutes, dried and resembled a big thick biscuit. To make the smell of this inedible dish I had prepared better, I sprinkled it with some vanilla essence. If anyone would find this solid death potion; I thought; one would mistake it for a homemade vanilla biscuit! I cut the big chunk into pieces and placed them in a container. 21

from, I sat on the grass and waited eagerly but patiently for the merciless murderers to come, and help themselves to their own end.

this, but whatever had happened had made my plan work. Nicely. The dogs groaned and trotted over to the bench with their heavy stomachs dangling from their bodies. The dogs seemed a bit dazed, and they lay down on the grass and fainted. I waited, still as a rock. Perhaps I was not satisfied. It happened slowly and very steadily; I saw that their body ceased to move up and down as they had done a few seconds ago. Assuming that they had stopped breathing, I cautiously got up from my place and walked over to the dogs and touched one of them. No response. I sighed. THEY WERE DEAD. Staring at the corpses; an evil smile took charge over my expressions. I felt powerful, like I was the one who knew everything.

fast as I could, and ran for my life. My feet led me home in exactly two minutes. Panting, I got into the house and locked the door. I dumped my body onto the sofa and tried to relax.

over my mind like fire. The realization was slow, but powerful. I was running away. I was running away from a crime I had committed. I was guilty of murder. Guilt overpowered me. A sudden flashback of what I had done, reminded me that I must clear all proofs. I ran again, to the kitchen, I washed all the bottles, spoons and vessels that I had used. I washed them again, so that they no more smelled of my fatal mixture but of dish-washing soap. I sprayed the kitchen with the scent of an air- freshener, and checked for any other evidence of my deed. My parents would be at home by dinner. I needed rest. I changed into my pajamas, though it was still only seven. Lying down on my bed, I pondered over my crime. No, I am not a criminal, I assured myself. Or maybe I am. I was feeling guilty, true. But I slept.

deserved what they suffered? I slept in peace. Though I still knew that quenching your broken my heart, so I broke theirs.

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From Pigeons to Post to E-mail

Pranav Sejpal (IBDP2)
At 5 pm on 12 February 1911, the first comercial flight of the world carrying air mail flew from Allahabad to Naini. The plane was piloted by Henry Piquet. The HumberSommer biplane carried 6,500 letters. This was a historical moment in Indian History. In 2011, we celebrate a hundred years of this event. Postal services in India have grown from 19011 to 2011. We have come a long way. Let us trace the journey from pigeons to post to e-mail: Pigeons: This method of mailing was mostly used by the rulers and was applicable only for short distances. The pigeons were trained in the palace itself. Foot runners: This method was used by the rulers and also by wealthy people. Foot runners were given the letters and asked to make them reach a certain place at a certain time. If they fail to do so they will have to face a less salary. Horse dawk and Camel dawk: This method of postal service was again used by the rulers and wealthy families. The riders of horses and camels used to travels 100s of km without taking rest; so that they could deliver the mail. Catamaran mailman: This was the first method of its kind. People who wanted to send a letter to someone who lives far but share the same coast of the river, could send their letters via rivers. His was again used by the rulers and wealthy people. The poor people were actually the catamarans. Mail carriage, Bullock cart mail and the Bullock cart train: These are very similar methods where people who used to ride the bullock carts used to transport the mail and even big parcels. This method was used by everyone no matter whether the person was poor or rich. Rail mail: This is the method that is used till date. Letters are transported through railways on trains. Everyone used this means to convey their feelings to people far from them. Sea mail and Air mail: These were very costly in early days and many people who could not afford it. Therefore it was restricted to very important letters and official communication. Mail van: This means was used by almost everyone but it was not very effective and was costlier than mail runners or Horse and Camel dawk and therefore it was not very much popular. It was only used for intrastate mail service. E-mail: The last but probably and hopefully not the least is the e-mail. These days anyone can use e-mail and that too for free and that too from anywhere. Even India Post has initiated e-Moneygrams and other eservices.

The flight from Allahabad to Naini took just 13 minutes and was greeted by a huge crowd as it landed. Piloted by Henri Pequet, it was a demonstration flight for an exhibition organised to ''advance'' the knowledge of Indians about the airplanes and flying.

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Not boring old math...

In this column on Mathematics , Parth Mehta (A Levels) will be writing about Mathematics and NOT the same olf boring subject that we dread so much...There is much more to Mathematics as you will see
Hey friends! Welcome to the first ever regular column on Math in the history of the TGS Magazine. Some perceive Math as a dreadful monster that swears to ruin five years of high school while others perceive it as a wonderful subject that finds its application in virtually every other discipline. Well it doesn't really matter which league do you belong to, since Math, in my opinion, is neither! Wondering why do fools like me find Math "interesting"? I bet you'll find your answer in this column, since I will be writing this column round the year with the sole intention to illustrate what Math really is and how cool it can really be! You are all very much familiar with ratio and proportion, aren't you? But what if I claim that we don't really understand ratios? Let's take an example. If your teacher asks you to make a scale drawing of our solar system on the whiteboard of your class, almost everyone would think that it's a piece of cake. All you have to do is switch on your laptop find out the diameters of the Sun and the nine planets, and make note of the distances between every two planets. Now, say you are drawing the Sun and Pluto. Diameter of the Sun is 1.4 x 109 metres and that of Pluto is 2.3 x 106 metres. The average distance between the Sun and Pluto is 5.9 x 1012 metres. Hence, on your scale drawing, the distance between Sun and Pluto should be approximately 4,000 times larger that the diameter of the Sun, since (5.9 x 10 12 divided by 1.4 x 10 9) approximately equals 4,000. Thus, if the circle that you draw on the whiteboard for the Sun is say 10 centimetres in diameter, you will have to draw Pluto (10 x 4,000) i.e. 40,000 centimetres away from the Sun. 40,000 centimetres equals 400 metres! So we need THAT big a whiteboard. Which whiteboard in the world has a length of FOUR HUNDRED METRES? Haha. Now you might be thinking that we could also have drawn a circle for the Sun smaller that 10 centimetres in diameter. Let's evaluate this situation. Suppose our whiteboard is a very large one with a length of say 4 metres (a whiteboard of 4 metres is a VERY long
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H O W F A R ?

whiteboard indeed). Then, assuming we are using the entire whiteboard to draw the solar system, it is reasonable to take the distance between the Sun and Pluto on our drawing to be equal to 4 metres. Now, the diameter of the circle we draw for the Sun should be 4,000 times smaller that 4 metres. Therefore, we will have to draw that circle (4 divided by 4,000) i.e. 10-3 metres, which is equal to 1 millimetre! Too small! And, forget about the Sun, let's think how small would the circle for Pluto be. Since it has to be a scale drawing, the circle would be (1.4 x 109 divided by 2.3 x 106) which is approximately 600 times smaller than the circle for the Sun. The circle for Pluto would thus be (10-3 divided by 600) i.e. 1.7 x 10-6 metres or 1.7 microns in diameter! You just cannot draw that small a circle (or even a dot) with a pen, can you? Pluto would be MICROSCOPIC if we make a scale drawing of the solar system on a four metres long whiteboard. Haha. So, using ratios, the simplest of all Math concepts, we realize that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make a scale drawing of the solar system on a whiteboard. If we try to ensure that all planets are visible, we need a board as large as 400 metres and if we try to squeeze in the solar system in a normal sized whiteboard, planets like Pluto would be so small that they would be invisible to the naked eye. Wasn't that fun? And, above all, wasn't that simple? We study Math everyday, yet, often, we fail to understand or appreciate the beauty of Mathematics! Oh well, before we end, just a small question for you to ponder upon. Every year, substantial, significant work in a few disciplines round the world is awarded with the highly prestigious Nobel Prize that was initiated by the scientist who invented dynamite: Sir Alfred Bernard "Nobel". India, too, has produced Nobel Laureates in Peace, Economics and Physics. Ever wondered why doesn't this world acknowledge mathematicians with a Nobel Prize in Math? Well, unfortunately, Alfred Nobel's wife ran away with a mathematician! LOL
Editors note: This last is a myth and not a fact. Alfred Nobel had never married and so had no wife.

So you think this diagram you see in your text books is to scale?
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Recently, I happened to visit the New Delhi Airport Terminal 3. I was totally mesmerized by the state-of-the-art infrastructure. The glass, the indoor plants, everything had a contemporary feeling to it. However, what attracted me the most was the sustainability of the building. We, as Indians, often stress upon aesthetic appearances while judging a building. However, with sustainability fast becoming the need of the hour, we need to change our perspective and need to be more environmentally conscious. The New Delhi Airport may just be the beginning of this change. The Airport redefines sustainability in various avenues. Water management is one of them. The Airport area has numerous water-harvesting structures. These hold rain water and thus reduce water requirements. Also, the waste water management recycles water and uses it for air-condition cooling i.e. Heating, Vent ilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), toilet flushing, horticulture and construction activities.

Besides this, there are many provisions to reduce emissions as well. T3 is highly energy efficient because of features like: Natural day lighting, use of construction materials & interior finishes with high recycled content, use of environmental friendly vehicles and use of battery operated vehicles for transferring passengers from one terminal to another and baggage transport. The numerous varieties of plants inside the building also help keep the air clean and minimize emissions. Immense possibilitiesto breath fresh. sums it up really. T3 certainly serves as an inspiration to Indias drive towards sustainable infrastructure and sustainability as a whole.

Dial T3:
Airport of the future
Neel Rakholia (IBDP2 ) writes about
Delhis new Terminal 3 and new sustainable technologies

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