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AN INTERVIEW WITH MAJOR GEN. (RETD.) ASHOK KUMAR SINGH On the occasion of Independence Day, we had in our midst, Retd. Major General, Ashok Kumar Singh as the Chief Guest for the program. He is an alumnus of St.Xavier’s School, Jaipur and holds a bachelor's degree in medicine from A.F.M.C, Pune. He did his PhD from Linkoping University, Sweden. He served in the Indian Army from 1976 to 2012. The few places where he was posted are Lucknow, Agartala, Delhi, Srinagar, Udhampur, etc. Now, he is associated with rural health through tele-medicine. A native of a village of Churu, he lives at present with his family in Jaipur. He provides medical advice not only to the people of cities but villages too. He came across as a very grounded person. The Chattering Mynahs interviewed him. Here, we share a few snippets of our conversation with him.

CM-- You talked about lighting a lamp inside ourselves. How did you light the lamp inside yourself? CG-- I found that one should have 'Me Time’! 'Me Time’ is the time one spares for oneself. It is the time when you discover yourself, your potential and your interest.

CM -- What is the purpose of your life, sir? CG -- I keep on asking myself certain questions, such as why am I here, what am I supposed to do in this world, what am I doing, why am I doing this? I look inside myself and try to discover who I am and why I’m here. Live in the moment, appreciate everything. Don't think about the past and don't bother about the future, JUST GO WITH THE FLOW!

CM—What values do you live by? CG -- As I said, one should live in the present and enjoy everything. But honestly speaking, I live in future. I think a lot about it. I feel that whatever you give comes back to you. If you do well, if you are good, it will certainly come back to you. Make your PASSION your PROFESSION and when you do so, you don't work, you live your profession. I believe in KARMA.

CM-- What do you do in your leisure time, sir? CG-- I feel that one should do creative things in one's life. I have made cooking a hobby of mine. I've a beautiful terrace garden where I grow vegetables in a coco-pit (It’s a type of soil made up of coconut husk) and the taste of the vegetables is really sweet.

CM-- What did you do after your retirement? CG-- I retired in 2012 and soon after, I started tele-medicine. I am associated with R.R hospital and was able to save the life of a person in Partapur, a remote place in LADAKH . So through tele-medicine, I could bring help to someone sitting 1000 kilometers away from a proper hospital.

CM-- Do you enjoy reading? CG—Yes.

CM-Which is your favourite book? CG-- One of my favourite books is The Fountainhead. Nowadays, I go for more self-help books. I've gone through the life of Buddha and his thoughts have inspired me a lot.

CM-- Is it true that the government has invested 3/4 of taxes in the military? CG-- No, I don't think so. You know, it is the army officer who pays the highest tax in India. It's about Rs. 1.8 lakhs rupees p/a. Now, I get a pension of Rs. 90,000 and I pay an equal amount of tax on it!

Established in 1989

Mody School Weekly Chattering Mynahs

Saturday, 2nd September 2017 | Issue No. 031

1.An Interview with the

I-Day Chief Guest

2. Beti Bacxhaao, Beti padhaao

3. Joint Installation Interact

Club

4. Cobra man Speaks,

Globetrotting

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CM-- The life of an army officer is quiet tough, isn’t it? CG-- Being in the army, you need a lot of determination. We are given areas, cants. which are barren, but we plant trees there and convert them into clean and green places. Even if I’m sent to a jungle, I'll create heaven there. I started Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 36 years ago, a long time before Modi ji talked about it. This is only because I was in the army.

CM-- Is there something who aspires you? CG-- My grandfather is my inspiration. He was a brigadier and I always wanted to be on a post higher than his!

CM-- Would message would you like to give us? CG -- I would say that OUT OF CHAOS COMES ORDER. Explore yourself, your surroundings and do what you want to do, not what you parents want you to do. Because, ultimately, it's your life not theirs. Stay happy. Do good, be good. God bless you. –Anukampa, XI Arts

BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO YOJANA ‘No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contribution of

half of its citizen.’

This is step by step guide about Beti Bachao Beti Padhao yojana. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan was

started by PM Narendra Modi in 2015 which means “Save girl child, educate girl child ” in English. The

modern India of today offers a lot of opportunities to women. This is one side of a progressive India

whereas on the other side, if one looks at gender decline, the dark side of Indian society comes to the

forefront. According to the Constitution, women are legal citizens of the country and have equal rights

with men. If we look into the past, in the early Vedic period, women enjoyed the equal status with men in

all aspects of life. As per the 2011 census in India, the sex ratio is 926 in the urban area and 947 in the rural

area. In order to provide more a more equitable gender environment and the protection of the girl child,

the Modi government has initiated the “ Beti Bachao Beti Padhao”. This is a joint initiative of Women and

Child Development Ministry, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource

Development. It aims towards ensuring survival, protection and empowerment of the girl child.

Last week, as was instructed by the local Education Administration, our school organized a programme on

Beti Bachao – Beti Padhao campaign. Mr. Naveen Jain an IAS, Mission Director, NHM, Special Secretary Medical

Health Services, Rajasthan under PCPNDT Act, 1994. It was an interactive session which was witnessed by also other

dignitaries Mr, Naresh Kumar Thakral, District collector, Sikar along with his distinguished team. Mr. Naveen Jain

was the speaker and Head of the Programme. The main objective of the program was to create awareness

among the people on the importance of the girl child. The bigger objective was to discourage them against

the female foeticide, a cancer for society. There was huge enthusiasm among both teachers and the

students for the program. The speakers highlighted the achievements of the daughters of the country in a

number of areas. –Nandini Begwani, XII Arts

HAIL, LORD GANESHA! Ganesh Chaturti is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesh. He

is the son of Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. This festival is

mainly celebrated in Maharashtra. It’s an 8-9 day festival and on

the last day, the idols are immersed in the sea and the ceremony

is known as ‘Visarjan’. During this period, people come out of their

houses, take leave from work to visit the decorated pandals of

Lord Ganesh and offer prayers to Him. These days, to counter the

toxicity of the paints and other materials used in preparing the

idols, his statues are made of ladoo, pencil, bangles, chocolates,

etc. Lord Ganesh is lovingly called by many names such as Durja,

Gajanand, Lambodar, Shubam, etc.

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The festival was celebrated in our School at the morning assembly. A short speech was followed by a sweet

bhajan and Ganesh Vandana. The Principal also told us the story of Ganesh. The "stapana" of the idol took

place after an elaborate puja and Aarti would be done twice a day. Beautiful Rangolis were prepared by all

the four Houses and the area has been decorated very beautifully.

At last not forgetting the yummy laddoos, modaks and the little mushak, due to which this festival comes

under my favorite festival list. I wish that this Ganesh Chaturti onwards, people forget all their sorrows and

that happiness and joy fill their lives. Ganpati Bappa Morya! - Kirti and Unnati, IX

SCIENCE FEST- A LEARNING EXPERIENCE Five of us attended the 4TH Science Fest which was organized by The Scindia School, Gwalior with our teacher escort,

Miss Dipti Pratap. There were a total 11 School teams with 70

delegates. We reached Scindia on 9th August, had dinner and then

went for the ice-breaking session. The next day, we had the

opening ceremony which was followed by the JAM (Just A Minute)

Session. Two of our girls (Lavina, Class 11 and Arshita, Class 12)

participated in it. Their topics were Friction and Health Drink,

respectively. After lunch, there was a competition called ACTINIUM

where we had to advertise a product. We were lucky enough to be

given a WATER PURIFIER for a product. On the second day, Sejal

and Arshita took part in the Science Quiz. The quiz was conducted

through an application known as Kahoot. We also displayed our

Science model for the exhibition on the topic ‘SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL CAMPUS’. All the teachers as well as

students were amazed by our model. The third day of the fest was the most enthusiastic where one student from

each school was suppose to sit for the panel discussion on ‘UNDER REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN STEM SUBJECTS

IN HIGHER STUDIES’. I am thankful to my teachers who gave my name for the discussion. It was a stupendous

experience. The fest made me and my team mates feel like we were swimming in a sea of knowledge. Finally, it was

the time for prize distribution. Our heartbeats increased and we couldn’t wait for the results to be declared. To our

disappointment, we didn’t win in JAM, advertisement and quiz contests but a second prize in exhibition made our

day. -Astha Kumari, XI Sci

ATTENDING THE JOINT INSTALLATION CEREMONY Rotary Club, Jaipur organized the Joint Installation Ceremony of all Interact Clubs on August 28th, 2017 at Rotary Bhawan, Jaipur. I was a little apprehensive on the way there since I was not sure whether the report we had sent would fulfil all the criteria that were needed. Though we joked around light heartedly, the atmosphere quieted as we neared our destination. The ceremony began with the name of the Almighty and our team which comprised of Revati, Riya Kulheri, Devanshi Yadav and Kusum were called for the rendition of the Mahamantra. After the benediction, the dignitaries talked about the various schemes of the Rotary Club and a few more events that were coming up. Then the Presidents and the secretaries were called onto the stage and made to take the oath. I truly felt honoured when the Interact President badge was pinned onto my pocket. Later, after a few more enlightening speeches, the different prizes were distributed. We all sat with bated breath since there had been no mention of our school for a long time. Imagine my exultation when the Award for Best Interact President was announced for Mody School! I felt proud and satisfied that the hard work of over a year had paid off and it encouraged me to further devote myself to social causes. It was a most wonderful evening for me and the clouds in the evening had a silver lining. –Bhavini Sharma, XII H1

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BLACK COBRA

The Black Cobra (Naja Naja) is also called the Central Asian Cobra or the Caspian Cobra. It is a member of the Elapidae family, found in Central Asia in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, etc. It is commonly called the Kala Nag.

The Caspian Cobra is never fully black, although some specimens may be quite dark. This species can be easily identified because of its characteristic cobra hood, but without any marks on it. The hood is raised when the snake is disturbed. It is a deft climber and good swimmer. It feeds on small mammals, amphibians, lizards and birds during the evening and early morning.

The Black Cobra is the most venomous species of cobras in the world. Its venom is neuro-toxic. Its bite is completely death-bite. The Naja Oxiana is included in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Despite the dangers that it poses, I implore you all not to kill it and save the life of this amazingly fascinating creature. I am always

available for more information or assistance. –Kailash Saini, sainikailashchand78@gmail.com

APPRECIATION FROM THE SPORTS HEAD With so much of hard work and perseverance comes success. Even though we failed at times, I must say, the spirit in our hearts never did. My entire team managed to come for sports regularly, practiced anytime and anywhere. Whether it was 5 o'clock in the morning on any day of the week, or in the hot burning sun in mid afternoon, running on the court or in the thorny ground, it always came through. Though it rained at times, it did not dampen the spirit of my team and the girls played with determination. I agree I scolded them, gave punishment and sometimes screamed at them but they were always on the court accepting their mistakes, taking on all the challenges and blowing against the breeze. I hope that all their hard work pays off. –Mukesh Sharma, (HOD, PE)

Online Edition: http://www.modyschool.ac.in/weekly.html

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WILDLIFE CORNER

MELODIOUS MEMORIES

A few weeks back, when I heard about the Music Workshop being conducted in our School, in the room just

next to my Library, I wanted to be a part of it. I had never been into western music and it had always

fascinated me. Although, I don’t believe that my voice is very melodious but my love for music just dragged

me there. I was part of the Middle group and learnt six Hymns and songs. Our teacher Mr. Daniel Massey

taught us with a dedication and passion which was infectious and we found ourselves working with an equal

amount of vigour. I didn’t know that in a choir there exist three groups namely Altos, Middle and Sopranos. I

don’t know a lot about western music but I just loved the experience and enjoyed it to the fullest!! The sweet

hangover of those melodious memories is so heavy on me that I still hum them daily; they have become a

part of my life. Now, the concert is over but the haunting echo of the choir vibrates in my heart, still.

I am really happy and fortunate to have been a part of this music concert and it has given me many musical

memories which I will cherish in the years to come. –Anjali Dave, Library

GLOBETROTTING IN 80 WORDS

Probing the violence after the Dera head conviction, the police have so far arrested 953 people; Tropical storm, Harvey has returned, making landfall a second time in southwestern Louisiana, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005; US Open 2017: Nadal or Federer?; North Korea dares US and allies, fires ‘ballistic’ missile over Japan; Thousands of Rohingyas stranded on Bangladesh border as Myanmar fighting rages; China confirms halt to Doklam road building but no promise if it will be permanent.