3) Mayoor (July 2013)

Mayoor
July – September 2013
Vol. 63 • No. 3
Editorial
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
Editorial
1
Happenings
2
Staff News
9
Alumni Buzz
9
Beyond our Gates
10
Musings and Jotings
14
Book Post
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editor-in-Chief
Miss Shakti Budhiraja
Editor-Junior School
Mrs Rakhee Garg
If undelivered, please return to MAYO COLLEGE, AJMER-305008
Mayo College Newsletter
It was wonderful to get back to school, all energized and geared up. I take
this opportunity of welcoming everyone to the new term. The new term started
with a new hope and I am sure the new term will be full of fruitful achievements
and happiness.
'Mayoor', the School Newsletter covers everything in detail. It is
genuinely a visual and a verbal delight. To appreciate its beauty and depth one has
to approach in bite-sized sessions, rather than in one mouthful. 'Mayoor' is all in
one – unique, honest, elegant and classy. Our utmost endeavour has been to
encourage the young budding writers and poets to come in the forefront and
showcase their talent and creativity.
The term began with a bang. There was Independence Day Celebration,
Inter-House Swimming and Diving Meet, IPSC Shooting, MFT, Teachers' Day
Celebration and the list is endless.
Everywhere the Mayoites left a mark for themselves by giving their best.
Their never to give up attitude gives them an edge over others. Keep it up!
Student Editors
Mridul Godha (XII)
Kushagra Agarwal (XII)
Raghav Bhargava (XI)
Exchange students were back. They did us proud by being good
representatives of the school and the country. Rightly said – “Real discovery is not
finding new land but seeing events through new eyes.”
Published by
Maj Gen Kr VS Lalotra,
There were frequent visits of the Old Boys who came and gave pep talk
to the boys and interacted with them. They made them realize that you gain
strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to
look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
AVSM, YSM, SM (Retd)
Principal
Credit
Mr Gaurav Singh
Computer Department
Photographs
Mr Alok Sharma
M/s SL Artist
Printed at
Job Offset Printers
Mob.: 9829472031
We expect some great events ahead in the months to come. I am sure we
are set to take up new challenges and conquer many more milestones.
I'm sure the readers would appreciate the effort.
Till then it's Happy Reading!
Ms Shakti Budhiraja
(Editor-in-Chief)
1
Career Counselling Session
Happenings
National Nine-A-Side Football Tournament
The National Nine-A-Side Football Tournament
was held at Jaipur from 4 to 7 May 13. The Rajasthan team
comprised Chakrapani Singh Rathore (School Football
Captain), Sahil Khandelwal, Rishabh Verma, Abhimanyu
Singh Deora and Chirag Sood (Old Boy, 2013 Batch). The
team won the tournament beating Tamil Nadu in the finals.
Chirag Sood displayed exceptional goalkeeping skills and
kept 3 shoots out of 5. He was declared the best goalkeeper
of the tournament.
Mayo College General Council's Contribution
In Aid of Disaster Relief In Uttarakhand
HH Maharao Brijraj Singh of Kotah, President, Mayo
College General Council, on behalf of the General Council
contributed 5,00,000/- to the Prime Minister's National
Relief Fund to be utilized towards assistance to the victims of
the devastation at Uttarakhand.
Maharaj Digvijay Singh of Uniara, Former Home
Minister, Government of Rajasthan and presently Vice
President of the Mayo College General Council presented a
Demand Draft of 5,00,000/- on behalf of the General
Council to Mrs Kiran Soni Gupta, Divisional Commissioner,
Ajmer on 27 Jun ’13.
The Mayo College General Council Schools at
Ajmer viz Mayo College, an all boys residential Public School
established in 1875, Mayo College Girls' School and Mayoor
School have always been in the lead in social causes.
Workshops for Teachers
On 'CCE', 'Enhancing Listening and Speaking Skills' &
'Safe Surfing’
The above workshops were organized for the
teachers on 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th July 2013, enunciating the
school's belief and commitment towards 'Teachers’
Development and Empowerment'.
The Chief Resource Persons for the workshop on
CCE were Ms Meera Balachandran who is an eminent
educationist, has had an illustrious career as a Principal at
Ramjas School for 34 years and is now into empowering
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teachers to effectively implement CCE. She was assisted by
Ms Chandeep Marwah who is a teaching professional with
18 years of experience in teaching.
They discussed both, the Scholastic and Co
scholastic tenets of the CCE including the Formative and the
Summative Assessments.
The Workshop on 'Listening and Speaking Skills' was
conducted by Mr Reetesh Riku and Ms Anushi Gupta who
discussed not only the nuances and intricacies involving
Listening and Speaking Skills but also the various tools and
techniques employed for assessing both the skills.
The workshop for Safe Surfing was conducted by
Mr Rakshit Tondan who is Consultant for Internet and
Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Advisor to Cyber
Crime Unit, Uttar Pradesh Police, Agra. He enlightened the
staff members as to how Internet and mobile connectivity
can become a tool for criminals to misuse.
The concluding workshop was taken by the
Principal Maj Gen K V S Lalotra who emphasised the role of
teachers in the challenging time we all live in and highlighted
the essential attributes of a successful teacher. Later the
Principal and the staff toured the campus to see the
infrastructural developments during the break.
The workshops helped sediment a few beliefs,
challenged the others and compelled the teachers to
unlearn and relearn the rest.
Staff Development Programme
(Outbound Activity)
The Mountaineering and Trekking Club organized
an outbound staff training activity on Sat 6 Jul ’13 at Savitri
temple hill, Pushkar. 120 faculty members participated
which included spouses and children.
The participants trekked on an interesting route
which included a walk on the sand dunes and climbing up the
Savitri temple hill.
Learning while having fun was the theme of the
excursion. The light drizzle, mist and the heavy downpour
were enjoyed by all. Excellent refreshment and dinner
arrangements had been made by the mess staff. It was
indeed an enjoyable experience for all.
Mayoor
Career Counselling Session was held for Classes X,
XI and XII in the month of July in two phases. Phase I
included Online Career Counselling test and Phase II
provided individual counselling to the students.
259 boys took the Online test in five batches on 13
and 14 Jul'13. One to One counselling took place on 20 and
21 Jul.
The Indian Navy: Opportunities And
Challenges
A talk on 'The Indian Navy: Opportunities and
Challenges' was delivered at Mayo College on 16 July 2013
by Commander Akshat Jaiswal and Lieutenant Rajit Kurup.
The Principal, Maj Gen KVS Lalotra (Retd.), formally
welcomed the officers at the Bikaner Pavilion and
introduced them to the boys of Classes XI & XII.
The intent of the talk was to create general
awareness about the Indian Navy and its role in safeguarding
the nation's maritime interests among the youth of the
country. The talk was a part of series of talks the officers are
conducting in various educational institutions to celebrate
the VIII Anniversary of INS Beas, a Guided Missile.
The officers first shared a video presentation with
the students about the Indian Navy and its profile and then
Commander Akshat Jaiswal had an interactive session with
the boys and answered their queries regarding the
functioning of the Indian Navy, its different roles, career
options and entry levels, naval aviation etc. Commander
Jaiswal on behalf of the Indian Navy presented a memento to
the School. The Principal concluded the talk by thanking
Commander Jaiswal and Lieutenant Rajit Kurup for
conducting the session for the boys. The boys felt educated,
informed and found the session fruitful.
Inter-House Basketball 2013-14
(Junior School)
The Inter–House Basketball was held from 02-03
Aug 13. All houses participated with great enthusiasm and
zeal. The semi-final and final matches of Junior Division were
keenly contested. It is rightly said that hardwork and good
practice pays rich dividends. The boys exhibited earnestness
Mayoor
and true sportsman – spirit during the tournament. AP
House stood first followed closely by DD and PR
respectively. Arjun Sheron was declared the best scorer and
Smaran Das was declared the best player. Kudos!
A talk by Shri Ashok Thakur,
Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Govt of India
A talk was delivered by Shri Ashok Thakur,
Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Govt of India on Sat, 03 Aug 13 to the boys of
Classes XI & XII on developing strategies to increase the
Gross Enrolment Ratio in Higher Education from the
present 17% to 30% by 2020 and at the same time ensuring
quality and equity.
He also explained the boys the options available for
higher studies and the importance of Class XII Board results
in the coming years. It was a gruelling session and the boys
were benefitted immensely.
The 40th Platinum Jubilee English Debate
and Quiz 2013
(The Scindia School, Gwalior)
Debating in Mayo is scaling greater heights. Every
year there is a mark improvement as the boys are taking
keen interest in debating. With every participation they are
chiselling their debating skill and making it razor sharp. The
auditorium of Scindia School Fort was pulsating with
enthusiasm and rapture on August 4, 2013.
Mayo College, Ajmer won the 40th Platinum Jubilee
All India English Debate 2013 organised by The Scindia
School, Gwalior. Raghav Bhargava, Kartikeya Dwivedi and
Pranaav Parrth represented the Mayo College debating team.
Ten schools participated in the 40th Platinum Jubilee
All India English Debate 2013 namely : Genesis World
School, Noida, La Marteniere School, Lucknow, Maharani
Gayatri Devi School, Jaipur, Mayo College, Ajmer, Scindia
Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior, The Doon School, Dehradun, The
Lawrence School, Sanawar, The Scindia School, Gwalior,
Vasant Valley School, Delhi and Welham Boys' School,
Dehradun.
In the final round, Mayo College was pitted against
The Lawrence School, Sanawar. The motion under scrutiny
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was “This House will prosecute Dexter Morgan” while
Welham Boys' School, Dehradun and The Scindia School,
Gwalior debated on the topic “This House will reveal the
identity of Batman”. The final round was held in the Asian
Parliamentary Format.
Mayo College eventually emerged the overall
th
winner of the 40 Platinum Jubilee All India English Debate
2013 while The Lawrence School, Sanawar was declared
runners up. In the battle of the Titans Pranaav Parrth was
adjudged the Best Speaker and we were declared the
Champion of Champions.
In the Quiz the Mayo Quiz Team comprising Aditya
Singh Rathore and Siddhant Datta sailed on to the final with
ease. Out of the nine teams they were ranked third by virtue
of their commendable performance. Kudos to our debaters
and quizzers!
30th Ajmer District Sub Junior (Boys) Boxing
Championship 2013
highlighting his personal and professional achievements was
read out. In the evening, a hearty farewell ceremony was
organized in his honour at the Stow Club. The ambience of
the Club became nostalgic when Mr Ellis shared his fond
memories with the staff. On behalf of the entire Mayo Staff,
he was presented a memento for his glorious service at
Mayo College. This was then followed by dinner.
Cathedral Model United Nations 2013 –
Mumbai
MUN activities have been revived with gusto. Our
boys are showing great promise. This MUN in particular is
regarded as the oldest and most prestigious MUN in our
country. The Mayo boys participated in the 17th Cathedral
MUN- 2013 at Mumbai from 09th to 11th Aug, 2013.
Kartikeya Dwivedi won a special mention in the Special
Political and Decolonization Committee of the conference.
The delegation was led by Mr NP Varma, Coordinator
MUN. A great learning experience indeed!
04–05 Aug'13
Five member team of boxers participated in the
30th Ajmer District Sub Junior (Boys) Boxing Championship
2013 which was held at Rashtriya Military School, Ajmer.
Harshvardhan Singh Shekhawat, Rohan Nautiyal, Vaibhav
Agarwal and Krishn Mahajan won a Gold each. Varun
Naresh Sadanani won a Bronze for himself. Kudos!
Chief Guest Ms Kanchan Khandke, Principal, MCGS
being escorted
Monitors being introduced to the Chief Guest
Brig PK Singh by Mridul Godha, School Captain
on Independence Day
and 4 Bronze Medals to their credit. Eleven boys from Mayo
have been selected to represent the IPSC Shooting Team in
the SGFI Games. The Chief Guest for the Closing
Ceremony Admiral Madhvendra Singh, former Chief of
Naval Staff, felicitated the winners and gave away the medals
and trophies.
National Flag which was followed by the 'Rashtriya Salute'.
The parade comprising the squads of Army, Air Force, Navy,
Mayo Cadet Corps, Scouts, Junior School Houses -Ajaypal,
Durgadas and Prithviraj, College Brass Band displayed a
proud march-past saluting the Chief Guest. The parade was
led by Siddharth Shaw while the College Brass Band was led
by Vinamra Arya. There was patriotism in the air and
everyone took pride to be an Indian.
Farewell to Mr Sydney Ellis
Mayo College fraternity bid farewell to Mr Sydney
Ellis on 5 Aug 13 in the Special Assembly where a scroll,
Mayo College delegation with Mr NP Varma,
Coordinator, MUN
IPSC Shooting 2013
Bidding farewell to Mr Sydney Ellis – Mridul Godha,
School Captain presenting the scroll
4
IPSC Shooting Championship 2013 was co-hosted
by Mayo College and Mayo College Girls' School from 23
Aug 13 to 26 Aug 13. It was inaugurated by Ms Kanchan
Khandake, Principal, Mayo College Girls' School. Fourteen
teams consisting of 250 shooters from across the country
participated in the event. There were eighteen events in all.
The Mayo College Shooting Team comprising 32
shooters stood overall Runner-up with 18 Gold, 10 Silver
Mayoor
Aiming the Bull's Eye!
Independence Day Celebration
th
Mayo College celebrated the 67 Independence
Day amidst the blissful monsoon breeze and playful
showers. The Chief Guest Brig PK Singh, Cdr 340 (I) Mech
Brigade and the Guest of Honour Master Harsh Singh, the
youngest student of the College (Class – IV, Sch No 2149)
arrived at the Lord Mayo statue with a ceremonial cavalcade
of Mayo Mounted Squadron. The Chief Guest unfurled the
Mayoor
After the march-past MridulGodha, the College
Captain welcomed the Chief Guest, parents and other
guests. This was followed by the speeches by the boys of
Junior and Senior School. They spoke about the untiring
efforts of our freedom fighters and our duties towards the
nation. They reiterated the pledge to preserve our freedom.
After the speeches the Senior School Chorus sang the
melodious 'Bharat Mharo Desh….' a Rajasthani patriotic
song. The Chief Guest was highly impressed by the
confidence and commitment of the boys and complimented
them while addressing the gathering. He extended an
invitation to the boys to visit Nasirabad for a tank ride. He
also enlightened the gathering about the responsibilities
which the independence entails. The celebration
culminated with the Vote of Thanks extended by Mridul
Godha, the College Captain.
Later on in an electrifying soccer match, the Mayo
Football Team got the better of the Adult Education Society
Football Team by 3-1.
5
'The Smart Spartans' in 25 meters Freestyle Relay, 25 meters
Medley Relay, 25 Meters 'Spoon and Lemon Balance Race' ,
Water Volleyball and Water Polo matches. This memorable
day culminated with the Principal's Dinner at the Twiss
House before which Tuhin Basu and Mrinal Mathur
entertained the gathering.
Principal played an excellent host and juggled
between the wide range of age groups he had to look after.
The teachers certainly felt honoured and special on
the day that belonged to them.
Inter–House Swimming and Individual
Diving Meet-2013
The Inter–House Swimming and Individual Diving
Meet 2013 was held from 18 Aug 13 to 21 Aug 13. The
Chief Guest for the Opening Ceremony was Maj Gen KVS
Lalotra (Retd), Principal Mayo College.
To make the Meet more competitive this year, for
the first time, a few short events were introduced for
Middles and Seniors such as 50 m Back Stroke, 50 m Breast
Stroke and 50 m Butterfly Stroke. It was a treat to watch the
swimmers giving their best and putting all their effort to
ensure that they were all set to win laurels for their house.
Mr M S Shekhawat DIGP CRPF GC 2 Ajmer, an
eminent Old Boy of 1979 Batch who was also the College
Gymnastics and Diving Captain, was the Chief Guest for the
Closing Ceremony on 21 Aug 13. He distributed the prizes
and declared the Meet closed. He recalled his time at Mayo
as a student.
The Chief Guest was also accompanied by his father
Mr Bhanwar Singh, a renowned diver of his time, a legendry
instructor at Mayo College and an Arjuna Awardee.
Mr Mahipal Singh (OB 1981 Batch) and presently member of
the faculty is also his son. He along with the Chief Guest
handed over the trophies to the winners.
The following were declared the Individual
Champions : Abhinav Gupta (Juniors), Abhinav Gupta
(Oman), Sankalp Bhatnagar (Middles) and Raghav Khetan
(Seniors).
Mayo Football Tournament (MFT) 2013
Mayo Football Tournament is one of the most
awaited events by the soccer loving schools across the
country. This year the tournament started on 28 Aug 13 with
6 teams from various parts of the country participating in
this grand carnival. The Opening Ceremony was held on 28
Aug 13. Chief Guest Mr D N Mathur (an eminent Old Boy)
declared the Meet open. The matches were played on
League basis, Two best teams qualified for the Final. The
final was played on 01 Sep 13 between the defending
champion Mayo College and The Shri Ram School,
Gurgaon. Both the teams displayed some excellent
football skills. It was a feast to the eye to watch young
Peles, Ronaldos and Messis kicking the ball with dexterity.
6
The Proud Winners – MFT Champions, Mayo College
Mayo College emerged the ultimate winner of MFT-2013.
The Chief Guest for the Closing Ceremony, Mr Anil
Paliwal, IG, Ajmer Range gave away the prizes and
declared the Meet closed.
Akshat Gupta (Mayo College) was declared the
Best Goal Keeper. Sahil Khandelwal (Mayo College) was
declared the Best Defender, Kanha (The Sriram School) the
Best Striker, Vikram Singh (5 goals) (Rashtriya Military
School) Golden Boot and Chakrapani Singh (Mayo College)
was declared the Best Player of the Tournament.
Teachers' Day Celebration
The day started with Special Assembly being
organized by the students at the Junior School.
The hand-crafted cards along with the rose buds
handed over by the cherubs was a perfect start to the
function.
The Junior School children put up an elaborate
show with impressive speeches, orchestration, melodious
choir and synchronized group recitation showcasing the
effort put in to make the day extra special for their 'gurus'.
The day was interspersed with matches that had the
Staff play against the students- from Football, Cricket to the
Swimming Gala.
None cared for the result of the match- that was the
beauty of it!
The day had a special significance as it also
happened to be our Principal's birthday. The little children
organized a Magic Show in his honour and left him thrilled,
mesmerized and startled- all at the same time. He
Mayoor
Gutsy Gladiators giving a tough fight to
Smart Spartans – Water Polo Match
thoroughly enjoyed the conjuration and the antics.
In the Senior School the boys gathered at the
Bikaner Pavilion for a Special Assembly. The Special
Assembly started with ‘Saraswati Vandana’ by the students
of Classes VII, VIII & IX. Then the College Captain, Mridul
Godha and the College Academics Captain, Dipankar Singh,
on behalf of the student community, thanked the teachers.
The Principal, Maj Gen KVS Lalotra then addressed the
students highlighting the significance and contribution of
teachers in nation building.
The assembly was followed by six a side Football
match between the teachers and the Class XII boys where
the students edged the teachers by 7 goals to 3. After that
the students and teachers faced each other in another nail
biting Swimming Gala at the Gibson Pool. The teachers'
team known as 'The Gutsy Gladiators', headed by the
Principal, gave a tough competition to the students' team
Debating Workshop
A Debating Workshop was organized at Mayo
College from 6 Sept 13 to 8 Sept 13 for the students of
Classes IX – XII. Thirty students attended this workshop
which was conducted by three eminent debaters from the
Delhi University - Vanshika Singh, Syeda Asia and Aniruddh
Raghvan. Having debated at national and international levels
and having won many of them, the trio carried with
themselves a rich experience of debating.
The workshop primarily aimed at chiselling the
debating skills of the students and training them in the Asian
Parliamentary Format of Debating, which is considered to
be one of the challenging formats of debating in the School
Debating Circuits.
During the course of the workshop, the students
were trained in the art of lateral thinking i.e. thinking quickly
in the short span of time and framing arguments. The
students were also exposed to Mock Debating Sessions to
understand the dynamics and nuances of debating. It was
something new and interesting.
College / University Preparation
Test of stamina and grit – Teachers V/s Students –
The Soccer Match
Mayoor
(08 Sep'13)
A Counselling Session on College / University
preparation for Classes XI and XII students was held. This
session was organized on 8 Sep'13 by Mr Anuj Jain and Ms
Disha Jain of Edu Groomers, Mumbai.
The important highlights of the session were • Motivational Videos run for students, to understand
different career paths and options available to students
after 12th grade studies.
• Discussion on Study in India or Abroad and much more.
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Staff News
• Extensive discussion took place on studying in popular
destinations such as US, UK, Australia and Germany.
• Cost factors were also considered for these countries to
allow the students to have an insight of their tuition and
living expenses while pursuing studies abroad.
• The session ended with motivational quotes and PPT on
29 ways of staying creative which followed the questionanswer session. It was effective, content-enhancing and
informative.
‘CBSE Award for Teachers 2012’
Awarded to Shri Surinder Kumar, Vice Principal
Colvin Centenary Celebration
(1913 - 2013)
The students and staff of Colvin House celebrated
the much awaited House Centenary on 14 and 15
September 2013 in great spirit and fervour. The House was
built in 1913. This year is a significant year in the history of
Mayo College as Colvin House completes hundred glorious
years of its life.
The parents of the present boys and the Old Boys
gathered in good number to be a part of the two day
celebration that included an Inter-House Quiz Contest on
13 Sep organized and conducted by the boys of Classes 11
and 12 who worked tirelessly to make it happen.
The final round of the quiz was won by Rajasthan
House. On Saturday 14 Sep, the boys and staff along with
their parents joined together for a Music Programme and
the Centenary Dinner. House Captain and College
Academics Captain, Dipankar Singh and House Prefect,
Danveer Singh delivered significant speeches to mark the
occasion along with an Old Boy, Dr CP Singh, batch of 1989
House Prefect, Danveer Singh delivering the speech
and Miss Sarla Naidu, a senior faculty who recalled incidents
from their times.
The Housemaster, Mr Rakesh Alfred summed up
the programme with his speech reminiscing of the time of ex
Housemaster, Late Mr Arvind Kumar and the previous
Housemaster, Mr Navin Dixit. The Chief Guest of the Quiz
was Principal, Maj Gen Lalotra and of the Music Programme
the Vice Principal, Mr S Kumar.
A few Old Boys who are recent pass outs also
travelled from Delhi and Mumbai to witness the event.
Today Colvin House boasts of meritorious students in all
walks of life doing well for themselves and the society
contributing in different capacities.
The credit of the success of this wonderful and
memorable celebration goes to the boys who worked
alongside the House teachers to achieve this mammoth task
of planning and executing to perfection this event. This day
will certainly go down in the memory of the present boys
and their parents who were a witness to it as a very
significant day as they witnessed the history unfold and the
House stepping into a new century.
A proud moment! Mr S Kumar, Vice Principal
receiving the ‘CBSE Award for Teachers 2012’
It is a matter of pride for Mayo College that Shri
Surinder Kumar, Vice Principal, has been conferred with the
'CBSE Award to Teachers for the year 2012' by the Central
Board of Secondary Education, Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Government of India in public recognition of
his valuable and commendable services rendered to the
community for the cause of Education as a Teacher of
outstanding merit.
Mr Ritwiz Gaur won first prize in the state-level
essay competition on “Right to information is a powerful
weapon of Democracy” sponsored by Ministry of
Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Government of
India, New Delhi under centrally sponsored scheme of
effective implementation of Right to Information Act, 2005
through improving transparency and accountability in
Government.
On 06 May 13, Mr Ritwiz Gaur was felicitated with a
certificate and cash prize at Officer Training Institute (HCM
RIPA), Jaipur by Shri Wajahat Habibullah, the Chairperson of
the National Commission on Minorities (an ex-Chief
Information Commissioner of the Government of India).
The occasion was also graced by Chairperson, State Human
Right Commission, Senior Bureaucrats and Minister of
States. Hearty Congratulations!
The award was presented to Shri Surinder Kumar
by the Hon'ble Union Minister, Human Resource
Development (HRD), Dr M M Pallam Raju on 4 Sep 2013 at
the India International Centre, New Delhi.
Shri Jitin Prasada and Dr Shashi Tharoor, both
Ministers of State for Human Resource Development also
graced the occasion.
Mr Ritwiz Gaur being felicitated
The Mayo Idol!
Rishabh Raghuvanshi (1894rd
House Captain, Dipankar Singh addressing the gathering
8
Bharatpur House) stood 3 in the Junior
Vocal Solo Category of “Khoj 2013”, a
music competition organized by Kala
Ankur, Ajmer. He was awarded a trophy,
certificate and cash prize of Rs 1000/-. 30
schools participated in the competition. Congratulations!
Mayoor
Mr Ritwiz Gaur, Housemaster Kashmir House, conducted a workshop, under the aegis of National Council of
Educational Research and Training, on Content Enrichment Programme in Chemistry for the PGTs of Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalaya from all over the country. He, as a resource person delivered on the theme “A green dimension to Chemistry” at
Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer on 04 Jul 2013 and the session was integrated with the environmental regulation and
judicial doctrines. In his unique style, he revisited the traditional curriculum and teaching strategies and introduced an
innovative approach towards the Chemistry classroom transactions. The PGTs of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya from all over
the country found the workshop effective, content-enhancing and eye-opening.
Mayoor
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Alumni Buzz
'Nostalgia' celebration was held in Bangalore
during the third weekend of June. This was organized by
MAASI.
Mayo Golf Carnival 2013 was organized on 31st
August by Mayo Alumni Association, Jaipur Chapter.
Mayo College would like to thank and commend Dr
Priyankar Sinha, OB, Class of 1980 for operating on Shri
Shivpal Singh (Butler, Senior Mess since 1980). The
quadruple bypass surgery was conducted without the
obligation of any medical and surgical expenses.
The Executive Committee of the Old Boys have
met twice and had their quarterly meetings on 4th May and
rd
3 August 2013.
Dr Sarvesh Naidu (Batch of 1971) CEO of Pathways
World School (3 branches) has been judged as the Best
nd
International School in NCR and 2 best day cum boarding
school in the country. All thanks to his leadership.
Atul Agarwal (Batch of 1994) reached the Quarter
Finals in the 61st Senior National Squash Championship held
at Jaipur from 18-23 August ’13. He lost to the no.1 seed in
the Mens above 35 category but made a place for himself in
the top 6 in India.
Beyond our Gates
The following did us proud :Pranaav Paarth: OUTSTANDING DELEGATE-SC
Amateur Anthology, Abhinav Sharma from Class X stood
second in the Poetry Recitation, ‘Mere Bhavo ke Rang’ and
Pranaav Parrth from Class X stood second in the Elocution,
‘Titans on the Titanic’.
MCGS MUN 2013 - A Report
Divya Drolia: HIGH COMMENDATION-GA DISEC
MUN or Model United Nations is an imitation of the
UN where children play the role of the delegates. The
MCGS organised the MUN this year from 17 - 20 July '13 and
Mayo College sent a delegation of 24 boys and 2 boys were
selected for the Chair .
The Opening Ceremony was marked by an
inspirational speech by Brig. K P Singh Deo , followed by an
introduction to MUN for the first timers . There were six
committees, namely: CSW, SC, GA-DISEC, UNESCO, HRC
and EU. The committees started with their work and a
profound discussion in each committee was held. There the
boys learnt the art of diplomacy and were also introduced to
many new countries. In this period of 3 days , long debates
were held and many effective resolutions were made . To
overcome the tiredness of the delegates, a trip to Pushkar
and the Brahma temple was organised. We also had a
Cultural Evening where all schools presented their dances
and pieces of music. Mayo College presented the song
'Waving Flag', which was appreciated by all.
Then there was the Closing Ceremony where a
presentation of the glimpse of these three days was shown
to us. In the Prize Giving Ceremony, our boys won
maximum number of prizes and hence, Mayo College won
the 'Best Delegation' overall.
Everyone then bade a warm goodbye to this fruitful
MUN with heavy hearts. Well, we can surely conclude that
MUN is always FUN.
Siddhant Datta: BEST DELEGATE-GA DISEC
Over the course of the festival Mayoites performed
exceedingly well. Siddharth Arya from Class VI stood first in
A bone chilling breeze welcomed us as we walked
out of the Stuttgart airport. There was ice all over. Our hosts
received us and wished us ‘Happy Easter’. They stuffed our
pockets with the most delicious chocolates, which we
savoured during our journey to Swabisch Hall- a little town
where we stayed for the next one month. The first week
was an Easter vacation. We accompanied our hosts to
different parts of the country. Time flew fast as we spent
time getting to know our host families. Language was a
minor problem, but it was fun to sit with a German family
where everyone was trying their level best to explain to us
their culture. After a week of enjoyment with our host
Mayo College declared as the Best Delegation at
MCGS MUN 2013
The Chief Guest Th Manvendra Singh Ji Rohet
presenting the certificate to Siddharth Shaw
Friends Forever!
Vikram Sachdeva: HIGH COMMENDATION-CSW
Abhinav Sharma: BEST DELEGATE-CSW
Raghav Bhargava: OUTSTANDING DELEGATE-UNESCO
Adhiraj Dhaiya: VERBAL MENTION-HRC
And finally Mayo College won the ‘Best Delegation’ overall.
The Chief Guest for the Closing Ceremony was
Thakur Manvinder Singh of Rohet who is an esteemed Old
Boy. Over the period of two days we experienced excellent
amalgamation of brainstorming and creativity. The ‘Vignette
2013’ was a unique and innovative platform for one to
discover the undiscovered avenues of literary skills.
- Abhinav Sharma (X), Pranaav Parrth (X)
'VIGNETTE' 2013
Mayoor Inter School Literature Festival
Exchange to Germany
An Inter School Literary Fest was organised by the
Mayoor School, Ajmer from September 6th to September 7th
2013. The festival comprised competitions based in English,
Hindi and Sanskrit. Sixteen schools participated in the event
which included nine local schools and seven outstation
schools from Jaipur, Jalandhar, Noida and Jodhpur. The Chief
Guest for the Opening Ceremony was Miss Kanchan
Khandke, Principal, Mayo College Girls' School, Ajmer.
Ms Khandke in her speech emphasized on the growing need
of developing literary skills, especially amongst school
children and the need of preserving classic language in this
age of SMSing. She quoted, “Events like ‘Vignette’ would go
a long way to rekindle and resurrect the spirit of classic
literature.”
We were all ecstatic about our exchange to
Germany. It was after a long wait that we finally took off from
Delhi on the 1st of April, 2013. Our hearts were filled with
curiosity, which put a nervous smile on our faces.
Nirbhay Singh (Batch of 1997) has been selected to
fly the Jets as the Commander for the Etihad Airways. He is
the youngest pilot to fly their Jets.
Following books have been gifted to Mayo College
Library by the Old Boy Authors :
(a) Campaign Diary : Chronicle of an Election fought
and lost by Manvendra Singh (OB-1982 Batch)
(b) India Chalo by Brij Raj Singh (OB-1982 Batch)
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Mayoor
Mayoor
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families, it was time for school. We were given the liberty to
attend any lesson we wanted and sit in a class of our choice.
English and the Art lesson were the most popular subjects
amongst the exchange students.
Although we did not understand what was being
taught in the class, we tried to grasp every bit of knowledge
we could and the teachers were cooperative. The school
organised a number of trips for us. In the beginning we
attended a lot of seminars to learn more about the German
culture and about the countrie's history. Our first trip was to
Dachau. We were shown all the areas where the
unspeakable things were done to the jewish prisoners. The
infamous history gave us goosebumps. Our happiness knew
no bounds when we learnt about our trip to Munich- one of
the world's best known city. We spent two days in Munich,
the city was spic and span. Its architecture was breathtaking,
which consisted of modern technological marvels to ancient
magnificent churches. We were infected by the 'Football
Fever' which led us to witness great football match between
very renowned teams of Germany. The Mercedes Museum
was a great attraction. We were engulfed by an entire
different world of cars inside the museum. Stuttgart was also
added to the list of places we visited. The Bavarian capital is
another beautiful city where we went for the purpose of
visiting the markets and gigantic parks filled with people
from all walks of life, soaking in the essence of happiness in
the atmosphere with bright sun shining in the sky, which was
a rare sight during that time of the month.
Towards the end of the exchange, Our hosts
accompanied us to forests for short hikes and to an
Amusement Park. Throughout the duration of the exchange
we never felt away from home. Our host families made our
stay very comfortable. We were given a farewell on 26th
of April which was followed by goodbyes and hugs. We
took off for Delhi on 28th of April with a million precious
memories, and little knowledge of a few Dutch words. We
learnt many new things, experienced a very different and a
colourful culture, we made new friends and craved for
Indian food for a month. Undoubtedly we had an
experience of a lifetime!
– Rajdeep Anand (X), Ujwal Sharma (XI),
Vardaan Singh (XI), Rananjay Singh (XI),
Janmejay Hada (XI), Sahil Gupta (XI)
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RSIS-Mpumalanga, South Africa
RSIS Peru
Mpumalanga, the easternmost region in South
Africa, is appropriately named “the land where the sun
rises”. The rising sun has long been the symbol of hope and
new beginnings in many cultures and traditions. The name of
this place became the motto that set the tone for our
project, by which we touched lives, became inspired,
expanded our horizons and made new friends and longlasting friendship.
Our Round Square crew had students from twelve
different nations, culturally rich and linguistically and
ethnically diverse; how fitting that we were gathered there
as a multinational group to work together, to struggle to
challenge ourselves and to rejoice in the beauty of the
Rainbow Nation!
White River was really cold, but it was the warmth
of the people around that moderated it all. We were looking
forward to having a wonderful time both, working and
knowing each other. What an experience! Something very
unique! Meeting all those people, and seeing how they were
so happy, with virtually nothing. When you look back at your
own country and the people in it, they all seem so angry and
depressed! All in all, it was great! Even though the brick
laying and gardening was hard, it was awesome to imagine
what it will do for all those kids and teachers! The aim of our
project was to build a much-needed kitchem for the
Entokozweni School, a primary school in the Kabokweni
township, just outside White River, Mpumalanga. The team
also constructed a childrens’ playground and expanded the
school's vegetable garden and planted over 200 donated
seedlings. In addition, we also visited classes and did English
enrichment activities with the children. Other activities
included interacting with local youth, visting the Masoyi
Special Care Centre and Angel's Hope Orphanage in
Msogwaba, and playing educational games with the children.
Cultural experiences included a visit to the Savuka Africa
Youth Crew and a drumming workshop. The team also
spent a day at Kruger National Park and the Moholoholo
Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. It was a real joy to share our
Sunday worship with the Alliance Church Community in
kabokweni township. The faith, hope and love of that South
African community, as in so many township throughout that
country, were palpable and inspiring. We were welcomed
like family and sent off with the community's blessing to
continue our work. We had a lot of fun and gained a lot
during this trip.
- Pranay Singh (XII)
Our trip started on the 17 of July when we left
Mumbai for Lima, the capital of Peru via Paris. We reached
Lima at 1700 hrs and were welcomed by RSIS Deputy team
leader along with a few team members. As soon as we set
foot on Peruvian soil high above the sea level our heart
started pounding faster, anticipating what lay ahead on our
path. We first went to the student hostel and met our new
friends. Next day we explored the capital city which had
Pacific Ocean on one side and the Andes on the other. The
native language was Quechan but the common language was
Spanish as Peru was a Spanish colony.
Mayoor
th
After our stay in Lima on 19th we left for Cuzco
where we stayed in a heavenly lodge in the outskirts of
Cuzco. Next day we were to climb 400m straight uphill. It
was called the ''via fermata''. It was a daunting task which we
accomplished successfully. Afterwards we had a bridge
made up of 2 wires separated by a distance of half a feet.
Then we were asked to rappel down. The next day was
spent learning the traditional panpipes. On the same day we
left Cuzco for Yumkachimpa which was our project village
where we had to build the kindergarten. Our welcome was
overwhelming and we were treated with baked potatoes.
At the village we were divided into four families to live with.
The work was very daunting and demanding as we had to
build a kindergarten out of the Natural Resources available
to us. The bricks weighed 15kgs and were called “Adobe”.
They were made from mud procured locally. Water was
called “Aqua” and mixing mud was called “Bumay”. These
three words were the only emcee for the teammates for the
first few days. We divided ourselves into teams based on our
Chakrapani and Manuvardhan – All set to achieve
the target
Mayoor
More the Merrier!
abilities and coordinated the entire work without the
supervision of the team leader. This feat was appreciated by
all the people present there. The entire school was
constructed using Natural Resources from the local areas.
During our free time we also paid a visit to Machupichu. It is
a well planned steve fortress which was lost to the world for
many centuries.
It left us wondering how without any modern
technology such a magnificent city, in such an inhospitable
terrain was made. We also scaled the mean by peak of
Yamapichu which stood at a height of 2693 meters. At the
end of the trip we paid a visit to the oldest city and the
cultural hum of Peru, Cuzco. Overall, it was a great
experience.
– Manuvardhan Singh (XII)
– Chakrapani Singh (XII)
Summer at Oxford
I,Mridul Godha, College Captain and Student
Editor, was the only Indian among six children around the
world to get selected for a full scholarship to attend a
summer school at Oxford University. My experience…
The day I was to begin my Oxford Enterprise
Programme Course in Oxford University, I carried within
me a whole host of expectations. After a storm of positive
feedback from students who had taken the course last year, I
was quite sure that it would be a blessed experience. It was
even better! It was even more wonderful!
My first step into Balliol College, right in the heart of
Oxford city, filled me with wonderment of the grand,
Hogwarts-like campus. The place is a mix of beautiful lawns,
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lavish architecture, illustrious history and amiable people.
Living the life of an Oxford University student in this campus
became a glowing experience for me.
I met people my age from over 95 countries, and
made great friends within no time. We went out on an
Oxford tour and learnt everything about the city. We saw
Christ Church, Magdalen, and All Souls Colleges, as well as
the Natural History Museum, the Radcliffe Camera and the
Pitt Rivers Museum. Oxford is also a paradise for any
literature enthusiast.
Our daily routine at Balliol was a mix of academics,
fun, learning and novelty. Morning lessons in Economics and
Business Management were full of intriguing case studies on
famous brands, class discussions, debates, and group
activities. My class consisted of fourteen students from
twelve different countries. We often learnt Economic
theories by watching rap videos featuring Keynes and
Hayek! And in one of our Business Management classes, our
professor took us to the local Starbucks to interact with its
Manager and find out how a new business venture can
overtake Starbucks! In the afternoon, we had workshops on
Business Challenge, which became the most challenging
part of my course. In groups, we were to make a company of
our own and craft a 'billion dollar' business plan. We took
guidance from our teachers. My team reached the final
round of the competition with our product (an app called
Eat Easy) and we stood second. Classes were fun but
enlightening at the same time. It couldn't have got any better
after the Graduation Ceremony when I was awarded the
'Best Student Award' from my class.
Oxford Royale Academy (The Summer School
Organizers) ensured that each moment of our course was
meaningful and enriching. Watching theatrically famed
performances of Wicked (Broadway) and Merry Wives of
Windsor was another charming aspect of my experience.
The diversity of the course made it ever more interesting.
What makes an Oxford Summer Course perfect is
the fact that every student feels so special. The Counsellors,
Junior Deans and Teachers were extremely friendly and I
made emotional bonding with them as much as I did with my
friends. My Programme Director, Paul James, became highly
inspirational for me. He personally helped students even if
he had to do so in the small hours of the night. The
Graduation Ceremony was one of the most special
moments for me because Mr James gave me the chance to
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sing 'Count on Me' by Bruno Mars to an emotional audience
in the hall. A sense of personal attention was given to all of
us.
At the age of 17, I could not have asked for a more
global experience. My visit to Oxford was a blend of many
happy memories, perfect learning experiences, new friends,
lots of fun and most importantly, an experience that propels
me miles ahead towards achieving my dreams!
- Mridul Godha (XII)
Musings and Jotings
towards the woods and one towards the Tuba Lesson. He
couldn't think of anything, so he thought of doing a toss. If
the coin would say heads then he would go to the woods and
if tails, then move for the Tuba Lessons. He threw the coin
up and as it came down, he held it. It said heads, so now the
decision was made, he would have to go to the woods, catch
the fish and give it to the chef. So he left for the woods,
caught the fish and gave it to the chef. The chef, put them in
the noodles and so now the noodles tasted perfect. One day
Andre sitting in the same restaurant and complimenting
these noodles thought that if the coin would have said tails
then what would have happened!
– Siddharth Arya (VI)
Prize Winning Composition (Unedited)
in the Creative Writing Category at the Literary Fest
held at Mayoor School, Ajmer
Amongst one of the famous restaurants of the city
was Cal's Restaurant. It had the best service and even the
best food. Its specialty was its noodles. The chef used to
make some new dish one month or the other. People living
in the outskirts of the city would come just to taste these
succulent noodles. Jen, a noodle taster heard about this
upcoming restaurant as this was now the daily talk of the
people. She was a very famous person so she printed it in the
newspaper that she would come the next day for tasting
these. The preparations were on. The chef, busy rushing
from one place to another to just make it perfect. Bringing
the best onions and tomatoes, cabbage, sauces and all.
When she came and tried the noodles, I was thinking that
would she like it or would she not, would she insult my dish
or would she like it like anything? This kept going on in my
mind when she suddenly said, “These noodles are
extraordinary but there's something missing,” she then
thought for a moment and added,” I know a pool in the
woods that has some fish that are different from the others.
While she was leaving she told the chef that she knew a boy
named Andre who could catch those fish for him and then
she left .The chef went out in search of Andre, he asked
people about him and then went to him and pleaded,”Could
you please catch the fish of the pool in the woods? Jen told
me that you could catch them for me.” With a nod Andre
told the chef that he would bring them for him till the next
day. As he was leaving, he remembered that he even had
Tuba Lessons and thought that he would think about it later.
After an hour or so, the diversion came. One arrow pointing
Mayoor
Food Security Bill
Solving hunger in a country where malnutrition is a
problem
The Lok Sabha has passed the Food Security Bill.
Some people claim that it will save the poor and needy from
hunger. Some accuse it as a pure political move aimed at the
upcoming elections. Economists believe that it is highly
detrimental to our economy as the estimates of the bill
might go up to 3 percent of our GDP. But the profoundness
of the country's problem still remains unexplored. Is it
hunger or malnutrition that needs to be sorted out?
The intent of passing this bill is totally inclined to
support those Indians with empty stomachs crying out for
cheap grains. But, NSSO surveys show that the proportion
of hungry people fell from 15.3% in 1983 to 2% in 2004. By
now, it is probably 1%. So, forget the notion that hungry
Indians are crying out for cheap grain. Also, the per-capita
consumption of cereals and coarse grains has fallen steadily
in all income groups, including the poorest. This clearly
indicates that people are shifting to superior food like
proteins, milk and tea.
However, malnutrition is still an alarming problem
in India. Despite the robust economic growth since 1991,
the numbers of malnourished children in India are on a
constant rise. The combination of people living in poverty
and the recent economic growth of India has led to the coemergence of two types of malnutrition: under nutrition and
over nutrition. Now, it is not the availability of food, but its
inadequate consumption that has turned out to be the
biggest problem. If drinking water is unclean and bacterial,
Mayoor
people cannot absorb additional calories even if fed with
more food. Clearly, better nutrition requires clean drinking
water more than cheap cereals. Also, one of the major
causes for malnutrition in India is gender inequality. Due to
the low social status of Indian women, their diet often lacks
in both, quality and quantity. Women who suffer
malnutrition are less likely to have healthy babies. In India,
mothers generally lack proper knowledge in feeding
children. Consequently, new born infants are unable to get
adequate amount of nutrition from their mothers thus,
magnifying the problem.
So, the intent of passing a bill like this is purely in
favour of our society but the way it is being implemented is
somewhat misleading. The government needs to be more
effective in identifying the core issues that trouble our
country and initiate steps that lead to holistic
development.
– Kushagra Agarwal (XII)
The Fight for Freedom
From the Revolt of 1857,
To the Freedom in 1947,
The Britishers were treated with spite and disgust,
The ambitions of a free India became a must,
The roads echoed 'VandeMaataram' the bodies filled with
scars,
The Britishers tried to shatter the Indians' might
But our people put up a great fight.
The radiance of freedom finally shone bright –
And 'Hindustan' came to life –
The colours of freedom fluttered on our flag
It was the most memorable day the Indians ever had!
– Vir Bhansali (V)
Obituaries
With profound grief we announce the sad demise of :
(a) Col Rishiraj Singh Kunadi (1944)
(b) Thakur Arun Singh Khatipura (1957)
(c) Mr Amaninder Singh Dhillon (1986)
(d) Mr Bhanu Pratap Singh Ranawat (2000)
We pray for peace of the departed souls.
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