CAS 2017

Amongst the heights of the Himalayan tops and lush greenery with toppings of snow, there lies the village called the Naggar Village. This calm and beautiful village is around 26 kms from main town Kullu and just 12kms from Manali. We stayed at the famous Naggar Castle for four days. The beautiful Naggar castle (now a Himachal Tourism hotel and restaurant) is the legacy of its status as the old capital of the former Kullu Kingdom about 500 years ago. The castle commands an incredible view of the river far below and the villages that litter the opposite bank, with the distant snow peaks beyond the Rohtang La Pass visible on a clear day.

As the castle was built years ago, it was like a cultural heritage. I got to learn from the culture of Himachal Pradesh from the castle itself. The walls were made of wood and stones that never broke, and the castle has rooms in the name of the king and his family when this castle was made. The castle had a temple too. I gained knowledge about the significance of that temple. We also ate local food which was something new, interesting and delicious.

List of activities:

• Treks and walks in and around Naggar.
• Visit to different temples
• Drive and visit Manali and Solang valley.
• Skiing
• Indoor games

1. Treks and walks in and around Naggar

Treks were the most difficult part. It required lots of endurance and perseverance. The job of being on time, in early morning, for breakfasts, followed by treks is really demanding. However, I was always committed to every activity I participated it. I gave in my 100 % efforts. I was punctual everyday, which gave me a sense of commitment, a sense of responsibility. We went for different treks everyday. When I was in grade 10, I went to a Jayalgarh, Uttarakhand in December. I won the best adventurous award and a medal. Since then, I have been always curious in adventurous activities like treks. I wanted to develop my stamina more and more, so that I could walk at a steady rate, but faster. I explored things by walking fast. Trekking fast is my strength. Climbing slopes is always difficult, but the energy inside me never dies. I take it up as a challenge, accept it, and stay happy. It excites me, and makes me want to trek more.

While trekking, I saw various new things, such as the apple orchid. We came across beautiful sites where Bollywood movies have been shot such as Jab We Met.

    

2. Visit to different temples

The visit to different temples was quite wonderful. History says that even an earthquake couldn’t break a temple. the village of Naggar follows Buddhism, however temples of Shri Krishna and different God were also present. That made me realise about the diversity of culture in a small village itself.

Another thing that I discovered about was the splendid artist, Nicholas Roerich. We visited a museum that displayed his painting, and a bungalow close to the museum where he stayed. His paintings represent the beauty and ambiance of Naggar. I got knowledge about the life of the artist.

   

 

3. Drive and visit Manali and Solang valley

In Manali, we did street shopping. I was impressed by the art and culture of Naggar. I bought a diary that represents their art so that it stays as a memory.

Out of the four days, one day was a visit to Manali and Solang valley. We saw a valley that was full of snow. We did tube sliding with partners. It was very steep, dangerous, but so much fun. I was so exultant to do it.

4. Skiing

Skiing was a dream come true. I had always wanted to learn skiing. I did skiing for the first time. We were taken to a safe path of snow. They instructed us, and we followed them. I fell down once, however, I picked myself up. At first I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to balance, however, I’ve learnt that ‘try and try until you succeed’. The ability to never lose up compelled me to stand up and ski again. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

5. Indoor activities (Games, and yoga)

It was risky to go for treks after evening, so we stayed at the castle and played some games that rejuvenated us. We played games such as snatching the partner, and zip-zap-boing. They cheered my mood.

Yoga was something that I disliked. However, I realised that after doing surya namaskar, one feels flexible, and light.

During these 5 days, I have realised how important maintaining a group is. While trekking, no one was in a race. everybody walked on their own pace, but made sure to always be together. The whole grade, developed as a great team and didn’t give any opportunities of complains to the guides of the trip. It was one of the best things that our grade has achieved till now. From playing cards together, to playing team games, to sharing different stories at night with the full grade was a new accomplishment.

The highlight of this trip was when I skied and learned about the art and culture of Naggar. Overall, it was a trip full of adventure, knowledge, amazing experiences and life learning  lessons.

I volunteered for the second edition of Fountainhead School Model United Nations, India that took place in Fountainhead School on the 28th and 29th November 2.0 as a graphic designer which includes making ID cards for the participants as well as organizing team, designing posters for each committee, creating certificates for all categories.

This was the first time that I had volunteered for something new. I hoped to learn new skills in order to develop my personality, and contribute fairly towards this 2-day event.

For the best outcome, I had gone through the documents of the first edition of FSMUN. Going through past year’s certificates, ID cards, posters, I had a clear idea about my areas of concern for the event. It benefitted me in such a way that I could do my work effectively i.e. quality work, in minimum time.

As it was a new task for me, I had minimal idea about the applications to use. I researched, consulted my friends, and concluded that the best application was Microsoft publisher. I learned using various new tools.  I had to admit, that in the beginning it was difficult and challenging for me, however, I got the hang of it gradually. It was really challenging to find new templates, and then match different textures and designs using the new technology. I am grateful to all the people who helped me overcome this fear of not doing well. Additionally, this event gave me the wonderful opportunity to develop my research skills. I gained knowledge about  different parts of the world while making posters representing agendas and an image related to the issue. I was able to connect with the issues of the world, and even though I wasn’t participating in the conference, I could think about the best possible solutions of the issues with global significance. It enabled me to get a deeper understanding about the conflicts and problems of various nations.

I, truly wanted to participate as a delegate and indulge in the conferences, however, due to some problems, I couldn’t participate.

I had to struggle between my studies and  taking out time to design posters. Therefore, time management is something that I got to learn from the event. For the print of ID cards and certificates, and various posters, I also had to collaborate with the team of utilities frequently. Keeping the dimensions of all documents as accurate as possible was very important, for which I had consulted the Director General of the event, Maharsh Benday, and the Secretary General, Aashna Jain often.

I made sure that the documents, folders, ID cards, certificates were available at least 4 days before the 28th of November, thereby maintaining my devotion and responsibility towards the event. I had also printed extra documents, so that they are useful in last minute crisis.

According to my ethics, I was very crisp and clean with my work. I made sure not to mix any documents or photographs. I made sure that I do not create any loop holes. I didn’t copy any information from the internet. They were my own pure, creative ideas. While taking images as reference, I maintained academic honesty by citing the reference. I didn’t give the organisers the chance to complain about any of the work I had done.

To conclude, I am really grateful that I got the opportunity to learn something new. I can’t wait for the third edition of FSMUN.

  

The Bal Mela- The day we made masses smile, and we smiled as well!

Education is just not about gaining knowledge but also about giving and sharing knowledge. This event gave  me the opportunity to share all the knowledge I had in a form of a Mela. A Mela where children of the city from the government schools and local communities, normally children who aren’t privileged were given access to various activities.

The Bal Mela, on 13th February 2016, was a notch apart, especially for the Grade 7 to 11 students since this time, they were the volunteers.  It was a unique and fun experience as well as a learning experience. We, Hetvi, Naomi and I, the organisers of the event positioned ourselves as the head of the event, which included planning the activities, allocating those activities, selecting the volunteers, planning the schedule, ordering the resources, calling government schools, arranging the food for around 1500 children from government schools, and what not. Student volunteers positioned themselves at  every stall, tattoo making, face painting,  mask making, puppet making, science experiments, the running stage, and many more.

The under-privileged students from all over Surat, as well as the neighbouring villages, visited our school. The smile stretched on their faces, was really priceless. It made me realize the real worth of so many things of our daily life, we took for granted. It made me realise how I could use my skills to make them laugh, and most importantly to make them enjoy. It made me feel positive about my developing skills, as a person and as an organising head as well.

After the schools had visited all of the stalls, the students also got a platform to showcase their talent in front of the whole school and other children, giving them a lot of inspiration and motivation. From, dancing to awe-inspiring stunts, the children were capable of everything. They became very friendly with us, and we were also very delighted to get these many new friends. I captured all these memories through numerous photographs and videos, with them. I was left amazed, by their talents and gifts. When we asked the teachers and students the best part of the Bal-Mela, we more or less got the same answer- The contagious and innocent smile, by the children.

The Bal Mela ended with all of us, the students, their teachers, the volunteers, the helpers and our teachers, ALL dancing freely with each other. From Garba to the latest Bollywood songs, we danced and sang along at the top of our voices without any boundaries. Any outsider wouldn’t have guessed that the under-privileged children just met us today; we got together that well. The thrill and the enthusiasm in the air was really intoxicating.  The time just flew by when we were with them, teaching them, talking to them, dancing freely with them and enjoying ourselves. And then they left and the school fell silent as there wasn’t the chatter, the buzz and the over-all jolly atmosphere. This once-in-a-lifetime memory is going to be etched on our minds, forever.

There are always many ups and downs in an event. Our team was truly disappointed when some of the volunteers didn’t turn up on the D-day. However, I believe that it was my commitment, it was OC team’s commitment and perseverance that made the event a big success. Because of this event, I have learned to work under pressure. A day before the event, nervousness had trapped me from head to toe. However, on the 13th of Feb, I have learned to be prepared for the worst and the best.

I started working with my team a month ago. Out team, Falguni ma’am and Aayushi ma’am have had several meetings so that we make sure nothing goes out of way. This event taught me the importance of working collaboratively and the need to be patient and tolerant because in a team of nearly 100 volunteers and 1500 children, success can be achieved only if people work together. Our team and I have cooperated with all the volunteers at least twice before the D-day by inviting all the volunteers for meeting. This made me feel connected with all the volunteers, and also made me realise how much vital it is to interact with volunteers well to make the event go well. The meetings centred around the activities give to the volunteers and the issues related to the same. We made sure that the volunteers are satisfied with their events. Google forms had been submitted earlier, so that we act fairly, and unbiased with the volunteers as it was against our principles, against our ethics. While deciding food, I strictly followed the school policy as junk food wasn’t allowed on that particular day. This was an ethical decision made by me and the team. I believe that if renowned schools from all over Gujarat start organising activities like these, it will have a huge impact on the minds and bodies of underprivileged children. The number of students getting opportunities to discover new things in their life will develop them personally and professionally. Slowly by moving from Gujarat to other states and then to the countries, will have a global impact on the mindsets of people. We would be able to find more positivity and optimism in the world around us.

If I get a chance to organise the event again, I would definitely make sure to get as many volunteers as I can, because I have realised, that without sufficient volunteers, the event is highly likely to fail miserably. I remember, that while the teachers of our school were taking an interview of mine for the organiser of Bal Mela, I told them about my past experiences with many activated I conducted. I also shared my records of being punctual with all tasks and how I promise them to do everything on time even for this event. I am glad they felt I had the potential to organise this huge event.

We had also changed the logo of the event after a long time.

Here are some evidence from the event:

 

Bal Mela’16

To sum up, I would like to say that this event gave me the skills to manage different tasks at a time, conduct meetings with volunteers, guide them to the right way, communicate with teachers, staff members and underprivileged students, ensure the availability of resources on time, checking all tiny details one day prior to the event, cooperating with volunteers, working as a team and not loosing my temper. I have developed a lot as an individual.

As  Kahlil Gibran  truly said “You  give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself and your time  that you truly give.” I got to experience the real joy of giving.