4.0_Maverick_final_compressed_compressed_compressed

Cleartyland A Long time ago, there was a land called ‘Clean Land’. It was the world’s cleanest land. By Ojas Desai, Grade 4 A Everything there was sparkling clean. This land was ruled by the king “Kleanman”. You wouldn’t even find a speck of dust in Kleanman’s kingdom. On the other side of Clean Land, was a place called ‘Dirty Land’. It was the exact opposite of Clean Land. There was trash on the streets and houses filled with garbage. This land was ruled by queen ‘Dusty’. She loved garbage more than anything else, even her bed was made of junk. In fact, her entire kingdom was stinking and was filled with rubbish. Clean Land’s army was always busy ensuring the cleanliness is maintained instead of keeping a watch on the enemies. This gave an opportunity to queen Dusty to make her dream come true to conquer Clean Land and she decided to make a monster that would pick the garbage and throw big balls of garbage everywhere in Clean Land which would help conquer it easily. She named him ‘Garbster’, the world’s dirtiest thing. She released Garbster into Clean Land and started grabbing kingdom after kingdom by making them dirty.

King Kleinman sent a large army to Illustrated by Krish Vakharia, Grade 7 A capture Garbster and after a lot of efforts, they managed to capture him. He was immediately taken to the King. Everyone was wondering what the king would do to Garbster. The clever Kleanman thought for a while and then got an idea that they could convert the monster Garbster into a machine that would recycle the garbage to make new products, for example, manure and clean energy. This will be helpful to make the clean city cleaner. The king gave him a new name called ‘Cleanster’. The king sent Cleanster back to the Dirtyland and started cleaning the Dirtyland by recycling the garbage. The day came when there was no garbage left in the Dirtyland. So queen Dusty said to king Kleanman, \"Can we be friends?\" \"Yes!” said the king happily. From that day, Cleanland and Dirtyland joined hands together to form a new country called 'Cleartyland', the cleanest in the world which every other country started dreaming to be the one.

My Furry Friends: A memorable time with them during lockdown The Kittens Four fur balls, each with four little paws, By Jiyaan Sanghavi, Grade 4 C Cute little eyes, with whiskers alongside. Kittens were my lockdown companions, When I was not allowed to meet anyone. . The Beginning I first came across the kittens when I was going to a nearby badminton court, where I played badminton with my mother. There were four kittens. According to me, they were 1 or 2 months old, when I first noticed them during lockdown. They looked very vulnerable. When they were small, their mother used to stay with them, keeping them safe. She loved, licked and took great care of them. She used to hide them in a discrete location where they could be quite safe. original photographs Kittens purring for milk. When I went down to give the kittens milk, they would come running to me. Once, the bag which contained the bottle of milk was hanging on my cycle. The kittens jumped and jumped – trying to reach the bag. They started to purr as though they were telling me that they were hungry and wanted milk. I would wait to go down and give them milk every day.

Kitten in the Bowl I usually kept milk in a bowl for them. One day, as I was just going to pour milk in the bowl, one kitten jumped into it. It was so petite, that it fit into the bowl perfectly! Cute little friend I find kittens to be very charming. Their ears stand out. Their eyes pop-out, while their nose is modest. They would play with me and my ball. I wouldn’t realize how quickly time would pass when I was with them. Fearless Climbers The kittens were climbing trees in the area where they used to live. I never knew kittens climb with such skill, just like monkeys. Each kitten was competing with the others, but also made sure that the others were safe. All grown up The kittens were growing up rapidly. It seemed like it was just yesterday when I found them. Now they are eight months old and live all alone. They are grown up and don’t need anyone to look after them. Alas, I was in great sorrow to learn that one of the kittens was lost! Nowadays, they run fast and jump very well. I love to visit them daily and provide them with milk as they slurp it down quickly. They hunt their food all by themselves and recently they even managed to kill a snake! “When I was taking care of the kittens, I learnt that we should care for animals and the nature around us, the way it cares for us. Truly, it feels good.”

How many times did you send the ‘private’ chat message to ‘everyone’? Yeslaughter23.7% No 23.7% 36.7% 12.2% Have you ever used the wrong link to join a class 10.1% 41% once or twice... it was embarrassing Happened so many times and waited for the Nah, I am cautious host to start the meeting? I don’t even chat! When you say you preprimary have internet issues 29.9% as an excuse for joining late, 21.8% what do you Whose turn actually mean? is it next? 41.4% I overslept/ missed my alarm....(yawn) 60 I was watching videos/memes and lost track of time... 40 it was just too interesting! I just don't like the class.....sorry I was eating...can’t blame a hungry stomach!...(growl) Illustrated by Ms Hetal Mistry, Teacher TSS 54% On a scale of 1-4, how many times has it happened the class got over and you are still in the meeting? 29.9% 20 11.5% 0 4.6% Data has been collected through a survey conducted by Maverick 4.0 from Parents , Students and Teachers of TSS

corner 30.9% How often do you attend What? People do that? I would never! 30.2% classes in your Pyjamas? Sometimes it just happens but it is a rare case I’d say like half of the time. 30.9% Oh, yes No... is yawning 72.4% contagious? 27.6% Did you try out the zoom-bete makeup to look fresh in the 8am lecture? zooming 38.8% Did you visit the barber 61.2% during the pandemic for a trim? Ya, Long hair is hard to manage No, I think I liked the new look PARENTS What is the one feature of the zoom screen you wish you 18.2% could take from Online to 9% physical school? 14.3% TEACHERS 29.9% 20% 23.4% 10% 16.7% What’s your 1-minute-hack before the zoom class? STUDENTS 40% take all your mess and shove it to a corner which is not visible in the camera 36% 13.4% Mute Position the camera such that only your head is seen 13.4% Leave meeting 13.4% Chat privately Wear clothes in 20 seconds, hair spray 10 seconds ,powder 10 seconds 13.4% Video off thinking about excuses why i was late to class Filters Annotation I would close the browser in which I watch memes and videos Zoom beta makeup

Wearing a Blindfold By Hiranshi Zaveri, Grade 8 A I would like to tell you, Makes him or her strong. Something untold, This is just the Some acts that make us look knowledge we lack, cold. Hence, we differentiate the world as white and The little thoughts we hold, black. Make us wear a big blindfold, A blindfold filled with Put in a little thought to worthless beliefs, understand, Which cause a lot of That colour is given to us problems that increase. naturally, That is the cloth wherein, So, let everyone live peacefully. We determine a person based on the colour of their The day we stop skin, discriminating a person Instead of seeing the based on their race, person’s smartness, Illustrated by Raghav Taneja, Grade 4 C And start seeing them We tend to look at their skin’s through their intelligence darkness. and grace, Why is the person’s nature Is the day we become bold enough to behold, And take off that absurd blindfold. Discriminated due to the wrong colour texture? Also how do you determine, This would be a start to treating everyone equally, If a certain colour is right or wrong? It’s the intelligence of the person that, And once again this world would be free, And we all could live happily.

A Brief History of Ice Cream By Rishi Mehta Grade 8 B Ice cream, a creamy, cold, and Some of the weirdest flavours of ice delicious treat that we all love. cream are ghost pepper, octopus, Some of us like chocolate, or horseflesh, jalapeno, pizza, and foie strawberry, vanilla, or mint. But gras. does anyone know where it comes Kulfi is a dessert that likely from? Though its roots are tough to originated in the Mughal Empire in pinpoint most sources point to the 16th century. It was made of ancient China, where King Tang of evaporated milk and was already a popular sweet dish in India. Shang, employed 94 ice men who helped him make a dish of buffalo Ice cream which now is widely milk, flour, and camphor. Another available was first advertised as a form of ice-cream was invented in treat for the rich and powerful. It China about 200 BC when milk and was made available to all in the rice were frozen together by United States of America in 1801 by packing them in the snow. Here are Thomas Jefferson. a few facts on Ice cream: A Baltimore dairyman called Jacob The ice cream industry was worth Fussell opened the first commercial 62.3 billion dollars in 2020 and is ice cream factory in 1851. He had a anticipated to grow to 96.1 billion lot of cream left so he built an ice dollars between 2021 and 2026! cream factory in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, and shipped it to Illustrated by Saina Kini, Grade 8 A Baltimore by train.

Once Upon a Quarantine By Samvit Shah, Grade 5 C . Once upon a quarantine, The world shuts down after valentine! It's unlike anything we've foreseen, Everyone’s screaming \"Where's the vaccine!?\" But here's the thing the world's unseen Everything now is so, so clean! All the stations are out of gasoline, Nobody’s having a birthday party Forget going around in a limousine All you're gonna do is get your nose in a screen! Illustrated by Suhan Pawar, Grade 2 A Peacocks are showing off on the roads and dolphins are seen on shores throughout Boars exploring the world, seems like we are the only ones left out

The Naughty Monkey and The Squirrel By Kaashvi Aggarwal, Grade 1 A Once upon a time, there was a squirrel. She whereas yours only has saplings.” The squirrel saw a monkey named ‘Manku’ who had had slyly planted a beautiful tree in his painted his face like a clown. farmland which now grew tall. Manku was Manku saw the squirrel and started teasing surprised to see it. her. The squirrel immediately recognized Excited, Manku decided to climb the tall tree. Manku in the disguise of a clown. She told her He was unable to see the tiny squirrel from the friends about it and they came up with a plan tree top. As soon as Manku reached the tree to teach him a lesson. top, the squirrel along with her friends shook The squirrel challenged Manku, “Let’s see who the tree from the bottom and Manku fell grows more fruits and vegetables in the farm. with a ‘thud’ on the ground. So each started working in their own farm. Manku had learnt his lesson and Then one day Manku was running around in his never troubled the squirrel again. farm and said to the squirrel, “My farm is very He even praised the squirrel nice and full of fruits and vegetables for its intelligence and they became friends forever. Illustrated by Nidhi Bhatt, Grade 11 Art Humanities

What Is Meant To schedule and life as an athlete. I told him that Be, Always Finds daily I would begin with a run of 5 to 6 kilometers before going to school. After school, I would A Way directly go to the sports center in Santacruz for a 2 hour training session. On the way back home, By Divya Jha Grade 12 Humanities I would eat something in the rickshaw. My study schedule consisted of evening tuitions and an Badminton is everything to me. hour of self-study after dinner. When it came to It’s like a piece of my soul, a horcrux, if I may call my social life during secondary school, I had only it! It has shaped who I am today. My journey two friends. I had quit Instagram, Snapchat and through the ups and downs of the game has Facebook. My mobile phone usage was limited given me very important life lessons. to study-related updates and communicating My journey began at the age of 13 years, when I with coaches and teachers. I also mentioned met Anil Pradhan Sir, a Doubles national that I had made changes in my diet for better champion and Coach to the 9 times national performance on the court. For example, I gave champion, Aparna Popat on a train to Ratnagiri. up rice, my favourite food, after reading that it I was on my way to the State Selection leads to weight gain which could affect my tournament. My grandmother, who was speed. After reading Saina’s article, I included accompanying me, was a very social person. curd in my diet as a source of protein. Me being Naturally, she struck up a conversation with him, a diehard fan of Saina, I even cut my hair like which resulted in him calling me over! He was her! interested in knowing about my training My journey with athletics started when I was 9 years old. I continued it because I felt it would improve my speed, agility and endurance on the court. I would make my own training plan, go to the nearby park with a timer and in the evening come home to study. From the beginning, my mother made it clear that I could play all I wanted but my studies should not suffer! Anil Sir heard what I had to say and told me that he would come to watch my match in Ratnagiri, I lost 15-3, 15-9 in the 1st round to a ‘gully player’ what the badminton community called average players. After watching me, Sir informed my grandmother that I had great potential,

excellent fitness and my body was ready for high palms are not facing outwards. The natural level badminton-but, my technique was zero. position is for our knuckles to face out. Hence, Looking at my passion and hunger to excel in the backhand lift is easier for us to play”. My eyes badminton, he offered to coach me. Thus began lit up on learning this new thing. Another time, my journey of learning what Badminton was he told me badminton is about rhythm. He said, really all about! “Like music, it should express ‘taal' and ‘sur’. At 77 years of age, Anil sir would stand on the Otherwise, it isn’t graceful. One should move on court ‘feeding’ me shuttles, and yelling at me, the court as if they are dancing”. Anil sir made a “Divya! Racquet theek pakdo!” or “Divya! small device using a wooden stick, thread and Tumhara footwork dekho”. He also often said, weight which I used to strengthen my forearms “You have to punish your body if you want to be and wrist. He would even make me wear a a champion.” Hearing these words, I would push weighted jacket, take a heavy stick in place of myself harder. the racquet and do ‘shadows on the court’. And Anil sir was not just my coach, he was also my after that, it felt so light while playing! mentor, guide and friend! He would tell me stories of Shivaji, Tanhaji and Bajiprabhu Once, he fed me 12 shuttles and I hit 10 of them Deshpande who were known for their courage out of the court. He observed the pattern of and valour. When I knew I was losing a game, I error and told me, “Divya, you are aiming for the would give up. This would make him furious. He corner and it is going further out by 1 metre. Aim would say- “Marna toh hai hi. Toh ladke maro ya for the centre and it’ll go 1metre sideways, and kudi marke!” It referred to how when the that’ll be the corner. So, your shot will go where Marathas were going to lose a war, the soldiers could either jump off a cliff and die, or fight and die. He knew I was an avid reader, so he gave me two books to read. One on Shivaji and the other on the legacy of badminton in India. Anil Sir showed me the ‘logic, beauty and physics’ in badminton. One day, while we were practicing, he asked me, “Divya, do you know why is the backhand lift an easier stroke to play as compared to the forehand lift?” I didn’t know. He said, “The reason lies in the way our hands are naturally positioned. When we sit or stand, our

you want it to go”. When I think about this League held in Powai as the youngest player. genius idea now, I realise that he was simply There I won ‘Player of the tournament’. In the applying the concept of vectors! I only learnt 2nd edition of the tournament, I was the costliest about vectors this year, but I have been applying player in the auction. I remember while I was the concept for so long! sitting in that auction, the bids for me kept on Anil sir was old. His shoulder would hurt after he increasing. I didn’t know how to react and thus would give me intense practice, but not once did pretended like I was getting a call. I also won the he consider cancelling the practice. We would Somaiya Games and represented the school in have to scramble for courts all over Mumbai- DSO, Zonal level. I was also the West-Zone one day at MIG, Bandra, the next day in Runner-up in the Red Bull National Doubles Sachivalaya Gymkhana, Cuffe Parade and then Tournament. finally Somaiya Vidyavihar. He later joined Somaiya Vidyavihar as a badminton coach. And Illustrated by Nidhi Bhatt Grade 11 that’s how I came to The Somaiya School. Looking back at these achievements, I think Anil Anil sir taught me to never give up, neither on Sir was right in saying -”Gold medals are not the court, nor in life. Looking back on my made of gold. Rather, they are made of sweat, journey, I do feel that I missed out on a lot of fun determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called things in life, but holding that winning trophy in guts. my hands and that feeling of satisfaction makes the sacrifice worth it. I won my first tournament in the Manorama Inter-Club tournament, where I beat the ‘top seed’ from Thane in the ‘Under-15’ category. I also performed well at the state level tournaments and won the Mumbai Games last year in the ‘Under-21’ category. When I was 15, I played in the Mumbai Premiere Badminton

A letter By Trupti Saraiya Teacher TSS My dear students of 2020-2021, So, focus on your present. It is your vision for every day that truly matters. Yes, set everyday ‘What you focus on, appears large but always achievable tasks and tell yourself at the end of keep in mind that nothing is larger than you!’ the day what you succeeded at, and what you need to work on the next day. If you know Ultimately you are what you focus on. briefly what you want to achieve in the next one week, how you want to live it, and what kind of Ask yourself, are you darting towards something people you wish to be surrounded by, what you that you have stated as your focus, or is your want to do for the society, then it will reflect in focus you, yourself, here and now? If this seems your current behavior. Your daily decisions like a confusing sentence, then let me clarify regarding managing time, studies and playtime, what I mean. My motive is to tell you that your whom to speak to or avoid speaking to and the current state should be your immediate focus. I other where’s, why’s and what’s will probably am not saying that your future is not important, seem smoother. The actions that follow will it is very important. It is necessary to have a vision. That will be the pull that will keep guiding nudge you ahead with your best you as you make your way ahead. But don’t awareness. The path you take is then allow your long-term vision to control more likely to be in sync with your your mind. Long term visions are values and beliefs that come from your those sights that you have set your inner core. Your inner core is where mind on, yet, they are something in the real you reside. It holds your the future. Their best role should only purpose in life. be to help you take progressive decisions in the present.

Each and every one of us has a reason to be Spotlight your confidence every day with here. It is coded into your core. You may not be positive and realistic affirmations. Make able to understand the code right now but it yourself hear that it is ok to err. Acknowledge shows in your behavior, especially in your when you make a mistake. Make yourself hear interactions with other living forms. Your unique that you are trying hard. Make yourself hear code reflects in your confidence, self-worth, that with consistent effort and attention to values, relations, dreams and the other things what is required, you will get better and better. that you are made of. It will reach out to you at If you feel intimidated by what is generally the right time. You just have to listen to the voice known as stress, change the word to another from your core on a daily basis and you will see one that matches with what you are actually yourself moving ahead stronger, surer, as a self- feeling. What others call stress, you may call sufficient self-believer. your inner drive, your passion, your zeal! Inversely, what others may term as being Here are some simple strategies that will casual, you may term it being sorted or facilitate an action-oriented communication balanced. between you and your core. What matters is that you acknowledge and Develop a daily habit of being present with your accept it with honesty, without fooling yourself. breath for fifteen minutes. Just you and you’re These are just labels, so be careful about using breathing. For those fifteen minutes, whatever them. Once you kind of understand your state of else you do, focus calmly on your breath. If your mind, you may feel comfortable or mind moves away from your breathing action, uncomfortable with your discovery. Share it then pull it back with a soft hand. With your with someone you can trust. It is important to mind on your breathing, you can do any have genuine communication in your preferred activity that makes you feel happy. friendships, with no place for assumption. By You could be reading, writing, doodling, staring doing so, you will realize your self-worth too. out of the window, dancing, listening to music, You will be able to create new values and beliefs playing an instrument. Keep a track of how it for yourself. This is the right age to overcome makes you feel. self-limiting beliefs and create new beliefs.

Believe in the power of collaboration. You are no happy that you are trying. You are achieving alone in this. There are so many others, with small successes. Be happy that that you moving their own stories coming out of their inner core. towards that vision. Be happy that you know Create healthy connections, learn to take and yourself better; be happy that you are surer than give. Share and dare to care. When you give, you ever about your beliefs and that are not going sow. When you take, you grow. to allow them to limit you. Lastly, have a life time habit of checking in with you. Regularly and Shift your gaze to the daily skills you need to consistently, set aside a few minutes to run a learn or get better at. Skills are the vehicles that self-check. Ask yourself questions like ‘How am I will zip you around. Thinking creatively will doing?’, ‘What have I done lately for someone I make you come up with solutions. It will also care about?’, ‘Whom can I speak with?’, ‘Where take you out of trouble! Logical thinking, is my mind wandering?’, and other such self- coupled with a fantastic memory and time reflecting questions. Answer yourself truthfully management, will help you academically. Being or speak with someone. watchful about yours and others emotions, along with politeness and empathy, will make Chalk out achievable actions that emerge from you a good friend. Teaming up, listening to your answers. Work on them. You will see that others, sharing your expertise will help you they become your Habits. In fact, make it a transition into the society and add more value forever Habit to focus on strengthening your and goodness to it. That is also what a leader does. Caring for the environment here and now. You will make you feel as if you have must always know contributed to progress. Focusing on that you are much yourself here and now makes you a more than you know! determined young leader of the world today. With fond regards, That lethargy, you need to shed. Breathe, Trupti- Your Life Skills eat well, play, study, skill up, balance or do Educator it your way, but just be happy within. Be Photograph by Rishi Mehta Grade 8 B

Art

Gallery

•• Jantar Mantar India Gate Red Fort Jaini G Sr. KG D Reha A Sr. KG B Naisha S Sr. KG D - CLAY Sweet Platter Reha A Sr. KG B I.eggs WORK BV PRE·PRIMARV 4-!:f.eun�f..,� � 3.f-r� :)... larva. / Life cycle of fish Anayaa S Sr. KG D L. .JUnder the Sea I Jama Masjid Aarna C Sr. KG A , Ovee G Sr. KG B Vehicles Kheana Shah Nursery

My Sunday Afternoon By Deevya Gada Grade 5 B Last day of the week Out came my mom surely in an angry mood I thought I would just freak Showed me the mirror and my monstrous hair Didn’t do my chores I had never seen my mom so furious And appeared sluggish “What happened mom?”, I was curious. Mom, who tried to be waggish. She replied, “Sunday does mean you chill and feel blessed Out of bed, I switched the T.V on, Jumping But it never means you become careless. Because I had the whole day to watch, it was “No work all play is indeed good”, she says just morning But brushing, bathing and breakfast is a must Leaving the T.V on, I pulled out my Lego always. Turned up the music and started my tippy toes I learned an important lesson from her Then I remembered that I haven’t played Be it any day, Sunday or a Monday basketball for long Self-care is first, the rest comes after! Not even cricket, if I am not wrong. Illustrated by Zoha Ansari Grade 9 A Stacking up my pillows, a castle I built My room was a mess, but I had no guilt. No brushing, no bathing, no dress up, no breakfast It went on for six days without any twist So now it’s Sunday, a holiday! I deserve to call it “My Day!” Now it’s noon and my tummy is asking for some fuel But I have to go to the table, that’s our house rule. I went to the table and shouted for food,

My Creative Mind By Vruddhi Shah, Grade 1 B Whenever I make my special art, I feel like a magical fairy at heart. But instead of using a magic wand, I use my creative mind of which I am fond. I love to make puppets and cards for loved ones. I like to add special cartoon details that are fun. I love sticking things with Fevi Stick, And cutting cool shapes, but that is my trick. I also love makeup art, I use blush and lip gloss to look smart. My love for art is so incredible, But cleaning up the mess is often terrible.

A Danish woodworker’s bet on a new manufacturing process gave us a toy that never gets old. It allowed us to build, learn, and fuel our imagination. As an avid fan and follower of the company, I have realized how knowledge can actively be created and transformed by the creative manipulation of systems. A company started by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter, has now become a toy giant and is my favourite company. Guess what it is? It is Lego. LEGO Lego was started by Ole when he closed his workshop by selling it and terminating all the By Aarush Mishra, Grade 7 A workers; he first started to make wooden toys to earn some money, which later turned into a small business. When Ole bought a factory for his company, it was burnt after some days, but Ole did not start a new factory and Lego got its name in the same year. Lego got its name from a truck that Ole saw. Lego, in Latin means to ‘bring together.’ After setting up a company, Ole passed away, and his son Godfred Christiansen became the CEO of Lego. He was the one who introduced stackable bricks in Lego and expanded the company. He soon started selling in 42 counties. Lego was now recognized worldwide, and the company made a whole lot of money. Godfred introduced Lego City, Lego Systems. Now, this company had become a giant. A while later Godfred passed away Now his son Kjeld owns Lego, and he has introduced Lego Technic, Duplo and Classic. The open-ended material allows us to make Illustrated by Zoha Ansari, Grade 9 A things to play, make-believe and to-tell stories. It enables us to become familiar with problem-solving techniques through the act of play. A system that bridges both scientific and artistic exploration makes it possible to simultaneously harness curiosity and playfulness in pursuit of learning and creativity. To this day, Lego flourishes, and I, too, am a fan of this company, and I enjoy using Lego and creating with it.

Many years before a boy was born, Blind at birth, in a world of scorn. Sent by Him, to discover what cannot not be seen, The many splendored thing that has ever been. Love Is A Many His parents were very patient and kind, Fighting his darkness, they did not mind. Years passed and he grew some more, Was this the kindness, he was looking for? Splendored A dog on the street became his eyes, Thing Selfless and trusting he was the centre of his life, His bond needed no reciprocation for sure, By Aditi Vijay, Grade 9 C Was this the affection, He was looking for? His youth soon found a partner in life, Joy and Happiness blossomed at sight, They were married and raised a family of four, Was this the companionship, he was looking for?

Years passed and seasons changed, Hard work and honesty were added to his name. His neighbours appreciated his humble chore Was this the respect, he was looking for? Clouds of war followed in the years to come, His sons left to fight but did not return, Lives were lost as we fought our neighbour next door, Was this the sacrifice, he was looking for? As the twilight of his life drifted to a close, He thought of the question his life had posed, His devotion for God made him righteous and strong, Love was the many splendored thing that encompassed them all. Illustrated by Saina Kini, Grade 8 A

Love for Reading By Aarushi Narshana Grade 4C A couple of books, under the shady tree. These printed papers, have power over me. Mist on my specs, I cannot see. The outer world with reality, is totally unknown to me. I am deaf and blind, to the world. The books are all, I can see and hear. Sometimes gleeful, sometimes gloomy. OH! I am so lost, I can’t even be found in reality Illustrated Saini Kini,Grade 8A

Nature is Love By Daiwik Diwani, Grade 5 B Love is the sweet union of the blue rain with the earth Love is like the first kiss of a humming honey bee to a beautiful flower Love is like the first touch of water flowing from a spring to our body Love is like the desire to hold the high bouncing waves of the sea in our hands Love is like enjoying seeing a sunset with teary eyes Love is like the fun of enjoying the music created by the chirping of animals and birds Love is like an endless attachment with the silence spread in the dense sanctuary Love is like the radiance on our face created by the shiny and sunny rays of the sun Love is like the experience of the coolness of the full moon Love is like the desire to be dyed in the colours of the captivating rainbow that appears in the sky in the rainy season Love is like the joy of staring and counting the blinking stars in the sky Love is like a thrilling experience of being immersed in natural beauty Nature has showered a lot of love on us by saving and serving us in its lap, All we need to do is shower our love on this incredible nature and nurture it. Illustrated by Raghav Taneja 4 C

Harmonized Bonds Love for Music By Mythri Anand, Grade 10 B Illustrated by Anoushka Panda Grade 6 C A warm blanket, comforting Envelops the beating organ, A cloak of harmonies Woven with threads of melody Interlaced with fibers of lyrics. Agonized notes ripping Despair etched voice, Stitches come undone The strand snaps, severed Snipped they sink, wreaked. Yet as tune transforms A sliver of hope resonating, Endless is the presence of will The ties mend, knitting Linking, bonds renewed. Such is the capacity, The extent of the cadence To nurture or ruin To heal or slaughter For these ties fastened Anchoring my heart in music Are spun with love…

Embracing Challenges By Sheetal Vora, TSS Teacher Did we accept the challenge or did we embrace change? I think we embraced the challenge to accept the change. Since time immemorial, Educators are known to Where the world is without fear and the head is shift practices to reach out to all learners. An integral part of an educator’s working pattern is held high, Where knowledge is free, Where the to bring in change whether it is updating their world has not been broken up into fragments knowledge or trying new teaching strategies and technologies. But these are expected By narrow domestic walls... changes that happen periodically. These lines though written in a different era with a different context, but the essence The change is slow, deliberate, and controlled. provided hope in these dark times. Without Did we ever think that we would be forced to inhibitions educators set the tone to reengineer transform our basic working patterns so the very basics from teaching in a classroom to drastically that too when schools became teaching virtually. Adaptive thinking in inaccessible in the most bizarre of educators played a pivotal role in the transition circumstances? Never in our wildest dreams! with an aim to achieve specific objectives. This Being a kindergarten teacher, my biggest led to the creation of virtual classrooms and anxiety was– ‘if the lockdown mode of pulling down the walls of many barriers. Schools preschool prevails, will it result in the dulling of walked into homes of students through screens, young minds without the stimulation that a educators began teaching from their homes. It classroom creates.’ ‘Will this prime initiative be didn’t matter whether the educator was at a riddled with uncertainty outside the bounds of beginner's level or an expert level the resulting a physical classroom?’ balance was upgrading of technological skills. Each one becoming a better version of the As I thought through the given circumstances, previous. the words of our great poet Rabindranath The digitalisation of classrooms brought in new Tagore flashed through my mind- experiences for the teacher-student community. Middle school and high-school students would adapt but how about the Pre- Primary students. For them, screens were

always a form of entertainment. Capitalising on name Synchronous Learning. Kindergarteners this aspect we rethought our roles to bring in began using jargons like login, mute, unmute, elements of entertainment or infotainment or and most of all hand gestures. Hand signs and even “edutainment”. We created videos and signals became the tool of communication. Each assigned them on various learning management hand sign signified something e.g., Drawing our systems giving it the title of Asynchronous inspiration from Gandhi’s three wise monkeys Learning. The passive screen watchers turned we used the hand gestures of bura mat dekho, out to be active learners as they watched bura mat suno and bura mat kaho to I cannot teacher’s edutainment see the screen clearly, I and followed along. The cannot hear you/clarity of next challenge was how voice and I want my turn to record videos without to speak. Teachers any background willingly let their student disturbances and a basic family’s peek into their technical know-how? We space. Space which has were after all teachers, been purely shared by not video content only the teacher-student creators. The creative community in a physical mind of teachers came up classroom. Initially, it felt with something we called Photograph by Nithya Kannan, Grade 8 B claustrophobic, with my space, a designated students on small screens area of our homes that but then fresh air swept in. was well laid out for each live/recording session. Getting used to online collaborative tools and advanced features on platforms such as Zoom, Eventually, a classroom corner shaped up in and Google Classroom things began to speed each teacher’s house. It didn't matter whether up. It gave all stakeholders i.e., parents, student houses were overcrowded with minimal access and teachers their space to breathe freely. to technology or plenty of space and easy availability of technological tools. Learning On the other hand, educator’s families or videos were created whether one had minimal student families saw the glimpse of their or maximum availability of tools. Alongside, preschool teachers' hard work. It changed an teachers also taught live over the internet using age-old perception that preschool is not only various online collaboration tools giving it its about ABC’s and 123’s but also impart the most

valuable skills like holding a pencil to write and sharing. As we walked ahead into the year of using a pointer finger to read. The recognition distance education, challenges kept growing. teachers ought to receive. There seems to be a Treating challenges like teething trouble, whole new appreciation for how preschool educators adapted to drive the change in daily matters. This is likely the first generation of learning practices, classroom management parents to get a glimpse into how preschool systems for example: one to one with a student works. The role of parents as peers facilitate using break out room feature, enhancing skills student’s learning as they are too young to be with assignments, celebrating events over video all by themselves. Parents had to be familiarised conferencing etc. Although we have passed over with technicalities. Patiently handling queries a few hurdles, a few remain to be addressed like from all stakeholders regarding technology led holding onto student engagement, social skills, to self-learning for teachers. This learning was observation of each student’s true independent then shared within the teaching community learning, to replace the timely intervention that reaching for widespread use. This helped build existed in a physical classroom pacing and and cement deeper relationships and mutual watching students at work and unstructured respect. playtime with peers. Educators while sharing their space also got an Besides, we also need to seek answers to the opportunity to peek into the environment of question What will be the impact of this students. Some homes were disciplined some transition in the future? Does the future hold for weren't. Some were all -ready to begin their day a hybrid classroom? Will students develop social and for some, it was a hop from the bed, a skip skills and establish bonding in a virtual class? to the morning routine and a jump into the Will we be able to conduct a virtual gap-filling virtual classroom. Educators had to take on the exercise to enable students’ progress at role of guiding families to establish routines. individual levels as a school? How will student With daily morning check-ins, children’s voices learning be facilitated without the help of were heard about their well-being and their parents as peers? families to create a connection, to build a classroom community. Well, all I know is educators are evolutionists. Evolving to overcome challenges and I personally as an educator learnt to be more embracing the changes will lead to progress patient to wait and listen to students as they on these fronts and change is here to stay. unmute to share and mute to hear the next

Favorite Food Fight By Krishan Vaid, Grade 4 C I have never known what my favorite food or cuisine is, as I find all the varieties flavourful and delectable. I am a foodie. People eat to live but, in my case, I live to eat. I will be deciding which is my favourite food item while comparing the dishes from two of my favourite cuisines - Indian and Pan Asian. My passion for food seems never ending and it gives me immense pleasure to compare food from different parts of the world. Number One- Aloo paratha versus Chili potatoes! I like chili potatoes better than Aloo Parathas as the dish is way lighter than Aloo parathas. Therefore, one can eat a lot of them at once. I find chilly potatoes more flavourful while Aloo Paranthas tastes bland.

Number Two- Rice balls versus Dal chaval. I prefer Rice Balls. Like Chili Potatoes, as rice balls are tasty yet lighter on stomach. However, Dal chaval cannot be made as exciting as rice balls. One can also make variety of rice balls by adding different ingredients like Plums, chili, shrimp and fish The third competition is between Sushi and Lemon fish. I like lemon fish over Sushi. Since sushi is raw, I don't find any distinct flavour there. It is a little bland for my taste buds-Ha! Ha! Number four - kaiseki meal versus South Indian meal. Illustrated by Raghav Taneja, Grade 4 C I like kaiseki meals better as they have a lot of meat, and being a non – vegetarian, I prefer this dish. It is also served with Miso soup and three side dishes. It’s a nine-course meal. In conclusion, I like Pan Asian cuisine better. However, one Question remains unanswered: What is my favorite food? That is for you to find, readers.

An Irresistible Emotion: Love By Saina Kini, Grade 8 A Love, what is it? Ecstasy, the state that fills you What is that emotion that binds us As you encounter, the ones you love It shackles and ties us For thru and thru But is as such, you enjoy it too much You yearn, for the company, To cause a fuss. For the ones, you are fond, For the ones, you hold a tight bond. Poets old and young, Write ballads, That is the emotion; love, For their loved ones, It shackles you and ties you, they pour out their woes. But is as such, From the ones they love, You enjoy it too much, They loathe to stay apart, To make a fuss. Why? For it pains their heart. Children from birth Learn to love their parents. Children of the earth Learn to love and care For their mother. And for their parents they faire, Attention, love and care. Illustrated by Anoushka Panda, Grade 6 C



The last time I remember being in the TSS premises was when I was writing my final exam paper. When I came home that day, I was surprised to know that the school had been shut down until further notice. I was of course elated because I did not have to write the remaining papers but as said all good First Day of School things come to an end, the happiness did not last long day. I felt frustrated and bored with absolutely nothing to do. After COVID 19 This might sound queer coming from a student's mouth, but I really started to By Dhwani Deshmane, Grade 7 A miss school. Now, If I get the news that schools are reopening, I would even be ready to wake up at 5 in the morning and run to school! All those things I often took for granted are now I value the most genuinely and miss all those repetitive classes, days we got too much homework, etc. Most of all, I miss being Illustrated by Krish Vakharia, Grade 7 A with my friends and having a face-to- face interaction with all the teachers. I appreciate the efforts all the teachers and staff have taken and are still taking to arrange online classes, but it still does not feel like school. This is how I would imagine my first day of school after COVID 19: No bus ride is complete without me trying to find my ID card, which I forget on most of the days, but I do not mind getting a remark in my handbook now! Running up to class and having to wait until the prayer gets over,

figuring out where to sit in class, looking as if I was still asleep in the first period; is all just a memory now and the joy when the bell rings and meeting my friends is what I missed the most. I would not mind rewinding time. I can’t wait to go back to school. We have been in this lockdown for more than 11 months now and I hope this situation improves sooner or later. This entire thing has made me realize that even the simplest things like getting remarks or when the teacher takes your class to play, can give you innumerable joy and I feel guilty for not enjoying it to the fullest while I was able to do them. I am sure anyone who is reading this, also cannot wait to get back to school and relish the tiniest moments which are now just memories.

Warriors of the World By Riya Shah Grade, 6 B Lockdown lockdown everyone says. Oh Covid! The world is in grey. Some don’t care, some are very scared. But what about the warriors on the frontline? Doctors, nurses and police Toiling day and night Fighting & sacrificing their lives But what's the point if we don't value our lives? Everyone says I want to go out, Everyone says I want to feel free. But is it possible if we are on a spree? Just stay home and stay safe. Help the warriors ease the Covid wave. Illustrated by Suhan Pawar, Grade 2 A

Others’ Choices in My Story... By Shloka Samani, Grade 9 B Everyone has a story, Some are scary, Some are boring, Some have happy endings, Some have sad ones. They say it's because of our own choices, But we don't actually make our own choices, Others do it for us, We are taught that, “This is correct”, “This is wrong”, “This is good”, “This is bad”, But if the result depends on our choices, Why don't we choose, What is correct? What is wrong? What is good? What is bad? Why don’t we choose our own dreams or our own goals? Everything is just under the influence of OTHERS...

My journey towards becoming ‘The Art Chef’ By Radhika Dhavle, Grade 11 Science I'm Radhika Dhavle, a complete art enthusiast! Travelling back in time, I remember the idea of blogging was just a random thought. Soon after my Grade 10 Board Examinations ended, the country went into a lockdown (a never-ending one to be precise). We were all quarantined due to the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping ourselves occupied with something productive. While the whole world was making Dalgona coffee and washing their utensils, I planned to utilize this free time differently. I wanted to paint! I was also keen on sharing my ideas with the world about how I paint. But my concern was the availability of art supplies. We all were too scared to even step out of our houses, so how could we go out and buy the supplies? After a lot of brainstorming, I thought of taking my imagination to a higher level. I planned to use kitchen materials and leftover paints! From the day I planned this, there was no looking back. Every day I kept on surfing for 6 to 7 hours about art blogging, DIY paints and canvases. Having won several prizes in Art competitions, I had already had a few ideas. I started researching a lot on copyrights. Finally, I began blogging which eventually improved my language.

On 3rd August 2020, I launched my first ever art blog called, 'THE ART CHEF ' I started posting pictures of my artwork done on canvas. They were painted with the help of cotton, aluminum foil, knives, earbuds, spatulas, coffee and almost anything from the kitchen. I also liked supplementing my artwork with a little writeup about how the experience was while I painted the piece. I was incredibly grateful for the overwhelming response I got after launching this blog! It crossed 1,000 views from all around the world in no time. I think social media is a powerful tool to maximize our reach and showcase our talents! This has not only transformed my personality but has also given me an avenue to explore a lot of new ideas and concepts. I firmly believe that we all have some hidden talent inside us. We just require the right time and right medium to showcase it. Believe in yourself and you will surely get what you seek from your lives! Do visit my blog! - see Illustrated by Raghav Taneja, 4 C

I Tanish Chheda Batch of 2019 20 The seesaw of my success Hey friends! I’m Tanish. Some of you may know me as the former Head Boy. Others may have seen my photo on the topper’s list, but my story is way more than just that. Let’s break it down to how you may possibly know me. “He was the second ranker, wasn’t he?” Maybe. But I prefer to be known as “he played the keyboard”, or “he designed the cover pages of Maverick 1 and 2”, or “he participated in MUNs”, or best of all – through my personality. I like to be an “and” person; that is what really sets me apart. And you too, yes you who’s reading this. I have always loved to be a brand, and while you may not realise it, you are one too! My brand image has been of an “all- rounder” as my teachers like to call it, which really gave me the confidence and craziness to undertake this adventure in my 10th grade. Which adventure, Tanish? Okay, I know I don’t talk about this a lot, but all you readers need to know because it’s the kind of mentality I’m actively promoting. I have studied NOT more than 20% of my entire time in grade 10. Yes sir, 20%, or maybe even less! I know a lot of you have been meaning to contact me for studying tips, but boom, this guy doesn’t study! Well, I do, but so efficiently that I get time to do things I like, like spend time with my family, or play cricket every day, more on that later. Coming to what you’re looking for, the only 3 things I did are; 1. Pay attention in class I hadn’t enrolled for any extra coaching or tuition classes because I never needed them. So I was bound to pay 100% attention to what the teacher teaches in class, while I also consider that doing so in online school would not be so easy. That is why factors like a consistent sleep cycle and controlled screen time helps. 2. Active recall I spent 5 mins of my time per subject after school to revise what I learned that very day. That comes up to 20-30 mins of studying (where you could read your textbook pages/teachers notes that were taught today, or maybe watch an explanatory

3. Sample papers It is easy to verbally explain something, but you need to practice writing too. I travelled to Devlali to my nani’s place for a month, before my boards. With the right natural environment to focus, I started revising (using my notes) and targeted 3 sample papers per day. On a side note, another thing I did tremendously right was present my answers like a cheesecake! Also, something that passively helped me was that I have been designing question papers for my siblings, so while correcting them I know exactly how an examiner thinks ;) All this seems like a task? I’ll quote Pradeep sir here, “You can’t buy a burger with Rs 10. You need Rs 50 for it. With Rs 10, you’ll only get a vada pav.” So all you need is discipline and dedication, which will come only when your ‘why?’ is clear. Why do you want to achieve this? The motivation has gotta be internal to last for a year. And here comes the fun part of my story, what I did for the 80% of my time. FUN! Yep, right from playing cricket every single day (even during boards!), to attending MUNs and flying on trips with my dad, that year was a heck of an adventure for me! And the root of all this is that I had my priorities set, so I could create time for all this. Here’s a little something for you to think about - “At any given point of time, you are doing what you always wanted to do.” Thus you are in complete control of your time. Take the example of my society’s annual cricket tournament – NVPL 2020, where I dedicatedly practised with my team for months, even during my prelims! There were days when I came home from practice late at night (rarely would you spot a Tanish at 1 am lol) and I had a prelim the next day! But I got some good sleep those nights, which in turn helped me focus while writing the exam the next day. So you see, win-win! All the more important with the pandemic, you really need stress busters and breaks. So chill a little, but not too much. I realised that growth happens only under discomfort, so I have undertaken a similar adventure this year while I pursue the IBDP at GICLM, although IBDP is regarded as the most rigorous course of all! I got the 4 am club to back me up, so I’m planning to pump up the scale this year. It’s not gonna be easy for me. Okay, I don’t want to sound like a baba now, so I’d better stop giving a philosophy class. But I hope you found my story inspiring and could add value to your life. You could hit me up at [email protected] if you wish to connect. Until next time…

I Shreyansh Gala Batch 2019 2020 Hello I am Shreyansh Gala studying in the H R College of Commerce. The pandemic has been quite productive for me, I have been able to do what I love. Somehow the study pressure has been negligible and due to that I have been doing a lot of reading on Finance, particularly stocks and equity. With every passing day I am becoming a voracious reader. I explored various new genres in the past year. From Perry Mason which is a detective book to the 5 am Club which is a self help book. Also now I have more time for myself and am able to focus on myself by meditating daily, introspecting and visualising my future. When it comes to academics I am preparing for my SAT and overseas college application. Simultaneously I am also preparing for CA Foundation. 3 of my friends( Ishan Kabra, Tanish Chedda, Aarya Savani) and I have also started the Mumbai chapter of the International NGO called Global Association of Economics Education. It aims at providing insights about Economics, Entrepreneurship and Finance among teenagers.We have hosted several online workshops with investors, authors and young entrepreneurs like Vedant Lamba, Radhakrishnan Pillai and Pratik Gandhi. Apart from this I had won the first prize in the Global Talent Investment Competition hosted by The Palo Alto Education USA. Thousand students had participated from more than 50 countries. I got a certificate and a cash prize of 400 USD. This achievement of mine was also published in the Times Of India This is all that has happened in the last one year.

I Vishva Desai Batch 2016 2017 Hello, I am Vishva Desai from the first batch of TSS, 2017. A Rigvedian and the Head Boy of the year 2016-17. After leaving TSS, I joined PACE Dadar and aspired to get into one of the top engineering colleges of our country. I have always enjoyed studying math in my school life. I spent two years preparing for engineering entrance exams like BITSAT, JEE. Finally, I took admission at BITS PILANI, Hyderabad in a dual degree program in MSc Math + BE in Computer Science / Electronics and Communication ( yet to be decided ). Currently, I'm in my first year of engineering, somehow managing the online semester and exploring various career options and research fields in pure Math. As an alumini of TSS, it is always an honour for me to connect with school and guide my TSS juniors.

I Rashi Shah Batch of 2017 18 Hi! My name is Rashi! I am an alumnus of The Somaiya School (2017-2018). While I was still studying in school, to find my own unique style I started experimenting with different art media. Today, three years on, I feel I have finally found my niche in paper cutting. I began paper cutting in May 2020 after a sudden burst of inspiration from Instagram. ‘A pretty anticlimactic beginning, I know.’ Over time, I grew to enjoy the simplicity and sheer cleanness of paper. My pieces generally have a number of different layers and components which come together cohesively. This requires creating a number of templates, which I print and trace onto paper. In a way, this doubles the time and energy spent on each piece but the final neatness makes it worth it. I am writing this piece in May 2021, exactly a year after I touched a blade to paper for the first time. Looking back, the improvement has been immense. In fact, I dislike seeing my early paper cuttings! It was not until December 2020 that I started doing this seriously. I received my first commission then, almost by chance. But it definitely acted as a motivation to continue with this medium. Before that, I was juggling between water colours, acrylic paint and ink, never really being completely satisfied with anything. I have learned that consistency has its advantages. Today, almost six months after my first commission, I have completed 10 commissioned pieces, and the number is growing. Of course, the journey has not been all smooth - if I could get a rupee for each time I have cried over a failure, I’d be a millionaire. Being open to commissions requires constantly improving your skills, being smart about money and taking into account overheads. Being privileged made things a lot easier, but any change is a challenge in itself! I still have teething troubles with my craft. There is so much more to learn, so much I want to experiment with. I hope to continue to challenge myself with each new paper cutting, portrait, or a piece. If you’d like to see my work and my progress or get in touch with me for a commission, join me on Instagram at @rashi_tries and we can have a chat!