The trip was a great fun. It could not be possible without our mentor teachers and tour guide. We had great fun observing the Golden Temple, Wagah Border and Jallianwala Bagh. The hotel was very comfortable, spic and span and the services were also good. Everybody liked the food in Amritsar. It was a great pleasure visiting the pious land. We wish we get opportunities like this in near future too.
Kisna Kanti
Class VIII-A
Trip Date- 10th Nov-11th Nov
It all started at 6 AM on Saturday. We all saw familiar faces as soon as we reached the platform. Bidding our parents goodbye we were all set for a thrilling experience; a train journey with our school friends. Our journey in the train was full of fun. We shared food and played all the games we knew.
Stepping out of the train on the land of courage and devotion, we headed for a sumptuous lunch. Back into our bus, we were set for Wagah Border. That parade, that patriotism which pulls people from all around the nation made us spellbound. When we were still busy getting ourselves clicked by our mentor teachers, we heard the crowd cheering suddenly. The team of eleven people including 9 men and 2 women came marching proudly together as a single body. We then headed to Durgiana Temple.
All tired and sleepy, we reached our hotel and finally checked into our rooms with our friends. Filling our stomachs at the dinner table we slept soundly.
All our rooms rung up in the morning with the wake-up call after which we all took a bath. Packing all our stuff, we had Breakfast, checked out and headed to Jallianwala Bagh. The whole arcade which leads to Jallianwala Bagh and Golden Temple with statues and shops and hawkers gives you the real sense of standing in Punjab.
We reached Jallianwala Bagh and had goosebumps on reading about the people who were an active part of the freedom struggle, looking at those bullet marks and gazing down under that well in which the common people had jumped into. There were around 600 rounds of bullets which were fired.
On reaching the golden temple, we were all captivated with that building purely made of gold and it stood shining under the bright sun. All of us had our heads covered with scarves and walked into the temple. It is extremely beautiful from inside and that is why people from all around the world come to this place, which stands out as the cleanest pilgrimage place of the world.
At noon, we headed to the nearby Dominos. After waiting for a while we had the best lunch. It was ‘PIZZA’ after all. We then went to the station and boarded our train and happily came back.
We were always mentored by our teachers and learnt a lot from this adventurous trip. We have amazing memories now to share. We all returned with a golden heart!!
Harshita Mathur
Class IX-A
It was a tough yet a fun competition. I did not really expect it to be as difficult as it was. The participants for the competition saw people coming from different countries such as Vietnam, United States, Cambodia, Switzerland, Pakistan, China, Japan, South Africa, Slovenia, Djakarta and many other South Asian countries. The most in number were the Vietnamese. My opponents were pretty strong, but I think we gave our best. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a medal in arts as I thought arts was really tough. Questions like “How would ‘Frida Kahlo’ paint a painting if she was inspired by ‘Nawja Karam’s’ Khalini Shoufak?” put in front of me got me really thinking! It was amazing to see how other participants performed at the competition.
As a welcome break we went out sightseeing. It was exhausting but an enjoyable one too! It felt good to click pictures in front of the Petronas tower . Many people sat in the bus but I was really excited to click pictures.
Oh! And how can I forget? The ball dance! It was awesome! Most of the people were dressed in black including me. Many people were out there dancing. The boys were jumping with their hands in the air. While I focused on my dancing. A circle in the corner showcased a dance battle. I went in there too and shuffle danced. People were impressed and some of them joined me. We all got tired and went back to the luxurious hotel after a fantastic day!
The next day was the cultural evening. Everyone was dressed beautifully. I got to know about many cultures and also got a lot of things to eat, which was my favorite part. I got stickers, notepads, chocolates, etc. I also got my name written in Mandarin and Japanese. Then we had a lovely group photo in our cultural dresses and we returned to the hotel after a long wonderful day.
The next day was the result day. First we had a talent show where Lokevidu performed. He was beatboxing, which was wonderful. There were so many scholars performing that I lost count. Finally, the moment that I was waiting for had come. The closing ceremony! Some children were on the stage waving their flags. After that the medal distribution took place. Urvashi ma’am was there too to boost our confidence. I got two medals, One for Arts and one for the Scholars bowl. It was a proud moment when one team qualified from our school.
The next day, we were leaving. I had to sadly wave at Kuala Lumpur and say my goodbyes to everyone I met there. It was a fantastic and a memorable trip! Thanks to Principal Ma’am for this opportunity to represent our school at an International level. To help us prepare for the competition help of parent trainers, Urvashi ma’am and Sudeep Kohli ma’am and my mother is invaluable. I would like to represent my school in many more competitions like this.
Eshwari
Class VIII-A
I was doubly fortunate to be an intrinsic part of the team that was preparing the select students of GD Goenka Sarita Vihar for the World Scholar’s Cup event 2018. Firstly, as a parent – trainer and then also as a parent who witnessed the fantastic international competition, between student – teams from approx. 50 different countries, first hand. What an awesome experience!
I conducted a half – day session on literature with the nine bright students including my own son, Lokevidu. As a writer and poet (and a creative – writing trainer), I’ve been conducting creative writing workshops earlier with students and aspiring writers. What was different here was that these children were getting ready for a prestigious international contest and the format and curriculum was already in place. Based on the WSC theme of ‘An entangled world,’ the course was vast and it was impossible to cover the entire curriculum in a half – day workshop. Thus, I focussed on imparting knowledge and skills in identifying and understanding the key elements of literature and how to present it meaningfully to bring out their best during their collaborative writing challenge or debates on the subject. It was gratifying to see how quickly the students picked up the cues and absorbed the important points I shared with them.
In Kuala Lumpur I was with the GDGPSSV team from Day 3 onwards. What I saw and experienced along with the students was a unique affair, one that will remain embedded in my mind for a long time. Firstly, the atmosphere was charged with energy, vigour, ideas, laughter, thoughtfulness and so much more. Everything was meticulously planned and despite it being such a large gathering; things moved smoothly. Kudos to the individual schools and the organisers for managing it all so well. Then the competition itself was extraordinary and outstanding in the way it focussed on the current challenges/issues facing our increasingly entangled world. More importantly, the event tremendously gave a boost in inculcating an important lesson in the young from now that it is important to have a dialogue or debate things and express individual thoughts while at the same time it is fine if opponents agree to disagree with each other. At the end of it all everyone’s a friend or fellow human with similar dreams and aspirations. People might be different in the way they speak or live but deep within they are all the same. The event brought another important point home that activities like cultural shows (music, drama, dance et al) are a must to help different people understand and appreciate each other. It’s an important medium to spread joy and peace.
Ms. Urvashi Sarin deserves a special mention here for the fantastic way she handled nine super – vivacious and excited students with utmost care and full responsibility.
I also appreciate the School’s full support in making this incredible experience possible for these nine students. All the parents equally played a big role. Cheers to them!
Sujata Parasher
Dear Readers,
Its a heartening beginning to write this blog page for all my students, parents, teachers and community at large.
A delightful journey of three years has been possible due to a spirited team of educators who have held the baton of learning , forging ahead with all our young learners in preparation for tomorrow moving “Higher, Stronger, Brighter”.
Please join in here to share your views! Happy Blogging!!
Best Wishes
Seema Sahay
Principal
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