www.theglobaltimes.inAIS GURUGRAM 46 | EDITION IVMONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020

Heal the world…I am delighted tosee that my Ami-tians have exquis-itely used theirtime during lock-down and quar-antine to create‘Quarantine Spe-cial’ editions.This e-edition istruly a storehouseof innovation,

creation, compassion and care in thehearts of our young Amitians. With theirideas and fervour to bring forth positivehappenings around us, they have keptall of us pragmatic and hopeful, keepingall the stress and tensions at bay.Once again my young ‘Corona WarriorsWith Pen & Passion’ have truly shownwhat it means to be a journalist. It’s amatter of great pride that the ‘CoronaWarrior’ stories have been featured inWorld Teenage Reporter Project, whichhas stories of teenage reporters fromother student-led or student-run news-papers from 21 countries like Vietnam,USA, London, Germany, South Africa,Tokyo, etc., on what their peers aredoing to help during the COVID-19pandemic. With this initiative of report-ing inspirational stories of teenagers, bythe teenagers across the globe, we shallcreate a unique journalistic primerwhich will shape the future of the worldpost-COVID-19. It will create a worldthat is more caring and sensitive to-wards the environment, a world full oflove and compassion, a world full of re-spect for cultural diversities, a worldhappier and more positive.G T

The powerof youth

Resham Talwar, AIS Saket, XII C

In a pandemic where hope and humanityseem lost, Mihir Vardhan, a recent graduatefrom The Shri Ram School Aravali, Guru-

gram, (India) comes across as a ray ofhope. Making 3D printed face shieldsand hand-stitched face masks in hisroom, Mihir aims to help hundreds ofthose in need. Let’s trace hisjourney of embodying theyouth’s power this world needs.

Finding purpose for passionNoticing his neighbourhoodworkers being exposed to sol-vents, which are a potential car-rier of germs and viruses, herealised something had to bedone. Looking for a possible so-lution, he turned to technology.“Ever since I was a kid, I have been interestedin 3D printing, robotics, hackathons, etc. Mypassion for technology has led me to believe thatit has a solution to nearly everything, includingcoronavirus. A little technological probe and un-derstanding of the given scenario, and I realised

that face shields and masks were the way for-ward,” shares Mihir.

Beginning of changeThus, the winds of change started blowing

from Mihir’s very own home. “WhileI took to making 3D masks, mygrandmother stitched cloth facemasks for the needy. My parents

helped me deliver thesemasks to various hospi-tals across Gurugram,where they could beused by healthcareworkers,” he shares.To extend the outreachof his initiatives, he hasalso collaborated withbig hospital chains likeMax and Fortis, severalNGOs and companies

which aided him in producing the protectiveequipment and making sure they reach the onesin need. At present, Mihir is operating on a ‘Paywhat you can’ policy, to ensure that he reachesmore number of people.

Continued on page 2...

Dr Amita ChauhanChairperson

CORONA WARRIORSPandemics know no boundaries, andneither do warriors who battle them.This special series, running acrossQuarantine editions of all Amityschools, is an ode to those fighters.Highlighting stories of young changemakers from within and outsideAmity, this special series has beencurated by young reporters acrossvarious Amity branches.

QUARANTINE SPECIAL

...One Mask And One Step At A Time

Jaya Jha, AIS Gur 46, XI J

Hello there! It’s me nature, rememberme? Well of course you do, now thatyou are stuck at home. No, I am not

blaming you, child! After all, how can oneblame their own children? But one cancertainly reprimand them. And that’s what I’mgoing to do. Just do me a favour and look backon how your life was a few weeks ago and seehow the world has changed. You see, you have been quite unfair to yoursurroundings; the trees, the animals, the birds;all of them – a part of me, just like you! Butthis virus outbreak has hit the reset button onyour entire existence. You made elements ofme feel caged in their very homes. I’m sureyou can relate to them now, can’t you? I guesscoronavirus did have a silver lining, after all.Thanks to the missing cruise ships, mydolphins have finally returned to Italy’s coasts.The Venice canal that was usually polluted dueto the gondolas and tourists now has beautifulswans in it, floating about in the waters theydeserved. I even saw a bunch of Egyptiangeese crossing the tarmac of the Tel Avivairport in Israel. They could finally walk freelywithout your intervention, courtesy of thecancelled flights and the travel restrictions.

My otters in Singapore are making theirmighty comeback, too! Chicago ShedAquarium is shut down for visitors, but itmade an exception for my penguins – Edwardand Annie – who had a blast, visiting all theirfriends. You know what the icing on the cakeis? The nitrogen levels have droppeddrastically all across the globe – giving me asurvivable air quality index!You see, what had happened was that the mostintelligent of all my children had taken overthe planet and encroached beyond theirterritories. You took down forests andoverused the resources. Why is it that my otherchildren are able to live freely only after theirhuman siblings have retreated? Why can’t allmy chidren live in harmony together? Theworld balances on a thin line of coexistence,my child. You and your surroundings are thetwo sides of the very same coin.Your existence should be more about co-habitation than survival of the fittest. As yourmother, it’s my place to tell you that you donot own this world, but instead share it withyou other siblings. Let this pandemic alwaysbe a reminder of how you should learn tocoexist or as the creator, I will be bound totake steps to reclaim my space for the oneswho deserve it most. G T

2MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020

Humans’retreat,natures’ returnBecause This Could Wait No More

...Continued from page 1

Heal the world…

The World Teenage Reporting Project, COVID 19is a global collaboration of teenage reporters innewsrooms around the world who producestories about what their peers are doing tohelp during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Overcoming the oddsWhile making a dif-ference is the needof the hour, it is atask that comes withits own set of chal-lenges. And inMihir’s case therewere plenty - mak-ing around 500masks a week by working around 23hours a day, constraints in transporting themasks to places far away from his abode,surging demand in the need for masks,paucity of time and the requirements ofmodifying the printer. Once again, hesought the aid of technology to tide overthese hurdles. “I used my YouTube chan-nel to spread awareness amongstpeople,to tell them that they, too, canhelp!” he comments. Other than reachingout for potential volunteers, he also soughtout various companies and organisationsthrough social media for his initiative.

Call of compassionMihir fears that the pandemic today hasbecome a bigger calamity than we evercould have envisioned, which is whyevery member of the society needs to dotheir part, because every effort counts.“Whether it is handing out masks to theunderprivileged or using the power of so-cial media to spread a message, there issomething that each one of us can do. Anda united effort is exactly what we need ifwe wish to emerge victorious against thispandemic,” he says, signing off. Well, wecouldn’t agree more. !G T

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020 3

Vyakhya GuptaAIS Gur 46, XI S

The present situation of lockdown hashad us all shifting from anxiety toboredom to frustration. No, it is not

easy to kill the time sitting at home everyday. The only solution to this seeminglyendless monotony is interacting with ourfriends and neighbours. But aren’t wesupposed to be socially distancing? Well,you may be surprised by the ingenuity of theways many communities have come up withto get around this little problem:

Balcony concertsItalians confined in their homes have used

music as a great way to connect with theirneighbours. Singer Mike DiCarlo in Bostontook to his balcony with a corona-inspiredparody of ‘Sweet Caroline’. On the ‘handsnot touching hands’ version of the song,nearby residents eagerly joined in. Now,requests are taken via social media for suchevents each night. Be it professionalsbringing out their guitars, sax and violins, ortone deaf neighbours joining in for the

chorus, everyone coming out into thebalconies for such impromptu concerts is agreat way to raise the morale during thesetroubled times.

Rooftop aerobicsA fitness instructor in Spain stayed true to hiscareer, and was successful in improving thelocals’, both, spirits and health. Playingupbeat music and using the PA system, hebrought all of the residents into theirbalconies and led them through a fitnessroutine from squats and crunches to starjumps, from a rooftop at the centre of severalblocks of flats. Everyone- from kids toadults- joined in enthusiastically. It’s a greatway to connect with people, take care offitness and at the same time, stay safe.

Virtual zoosWith the lockdown conditions, many zoosand aquariums have been live streamingtheir animals and sanctuaries that showeverything from hippos and porcupines toadorable sea otters and leopard sharksdrifting through their kelp forest habitats.They are also answering viewers’ questions

and giving educational ‘Home Safaris’ tokids, which is great for parents to keep theirchildren occupied. The watchers of thegiraffe enclosure of Australia, however,were more amused by the zookeeper’santics as he started a hilarious dance out ofnowhere.

Balcony bingoThe people of Dublin, Spain and quite a fewother places came up with a brilliant idea tokeep themselves entertained- Bingo! Theresidents with their cards come out to thewindows or balconies, and one person callsout the numbers, keeping the elderly of thewhole neighbourhood fully engaged forvarious rounds. Even better- the prizes arekeeping up with the times; from sanitizer andwipes to the grand prize of a 6-roll packageof toilet paper! Now, that’s what we call abumper prize!

So yes, all these little ways through whichpeople are cheering up each other goes on toshow just how far we are willing to go tohelp each other out and add some colour tothe lives dulled by quarantine. G T

Distancing while being socialWhen Life Gives You Lemons, Try Making A Lemonade

4

Did We Learn Our Lesson?Mansi Kumari, XI F,

Divyanshi Shukla, XI G,Srushti Mishra, XI I

AIS Gurugram 46

Dear 2020, kya hua teravaada? No doubt,COVID-19 has brought

about immense changes in thelives of people throughout theglobe. We can’t help but look athow it has proven to be one of themost beneficial blessings in awhile. Here is a critical comedyon all the lemons 2020 has givenus, and we recognize a silverlining among all the darkness.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness“Ek kaam wali bai ki keemat tumkya jaano?” This pandemic hastruly opened our eyes to howimportant ‘menial’ jobs are andwe will forever be grateful to ourworkers. It didn’t take our parentsvery long to deep-clean the wholehouse. We all went from beinglazy couch potatoes to beingabsolute multitaskers.

How the tables turnedYou know how they say it, if wegot a dollar for every time we feltout of place amid the constant‘those were the days’ from abunch of 90s kids, we’d probablybe teenage millionaires by now.With all of us confined to ourhomes, Doordarshan played itswild card (RIP YouTube andPrime). It introduced to us, theepics of Mahabharata and

Ramayana and the much lovedShaktiman, which has us allglued to our screens.

Millennials will be millennialsThanks to Instagram, we areconstantly reminded of the brightand gifted minds that we sharespace with. Who, you ask? Ourvery own Ludo and Psychchampions, who haven’t left asingle opportunity to showcasetheir talent and skills. We’ve alsoheld up the trend of the preciousDalgona coffee, serving aschicken soup for the teenagesouls. Wait, chicken soup orcoffee? No one knows.

When heaven and nature singA series of lockdowns across theglobe this year have shown howthe earth would thrive with us athome. Nature is giving us quite avibe check. The sky is clearing asthe AQI levels (and aesthetic)improve. Penguins waddle thestreets like keepers of the zoo,with humans behind concretewalls. The dolphins are back inItaly. You can see the Eiffel Towerfrom London. If the environmentsmiles without us, perhaps weshould question our choices.

The Big Brother feelsYou see what I did there? Put allyour emotions in 4 words. From‘Hum Saath Saath Hai’ to ‘KabhiKhushi Kabhi Gham’ familydrama escalates faster than light.Every day feels like a reality

show, except that there is noconfession room, because momsknow everything. Better be sickof being at home than beinghomesick, isn’t it?

Giving way to theoriesAs bad as the year claims to be,it has been a glorious time forconspiracy theorists (aka our dearuncles and aunties onWhatsApp). “Did China reallycreate a biological weapon?”“Will 2020 be the real 2012?”With discussions abound,avoiding misinformation hasbecome a task. But each newmeme, each new theory has usthinking and laughing (hey,

maybe this whole thing is a ployby Netflix to get moresubscribers!).

We’re on a break In the 21st century, it’s either yourunning the day or the dayrunning you, there is no inbetween. We now comprehendthat it’s truly the present thatmatters, neither the past nor thefuture holds good. COVID-19made sure we realized howgrateful we are supposed to betowards everything, whether it’sgoing out to eat or just meetingour friends. The small things inour lives, after all, are whatmatter the most.. G T

2020A reality check

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020 5

Dear Mom,

It’s been 57 days since I last hugged you, I ammissing you, I really do. I still remember themorning you left for the hospital, leavingeverything you loved behind, to fulfill thelove and duty you have towards your nation.I remember how angry I was to see you go,but then daddy talked sense into us that nightand made us realize why you were doing this.He told us that you were an even bigger andstronger superhero than the ones we see in movies.Since that day Abby and I have wanted to talk to youso much but daddy said we couldn’t because that couldput us in danger. But, mom, you are in danger too. All my life you’ve held my hand and lead me on the right path,but today in a time where your heroic nature has brought you to this turn in life I’m shattered that I can’t hold ontoyour hand and comfort you to the best of my abilities. These past few days have been so hard for all of us yet wecan’t help but take pride in all that has brought us to this point in our lives. For the twelve years of my life, I sawyou as a caring and loving person, but seeing your courage when this pandemic hit us has shown me that the beautifuldoctor that used to smile down at me every morning, wasn’t just caring but also one of the strongest people I willever know. Since the day you went back to the hospital for this noble cause, fully knowing that it might affect you the way itactually has and its repercussions, I was supposed to be the responsible one. Though I am making sure to help daddyin whichever way I can, and sit down with Abby every evening to study and have little moments of bliss together,I am just failing to help you in any way and that’s killing me inside. But don’t you worry about us mom. Even

though you can’t be here for us, you’re helping us so much by being the brave and amazingperson you are. I just hope that after all that you’ve been through and done for your

nation, you still manage to be a little more courageous for us this time. Not a singleday goes by that we don’t wish or hope for you to be cured. We are waiting forthe hospital staff to call us and tell us that you are allowed to go home. We arewaiting for you, mom. And I promise that until that day arrives I’ll keepholding on to this hope and I’ll make sure Abby does too. Because I know,that you will come back to us, to this house you made home and finally, tothis nation to be its saviour again.

Love you,

Ashley G T

Swati Jha, AIS Gur 46, XII A

A Tribute To The Real Superheroesmy doctor mom

Letter to

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020 6

Dear diary,Today is another one of those quarantine days, I just can’tremember which. The days have all fused together into one bigholiday no one asked for.

I never thought I’d say this, but I really, really miss school. I missrunning in the fresh air during games period, digging into my friend’slunchbox without the paranoia of catching a virus, I even miss standingin assembly with aching arms and legs. I miss the era of normalcy. Diary, I don’t even know when we’ll be able meet my friends, to laughheartily without masks covering our faces, without any fear. I can’t helpbut remember all those times when I wished for a six-month vacation,twice a year. What an amateur and visibly inconsiderate wish that was,borne out of naivety. We are having online classes and tests now. And this situation remindsme of a story written by Isaac Asimov about students in the 22nd centuryhaving virtual classes at home with the help of robots, studying fromscreens instead of real books. I am shocked at the uncanny resemblancethis story has with the situation we are in right now. I never thoughtthat future would be this close to us. Everybody in the world feels caged today, confined to their houses,unable to venture out. It’s like I’m starting to forget the faces of otherswho exist - apart from my family, of course. But that’s the thing abouthappiness, it takes unhappier days for you to appreciate the happier ones. I’ve been watching movies, series; reading books and novels by variousauthors but there is only so much one can do. It took a global pandemicto make us realise the value and worth of all the little things we took for

granted. Now, I see the length of this entry is exceeding the time ofquarantine days I am in. Last but not the least, I promise you withall my heart, that I will never ever take these moments for granted.

Yours lovinglyA lamenting student G T

Woes of a lamentingstudent

A mother’swarning

Pragna Das, AIS Gur 46, XI D

If you look into the cornerYou’ll find her there Covered in black smokeWith plastic rubbish in her hair

For all she has suffered The hurt that she bears There’s nothing to do now For the end is nearly here

No longer can we run freeWe’re locked in with fear Who knew our biggest weakness Was separating from our dears

We live in isolated unitsAs we watch the disease grow Asphyxiating the whole worldFilling us with endless sorrow

But now rivers run clean again The haze of smoke has cleared Animals have returned again With the virus as their pioneer

“But don’t worry” mother says “I’m only correcting your mistakes This time know your responsibilities Before you put the world at stake”

Take the virus as a warningTo what happens when we don’t save The precious earth that we live inFor this is the last time nature forgaveG T

Words Verse 

Stuck In A Quarantined WorldJaya Jha, AIS Gurugram 46, XI J