SCHOOL BUZZ
An architect or an educationist ?
Parmindar Singh

The Vishwa Bharati schools, which have carved a niche with their all round achievements among public schools in Noida and Delhi, owe their rapid rise to the vision of 75-year-old Som Nath Ganju, who has been a General Secretary with the VBP school society for the last 35 years.

From an infant school in 1951 in Srinagar to a B.Ed college in Jammu, from a degree college in Noida to a secondary school in Noida, and then from a school in Dwarka in West Delhi to a school in Greater Noida — that too in a span of 10 years — speaks volumes about Mr Ganjuju’s vision, zeal and efforts.

“Quality education is our motto. All activities are student-oriented. Our VB public school will start in the Beta sector of Greater Noida by next academic session,” he declares.

“You can see the ambience of a family, where all are equal and share the common goal of taking the institution forward. By God’s grace, overall, we top in all activities.”

It all started in 1951 in a locality called Rainawari, 4 km from Srinagar, where a group of intellectual Hindus got together to promote female education among Kashmiris, both Pandits as well as Muslims in the city. “Exclusive schools for girl students were not heard of in Srinagar in those days, though there were some in Jammu City. Even primary schools were 6 to 7 km away”.

The Vishwa Bharati Public Society was thus formed. It built an excellent institution in Srinagar, which has a coveted place among the girl educational institutions in the Valley.

The chain has five institutions now. The expansion took place in 1990 when Pandits were forced to flee from the valley. “The Jammu school was established after our Noida school,” Mr. Ganju declares.

“I have been associated with this society for the last 35 years, but after my retirement from the J& K industries department, I have devoted all my energies to the growth of this institution. There is a board of trustees with Mr. V.N. Sehgal as the chairman.”

“Credit must be given to Mr. D.B. Batra, who arranged a loan of Rs 15 lakh for us from the IOB. It was the seed money on which we built the institution, brick by brick. Now, we have repaid the loan and the beautiful sprawling campus is there for anybody to see.’’

Over 120 staff members give personal attention to all the 3,000 students at the Noida school. We have 800 students at Dwaraka, 1500 at Srinagar and 1500 at Jammu. Around 300 well qualified, experienced and committed staff members have ensured the unparalleled growth of the schools and colleges.

“We conduct special classes for students who are weak in a particular subject during vacations,’’ says Mrs. Veena Bhasin, principal of the Noida V.B. public school. ``Normally, in March-June, there is a loss of teaching. Since last year, we have started admitting students from April, so that there is no break in teaching. The 40 member–management committee brings to the society the benefit of its rich experience, wisdom and expertise. Our fee structure is lower than any other public school here.”

Adds Mrs Bhasin: “Children get scholarship and fee concession on merit. Those who excel in sports at national, state or district level get 100 per cent, 50 per cent and 25 per cent fee concession, respectively. The money we earn is ploughed back to improve the school infrastructure and for the welfare of students. We don’t accept any grants or donation as the school is generating enough funds to run on its own.’’

VBP School has been the champion in Noida Authority sports and District sports championships for the last two years. ``We have also lifted the CBSE cluster level championship in the last two years, ” she says with obvious pride.

VBP School was the top scorer in the 12th class board results last year in Noida and East Delhi. “In 10th, we were top along with Amity school. Recently, we were declared the best school among 50-odd Delhi schools.

Fun-filled week

Come November and children start preparing for a fun filled day, earmarked just for them. Children’s Day, which is celebrated on the 14th of this month, holds promises for the little ones.

As a part of these celebrations, schools organise functions and events to entertain as well as educate. A week-long cultural composite show was held at Vidya Niketan School No.2 in Faridabad. As a part of the celebrations, a special PTA open house was organised, which started with an invocation to goddess Saraswati by Manasi Babbar. Showcasing the ethnic culture of the country, was an hour-long programme comprising a Qawwali, Bengali and Rajasthani folk dances, and a political satire “Dhanpati ka Insaf”.

Speaking of the family strategy, the Principal, Mr. Onkar Singh Shekhawat, asked the parents not to leave their families for protracted periods, control aggression and avoid making unfair comparisons among children. He further advised them to encourage communication among family members and not to force their choices and decisions on the children. Addressing the problem of private tutions, he said that tutions inhibit the self-study aptitude of children, make them dependent and jeopardise time meant for extra curricular activities.

Theme painting

About 800 students from 50 schools in Delhi gathered for a competition organised by Venkateshwar International School (VIS) as a part of its week-long Children’s Day celebration.

Students in the age group 3-16 had an opportunity to showcase their skill, talent and vision at the theme painting competition. The venue was bubbling with energy as hundreds of children, along with Walt Disney’s characters, gave vent to their feelings with colours and brush.

The competition was divided into seven categories for different age groups and was judged by a panel of teachers, representing various schools.

The Principal of Venkateshwar School, Ms. M. Kaura, said: “ It indeed is a moment of joy and pride for every parent and teacher to see young children exhibit such great creative skills. The surprise element was the response to socially relevant themes such as global peace and environment.

The competition was the beginning of a week-long Children’s Day celebration, which commenced on the 17th with a unique adventure-filled night camp for the VIS students.

Children protest

Children are an enlightened lot. Whether it is the environment or corruption, they have taken upon themselves the task of creating public awareness – something the adults have failed at.

To protest against rampant corruption, the students of Bal Bhavan Public school organised a Chhatra Chetna Manch. The students raised their voice against the meaningless detention of school buses and subsequent harassment of students and their parents by traffic police.

They were protesting against unreasonable challans that are issued and the undue pressure that is exerted on school authorities. The Chhatra Chetna Manch has decided to hold further demonstrations at various crossings to create public awareness.

Role of teachers

The All India Educational and Cultural Organisation organised a seminar on development of education and the role of teachers at Shiksha Bhawan, Janakpuri Institutional Area.

The programme began with Saraswati Vandana by the students of Rashtriya Shakti Vidyalaya, Hastsaal.

The organising secretary, Mr. Sher Singh, in his welcome address, stressed the need for education. The chief guest, Dr. Bhupinder Singh, Joint Director, SCERT, congratulated the organisation for its efforts and opined that the growth and development of a nation depends on the quality of its human resources.

Mr. Y.P. Purang, ex-Dy. Director, Education, who was also present at the function, advised the gathering to minimise the difference between their words and deeds.

Annual day

Rishi Public School, Sector 31, Gurgaon, celebrated its annual day function last week. The Chief Guest, Dr. Sudha Yadav, MP, inaugurated the function. Speaking at the function, Dr. Yadav praised the educational policy of the Central Government and promised that more reforms are on the way in the field of education.

She emphasised the need for rural education and stressed the need for inculcating Indian ethos and values in the curriculum. Mr. R. Chander, Chairman of the School Managing Committee, congratulated the Centre for the proposed 30 per cent cut in secondary class syllabus. The Principal, Mrs. M.B. Pal, spoke of the need for activity-based education and giving personal attention to students and their educational needs.

Smriti Kak

SHOWCASE
From Bermudas to denims, a perfect fit for all day

A leading Italian fashion label, Osia Italia, has unveiled its range of ‘pure fashion’ in India. The popular label for practical clothing fits into the dressing needs of a complete day.

The new winter collection is in over five different kinds of corduroy. Apart from the semi-casual lower wear, denims with varied feel and finish add to the big fashion product portfolio of Osia Italia. The garments, AZO Free and Osia Italia, are the only registered company to use tensel as a fabric.

Mini Belle for trendy belles

Tissot, the renowned Swiss watchmaker, has set the tone for the season by launching its latest offering, Mini Belle. A trendy bracelet watch is designed to enchant the fashion conscious, modern women, who have a penchant for designer accessories.

The watch has a sparkling scratch resistant sapphire crystal on its dial. The consumer can opt for a solid stainless steel bracelet or choose a fashionable steel-rubber one. Mini Belle is available in a range of eye-catching colours – golden, silver, and black bracelets contrasted with stark white and black dial. Mini Belle is also water-resistant.

Tissot is part of the 4.3 billion Swiss francs Swatch Group, which has 17 other watch brands like Blancpain, Breguet, Omega, Longines, Rado, Calvin Klein and Swatch.

All-in-one Xerox

The digital document solutions leader in the country, Xerox, has launched the Xerox WorkCentre Pro 320 and 315 – the total document machines, capable of undertaking all the common tasks a user may wish to perform with a document – print, copy or network.

The Xerox WorkCentre Pro is an integrated printer and copier and can handle on its own tasks usually performed by multiple printers and copiers in an office, thereby saving space, simplifying the job at hand and enabling better management of assets.

The new Xerox comes with printing and copying speed of up to 20 pages per minute and A3/11x17 input/output capability and offers exceptional print quality for text and photos at 600x1800 dpi along with 256 levels of grayscale.

A holder that sprays light

The premier home accessories and products store, Home Store, has launched its golden T-Lite Holder.

Dim the light, light the candle and add instant atmosphere. The T-Lite holder, once lit, gives a starry effect on the walls and background and the fresh strands of light enhance the festive mood at homes.

The holder is available in a variety of sizes. The holder gives a touch of royalty with the beads enhancing the beauty of the T-Lite holder. When lit, it emits a mix of yellow and gold light to fill the room with a warm festive feel.

Something to stroll with

The holiday season is about to begin and VIP has launched its new winter collection to keep up with the latest designs and trends of the times.

Seven new luggage ranges come in bright pastel colours to match the moods and attitude of the holiday season.

The jet set ‘Jaguar’ for those with an attitude, the powerful `Puma’ for those who stroll, the sexy `Swift’ for those who wish to make a statement, the sporty `Robin’ for those who make the world their playground, the classic `Rivera’ for those admiring glances, the elegant `Europa’ for those fortunate few and the `Altantis Dix’ for those who like the wallet in tan and gold.

With smooth stroll mechanisms, silent wheeling, soft-grip handles, fabrics chosen with care and tough but lightweight, these luggage ranges could be taken to snow-clad mountains in Switzerland to sunny New Zealand.

Catch special moment with Parker

Luxor Writing Instruments have introduced `Special Moment’, a limited edition gift pack of two Parker pens, a Parker Vector and a Parker Beta, which would delight all avid pen collectors.

The pens possess the fine writing features of Parker and are embossed with the signature of the mega-star, Amitabh Bachchan.

The company manufactures and markets four largest selling writing instrument brands in India – Parker, Pilot, Luxor and Papermate.

Dhaliwal Award announced

New Delhi, November 18 
The Punjabi Sahit Kala Sangam today announced its prestigious Dhaliwal Award, which is annually given to persons who have made contribution to the promotion of Punjabi language, literature and culture.

The awards would be given to 15 shortlisted persons on December 16 at a function in the Capital.

The president of the sangam, Mr Harbhajan Singh Rattan, said awardees were shortlisted by a panel of eminent persons, who vetted the contribution of these persons in different fields.

The awards would be given in the category of poet, novelist, short story writer, painter and author.

The awardees were Balbir Singh Momi, Satnam Singh Hitkari, Om Prakash Anand, Bhai Dilbagh Singh and Bhai Kulbagh Singh, Ms Chandan Negi, Santok Singh Safri, Darshan Singh Butter, Prof Swaran Singh, Jaswant Singh, Gurbaux Bal, Harcharan Singh Dilbar, Surinder Nal Kapoor and S Sakki, Pran Sabharwal and Dr Dwinder, he added.