E-MAGAZINE-SECOND EDITION--16-11-2020

editorial message “keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” - mark twain we thank all the great people who took out time to read and encourage us and made us feel great too. the long awaited second edition during these challenging times is a testimony that we persevere to bring you the best. this edition embraces the extraordinary results of cbse classes x and xii board exams. it highlights the reports from the first of its kind virtual farewell to the batch of 2020, ism mun to all our achievements online. it is embellished with the literary works of the creative and talented students of the senior section. indian school muscat aims to offer an all-rounded experience to the students regardless of the mode of delivery. we have aligned with this aim and hope to give a stimulating experience to the readers. the achievers’ lounge would not have been possible without the immense support of our principal, dr rajeev kumar chauhan, vice principal senior section, mr. eskalin gonsalves and the asst. vice principal, mr. satpal mamotra, who have been leading us through the bumpy roads. our supervisors’ and teachers’ tremendous backings have held us a stride ahead for the refined work. we would likewise want to thank all the students and teachers who have sent in their amazing and creative works which have made this edition a wonderful one. happy reading! editorial team

from the principal’s desk “i will love the light for it shows me the way, yet i will endure the darkness because it shows me stars.” - og mandino i genuinely feel it’s a befitting quote for the present scenario. when social distancing is the mantra of the hour, fortunately we never had to distance ourselves from learning virtually. is the unsparing support of my students, teachers and parents who make me feel so. at the the outset, i am proud to declare that we have spanned successfully more than half the academic year of 2020-21 through the untamed corona waters. it the cbse results of classes x and xii were nothing less than the silver linings during our cloudy pandemic days. it lifted our spirits and was truly a treat to the ism family. we are the happiest to see our gems climbing the stairs of success. i wish the passing out batch a grand success in all their future endeavours. i grab this space to felicitate all the participants who have left no stones unturned to take part in all the online competitions and have shone in every challenging situation. how well the great albert einstein has said “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” keep going dear scholars! needless to say, our teachers are the strong pillars of ism. it is very encouraging and heartening to see my teachers, rise up to the occasion and doing an excellent job in an entirely new framework. the dream of a smooth run would have never been a reality without our strong and sturdy it department. my list would be incomplete without the mention of the massive support of the admin department too. wading through the rough waters wouldn’t have been possible without the whole hearted support of our parent community. your love and concern is what keeps us buoyant. kudos to the e-magazine team for their outstanding skill in stringing together the wonderful works of our students. keep up the great work! as rightly said, “reading is dreaming with open eyes,” i conclude with an appeal to my young readers, let’s start dreaming! i wish all the ism warriors a safe and optimistic year ahead. dr rajeev kumar chauhan principal

from the vice principal’s desk when we dream with our eyes open, when we allow our hearts to follow our dreams, when we rise above trivialities and challenges, when we defeat all odds, we hit the bull’s eye. that’s exactly what you have done, dear students and teachers. you pursued your goals doggedly and with your focus and passion achieved success and won laurels for your alma mater. you have put your heart, mind and soul into even in your smallest acts, trust me, that is the secret to success. you have done us proud. always remember, students if the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the goal. when there is a shift in your plans, your goal is within reach. never allow anyone to distract you from your goals. dear teachers, your hard work, perseverance, learning, sacrificing and most importantly loving what you are doing, motivated our students to take the plunge with confidence. my dear teachers, your constant endeavour to mould each and every student’s life, resulted in this record success. thank you teachers, you have utilized your ability to the maximum. congratulations dear teachers and students on the outstanding results in classes x and xii board examinations. when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. life has changed, it has become tough but we have become tougher and once we accept the truth and we live with it nothing can deter us from continuing to dream and chasing our dreams. always remember, tough times never last but tough people do. we tend to feel that the winter of our lives has set in but there is a resilient sunny summer inside all of us and that will help us overcome every adversity. the greatest lesson that covid-19 can teach humanity is that we are all in this together. live with the new normal. practise sound judgment and patience at a time when we are facing various obstacles and restrictions. cultivate confidence and remain determined, and move towards a better tomorrow. when you change the quality of your thinking, you change the quality of your life. maximize your intellectual potential and creativity. life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient in the face of hardship. we have a choice, we can be bitter, or we can better. choice is ours, of course. nothing in life is to be feared, it is to be comprehended. now it is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. let us all try to prevent the present scenario from getting worse. storms hit our weakness, but unlock our true strength. let’s navigate through this crisis together and focus all our energy in not fighting but on building the new. be industrious. hang in there, as better times are ahead. nothing lasts forever. think positive ….this too shall pass. stay grateful. stay safe. all the best, now and always. mr. eskalin gonsalves vice principal

from the assistant vice principal’s desk time and become a guiding light “education is the panacea of all evils”, a thought envisaged by swami vivekananda, has stood the test of for educators of our nation. the schools therefore epitomize this very concept and endeavour to educate the students entrusted to them, bearing in mind also the socio-cultural fabric and traditional values that our nation holds so dear. here at ism we are not only committed to enhancing the quality of the teaching- learning process but also nurturing young impressionable minds to grow into confident individuals with strong ethical beliefs and humane attributes. education is not just restricting one self to the knowledge being imparted through text books but also being curious, thinking out of the box and never compromising on one’s principles. this education will produce the youth whom we can entrust the future of the nation with much credence. however cliché it may sound, yet our students must heed that success does not come with easy means. in the pursuit of success one must labour, relentlessly, without accommodating any thoughts in their minds of using unscrupulous methods. the award that is received without effort does not usher in lasting happiness. education, thus is the only means to broaden one’s outlook, to free oneself from the shackles of age old dogmas and herald the awakening of the mind. let us ponder over the prophetic words of aristotle, the greek philosopher, “the roots of education are bitter but the fruits are sweet”. mr. satpal mamotra assistant vice principal

i feel extremely elated on having become the school topper. i am grateful to my parents and my teachers for their constant guidance and support. as far as i can tell, consistent hard work accompanied by judicious use of time and self-discipline are the keys that helped me transform my dream into reality. have a clear aim, staunchly believe in yourself and god, and give all that it takes so that you have no regrets later. you might have to forgo some things once in a while but when you achieve your goal that one moment of delightfulness would be worth the moments of pain and hard work that you went through to get there. for whatever you strive, may you always thrive! when i got my results, i was truly elated and exhilarated. this success came my way through dedication, hard work and above all perseverance. i would set a target for each day and at night evaluate my progress. each time i felt i was losing my concentration, i would take a break and get back to studies later. i believe the key is to maintain a balance between your leisure and study time. i am grateful for the guidance, support and encouragement provided by my parents and teachers.

firstly, i wish to thank god for all his blessings showered on me. i would also like to express my gratitude to everyone for their good wishes that led to my victory. i was flabbergasted when i came to know that i had secured 98.2%. i felt like singing ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ from mary poppins as i literally felt on top of the world. i take this notable moment to thank our dear principal, vice principals and all my teachers for always being very helpful and guiding me throughout my beautiful journey in this school. i love my mom and dad and they are my true inspiration. undoubtedly, my success journey would be incomplete without them. i would like to wish everyone all the very best for their future. thank you. on the 15th of july, d day, i remember trying to be calm and collected, i was not tensed or extremely worried but ‘results’ kept gnawing at the back of my mind throughout school that day and up until the results came. when they finally arrived i was overjoyed to know my worries were unwarranted. to add to the exhilaration, i was informed that evening by our respected principal that i had achieved third rank in tenth grade! and for this i must firstly thank the almighty, my parents, my respected teachers and even my friends for constantly pushing me towards my goals. i am sure each person has their own work ethic or style of learning but for me, i think it was my tendency to visualize what i learnt, which helped me remember, recollect and overall make learning much more enjoyable. added to that i know that if you firmly believe in your goals and work towards it then you will surely achieve success.

my “ mantra” for success is hard work, perseverance and love for what i am doing. first of all, i would like to thank god for always being there with me at every step of my life. my parents, teachers and classmates have all played an integral part in this little success of mine. although, i used to study for 12-13 hours a day during the last few months, i took regular breaks and did a guided meditation in the evening for 15 minutes, which really helped me to remain calm and focused. i would like to share with all the class x aspirants that revision is the key to success. do not be afraid to ask doubts as they help in clearing concepts and laying strong foundation.

i scored 99.2% in my cbse class xii boards and emerged as the oman topper and school topper of humanities stream. i take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all my teachers who have not only rendered tremendous support and guidance throughout this journey but also inspired me through their work and boundless knowledge and experience. i would also like to thank my parents, peers and classmates for their undue support. to all those of you who are going to appear for their board exams in the future know that this is one of the many milestones you will achieve in your lives. make optimal use of all the opportunities our school provides, efficient use of your time and maintain an equilibrium between academics, extracurricular activities, sports and spending time with your family and friends so that you complete this journey holistically and emerge as well integrated, informed, responsible and compassionate individuals well equipped to begin your next journey. learning is a life long process and perhaps one that will bring you the most amount of success. approach your studies with some values for the education. so you will have the privilege of getting crucial scores as well. i always tried to make the learning process fun, by watching videos on youtube, applying what i learn to real life situations and taking interesting notes with flowcharts, diagrams etc. that said, i would like to acknowledge that sometimes the process does get stressful and tough, one thing that kept me going is just believing that once i get through, i’ll be in a great place!

the most important thing to score marks is obviously to study. so, whenever you study, make sure your 100% focus is on understanding whatever you are reading or writing. also, pay attention in the class itself so you don’t have to spend more time understanding the chapter. and whenever you are revising a chapter read it like you are doing so for the 1st time, this gives you a chance to rethink the concepts, interpretations, etc. which in turn makes it easier to remember. other than that, make time for everything: take part in activities, exercise, go out with friends. remember that this is your last year, so have fun in school. finally, there is no use of opening the book when stressed, so stay happy and enjoy 12th. i’m really happy and grateful for the results. the entire year was really hectic but the satisfaction i got at the end seeing the happiness on my parents face is something that motivated me to do a lot more in life. my parents always taught me to ‘be positive’ and trust me it does help you a lot to overcome stressful situations like exams. just be confident and never lose hope. give your 100% in whatever you do in life and set your goals high. it isn’t that easy but nothing is impossible if one is hardworking and committed to their work.

firstly, let me thank god, my family, everyone in ism and my friends who supported and motivated me. i'm very glad and excited to be one among the first three toppers of science stream in indian school muscat. in my opinion consistency, hard work, conceptual understanding and self-discipline are the main factors which lead to success. it is essential to keep in mind that nothing is impossible if we're determined to achieve it. i would like to tell all the class 12 students to set their goals from the beginning, learn to manage their time and try to be consistent in performance by working hard from the very first day of the session and to be calm and confident while writing exams. wish you all the best. i scored a 97.2% in the cbse class 12 board examinations 2020. that makes me the 3rd rank holder of the science stream in indian school muscat. i would never say that this was an overnight miracle, it was the result of relentless efforts and sacrifices. i would like to share a couple of tips that i picked up on the way. 1. always make a timetable - i strongly encourage everyone to plan out your time so that you can study smarter and not harder. 2. know your learning style- not everyone learns the same way. some are early birds, some are night owls. some are visual learners, some are auditory and some, kinesthetic. recognize your learning style and using that to your advantage is key. wake up with determination to go to bed with satisfaction. all the best!

it feels very joyous for my school journey to have ended on a high note. for all the late nights and hours spent studying to have finally paid off. i remember time flying by during the last few months with exams and then practicals and so on, but our final year lasted much longer than any of us could've expected. what was most important was that everyone around me: my family, my friends and especially my teachers, constantly supported me, encouraged me and kept me going. the only advice i have is, find out what works best for you, use that to your benefit and hope for the best. “hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" - tim notke i saw the above quote for the first time when it was put up on the wall of the house of one of my dearest teachers. when i read the quote, it touched me strongly and inspired me to work hard consistently. unlike me, studying need not be every individual's area of interest. everyone has different goals and perspectives. but, regardless of what you engage yourself in, i would like to say that hard work is the most important key to success. love what you do and spend time wholeheartedly in it. remember, time is the best thing you can give to anyone, be it yourself, your loved ones or even a homeless man who you may once come across on a street. likewise, if you wish to excel in studies, invest your time in studying and gathering knowledge. it has always been a joy to be a part of our amazing ism family. all the best to my dear juniors and a huge thank you to all my dear teachers and the other incredible faculty of ism.

let’s give mother nature a break -ann elza monica, neha sabu kopuzha, x-m before the covid-19 crisis we had accepted the dominance of traffic as an inevitable consequence of city living. these environmental changes were first noticed from space. later as the human inactivity increased, they could be sensed by our sky above, the air in our lungs and even the ground beneath. from a single case in wuhan to a global pandemic, that has made us live our lives in our homes. for the past few months when the whole world has been under their roofs and surrounded by four walls, nature took this opportunity to get a fixer-upper, healing the wounds we had made. for the past few years all we talked about was pollution but now why aren’t we talking about the healing of nature? the uk, germany and dozens of other countries are now experiencing a temporary fall in greenhouse gases as much as 40%, greatly improving air quality and reducing diseases. seismologists say, “our planet has lower frequency cultural noise than before. “swans are back in the venice canals. dolphins have returned to italy’s coast. residents of jalandhar, punjab woke up to see the majestic himalayas 140kms away. experts say that for the first time after wwii, this crisis has brought a big decline in harmful emissions. stare at the sky tonight well, you actually may see stars. let’s not lose hope today because tomorrow humanity can wake up from this nightmare to a beautiful healthy united world. “this pandemic may have made our lives still but surely it has given nature a momentum!”

bird of hope - priyanka gautam, 9-a chirping in birdsong, her cheer of hope, is amidst a strong current, a life-saving rope. even when i feel, that everything is gone, i remember she is still there, reminding me that there is, yet a new dawn. i always wondered about the bird outside, i am stuck in this place, without any dawn or light. when i look up there is only one hope to see, that little chirping bird in that faraway tree. she has wings of gold and brown, atop her head rests a feathery crown. she flies along the horizon, and i am astonished to see, whenever i look up, she is always there for me. even when i feel, that everything is gone, i remember she is still there, reminding me that there is, yet a new dawn.

world war iii a conversation between a father and his daughter in 1941 in their living room in america about joining the army during the second world war to help the country. “we will be fine, just have faith” said the father to his daughter, “but i am really scared” she said in dismay. the father looked into her eyes said, “the war will end someday but the end doesn’t matter what matters is what we do in this time of terror, either we can give in and wait for it to end or live our lives to the fullest and fight this war not with weapons of mass destruction but with our inner strength. soldiers will die, countries will shatter, the economy will crash, but it’s our duty to make a better world for them.” she asked him, “what happens if we don’t survive?” holding her shoulders he replied, “not with that attitude you won’t. you have to be strong; you have to believe in yourself because we can’t let something as small as a bullet scare us. do you know an average bullet is one hundredth your size? so you are bigger than that and that’s why you are stronger bullet. remember that a bullet never kills us, what kills us is our sense of giving up and surrendering to death.” today, in the 21st century, an era of technology and advancements history is repeating itself the world is again in a global crisis and there is an irony between the crisis now and the one during 1939-1945. the crisis today is called coronavirus (covid-19) and the one back then was called world war ii. back then the crisis affected the world, similarly today’s virus is creating havoc in the whole world at an exponential rate. in ww2 a bullet as small as an ant created destruction and today a virus the size of a billionth of an ant has a massive impact. people back then were forced to reside in their houses due to fear of getting killed, and today people are scared to leave their houses due to the fear of losing their loved ones. this is like ww3 and the enemy is a virus and the whole world is on the same team and this is our strongest point because there are 7.8 billion people together against something which is already partially dead. we live in a world where we can go as high as the moon or as deep as the oceans, then why can’t we not utilize this time which we have not for our good but for the collective good of the world. our home is being infected by an alien species and we can’t just stand and watch it get destroyed slowly as it keeps on taking away our family members, we have to fight this like people did in the 20th century that is by having faith and not losing hope. stay safe and pray for the world. than a teeny-tiny -atharva johri, xii-c

the dullest star in the midnight sky so coruscating are millions of iridescent stars, their glow so bright trying to spread their wings far and wide to make themselves known among lousy mortals i wonder: why? among them is one that doesn’t stand out its glow weakens as the days pass by but it tries, and it tries hard to get noticed by anyone out in the streets, without a place in mind and as it grows to become an illusion of itself it doesn’t regret even a bit of its tedious life “why should i?” it says. “i had lots of fun, and i’ll leave with a bang that no one expected from me.” and a few years later, images of a dazzling supernova are seen on phone screens worldwide the magnificent kaleidoscope of colors fill mortals with delight it may have died, but the colors screamed “i’m alive”. - anuska saha, xii – j