Getting inspired at the INSPIRE Science Camp 2018

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We, Megh Rathod and Taarak Trivedi got the golden opportunity of participating in the INSPIRE Science Camp held by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and organized in Gujarat by Nirma University. It was a great opportunity to learn and experience the extent of Science Research in our country and around the world.

It was a 5-day residential camp from 2nd December to 7th December 2018. The camp included various fun-filled activities with lots of inspiring and knowledge-filled talks from professors from eminent places like IIT Bombay, National Chemical Laboratory (NCL, Pune), Physics Research Laboratory (PRL), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER, Pune), etc. The inauguration ceremony was presided by Padmashri Dr. Kartikeya Sarabhai who gave a very insightful talk on the Global Environmental Crisis and how to resolve it. This was followed by various other astute talks on current issues and topics like Cell Phone and Cell tower radiation, Cryptography, Mathematics, Environmental Issues, Human Brain and cognizance etc.

INSPIRE Science Camp was not only about learning new stuff, but also for expressing oneself. There was a writing competition on new and innovative ideas on some of the key areas of priority such as Make in India, Swachh Bharat, Energy Conservation, Solid and Liquid Waste Management. We also got to work in Nirma University’s research laboratories and get first-hand experience about what is it to pursue research in Science as a career in life. Throughout our journey we made many friends with great intellect and scientific temperament.

During these five days we were surrounded by extremely intelligent people and well-established scientists. What touched our hearts the most was their humility and atmiyata, despite their achievements and calibre. Our mentor and the Director of Innovation and Research at Nirma University, Dr. Dhaval Pujara was a man not only of great knowledge but also of immense patience and dedication. Though we were with him only for a few days he treated us like his own children and students. He regularly approached us to know how we felt about the camp and if anything better could be done. He took care of us selflessly, from our stay to our food to all the science activities in the camp. Despite being a Director, he always was on his toes to help us out with any difficulties during the camp.

To conclude, it was a great learning experience which dipped us not only in the shower of knowledge but at the same time, gave us an enchanting chance to be with people of great intellect and have a personal learning experience from them.

Reported by: Megh Rathod, Taarak Trivedi (Class 11 Science)

Inter House Volleyball Competition 2018-19

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On 27th October 2018, we witnessed the very highly anticipated Inter House Volleyball Competition 2018-19, for which, all the supercharged players and eager spectators were waiting for. After a fortnight of practice of vigorous hard work, all the players regained their skills through the coaching given by Ritesh Sir and Hitesh Sir.

For this grand event, there were four equally competitive house teams of Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram and Suhradam houses, categorised into three groups: Sub-Juniors, Juniors and Seniors.

On the bright afternoon of 27th October, the first match of the competition began by the whistles of our dedicated referees, Ritesh Sir and Hitesh Sir. The first match was between Satyam and Suhradam House in Sub-Juniors in which Satyam House snatched the victory by 2-0. On the same day, the second match in the Sub-Junior group was between Shivam and Sundaram House, in which Sundaram House acquired their place for the finals. For the third place in Sub-Junior group, in the contest between Shivam and Suhradam House, it was Shivam House that won making the sky Blue. For the Finals, it was Satyam House that defeated Sundaram House, building a crescendo among the young cheerful audience.

Moving on towards the Junior group, the competition started with Sundaram House competing with Satyam House. Against all the expectations, Sundaram House grabbed the miraculous victory in the decider set. Later in the tournament, the next match was fixed between Shivam and Suhradam House. The match started with a great competition leaving the audience dumbfounded. As the match proceeded, the intensity of clash grew exponentially. But it was the Blue Army that claimed the victory by 2–1. In the third place match between Satyam and Suhradam House, Suhradam House comfortably won the match. The venue got even more beautiful with a tender glow of Crimson Red later in the evening and the night lights were put on, brightness of which pervaded through the whole arena. In the centre of this, there was battle between Shivam and Sundaram House in which Shivam House won the finals by 2 – 1.

In the next category of Senior group, the first match was played between Satyam and Suhradam House. It was Suhradam House who won the match comfortably by 2-0. The second match was between Shivam and Sundaram House in which Shivam House grabbed the victory by 2-0. It was the time for third place match between Sundaram and Satyam House. This was a nail biting match in which the winning team didn’t lose hope after losing the 1st set, rather, they continued their victorious trail by winning the match. The time then came for Finals which was much awaited and was to be battled between Shivam and Suhradam House. Players were rapt with bubbling excitement, oblivious to the circumstances, they played the match to their fullest but it was Suhradam House who won the match with a perfect score of 2-0.

While witnessing and enjoying the sport, the players and audience also relished the august and loving presence of Pujya Suhradswamiji in the arena. The overall result of the competition is as follows:

House Name Points Rank
Shivam 24 1
Sundaram 22 2
Suhradam 20 3
Satyam 18 4

Reported by: Yogi N. Patel, Yash J. Patel (Class 10)

Naturalistic Intelligence Competition 2018‎-19

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इस पूरे ब्रह्मांड में सिर्फ एक ही जगह ऐसी है जहाँ जीवन है । और जहाँ चारों ओर हरियाली रहती है और इसी हरियाली से यह धरती बहुत ही सुंदर और आकर्षक लगती है | यह प्रकृति ही है जो हमें स्वस्थ जीवन जीने के लिए एक प्राकृतिक पर्यावरण देती है | यह प्रकृति हमें भगवान द्वारा दिया गया एक बहुमूल्य कीमती उपहार के समान है | हमें इस प्रकृति की रक्षा करनी चाहिए और इसे नुकसान नहीं पहुँचाना चाहिए | प्रकृति को ही ईश्वर का रूप माना जाता है और जब भी हम प्रकृति के समीप जाते हैं तो एक अलग सी सुख,  शांति और समृद्धि की अनुभूति करते हैं | इसे पैसे या धन दौलत से नहीं खरीदा जा सकता हैं | उन लोगों का जीवन बहुत बड़ा होता हैं जिनका जन्म और मृत्यु प्रकृति की गोद में होता हैं | प्रकृति मनुष्य को बहुत कुछ सिखाती हैं लेकिन मनुष्य उसे नजर अंदाज कर देता है | प्रकृति से प्रेम ही मानव जाति के लिए हितकर है | इसीलिए तो कहा गया है कि “प्रकृति में कोई वाई-फाई (Wi-Fi) नहीं होता है पर हृदय से इसका कनेक्शन (Connection) बहुत मजबूत बनता है |”

ये प्रकृति शायद कुछ कहना चाहती है हमसे,

ये हवाओं की सरसराहट,

ये पेड़ों पर फुदकती चिड़ियों की चहचहाहट,

ये समुंदर की लहरों का शोर,

ये बारिश में नाचते सुंदर मोर,

कुछ कहना चाहते हमसे ||

आत्मीय विद्या मंदिर जहाँ प्राकृतिक माहौल चारों तरफ विद्यमान हैं | छात्र इसी प्राकृतिक वातावरण में अपना विकास करें इसी बात का खास ध्यान यहाँ पर रखा जाता है | छात्र इसी माहौल में कुछ न कुछ सीखते रहे इसलिए यहाँ विविध स्पर्धाओं का आयोजन किया जाता है | छात्र प्रकृति से कुछ नया सीखें इसी उद्देश्य हेतु आत्मीय विद्या मंदिर में दिनांक – 27 अक्तूबर 2018 के दिन सुबह 11:30 से 12:30 तक प्राकृतिक बुद्धिमत्ता प्रतियोगिता (Naturalistic Intelligence Competition – 2018‎) का आयोजन किया गया था | इस स्पर्धा में विद्यालय के चारों सदनों में से छात्र उत्साह के साथ प्रतिभागी हुए थे | प्रतिभागी छात्रों के लिए विविध स्पर्धाओं का आयोजन किया गया था | जिसमें कक्षा 1 से 3, कक्षा 4 से 6, कक्षा 7-8 एवं कक्षा 9-10 के छात्रों ने भाग लिया था |

कक्षा 1, 2 एवं 3 के छात्र हेतु माननीय शर्मिल मैडम एवं माननीय लोपा मैडम ने स्पर्धा का आयोजन किया था | इस स्पर्धा के अंतर्गत छात्रों को प्राकृतिक सैर कराने के लिए ले जाया गया था | वहाँ पर छात्रों को प्राकृतिक वस्तुओं का निरीक्षण भी करना था | जब छात्रों ने निरीक्षण कर लिया तब अंत में मूल्यांकन हेतु एक अभ्यास पत्र दिया गया और छात्रों ने उसमें पूछे गए प्रश्नों के उत्तर देकर अपने सदन को विजेता बनाने का प्रयास किया |

कक्षा 4, 5 एवं 6 के छात्र हेतु माननीय बिनु मैडम एवं माननीय अलका मैडम ने स्पर्धा का आयोजन किया था | इस स्पर्धा के अंतर्गत छात्रों को दो समूह में विभाजित किया था | समूह 1 में कक्षा 4 और 5 के छात्र शामिल थे | समूह 2 में कक्षा 6, 4 और 5 से दो-दो छात्र शामिल किए थे | समूह 1 के छात्रों के लिए तीन गतिविधियाँ की गई थी | गतिविधि-1 कक्षा 4 के छात्रों के लिए की गई थी | उसमें चारों सदन के छात्रों के आँखों पर पट्टी बाँध दी गई थी और छात्रों को जो प्राकृतिक वस्तुएँ हैं उनको सूँघकर या तो चखकर उन वस्तुओं की पहचान करनी थी |  गतिविधि- 2 कक्षा 5 के छात्रों के लिए की गई थी | उसमें चारों सदन के छात्रों के आँखों पर पट्टी बाँध दी गई थी और छात्रों को जो प्राकृतिक वस्तुएँ हैं उनको छूकर उन वस्तुओं की पहचान करनी थी | गतिविधि – 3 कक्षा 4 एवं 5 के छात्रों के लिए की गई थी | इस गतिविधि में छात्रों को विविध प्राणियों की आवाज़ सुनाई गई थी | छात्रों को जानवर की आवाज़ पर से उस जानवर की पहचान करनी थी | समूह 2 में प्रत्येक सदन से कक्षा 4, 5 एवं 6 के छात्र सहभागी हुए थे | उनको प्रकृति में से एवं अन्य कई दूसरी वस्तुओं का संग्रह करना था | संग्रह की गई वस्तुओं में से सुंदर रंगोली का निर्माण करना था | छात्रों ने विविध गतिविधियों का भरपूर आनंद प्राप्त किया |

कक्षा 7 एवं 8 के छात्र हेतु श्री प्रेरक सर और कमलेश सर ने एक सुंदर स्पर्धा का आयोजन किया था | इस स्पर्धा में चारों सदनों के आठ छात्र प्रतिभागी हुए थे | इस स्पर्धा में चारों सदनों के छात्रों को प्राकृतिक वातावरण में से वस्तुओं का संग्रह करने के लिए कहा गया | छात्रों ने उचित समय मर्यादा के अंदर जरूरत के अनुसार वस्तुओं का संग्रह किया | तत्पश्चात छात्रों को उन वस्तुओं का उपयोग करके एक रंगीन कागज़ पर चित्र तैयार करने के लिए कहा गया | छात्रों ने विविध प्रकार की सामग्री का प्रयोग करते हुए इस लेखा-चित्र को उचित समय मर्यादा के अंदर तैयार किया | चारों सदनों के छात्रों ने अपना सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रदर्शन दिखाने का भरपूर प्रयास किया |

कक्षा 9 एवं 10 के छात्र हेतु श्री आनंद सर एवं श्री मुकेश सर ने विविध स्पर्धाएँ आयोजित की थी | इन स्पर्धाओं में चारों सदनों के छात्रों के लिए चार गतिविधियों का आयोजन किया था | प्रथम गतिविधि में हर सदन के छात्रों को दो चित्र दिए गए थे उन चित्रों के अंदर कुछ अंतर थे | छात्रों को उन अंतर को स्पष्ट करना था | दूसरी गतिविधि में छात्रों को विभिन्न प्रकार के पेड़-पौधे, फूल इत्यादि वस्तुएँ दी गई थी और उसकी पहचान करनी थी | तीसरी गतिविधि के अंतर्गत हमारे जीवन में नित्य सामने आने वाली वस्तुओं के आधार पर प्रश्नोत्तरी की गई थी | अंतिम गतिविधि में छात्रों को पंद्रह अलग-अलग वस्तुएँ दी गई थी और उन वस्तुओं का वर्गीकरण करना था | सभी समूह के छात्रों ने इन सभी गतिविधियों का आनंद प्राप्त किया |

प्राकृतिक बुद्धिमत्ता प्रतियोगिता (Naturalistic Intelligence Competition) के आयोजन का मुख्य उद्देश्य छात्रों के भीतर जो प्रकृति से ज्ञान ग्रहण करने की कला है वह कला को विकसित करना था | छात्र जितना सहजता से ज्ञान अर्जित करता है उतना कहीं से नहीं करता है | आज के इस शिक्षा के माहौल में हम देखते हैं कि छात्र अपनी प्रकृति से ज्ञान अर्जित करने की कला को भूलता ही जा रहा है | तो छात्र यह जाने कि प्रकृति ने हमारे आसपास सिखाने के लिए बहुत सारे अवसर पैदा किए हैं | सिर्फ हम उन अवसरों को खोजें और कुछ नया ज्ञान प्रकृति से सहज ही प्राप्त करें | अंत में कह सकते हैं कि “जो सहज ही हमें सीखा जाए वही प्रकृति |”

कमलेश सर

AVM Volleyball Team brings a new shiny medal home!

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On the sixth of October our school participated in the CBSE Cluster – U-17 Volleyball Competition 2018-19. On arriving at the venue, Shri Swaminarayan Mission School, we were informed that our match was the first in the tournament. But to our disappointment, our opponents, had been unable to arrive on time leading to a delay. Finally, when the match took place, we were able to extract an easy win by 2-0. Our next match was against Shree Satya Sai School. Unfortunately, the match was in the afternoon’s scorching heat. Due to this, the game turned out to be a test of our perseverance and stamina. In the end, the game fell in our favour and we secured victory by 2-0. This concluded the play for the day.

On the next day, we arrived confidently supported by our previous wins. For our next match, we were up against Divine Child High School. Due to our in-form gameplay and confident and zealous disposition, we were able to grab victory in straight sets, propelling us to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, we faced Bright International School. The rising competitiveness enforced us to up our game. The semi-finals were exhilarating and breath-taking. We managed to gain a 2-0 advantage in the beginning but our opponents rejuvenated their gameplay causing our confidence to falter resulting in them taking the set averaging the score by 2-1. Our hopes began to shatter but then our enthusiastic coach Ritesh Sir took the initiative of revitalizing our motivation. Back in the game with charged mind-sets, we stole the next set from the claws of defeat, snatched triumph with a final score of 3-1 projecting us straight to the finals. Unfortunately, we couldn’t give our best in the finals and ended as the silver medallists and the runners up of the year.

In the past, our school team had managed to repeatedly win bronze. But this time around, with the grace of our founding father, Param Pujya Hariprasadswamiji and by the immeasurable hard work, dedication and sincere efforts of our coach Ritesh Sir and support staff, we were able to take it up a notch. Our team would like to dedicate this achievement to all those who have laboured behind us day and night to make this possible.

Reported by: Jagrat Sandesara, Akshar Patel (Class 10)

A great learning experience at the Khel Mahakumbh – U-14 Basketball Competition 2018-19

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On October 6th 2018, we participated in the Khel Mahakumbh – U-14 Basketball Competition 2018-19 at Vasishtha Genesis School. We arrived at the location ready and fully energized. Due to a team not reporting, we got past our first match with a bye. Finally, after many hours of waiting, our game was against a very good team of the hosts, Vasishtha Genesis School. We began the game very positively, but somehow during the game, we lost our edge. Despite trying hard, we lost the game by 4-10.

We were glad to have had a chance to represent our school and came back with great learning experience.

Parmeshbhai got selected to play at the State-level Competition. Congratulations to Bankim Sir and Jignesh Sir for such a great effort.

Reported by: Parmesh Patel, Niramay Chauhan (Class 8)

An Inspiring Team Effort by AVM at the Khel Mahakumbh – U-17 Basketball Competition 2018-19

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When it comes to basketball, it is certainly not for the lazy and unfit. It is a very competitive game, requiring a lot of vigour and stamina. But thankfully, it was not impossible for us.

On 4th October 2018, our school team participated full of fire and fury in the Khel Mahakumbh – U-17 Basketball Competition 2018-19. It was expected to be fascinating because the level of competition was great. The team was led by none other than our sports captain, Dhrumilbhai himself.

The draws were done and the fixtures were ready. Our first match was to be played against Essar International School. The score was 0-0 until the first timeout was taken. Then, our team gave its heart and soul to secure our place in the quarter-finals with a score of 10-1.

The quarter-final was against Vidyamangal School. It was going to be a tough time as the match was to be played at noon. But rain or shine, we inclined to victory. At the end, the scoreboard said 22-2. It was a great team effort securing our place in the semi-finals.

Due to unexpected delays, the semis were postponed to the next day. On 5th October 2018, we played the semi-finals against Vasishtha Vidhyalaya. Despite great efforts, our team lost with a score of 13-6.

But in no condition did we want to return empty-handed. The third-place match was fixed against P. P. Savani International School. Lots of shoots, free throws, blocks, fouls, lay-ups. At the end, the match was in our favour, the score was 23-10. We secured the third place and won some cash prize.

To add icing to the cake, Dhrumilbhai, Harshilbhai and Tirthbhai got selected to participate in the state-level competition.

Congratulations to Bankim Sir, Jignesh Sir, Hitesh Sir and the captain and his team, for such an excellent effort.

Reported by: Harshil Patel, Dhrumil Patel (Class 10)