Thou Shall Be Pleased, I Owe My Existence to you Lord!…. Suhradam House

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

A student may be exceptionally brilliant, hardworking and focused but without the divine grace, things wouldn’t work for him or for any body. Today what others call as good luck or bad luck is what I call as Grace! In fact this is the simple yet profound fact conveyed by Suhradam House.

It was the most memorable assembly hosted by Suhradam House with a detailed perspective of ‘Devotion’- one that might relate to human love and care for the Guru or God, or affection and faith, or something stretched to the limits of fidelity.

A stimulating start of Suhradam House assemblies was witnessed with an out-of-the-box theme on Monday. Parth Amipara of VIII A, through his speech shared his views with the students that Devotion is the ladder that climbs to God. The first step, he said, of devotion is to call upon the God in times of need. Our next step is when our faith begins to grow, with every prayer answered. Then a feeling of attachment comes and at other times, a feeling of confusion, when things go His way and not ours. Our next step is we bond in love with Him and God becomes our source of comfort.

On Tuesday, in his speech, the Suhradam House Convener, Prabhudarshan Sir elucidated that we should give due consideration to anything we have a feeling for and feel a certain devotion toward. If, after exploring the situation carefully, we find it to be good and that it serves our purpose and the purpose of life, then and only then should we become devoted to that particular pursuit. He shared a wonderful thought saying If we stay faithful to God, then He will ultimately take care of any other problems that we may face.

On Wednesday, Suhradam House celebrated the Poshi Poonam marked as the Diksha Din of Gunatitanand Swamiji. The students depicted devotion for God and Gunatitanand Swami, reflecting a rare combination of poetic and devotional flair. P. P. Kothari Swamiji graced the occasion with His significant presence in the assembly. He addressed the assembly and spoke about the splendor and majesty of Gunatit. “It is His strength which binds the electrons and protons in an atom, it is His strength that gives taste to fruit, it is His strength that prevails in all the living and non living things” explained P.P. Kothari Swamiji.

On Thursday and Friday assemblies, Aneesh Sharma (Class 10) and Parikshit Patel (Class 8A) presented a detailed explanation of different ways of getting linked with God. They talked about nine different forms of devotion also commonly known as Navdha Bhakti.

Listening (shravana): Listening to devotional songs, recitations, scriptures and the life stories of saints and devotees can arouse feelings of devotion and love in the listeners.

Chanting (kirtana): Praising the Divine in various aspects by singing simple songs which are either stories, prayers, divine names or mantras. This is a way of joyfully keeping concentrated on the Divine through music.

Remembrance (smarana): Smarana means to constantly think of the Divine by either recalling the glories and leelas (stories) of the Divine or by constantly repeating the Divine names in a process called japa.

Service at the feet (pada sevana): Worshipping the feet can be a part of the ceremonial worship of a living teacher (guru) or it can also be meant as a symbol of surrender to the guru. The latter has traditionally been outwardly expressed by bowing and/or touching the guru’s feet.

Ritualistic worship (archana): This is the sincere performance of the various prescribed devotional rites.

Prostration (vandana): This stage describes an attitude of surrender towards the Divine, it can be seen as a physical action or exercise meant to lead to the inner attitude of surrender.

Servant attitude (daasya): This is the stage where the devotee does every act out of service to the Lord.

Friendship (sakhya): Sakhya describes a very intimate, close state of association with God as the result of long, sincere devotional practice.

Self-offering (atma-nivedana): This is a stage of complete surrender, where the devotee worships and loves God without any thought of reward or personal gain.

Saturday Creative Assembly: When God Descended………

Devotion took a completely different meaning in the creative assembly in form of dance drama, a group dance by eminent dancers of Suhradam House who portrayed the theme of devotion in a contemporary context, offering the viewers an aesthetic panorama of expressions that resonate around the concepts ranging from bhakti, loyalty to dedication and commitment that bring together faith, fact and fantasy.

Clad in pink and bright coloured costume, barefoot student-dancers filled the stage with graceful and delicate movements. The styled multimedia multiformed dance drama on the “forms of devotion” with a sterling performance kept the audience enthralled. Dhwijesh Vankawala, sophisticated in his footwork, who played the role of the Lord, had flamboyant costume with extensive jewels, a shimmering blue, complimented him godly beauty, as he commenced his magic with a calm posture.

Each form of dance had a specific depiction of form of Bhakti or devotion. Colourful costumes, synchronised moves and riveting stagecraft – glided on to the stage the enthusiastic students and hearts skipped a beat or two. As the students began their performance, unleashing moves and various avatars, rapture and exhilaration sprung forth from them…they were just stunning!!!!

“It was a voyage into mythology in all its glory. Their rendition was deep with emotions of love and devotion for the Lord. If you watched closely, it had the power of evoking similar feelings within you.” said a member of Sundaram House.

The student dancers were very focused on gestures, postures, and expressions. They burst with verve and vitality. As the dancers performed, several students instantly joined them, crooning the songs, a few mumbled and the rest orchestrated it with their claps.

One of the teachers hastily flipped off his mobile as his students nudge him signaling the start of a dance show on stage. For the next 30 minutes, the students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir sat spellbound, occasionally craning their necks to get a better view of the dancers.

It was a fusion of all forms of devotional offerings to the Lord, choreographed by Respected Suhradam (Montu) Sir and Shreejichintan Mam and conceptualized by Shreejichintan Mam and the Suhradam House team members.

“Dance, music and backdrops are perfectly fused into a whole, which forms a very excellent fusion of best dance forms as a whole. This is distinguishing feature of this assembly of Suhradam House.” said one of the teachers. “The performance is overwhelmingly touching!” said the Principal Swayam Madam.

The participating students were Mishal Kansara, Piyush Sarda, Harsh Ambaliya and Akshay Patel from Class 9; Yash Dandawala, Parth Amipara, Nishit Banka, Lalit Desai and Ronak Mistry from Class 8; Prashant Gupta, Chaitanya Patel, Krutarth Rangunwala, Deep Chamaria from Class 7; Vaishvik B Patel, Amit Choudhary, Diven Patel, Vishal Patel from Class 6; Madhav Ladha, Niramay Joshi and Yogin Patel from Class 5.

Thus, the direct message of Suhradam House Week was: “Devotion does not mean being confined to a religion. It is an attitude, a way of life assuring growth through unshakable devotion to God.”


The creative assembly was of its kind titled as ‘a Devotional life is a blessing of God’. Bhakti bhagvan ni den chhe…… Devotion allows us to be prepared for life.

The sun fails to reach where these Class 6 students reach!

Heart touching Hindi poems from Class 6 wonders…

Please click on the images below to have an enlarged view.

Amit (Std 6A): Mera Bhai

Darshan (Std 6A): Mera Desh

Parth (Std 6A): Suraj Nikla

Inspired by: Mukesh Sir

Ceremonial grandeur marks Republic Day celebrations at AVM

“He should be the one who is proud of the place he lives in and he lives such a way so that his place will be proud of him”.

Guided by this motto, the students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir are being trained earnestly in all fields of life so that they are physically robust, mentally agile and emotionally composed to serve their family as well as country. One fine example of such an effort was the Republic Day celebration on 26th January.

The R-day acquired the status of a special celebration as all members of Atmiya Vidya Mandir family participated whole-heartedly being spectators as well participants. The celebrational mosaic was studded with lots of activities. Though the flag hoisting and parade were the main ceremonies, various activities spill over the football ground of the school from early morning when students, teachers and house masters, Didis were gathered to witness the programme.

The ceremonial grandeur of the occasion started with Pujan of Thakorji, by the dignitaries and distinguished guests of the occasion. The flag was hoisted by the chief guest of the function Mr.Vasant Bhai a renowned industrialist of Surat, soon after the national song Vande Mataram was sung by everybody. Pomp and gaiety marked the occasion as he unfurled the National Flag. In his address, the Chief Guest remarked that the discipline and organizational skills of Atmiya Vidya Mandir are ‘at the top’. He also spoke about the fact that the school premises bears an amazing aura of irresistible positive vibrations. Children saluted the national flag and renewed their pledge to be loyal to their country family and country and make India a developed nation.

Soon, a sprightly parade and a colorful collage of cultural events marked the Republic Day celebrations. In the march past parade, the students of four different houses were marching in unison. The parade was succeeded by flag drill by the tiny tots which was an enchanting programme. The small hands, holding the replica tri-colour small flags in their hands and moving their body rhythematically, were well tuned with the live music. It was followed by hoop drills and dumb bells drill by different group of students. The swiftness, synchronization and various movements tuned with music were spectacular. Yathansh Joshi of Std V presented an impressive speech where he shared how being students and mere children they can contribute in making tomorrow’s world a better place. “Having achieved our freedom in total, it is essential for us to uphold its glory. True freedom means respecting the rights of other citizens as well,” he added.

Renuka Madam, Niramay from Std II, Niharika Mam, Parth Amipara and Harshil from Std VIII handled the announcement of various programmes. The lazium and dumble drill were appreciated by all those present. Gymnastics show by the students of Std VI to X added the purple flavour to the celebrations. The various physical exercises and drills assured and confirmed the fact that students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir are not only spiritually and mentally balanced and well tuned but also they possess energetic, sturdy and healthy body. The traditional predominates along with a touch of modernity reflected in the display of physical exercises.

The hearts of everyone present, were actually stolen by the cyclists champs of Std X, who presented a well rehearsed and synchronized show on wheels.

Republic Day gradually acquired the celebrational status as that of the national festival. The celebration was amazing, total and participatory, children took part in a big way. Variations in culture were displayed through colourful attires and moving exhibitions. A huge applause was heard for all the tableau, which presented the “Cultural and Religious Harmony” of the various Indian festival against the backdrop of the live performance by the students corresponding to the moving exhibitions. The tableaux were predominated by cultural motifs with a touch of the local highlights the identity of the area. The celebration is thus a homage to the culture diversity, the regional significance and the nation that is a true republic and imposes nothing.

The School Principal Swayam Madam, in her speech, stated that Republic Day is not just about celebrations, it is about renewing our commitments and the promises that we made to our motherland. It is also about enlightening our young generation about the sacrifices made by the brave and valiant martyrs during the freedom struggle. It is a solemn day to rededicate ourselves. The patriotic fervour was in full zeal when Pranav Sir sang a patriotic song in his melodious voice.

The teachers, students and all viewers were spell bound, astounded and rather carried away by the daredevil act of some students who proved their well tuned and well balanced mental and physical status. They courageously jumped through the rings of fire and even rode a bicycle through the burning ring. It was a breath taking performance. The safety measures and keen practice by Shekhar Sir was highly appreciable. These presumptuously daring acts of students indirectly conveyed that they have fearless attitude to meet any kind of challenge. Being under such guidance and schooling, they would be the trailblazers and trendsetters of tomorrow’s world as having been blessed with this vision of His Divine Holiness P.P Hariprasad Swamiji.

The students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir once again proved their mettle. The celebrations came to an end with a huge round of applause for all the participants. Thus it was a graceful and interesting programme by this group of young and enthusiastic students taken in the open air with a picturesque background with an imposing slogan “The Constitution With Atmiyata Lasts Forever”.

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Math Mania Mesmerized Many at Atmiya Vidya Mandir

Numbers sizzled on the walls, symbols and equations screamed from roof tops, geometry and graph vied for attention, additions, multiplications, percentages never sounded so simple and never were children so excited, falling all over the Math week celebrated recently at Atmiya Vidya Mandir.

Famous essayist Francis Bacon says “If a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.” Is Bacon’s recommendation accurate? Does the study of math sharpen the critical thinking and reasoning skills? For an enjoyable experience of Maths we must necessarily be able to relate the subject to the head and heart and focus on the development of thinking and reasoning skills. Keeping this in mind…..the Maths Department of Atmiya Vidya Mandir had organized Maths Competition and even celebrated the Math Week organizing many activities.

During this Math week, Maths was treated as more than just study of formulae and calculation techniques. It aimed at building real life skills in children who are taught to think, deduce and reason rather than just deal with mechanical procedures. These activities were all about of “figures and numbers” concerned with knowledge of measurement, properties and relations, quantities, which can include theoretical or applied studies of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and calculus. In the formalist view, students were at the investigation of defined abstract structures using symbolic logic and mathematical notation.

The competition was named as Hari Ankan and students were divided into three groups.
1st: Jr section – Std 1st to 5th
2nd: Sr section – Std 6th and 7th
3rd: Sr. section – Std 8th and 9th

The tantalizing and compelling pursuit of mathematical problems during the math week offered the students mental absorption and endless challenges. Overall competition was further divided into 5 rounds in Jr, Section.
Round 1 – ASSET Based question – They have to solve given question in a minute. It was a hilarious ice-breaker for all the students to determine their conceptual clarity.
Round 2 – Rapid Fire Round – Student have to answer the given question quickly and they have to complete 10 questions answer with in 45 seconds.
Round 3 – Buzzer Round – Students of each house were to solve given question within 1 minute and one who solves quick and buzz first, will get highest points.
Round 4 – Puzzle Round Group A – Class 1 to 3 – Teamwork round – Class 1 to 3 together solve a puzzle of 6 pieces within 3 minutes.
Round 5 – Puzzle Round Group B – Class 4 to 5 – Teamwork round – Class 4 to 5 together solve a puzzle of 10 pieces within 5 minutes.

Flashes of insight, intuition, speculation, and reasonable guesses were at peak as students found something different and innovative – a break from the normal pen paper routine.

 
Calculation, Accuracy and Speed for Sr. Group – Std 6th to 9th
Among the senior group as if Ramanujam and Aryabhatta were in the making, students turned their head and toe to prove themselves during various competitive activities.

Mathematical enterprise – Round 1 – based on ASSET questions. Students were to solve given question in a minute. Clarity of thought and pursuing assumptions to logical conclusions was central to this activity.

Computer based round – Round 2 – Computer based quiz was created with about questions. Students were to solve them with great speed. Type of questions used in computer based round were objectives, true/false, fill in the blank, match the column.

Mental Aptitude Test – Round 3, MAT round: Questions were based on logical reasoning. Again their finest combination of accuracy and speed was on the move. They were to sort objects by shape, color, and size and by recognizing groups and patterns.

Applied Reasoning – Round 4, Puzzle round. It was all about learning, verifying and visualizing mathematical concepts in a ‘fun’ way. It inculcated learning through imagination. This learner centered approach to math helps every child imagine, investigate and interact effectively.

Thus the multiple ways of quiz comprised technology, applications, videos, manipulative and measuring instruments, tables, charts and so much more.

Puzzling puzzles

The flashcards and number drills, the students just loved numbers and through puzzles they were shown how math is part of everyday life and they were eager to learn more. The brain teasers were not only fun to deal with but also worked as an educational tool. These puzzles tested the logical reasoning of students, as a useful instrument for improving ones mental agility.

Puzzle for Std 6: Form a shape (triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon) using different shapes of pieces.

Puzzle for Std 7 and 8: Tangram Puzzle: It was an exciting game which stimulated creativity with in student group. The oldest known mechanical puzzle, it is Chinese in origin, but has gained popularity the world over. The Tangram is essentially a dissection of a square.

Puzzle for Std 9: Balancing 5 books on the edge of the table, such that the top most book extends over the edge of the table.

Wall Of Math-
The new building corridor wall wore a different look as Math department initiated an activity through Wall Of Maths which gave them an opportunity to write their views and feelings about Math. They enjoyed themselves making swirly-whirly designs on the wall.

In assembly– Every day during assembly students were informed about life of a Mathematician and some facts and riddles of Maths. They gathered lots of information about world of maths.

Question A Day – Every day a question had been displayed on the Math Lab soft board which was based on mental ability and logical reasoning. The corridors at old and new cluster were converted into display stalls and stations. Students were enthusiastic giving answers of the questions. During break time the new building cluster was looking like math mela where students were reading, discussing and answering questions.

The glorious winners-

1st Position– Satyam House
2nd Position – Shivam House
3rd Position – Suhradam House
4th Position – Sundaram House

Thus, it was an amazing time learning together a fun way. A few heads shook in disbelief, a few solved things on their own, a few put up a bold front and attempted, a few smartly, prodded for answers, the not so mathematically inclined stayed a few metres away from the front for good reason, but all their smiles and moods were intact throughout the grand celebration. Many students and teachers bustled around excitedly, lending a festive air to the event.

Long live the Math department, Longer stay their work!!!!

Written by: Seema Madam

MHT-CET 2011 on Thursday 12th May 2011

MHT-CET is an entrance exam conducted for admission to all private, Government, Aided & Unaided engineering, health sciences and pharmacy universities/colleges in Maharashtra for Undergraduate Engineering courses. In simple terms for candidates in Maharashtra MHT-CET is the most important Entrance Exam for getting admission in Maharashtra Engineering Colleges. Though there are large number of seats in all these colleges but there is a lot of competition for getting admission in best colleges and courses.

The overall standard of the Examination has risen to a great height. Comparing to all the state level examination conducted for admitting engineers, the MHT-CET sets its own standard and is recognized with an extreme high respect value. The exam is held in a singled stage format with multiple type questions involved. The candidates will be required to answer the right answer from a choice of four, with each wrong attempt by the candidate costing him/her a negative mark. The Institutes that are affiliated to the exam strongly believe in the authenticity of the exam and the transparent manner in which the whole exam all over the state is conducted.

The Exam is held once every year and the candidates are advised to follow certain steps. These are:

• The candidates who are applying through post application form have to send a requisite letter along with mentioning of his or her registration number at the top right hand side of the letter.

• The candidates who are applying through website application form should only forward the filled form after carefully going through each and every steps mentioned.

Candidates even from outside Maharashtra can appear for MHT-CET 2011, though they can only get admission in Private unaided colleges for a limited number of seats. Candidates can also get admission through their AIEEE scores in private unaided colleges.

Candidates who have domicile certificate of the State of Maharashtra can also apply and appear for this test.

Eligibility Criteria:

A candidate should have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with English, Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics with at least 50% aggregate marks in PCM. There is 5% relaxation for Maharashtra backward classes. Candidates appearing for 10+2 examinations in 2010 can also apply.

Availability of Application Forms:

There will be a common form for Engineering, Health Science and Pharmacy Courses. Application forms along with brochures for MHT-CET will be available at the schools/junior colleges of students where they have studied in Maharashtra. Candidates have to submit the completely filled application forms in their schools before the last date.

Important Dates(Tentative):

• Availability of CET Forms: 2nd-4th week of March, 2011

• Last Date for submission of CET forms: 4th week of March, 2011

Date of CET: Thursday 12th May, 2011

• Declaration of Results: Mid June, 2011

Pattern of Examination:

The entrance exam for engineering entrance will consist of two papers of 1 and a half hours each:

1. Physics & Chemistry (50+50 marks)

2. Mathematics (100 marks)

All the questions will be objective type with 4 options each. There will be no negative marking so the candidates are advised to attempt all the questions. The syllabus of the exam will be same as HSC Examination of Board of Maharashtra.

Website: www.dte.org.in
Detailed Brochure: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47360650