Real Intelligence: Vachanamrut Pratham 18
Among all the species in the history of evolution, humans are at the top of the evolution chart. We are able to think, understand, communicate and perform various tasks and activities, which the other species are unable. This is possible because humans have a gift that no other species have. That is a programmable brain. Real Intelligence lies in programming or training our brain to avoid or bypass all the distractions, conserve our energy and focus on the task at hand. If one is able to do so effectively then the phrase ‘Nothing is impossible!’ is not far from reality.Shivam House was privileged with the opportunity to ponder upon the topic and share thoughts and experiences everyone in the last week of November 2014.
Taking reference from the holy scripture Vachanamrut and excerpts from the blessings of Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji, the following was conveyed in the assemblies throughout the week:
- If we speak inappropriately, we fill ourselves with negativity via our tongue. Negative or inappropriate words take away our energy and decreases our ability to perform our daily tasks. When we eat inappropriately, that negativity is reflected out when we crave to taste a particular food item that we bind ourselves with and that leads to frustration when we don’t get it. It also lures us to overeat and makes us lazy.But if we speak appropriately and only about relevant things and also do not allow our sense of taste to defeat us, we will remain enthusiastic and energetic, and experience positivity in ourselves.
- If we listen to irrelevant or inappropriate words or music, it fills us with negativity. On the other hand, wise and positive words, good books, appropriate songs or bhajans increases the positivity in us. Relating to the daily experiences of students, it was highlighted that sometimes when we sit down to study or try to think about something new, we hear in our head, some music or song that we may have heard in the past. That actually divides our focus and ends up wasting our time.
- Our eyes are also remarkably capable of experiencing the world around us. Most of the times, we are not even aware of what we are seeing. If we allow our eyes to watch the negative of others or irrelevant things or inappropriate movies or shows, we will actually harm our own self. However, if we just see positive in others or allow our eyes only to see relevant and appropriate things, we shall experience an increase in energy and enthusiasm in our own self. Children also understood that memories of inappropriate movie scenes or irrelevant scenes or looking at the negative aspects of others or negativity in different situations, causes us to lose our concentration and even leads us to anxiety, anger and frustration.And the same is the case for our sense of smell and touch.
- Further it was made clear that our brain is like a sponge. It absorbs everything through the five senses. Anything we see, hear, taste, feel and smell will get stored in our brain. As a result, this will ignite emotions based on the quality it possesses.If the input is positive then it will help us to conserve our energy, keep us enthusiastic, motivated and bring eternal bliss.
If the input is negative and we keep or dwelling upon it again and again the effect of it will be brutal. It will be like taking an intoxicant, a drug that will take control of our thinking ability and not allow us to think appropriately and hence we will feel anxiety, anger, frustration etc… It will also be a waste of lot of energy and time.
- In Pratham 18, Shreeji Maharaj has also showed the way to keep our senses positive i.e. being with positive people, having darshan of Thakorji or saints, or watching appropriate documentaries or movies, can inspire us greatly.
Hence, Pratham 18 acts as an eye opener in our life. One who is aware of the ill-effects of dwelling on the negative things and puts consistent effort to maintain the positive inputs through one’s senses is a real intelligent person. Such a person will be able to conserve, nurture and utilize his energy to do productive tasks and will be able to achieve all his goals.
Children were also made aware that Shreeji Maharaj, towards the end in this Vachanamrut, says that “If you do so, I shall consider it to be equivalent to you having served Me in EVERY WAY. I will also bless all of you and be EXTREMELY PLEASED with you.”
Thus throughout the week we understood that
- Senses are the precious gift of God to humans. Moreover, capability to think is like icing on cake.
- We must be clear of what we want to do with our life. Have a goal, a destination to achieve.
- Keep the company of people who are positive, who aim high and who persevere to achieve their destination and goal.
- Perform daily religious and spiritual rituals like aarti, prayers, pooja and swadhyay.
- Have complete faith in God.
- Keep the company of God realised saint to get constant motivation and guidance.
Thus, it was understood that by keeping our senses positive, we are actually serving God and, that is the true service of our soul and hence, of God. A real intelligent person realises that there is no limit to the bliss of God. He understands that he is different from his body, he is aatma and his birth here is mainly to purify his aatma and attain higher bliss of God.
Written by: Shivam House Team
Developing Immunity against Distractions!
In today’s feverish culture of multi-tasking, it is common to remain engaged with smartphones, random chat with friends and acquaintances on social media, a casual input of movie reviews and variety of music. The constant chaos in our hyper-connected worlds and the prevalence of attractive gadgets, influencing groups and wavering thoughts make it impossible to sustain focus on the desired goal.
However, students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir are fortunate to be studying and growing in ‘a home away from home’ which provides a firewall against these alluring distractions. There is no mist of worldly chaos here hence there is a clarity of destination for the students of AVM. Yet being focused in studies and having full concentration in the class have always been a challenge for students. Whether that involuntary doodling during the self-study or day dreaming during lecture, or enticing talks about sports; the attention does get an easy escape at times.
How to get rid of distracting thoughts? How to keep the mind on track? What kind of people might take us off-track? What kind of objects are the hurdles in our success journey and how? How to prolong that concentration span? Vachnamrut Pratham 16 provides answers of all these questions. Hence, during the last week of August 2014, Sundaram House members took the opportunity to explore the teachings of the holy scripture Vachnamrut to find answers of these questions.In order to present the wisdom of Vachnamrut P-16 in the simplest way with its real essence to the students, the house members segregated the teachings in the form of small easy injunctions:
‘A wise person identifies the flaws within himself and thoughtfully eradicates them.’
To begin with, on Monday, Purvesh Sir explained the students that introspection on daily basis is an effective way to identify our flaws but more importantly one has to be thoughtful and keen enough to eradicate them.The next day, on Tuesday, Mukesh Sir, continued with taking yet another pearl of wisdom form Vachnamrut P-16, which is ‘A wise person rejects any apparent flaws he perceives in others and imbibes only their virtues.‘ A story based on the same message was narrated to the students, as a result, students understood that the best way to maintain harmony or Atmiyata with others is by perceiving only good qualities of others.
The third important aspect of the teachings of Vachnamrut P-16 is ‘A wise person accepts whatever words of advice GOD and saint offer as the highest truth but does not doubt their word in any way.’ This was very well explained through a presentation by students with the guidance of Binu Ma’am.
The brightest day of the week was Thursday when students watched a video clipping of Swamiji. The students were enlightened by listening about the valiant and great warrior Shivaji and his Guru Ramdas. In this video, it was stressed upon, that Guru foresees the impending danger and protects us from all odds hence Guru’s words consist highest truth.
In today’s world, where alluring and distractive elements are inevitably our daily encounters, the much relevant and most prominent part of Vachnamrut P-16 is ‘a wise person identifies those objects and evil company that may cause bondage and raise deficiencies in his (goal) ekantik dharma and shuns them; but he does not become bound by them.’
In Friday’s assembly, this thought was elaborated with examples and presentation so students can build the technique to seize that unstable mind and drag it from its wanderings and fix it on one idea. Students were suggested to seek constant strength from God to be strong enough to withstand the distractions and remain determined towards their goal so that they cannot be swayed by diverting elements.
Finally, this Sundaram House week’s assemblies concluded on Saturday, with an urge to the students to imbibe positive thoughts and avoid negative thoughts. Students were explained how good company and friendship with saints can help them harbour good thoughts and repel evil thoughts.
As the summative examinations are approaching AVM students are all set to follow the prudent teachings of Vachnamrut Pratham-16 so that they can conquer all those diverting thoughts.
Good News!! Students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir are learning to tame their mind… they are learning to nip the bad thought in its bud.
The budding writers, poets, orators of AVM
As the school campus draped in a green covering after the monsoon-showers, the freshness and vivacity became fast prevailing, the palpable verve spread all over as if accelerating learning with conducive environment. Hence, the school retrieved its rhythm in academics, activities and incorporated competitions.
As a matter of fact, at AVM, learner’s delight comes unbidden in activity based learning. However, the implementation of the unique multiple intelligence based competition approach in the school, provides a rich backdrop where students make exuberant discovery of embedded content resulting in the most stimulating learning experiences. This time in the first week of August, Linguistic Intelligence was at work when students showed their fascination for words, reading and writing. A competition for Verbal and Linguistic Intelligence was held for classes 1st to 10th.
Poetry Recitation:
In this academic competition, students of classes 1st, 2nd were guided by Kavita Ma’am to perform in Poetry Recitation or Action Song depicting importance of fruits and vegetables. Through this competition, the tiny tots got an opportunity to improve their clarity of speech, understanding and using apt words for needed expressions and remaining calm, focused and polite on the stage.
Story Presentation:
Here, students of grade 3 were encouraged and guided by Vaishali Ma’am to narrate a story through dialogues and enactment. In this story telling competition, students were exposed to some significant language skills of expressing their story through dramatization. The young participants of this competition gained confidence to present themselves on the stage in front of an audience.
Crossword Puzzle:
Linguistically smart students of grade 4 savoured and enjoyed arranging words and alphabet for the word puzzle and were on check for complicated words and rich vocabulary. Renuka Ma’am arranged for these interesting activities for grade 4th, 5th and 6th.
Parts of Speech in Sentences:
In this competition, grammar was on check, as the students of grade 5 appreciated and enjoyed the challenges in the complexities of sentence structure in which they required to identify parts of speech and collect them in their respective bowl with the labels of Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, Adverb, Interjection and Preposition, etc.
Story Writing:
This competition was for students of grade 6th who are linguistically intelligent possessing a knack of writing. The story writing competition was to enhance the skill of appropriate usage of words and grammar for writing a particular text type.
Poetry Writing:
Writing in the native or the mother tongue is an important part of language learning. Mukesh Sir and Rekha Ma’am organised this competition to assess students’ aptness and precision at linguistic contest, students of classes 7th and 8th were guided to compose poems on the given subject.
Persuasive Speech:
Chirag Sir and Saumya Ma’am arranged for this competition for students of grade 9th and 10th where students were given exposure to show their oratory skills. The participants persuaded the audience with their impressive speeches on the topics like ‘Money is not everything’. The elegant speakers of all houses created a tough competition amongst themselves:
In this way AVM students, participated in this Verbal-Linguistic competition to enhance their oratory skills and hone their writing skills. It has definitely created awareness for vocabulary and grammar.
Thus the future poets, novelists, journalists, bloggers, speech writers, editors and linguists are in the making at AVM!
To a Research Laboratory – an overwhelming experience!
At the time, when the rain-God showered generously, the school management organised an educational trip to Rajkot and Junagadh. The main objective of the excursion was for Std 11 and 12 Biology stream students to explore the intriguing world of Biotechnology.
The voyage of set its sail in the evening of 24th July 2014. After getting fresh and having lunch at Yogidham, Rajkot the next day, we left for Junagadh, where we all arrived excited to learn and eager to satisfy our curiosity. We got an opportunity to visit the “Food testing lab – Department of Biotechnology at Junagadh Agricultural University”. The department has eight labs with different objectives, such as, to check adulteration in food, soil analysis, pesticides content in food, nutrient content, etc. We were delighted to see the high–tech labs where we were explained about the instruments and objectives by the research scholars from the department. And the cherry on the cake was the opportunity we were provided to have question and answer session. Dr. B A Golakiya (Professor and Head of Biotechnology Department) who further quenched our curiosity and appreciated all the students for their scientific enquiries. The day ended with lots of learning and fun, both.
On 26th July 2014, the other purpose of the trip was achieved when we reached the M N Virani Science College at Yogidham campus in Rajkot. Firstly, we were explained about different fields and careers in Biology like Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, etc. by Dr. Shivani Patel (Professor and Head of Biotechnology Department). We got an interesting insight into the widespread applications of Biology. The session was then taken over by Dr. Leena Ambasana for an experiment. The aim was to isolate DNA from plant material (spinach). She started with explaining the theory and then came the most awaited moment, to see all that description really happen in front of us! During the entire process, all the students enthusiastically and sincerely followed through the instructions given by her.The duration of the experiment was about 5-6 hours. Indeed, it was a long experiment but in between the waiting time of experiment, we were shown around the Department of Tissue Culture, Department of Biochemistry and Department of Microbiology. We also got a chance to visit the engineering department and were in awe while visiting the library there and looking at different labs, classrooms and auditorium halls.
Although the experiment was long, there wasn’t any trace of tiredness on anyone’s face and enthusiasm seemed permanent! And then the time was for results of the experiment and of course it had to be the best due to the Grace of Swamiji, efforts put by students as well as our teachers. We were very much satisfied due to the achieved outcome. In the evening, after a long day of learning and exploring the field of Biotechnology, the team enjoyed a delightful dinner at Subway.
On the 27th July, we were back to school with new learning, new experiences and satisfied curiosity, all due to the grace of Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji. And not to forget all the enthusiasm and support of Sarvajit Sir and Archana Ma’am (our Biology teacher) who patiently executed this wonderful educational trip in such a way that it could not have been any better. Their determination, dedication and devotion towards the academic welfare of students made such a learning process possible. We all express special gratitude to them.
This well planned trip taught us the important virtues such as Atmiyata, patience, hard work and a very essential scientific approach.
Written by: Het (Class XII Science) & Keyur (Class XI Science)
Visual-Spatial Intelligence Competition: The Expedition from Vision to Reality
The beauty of garden lies in the variety of flowers with myriad of fragrances it has. Likewise, the glory of school lies in the environment created for the students to foster their hidden talent and polish the same. Teachers of Atmiya Vidya Mandir try to nurture the blooming buds of the school by developing their unique talent through various inter house competitions based on multiple-intelligences.
The first competition in that series was organized on 12th July 2014. This competition was based on Visual Spatial Intelligence which deals with the ability to comprehend shapes, patterns, designs and the entire spectrum of colour. It includes the capacity to visualize and imagine which can help to improve memory, cognitive ability and thinking. The competition was divided into four different groups mentioned below:
Group A: (Std. I to III) – Colour the Picture
- Colouring plays a major role in the development of children. Various pictures were provided to students for colouring by Manish Sir and Suhradam Sir.
- All the students of grade I to III enthusiastically participated and enjoyed the colouring competition. They were able to showcase their imagination, choice of colours and creativity that helped them to develop attractive colour combination, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. It was a pleasure to watch these tiny tots work with such ease.
Group B: (Std. IV to VI) – Model Making
- “Imagine the concept and make your imagination visible to all” was the main idea of the competition organized for grade IV to VI by Sunita Ma’am and Binu Ma’am.
- The theme for grade IV was “Season”. Two participants from each house, thus total eight students participated and demonstrated their ability to organize related pictures of the season in the given space to make their model relevant and sensible.
- For grade V, two participants from each house were selected, thus total eight students were there for making a model of different landscapes like desert, polar region, coastal plain and valley.
- For grade VI, four participants from each house were selected, thus total sixteen students were there for making models of different land forms like plateau, island, mountain-valley and coastal plain.
- Participants of Model Making competition showed their ability to visualise the world, perceived and interpreted in their own way. They were able to think in three-dimensional terms and re-created ideas into eye-catching models.
Group C: (Std. VII – VIII) – Draw and Label
- Accurate and abstract visualization is just one of the many skills possessed by ‘picture smart’ students. With their exceptional ability to memorize the pictures shown to them, grade VII and VIII students drew and labelled the pictures based on topics picked up from science.
- There were four participants from each house, thus total sixteen students participated in this competition under the guidance of Anand Sir and Prerak Sir.
Group D: (Std. IX – X) – Mind Mapping
- A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, colour, spatial awareness and precise information of the topic – in a single, unique powerful manner. To encourage students to show their creativity, Mind Mapping competition was organized under the guidance of Samidh Ma’am and Rashmi Ma’am.
- There were four participants from each house, thus, total sixteen students participated in this competition. The theme “Physical Features of India” and “Natural Resources” were given to grade IX and X respectively.
- Participants of this competition exhibited an extraordinary ability to create a mental map providing a strong sense of spatial awareness for the topics given to them.
Competition was designed to help students reinforce their strengths and boost their confidence in the areas where could further improve.
Congratulations to all the students who took part in the competition and thanks to all those who contributed to make the event successful.
Intrapersonal Intelligence Competition 2013-14
Each and every child is a unique creation of God. To identify and nurture that hidden uniqueness, teachers of Atmiya Vidya Mandir conducted many inter house competitions based on Multiple Intelligence throughout this academic year. One such competition, based on Intrapersonal Intelligence was held on 8th February 2014.
Students with intrapersonal intelligence have a deep awareness of their feelings, ideas, and goals. They have self-reflective capacities i.e. what one’s strength or weakness is. Often they have capacity to introspect and predict their own reactions at certain situations. They generally enjoy analyzing theories and ideas. So, keeping the skills in mind various competitions for different grades were organised for the four houses.
Good health is the exterior expression of inner harmony. To test the awareness of personal health and hygiene the theme ‘Health and Hygiene’ was selected for grade I to VI. The details for the same are as follows.
Group A: (Std. I to III) – Puzzle, Picture Pasting & Observe and Write
- For grades I and II, two students from each house were selected, thus total 8 students participated in Puzzle Solving and Picture Pasting competition under the guidance of Vaishali Ma’am and Sunita Ma’am.
- For picture pasting, participants were given few pictures of “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for good habits. Students segregated and pasted the pictures in two paper baskets entitled: “Do’s” and “Don’ts”.
- All the students of grade 3 participated in “Observe and Write” competition. They watched the videos related to dental hygiene and then solved the thought provoking worksheet designed by Sharmil Ma’am.
Group B (Std. IV to VI) – Poster Making on General Hygiene
- Six participants from each house, thus total 24 students participated in the Poster Making competition under the guidance of Anand Sir and Prerak Sir.
- This competition helped the participants to illustrate not only their artistic talent and creativity but also demonstrate their deep awareness about general hygiene. They made poster on the topics: Respiratory Hygiene, Food and Water Hygiene, Hygiene in Toilet and Washroom, Hand Hygiene, and Laundry Hygiene.
- One of the posters was so marvellous that the viewers found it difficult to believe whether it was painted or was it a printed picture.
Group C (Std. VII – VIII) – Thoughts and Responses
- Two participants from each house, thus total 8 students participated in this group.
- This competition was aimed to stimulate imaginative thinking and reflective writing. Students were given an opportunity to know and express themselves.
- They were given three different situations for writing their own reflections. Students enjoyed it and got an opportunity to ponder upon the situations deeply. Their writing illustrated their ability to introspect and analyze the situations rationally which was praiseworthy. This reminds that “Wisdom is the ability to interpret a situation through God’s eyes”.
Group D (Std. IX – X) – Mind Mapping
- Four participants from each house, thus total 16 students participated in this group.
- The competition was aimed to instil creativity in students by encouraging and rewarding innovative thinking, where they had to analyze the theories given in their textbook. At individual level, they had to think upon the given topic and concisely represent the information on mind map. They were given the topic in advance. Under the guidance of Priyavadan Sir and Samidh Ma’am, all the participants showed mind-blowing performance.
- Out of all 16 participants, it’s worth mentioning the determination of Harshbhai Gondaliya from Std. 10. As soon as the topic was assigned, he started working on it and approached teachers many times until he was satisfied with his efforts.
Overall Results:
Mathematics: Gateway to all Sciences
Mathematics has been an inseparable part of education since the beginning of formal education.
It has played an important role in the advancement of any civilization. Sadly though, there is a common belief that Mathematics is a dry, boring and a difficult subject. On the contrary, if it is presented in an enjoyable manner, it is one of the easiest and most interesting subjects.
To further instil interest in the students, teachers at Atmiya Vidya Mandir have made a humble effort to organise an Exhibition on Mathematics. The exhibition presents Games, Activities, Magic and Puzzles, all based on different Mathematical Concepts. There is a section on Amazing Facts and Patterns based on Mathematics to cater to the curiosity of students and teachers. Another section provides several Shortcut Methods for easy calculations.
The exhibit also provides insight into the lives of great Mathematicians and in fact, it was inaugurated on 22nd December 2013, on the birth anniversary of the great Indian Mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan who has inspired millions so far. Interviews of many skilled people of different fields helped students to understand use of Mathematics in every day’s life.
Mathematics + Joy = Effective Learning
When learning is fun, children become interested in the learning process and are motivated to learn even more. The ongoing Math Exhibition aims to further develop that interest and motivation in our wonderful children.
Written by: Swayam Ma’am
हिन्दी-गुजराती भाषांतरण प्रतियोगिता
आज का युग विद्यार्थियों का तेज़ दिमाग,प्रतिभावान के साथ-साथ बहुभाषी होना अति आवश्यक है। और जबकी हम भारत के एक बहुधार्मिक एवं बहुभाषी राज्य मे रहते है जहां हिन्दी हमारी राष्ट्र भाषा एवं गुजराती हमारी मातृभाषा है तो यह आवश्यक हैं कि हिन्दी तथापि गुजराती दोनों ही भाषाओं पर प्रभुत्व हों।
इसी उद्देश्य को ध्यान में रखते हुए दिनांक 03 अगस्त, 2013 को कक्षा 9 एवं कक्षा 10 में हिन्दी- गुजराती भाषांतरण प्रतिहयोगिता का आयोजन हिन्दी शिक्षक श्री मुकेशभाई जोशी एवं गुजराती शिक्षिका रेखाबहन के मार्गदर्शन में किया गया था।
जिसमें—
* कक्षा 9 एवं 10 के गुजराती विषय पसंद करने वालें छात्रों को हिन्दी के दस सुवाक्य-सूत्र दिए गए, उन्हों ने उन हिन्दी के सुविचार युक्त सुत्रों का गजराती में भाषांतरण किया।
* कक्षा 9 एवं 10 के हिन्दी विषय पसंद करने वालें छात्रों को गुजराती के दस सुवाक्य सूत्र दिए गए, उन्हों ने उन गुरजराती के सुविचार युक्त सुत्रों का हिन्दी में भाषांतरण किया।
वर्ग के सभी छात्रों को चार भागों (सत्यम् हाउस, शिवम् हाउस, सुदरम् हाउस, एवं सुह्रदम् हाउस ) में विभाजित किया गया। चारों जूथ को दस-दस सुविचार युक्त सुत्र दिए गए तथापि 20 मिनट की समयावधि दी गई। छात्रों ने दी गई समय मर्यादा में उन सुविचार युक्त सुत्रों का भाषांतरण किया। तत्पश्चात् हर जूथ में से एक छात्र ने मंच पर आकर उन भाषांतरण किए हुए वाक्यों का उचित उच्चारण में पठन किया।
प्रतियोगिता बहुत रसप्रद रही। छात्रों में उत्साह देखते ही बनता था।
वर्ग के सभी छात्रों ने सोत्साह भाग लिया।
प्रतियोगिता के अंत में छात्रों ने प्रतिपुष्टि (feedback) मे बताया की यह प्रतियोगिता बहुत मज़ेदार रही। ऐसी प्रतियोगिताएं हमारा उत्साह बंढ़ाती है तथा हमारा आत्मविश्वास दृढ़ करती है
इस हिन्दी-गुजराती भाषांतरण का परिणाम इस प्रकार है—-
— हिन्दी भाषांतरण प्रतियोगिता में 200 अंक में से 169.5 प्रांप्तांक हासिल कर सत्यम् हाउस ने प्रथम क्रमांक प्राप्त किया हैं
— गुजराती भाषांतरण प्रतियोगिता में 200 में से 182 प्राप्तांक हासिल कर शिवम् हाउस ने प्रथम क्रमांक प्राप्त किया है।
सभी को हार्दिक अभिनंदन।
हिन्दी शिक्षक मुकेश जोशी
एवं
गुजराती शिक्षिका रेखा बहन