The trip took place from the 14^th to the 17^th of December and was organized by Sundarvan, a Nature Discovery Centre in Ahmedabad. Gir is eight hours away from Ahmedabad and is surrounded by many water bodies, including Kamleshwar Dam which hosts a large crocodile population.

The first day was eventful, with a short trek to a Crocodile Breeding Centre, where they breed crocodiles and then release them into the wild as well as take care of injured or ill animals. The Orientation, which is right next to the Crocodile Breeding Centre. There, they explain Gir’s geography and topography as well as how the park functions.

The next day, there was a Safari into the Sanctuary. There were many lions, many who had just hunted or had given birth to cubs as well as other species; spotted deer, plum-headed parakeets, etc. The guides were very helpful and informative, talking about everything from the history of the Park to the behavior of animals to how the various plants and trees grew. It was a very interesting experience for all most of who had never seen wild animals so close.

The next day, there was a long trek through a village where jaggery was made. Jaggery plays an important part in Gujarati cuisine; it is used to sweeten curries as well as desserts or just eaten with roti. There was an enormous jaggery field and the adjoining field was filled with jaggery husks. There was a small factory that made jaggery out of the juice of the plants as well as jaggery juice. The owners of the farm made a fresh batch of jaggery juice for everyone, a sweet treat which is often unhygienic in the cities.

Next came the “bat show”, not exactly a show, but more of an information session about the bats of Gir. Bats are considered to be bloodsucking parasites, when in fact they are the opposite. They eat only fruits and the carnivorous ones eat either mosquitoes or other insects.  There were two gigantic trees which were host to a minimum of ten thousands bats each. When disturbed, which happens quite often, they fly into the air, obscuring the sky from view. In a village where there is livestock and agriculture, the bats have enough food to sustain themselves, but the pollution from machines and vehicles harms them and their delicate wings.

After nearly being gored by over-excited bulls, the group headed back to the resort to see a Dhamaal Dance by the Sidi community of Gir. The Sidis are natively African who came to India, mainly Gujarat, centuries ago as slaves or on their own accord for a better life. They have preserved their African roots by performing a tribal dance where they imitate wild animals and break coconuts on their heads. They soon got everyone to join in; a true round-the-fire dance party.

The next day, they visited the Devalia Interpretation Centre where the preservation of the park and animals is further explained as well as the preservation of the flora and fauna. Then, in mid-afternoon, they visited the famous Somnath temple, which is located on the water. The temple has millions of visitors each year, from all over the world. The temple is home to numerous idols and statues and is the income of the small village that borders it.

The next day was the last day and there was one last stop to Hingolgadh fort, where there was a traditional Gujarati lunch and a climb on the rocks to the fort. The fort was built in the 1665 on top of the older fort and is situated 1000 ft above sea level. All the antiques, including clocks, personal items and cutlery are all preserved within the fort which also holds a small bird sanctuary.

Soon, the group was back home, exhausted but happy. Special thanks to Jadeja sir of Sundarvan as well as all the helpers and teachers who came along. The trip was exhausting, but lots of fun and left everyone wishing for more.

Photos by Harsimran Kaur Anand

The focus of Edexcel’s BTEC qualifications is on “learning by doing.” This program aims to provide learners with employability skills and transferable skills such as problem solving skills, the ability to plan and schedule work, the ability to work as part of a team and the ability to multi-task on different projects. The program will not only train them for the professional environment but for the larger picture of life. It opens new avenues for students and will enhance their technical and creative potential. Thus student will be fully equipped with knowledge as well as on hand practical experience which will enable them to join the industry and excel in it. For more information about the course, log onto: www.edexcel.com

by Queency Christi

How to encourage voting and develop an active democratic voice among the youth?

Anju Musafir, Head and founder of Mahatma Gandhi International School, Ahmedabad (India) was invited to the National Consultation of Voters Participation organised by the Election Commission of India on 4 March 2011 in New Delhi. There were ten thematic groups that were formed to make suggestions to the Election Commission of India on different current themes to help improve voting, voter participation, awareness. Ms. Musafir was part of Group Number 9 along with Ms. Anita Karwal, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gujarat; Mr. P.C. Lawmkunga, CEO Manipur; Mr. Kumar Anshumal, Special CEO Bihar and Mr. Shangara Ram Principal Secretary, ECI. This group represented by Ms. Musafir on the dias during the presentation to the Commission and the invitees, made pan-India level suggestions on the theme- ‘Curriculum restructing- inculcating values of democracy and electoral practice’. The Commission requested her to prepare a document and systematic presentation on this issue with specific recommendations and examples inspired from her practice at Mahatma Gandhi International School.

Here is Pascal Chazot and his wife, with us. They dared to think differently in education, which is the need of the hour.

Pascal Chazot was invited as a speaker at this Summit to address the issue:

Higher, Technical and Vocational Education : Is Integration Possible ?

The Summit was inaugurated by Shri.Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of HRD, Shri.Ashok Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Dr. Indu Shahani, Sheriff of Mumbai Convenor, H.E. Paul A Folmsbee, US Consul General among other eminent dignitaries.

Article on MGIS in the Mumbai edition of DNA

They will do a theatre workshop with noted alternative theatre director Parnab Mukherjee for the children of Charanagar, they will have an arts workshop with renown artist Pravin Mishra, teach English to underprivileged children and set up a micro credit initiative that was kickstarted by their peers in the previous exchange.

Continuing a longstanding relationship with the school community of MGIS and different communities of Ahmedabad, it is a pleasure to welcome them back a third time for yet another enriching intercultural experience.

Photo credit: Abida Desai

The team has won all the matches they have played in the past, and this time was no exception! After a tied score of 0-0, they beat the Mumbai team in an intense penalty shootout. They eagerly look forward to their return to Ahmedabad, but also nervously anticipate the remaining matches and hope to win the national trophy.

Instead of an abrupt return from the holiday mood to the academic rigor of schoolwork, the first day here is all about getting readjusted to being a student, and predisposing yourself to some of the material you will be tackling over the term.

It is set up as a sequence of different activities throughout the day, ranging from those that work towards group-formation – getting acquainted with new classmates and making them feel comfortable – to activities that implicitly introduce the kids to some of the projects and modules they will be working on.

Of course, the intent is also that the return to school be a joyous occasion, and the MGIS first day of school is also largely about just having fun!

Here are some pictures from this term’s start:

Being an active and engaged educational practitioner and academician since twenty years, Anju presented incisive insights and knowledge about the Great Indian Classroom which she brought alive with anecdotes and real-life incidents.

For more information, click here

Here are a few news paper articles that chronicle some of the the two teams’ feats:

MGIS Enters Final

MGIS Drowns Riverside!

MGIS Blanks JGIS

Surprise defeat for Kahaani Kougars

MGIS Clinch Sintex Cup

Students put up stalls of projects they have done, they decorated their classrooms with the many charts, models and artwork that they had produced; some of them even decided to put up dance performances and skits for the event. It was a truly befitting culmination to another fruitful year at the school. Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful and relaxing vacation!

Some pictures from the expo:

The Lone Tree:

The first of the two workshops, this one was for students of grade 3 and 5.
Nature and the evniournment were the principle themes here, and the students were first divided into groups to conduct research on the various plants that grow around them, and their traditional uses.

After this, the students were asked to draw illustrations of particular species, and eventually they produced posters and collages pertaining to all the information that they had acquired.

Living Dreams:

The second workshop was conducted for the students of grade 6 and 7. As a prelude to the actual session, the students were asked several days in advance to write a short essay on what their ideal lifestyle would be like.

During the workshop itself, the children would try to articulate what they had conceived for the essay on paper, using creative painting, handicrafts, collages, and so on.

The students met the idea with tremendous enthusiasm, and seemed to have enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and in doing so, have managed produce an abundance of quality work! Here are some pictures from the event:

The school invites all of you to come and see them

An overview of the films:

Blu Gene: (A film by Yatharth Shah, Tanveer Shah, and Yash Patel)

Synopsis:

Working on the theme of ‘Colours of India’, The students decided to portray the ubiquity of blue Jeans and how this western article of clothing has become a vital part of the wardrobe of India’s youth.

Filmmakers’ comments:

‘We felt that Blue is especially relevant to India, as during the British Raj, indigo was amongst India’s biggest exports. Furthermore, one of it’s principle uses, both then and now, was in the making of Jeans.‘

‘Through the entire process, we feel we’ve learned a lot- how to use camera, how to plan a shot, how to write a script; Basically the many different aspects of filmmaking. But also, general skills- we learned how important public relationships are, and how important it is to always be prepared and make plans well in advance.’

Click here to read a news-paper article covering the above film

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The Colourful Concrete: (A film by Amitesh Chaudry, Samvid Sheth, Aakash Brahmbhatt, Salma ranginwala)

Synopsis:

The film chronicles a day in the life of a foreigner as he spends time travelling around the city, seeing the many sights, eating lunch, and clicking pictures. Watch as these seemingly mundane events all culminate in forming his perception of the city.

Filmmaker’s Comments:

‘We worked on the idea of capturing the colours that represent the city of Ahmedabad and decided to use architecture as a medium in order to do so. That’s why we shot different buildings from different time periods, not only to depict the city’s palette of colours, but also to show the modernisation of its architecture.’

‘Doing this project changed our perspective about what Ahmedabad was and what it is now. It also taught us a lot about filmmaking, things like the suitable conditions for a shoot, how to write a script, the different factors that go into making a shot

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Today’s Special (Ashini Jagtiani, Rutvi Ajmeira, Anjali Bhavre

Synopsis:

Portraying the colours of India’s cuisine, the film is a documentary about how a traditional Gujurati thali is made for an event. The students went into Mitakali gaam, recorded the entire process and interacted with all the cooks. This shows the audience a slice of life of villagers living within the heart of the city.

Filmmaker’s Comments:

‘It was such an educational experience, especially in terms of the film making process. I didn’t even know how to set up a tripod before this project. We learned all about script writing and camerawork and so on.’

‘What was difficult and also interesting about making a documentary was that although we had a basic script, while actually shooting and interacting with those people, there were a lot of unexpected changes that we had to adapt to.

Also, we learned how challenging it was to try and interact without coming across as intrusive or being a hindrance. Some of the cooks were quite hesitant to speak initially, and we had to really coax them into it’

- Ashini

It was also a new experience this time because we had to pretty much work without the aid of a script.’

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Super Tare Zameen par and Mini Tare Zameen par (Standard 8 and 9):

The two classes have been working closely with Mr. Bernard Marescot in learning the different aspects of the film-making process; everything from the budgeting process, to the proper methods of using a camera, to auditioning for roles and so on.

As a way to culminate this module, and try and apply what the students have been learning, they decided to recreate a particular scene from the film ‘Tare Zameen Par’. The idea was to have the students divide themselves into groups and actually work every element of the film entirely by themselves!

]]> http://www.mgis.in/2009/12/student-films-screening/feed/ 5 http://www.mgis.in/2009/12/the-students-take-up-recycling/ http://www.mgis.in/2009/12/the-students-take-up-recycling/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:43:23 +0000 Lissa Chazot http://www.mgis.in/?p=1131 At MGIS, a great deal of importance is placed on the enviournment and the issues that pertain to it in today’s day and age. This is done often by integrating various enviournmental concerns into classroom projects, or assimilating them into ongoing modules. However, one common green theme that persists every year, and ranges across classes and age groups, is the principle of striving to be as enviournment-friendly as we can in our own practices.

This year, this principle manifests itself in the school’s “recycling project”. Aiming to minimise the waste of fresh paper and promote recycling on campus, the project  involves students from a number of classes all contributing in their own way. For insance, some are working to put into place a system that segregates waste into that which can and cannot be reused. This task is supplemented by the data- regarding the usage of paper in various classes -that other kids are collecting and analysing through surveys, graphical plots, and statistics.

Apart from finding ways to improve the school’s work habits, students will also be involved in creating awareness about some of today’s major enviournmental hazards through role plays and by other means. The idea is not only to try and create change, but to also document the process thoroughly; so that at the end of the year, everyone can look back and reflect on the project as a whole. Evaluate the successes as well as the shortcomings, and ultimately, leave a foundation for future students to build upon.

The exchange will involve students from grade nine to eleven, who will be going to Mombasa from February 15th to March 2nd. Whilst there, the students will collaborate with 10 students of the Aga Khan academy in putting together a theatre piece that deals with Diaspora experiances (Kenyans of Indian descent, and the Kenyan/Sidi community in India)

As a part of the project, during the months leading up to the exchange, the students will be involved in conducting pertitant research. The Kenyan students will go out and interview members of the indian community, and similarly, our students will go out into Ahmedabad (and possibley other parts of the state) in order to interact with the Sidi communities. All of this research will be documented and will form the basis of the brainstorming process when the two groups meet and begin work on their theatre production.

Having completed the course, our teachers Seema Joshi, Ravinder Kaur, and Deepa Shah have been working to integrate more environmental-centric material into classroom activities and projects, so as to instill in students a greater sense of understanding and responsibility towards their surroundings. The teachers have been working with different batches of students on various projects all revolving around the contemporary issues regarding our environment: Sustainable development, global warming and so on.

The CEE recently acknowledged and applauded the three teachers by awarding each of them a ‘Gold Certificate’ for their contributions to the cause. All of us at the school are extremely proud of the wonderful work these teachers have done, and as other faculty members enroll and continue to participate in the Green teacher programme this year, we hope they will all come out equally industrious and determined to make a difference!

Facilitated by the British Council (for the Department for children, schools and families UK) in India, the ISA is an accreditation scheme that recognizes and rewards “good practice in adding an international dimension to the school curriculum”.

The award is judged on the basis of the range of international activity that takes place within a school year, and the winner is accredited for a whole three years. Here’s to the entire MGIS team and administration for the great work that has earned us this accolade!

Certificate of registration: