www.theglobaltimes.inAIS SAKET |EDITION XMONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020

As the wholeworld still grap-ples withCOVID19, im-munity has be-come thebuzzword. Med-ically defined asthe natural ability

of our body to avert diseases andgerms, immunity is more than just ashield or a defence mechanism. It’s anexemplary blessing of the Almightythat keeps our mind and body goingeven when we are sleeping. As wesleep, our antibodies, the cells of im-mune system clean up all the germsand disease causing elements our bodygathers. We must be grateful to God forempowering us with restless warriorcells which fight relentlessly, for us.The new normal which we should nowadopt is to take utmost care of thismagical blessing of the Almighty.India, in this sense is a true leader withits rich vedic ways of living. Scientificresearches have proven that regular useof turmeric and tulsi has rendered In-dians with a unique immunity. Drink-ing warm water, having tulsi tea,practicing yoga and pranayama, in-cluding spices and herbs like car-damom, ginger roots, coriander roots(yes, its roots are medicinal), mint,giloy (Tinospora) black pepper, cinna-mon, etc provide essential oils and mi-cronutrients that boost our immunesystem. It’s time we adopt our vedicsystems again and build our inner de-fence to fortify our outer world.G T

Sayantani Dubey, AIS Gur 46, XI I

As the world paved its way through theraging Coronavirus pandemic, frag-ments of hope seemed to be

in short supply. People rushed forcover to keep themselves safe and‘masks’ became the new oxy-gen. But who knew that‘mask’, the new saviourof our life, brought chal-lenges for a whole com-munity of people whosuffer from chronic respi-ratory diseases likeasthma, bronchitis, chronicobstructive pulmonary dis-ease, etc. Realising thestruggles of having to weara mask for a long time period for people suffer-ing with such diseases, Nadish Gulati andDhruv Gupta, two students of Class X A ofAmity International School, Gurugram 46, cameup with the concept of ‘Smart Mask’.

An idea is born, a flame is lit It all began on a hot, summer day of the cease-less vacation that the lockdown had put them in.“Wearing regular masks for longer durationswas uncomfortable for us, so we couldn’t help

but ponder how arduous it must be for peoplewith respiratory problems,” said Nadish Gulati.Dhruv Gupta added, “Our elderly neighbourstold us that wearing regular masks for a longer

duration hindered their breathing andthey felt conscious in removing it toeven drink water when there were

people nearby.” And hence theduo thought of switching to abetter alternative, by spendingtheir time in the invention ofthe much required smart mask.

The design of novel maskThe helping hand, Smartmask was invented using Ar-duino Uno, an open sourcemicrocontroller board and ul-trasonic sensor. The sensor

plays a significant role in the mask as it identi-fies the distance between two people andwhether they are at a safe distance of 2 metresor not. If the distance is fine, then the mask au-tomatically opens with the help of servo motorattached at the top of the mask and shuts downagain if the distance gets reduced. Hence, help-ing people with chronic respiratory diseases tobreathe freely without worrying to get infectedby the deadly virus.

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Dr Amita ChauhanChairperson

CORONA WARRIORSPandemics know no boundaries andneither do warriors who battle them.This special series, running acrossQuarantine editions of all Amityschools, is an ode to those fighters.Highlighting stories of young changemakers from within and outsideAmity, this special series has beencurated by young reporters acrossvarious Amity branches.

QUARANTINE SPECIAL

Nadish Gulati Dhruv Gupta The prototype of smart mask

Caring For The Ones Neglected TillNowBack to roots A masking marvel

Resham Talwar, XII C, Sapriya Sharma,XII F & Vibhu Khare, XII C, AIS Saket

The pandemic that we are faced with isa constant reminder that we arefighting a battle. Tasked with saving

oneself from this danger, the most powerfultool man has is that of continuously adaptingand evolving, putting us in the same bag as ourfurry friends, the felines, who narrowly escapedeath with their superhuman abilities ofclimbing, running, and hiding, making it looklike they have nine shots at life. A man’s ninelives during this lockdown come as he evolvesin the following ways.

When situations shifted…A universal stride to survive has brought aboutgreater understanding between us. Shifting ourcomfort zones, we are finally respecting oursurroundings.

I- Food and Frolic: As life metamorphosedfrom fast food to freshly prepared home-cooked meals, we all moved towards animproved diet. The fitness freak inside all ofus has awakened and is pushing our lazy,lethargic selves to give up on more food. Tohave grown from those temptations and tounderstand the need to remain healthy, is whatrebirth truly looks like.

We- Technology and Transformation: Manyquestions- Classes, grocery shopping,catching up, entertainment; one answer.Digital methods are helping us become thebest versions of ourselves. If you can operatethat laptop you own, you’ve acquired apriceless skill that I hope stays with you inyour new life.

Us- Universe and Unity: From the cleanGanges water to the levels of pollutionreducing globally, the stride to survive isuniversal. This pandemic has helped us inadapting to the changes taking place all overthe world. And none of this would’ve beenpossible without us universally adopting anunderstanding of this matter- and so, dear

friends, you’re a vital part of the change too!

When attitude ameliorated… As all of us deal with sudden events in ourlives in different ways, it is notable that thereare fragments of all of us which have learnedthe powerful lessons of building resilience andcharacter in the face of the problem.

I- Gratitude and Growth:We have all learnedto be grateful to our resources and ourtechnological know-how for survival, ourfamilies and teachers for support, healthcareand policy workers for saving lives, and theGlobal Times for this platform. As weintrospect, we realize that learning to be trulythankful- of people, and circumstances- is therebirth of a man’s mind and personality.

We- Satisfaction and Smiles: With hisacceptance of reality and contentment withthe present, it looks like the evolved manhas paved his path towards happiness. Ahappy and content life in such times, as wecan all agree, is not any less than a life-saving miracle.

Us- Freedom and Fairness: It took usgenerations of colonization to respect thevirtue of freedom, however, it took just onemicroorganism to truly understand the valueof freedom in our lives. The freedom of

2MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020

The nine livesSo, Which One Do You Choose?

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Bitter toils and sweet victories There is no victory fully acknowledged if itwasn’t won over obstacles. Nadish andDhruv, too, faced their set of challenges.“Design was our biggest challenge. Wewanted the mask to be handy, but addingadditional features to the mask increased itsweightage and occupied a lot of space, sowe had to figure out how to keep the fea-tures intact and reduce the weight. Theplanning process didn’t make this struggleany easy as we couldn’t physically meet tosolve the issue due to the lockdown.” Butthen again, there is no hurdle that cannot beovercome, and after researching, laying outdesigns through video calls and onlinemeetings, the mask was created, proving,once again, that where there is a will, thereis a way. And none of it could have beenpossible without the support of their parentsor their school. “Our science teacher andour class teacher were both a constantsource of inspiration for us and helped insolving any problem we faced in theprocess. Without their support, it wouldn’thave been possible!” both expressed.

Making of a masterpiece The mask is environment-friendly and alsoreasonably priced, “One unit of the maskcosts 550 INR to assemble. We are lookingfor lighter and smaller alternatives to themachinery as compared to ones which weare currently using. This will significantlyreduce the weight, size and price of the ma-chinery,” explained Dhruv. After havingtested the utility of the prototype of maskon grandparents and neighbours, the duoplans to make their invention commerciallyavailable in near future. While we continueto regard this pandemic as a diabolicaltragedy, it is helpful to associate it withepiphanies like the one Dhruv and Nadishturned our attention to, both standing as anepitome of how one is never too small tobring about a big change. Starting their journey with compassion,these young innovators, with their earnesthard work, crystal clear vision and touchinghopefulness, aim to help the world. “We areall in this together, we will get through itand come out stronger,” is what our coronawarriors, Dhruv Gupta and Nadish Gulatifirmly assured. G T

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A masking marvel

3MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020

breathing in pure air and the freedom ofnormalcy- the essentials of life, but at the cost oflife itself? No. Thus, the evolved man is savinghimself now by curtailing his freedom and isdelving in the other facets of life.

When relations meet revelations... As we proceed to continue our busy lives, withinthe four walls of our homes, we notice things weoverlooked before.

I- Living and Loving: Now that we’ve all beenforced away from our just so very metropolitanfast and moving lifestyles, the comforts of ourhomes, is where we reside. It’s as if we neverthought about the hands that cook and pray for us.Maybe now, when we begin to walk towards theabnormal normalcy of life, we’ll think of thankingthe faces that never once complained.

We- Within and Without: With the fresh airrunning past our face at the edge of our balconies,we notice the scary silence that falls upon thestreets. The absence of the routinely smile-and-

wave at the neighbor; the absence of thewatchman’s voice yelling at the dogs. How is itthat the same silence that we longed for, nowhaunts us. Maybe now, when we walk towards thegrocery store, we’ll smile-and-wave out of purejoy and not self-developed obligations.

Us- Storms and Survival: The confounding screensmay not bring us together, but theyreduce the distance of worlds apart.The distances that took away thebonds we swore not to outgrow,now slowly come back to life.It brings hope as we laughtogether, in the face of thistragedy, that come whatmay, we cansurvive anypandemic, aslong as weremember tolove.

So, which of yournine lives have you usedthis pandemic season? G T

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Illustration: Sanya Bhohi, AIS Saket, X

II F

MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020 4

COVID-19 conundrumsCOVID-19 conundrumsBut Do You Notice The Bright Side of It?Manavendra, X B & Aditya Khuntia, X C

AIS Saket

Ever since the Coronavirus pandemicoccurred, the world has plunged intohysteria and confusion. Students were

originally thrilled at a lengthy vacation, butsoon that thrill turned into frustration. Veryironic, because most of us (including me)disliked going to school early in the morningand wished for a reprieve, which came in theform of the lockdown. Even after the school announced onlineclasses, it didn’t seem to bother us initially,but boy, were we in for a surprise! Schoolwould start at 9 in the morning and end at 1pm, with a doubt session as well. I smiledear to ear on hearing this. School would be abreeze, no doubt. Instead, I found onlineclasses as my new found nemesis. All day we are compelled to stare at a screenand finish tons of assignments, quizzes andtests. Only if we ever knew that one day we’dbe dreading at the sight of gadgets! Fromwaking up every single morning with thosegroggy eyes to sitting down in front of thelaptops, half eyes closes, to our teachers

struggling ever second to grab eachstudent’s attention to the lecture, thestruggle is real, friends! Not to forget theincessant amount of interruptions thatoccur at home and while using WiFi.Worst of all, excessive time withgadgets has taken a serioustoll on our eyes. Sleepcycle is all over theplace. If we had anythought our sleep wouldget better after the lockdown,we were never been so mistaken.Also, the online classes are susceptible topoor bandwidth and sometimes not working,due to the slow network. This is a nightmare,because even if we miss one class, it sets usback a long way. Now that’s our predicament. But the teachersgo an extra mile to make us comfortable andwith the lectures. Those comprehensivepresentations, quizzes, flowcharts, etc. Itwould be highly thankless if we don’t givethem a shout out for their commendableefforts! Handling online classes must havebeen an evenmore tense

and irritating experience for them, especiallythose who are not so accustomed to gadgetsand the internet. Kudos to the teachingfaculty! Very graciously our alma mater hasgiven us holidays, sympathising with thecondition of our eyes and body. So, now when we will enter our schoolpremises (if we ever do) in a COVID freeworld, we will do so with a certaingratefulness for what we took for granted-our library, our playground and mostimportantly our friends and teachers.Because every day is a new learning for eachone of us and so is this pandemic. G T

MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020 5Cooped up during COVID-19 How To Cope With The Struggles Of Being Home

CAMERA CAPERSRaabia Ali Abidi, AIS Saket, VII B

Hridyanshu, AIS Saket, X B

Across the world, families are coopedup inside their houses together —with parents managing both their

kids and their education, and their ownprofessional commitments. This accountbelow is of one such family highlighting thestruggles of being home.

Low Simmer: When there is little activityin the potA new morning begins with grandma’s goodmorning message in the ‘Family WhatsApp’group at 6:30am sharp. More than the alarm,the notification is more effective in waking upa person. The ‘five minutes more’ protestmay not be fulfilled during this lockdownbecause children have online classes. With online classes, the children have losttheir evergreen excuse of leaving theirhomework at home.Sigh!

Simmer: When the fun is about to start!Over with online classes and a break fromworking from home, it’s time to find thesolution to “aaj khaane mein kya khaaye?”This question has always been of greatimportance and debate. From mom’s simplehomemade food to dad’s authentic Indian foodto the kid’s western pizza and burger, thedebate goes on and on. But, what about the time when the father-sonduo of father takes over the kitchen? Either a

#CookingDisaster or #FoodGoals!

Rapid Simmer: The fun picks up a paceOver with lunch, dad gets ready for his Zoommeeting in the evening and expects others tomaintain silence. But, it’s lockdown time andboredom has boggled everyone’s mind. Momhas pledged to continue her online Zumbaclasses and the kids have pledged to becomethe best in FIFA. Things are heating uprapidly and dad’s patience has reached itslimit. With his boss on call, dad is carefullynavigating through the living room, trying tofind the best spot.

Water is boiled: Fun has reached its peak!Dad has found his perfect spot but it’s time formom to watch her daily soap, a perfect way torelax after Zumba. Resigning to his fate, dad

finally settles in the bedroom to continue withthe meeting. After a stressful meeting with hisboss, dad seeks to unwind but where? Everyspot is spoken for. Dad finally stretches out onthe bed and takes a well-deserved nap till hehas to help with dinner.

Time to turn off the heat: The fun finallycools downFor dinner, mom and dad cook up a deliciousstorm, ending with homemade mango icecream made by grandma. Post dinner beginsthe nightly ritual of dad turning on the newsand criticizing the public for not following thegovernment guidelines. Flipping through thechannels, he stops to listen to the news anchorcriticize China. Well, not a day has gone bywithout the nightly discussion on ourneighbour China. G T

MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020 6Spending quarantineAs Effortlessly And Happily As We Can

Leela Ajeet, AIS Saket, X C

Yes, we are in a lockdown and it isperfectly understandable if you havereached a stage where you are lying

on your bed and you want to do somethingproductive, or you’re simply unable to,because you simply do not want to. Well,well, you’re not alone. But here is a listcurated exclusively for you, so that at theother end of the quarantine, you can say thatyou were not your idle self (you can tellyourself that!)

For the masterchef in youIngredients may be limited in the kitchen, sois your will to get up and drag yourself to thesame arena. But that’s exactly what watchingMasterchef – limited ingredients rounds – hasprepared us for. Also, when else are you goingto get the opportunity to justify watching TV?

For the environmentalist in youLook around. You are missing something. Ihave recently been assigned the mammothtask of watering our balcony – meaningjungle – of plants. Trust me I didn’t like it atfirst, I just did it by routine. However nowyou may catch me having a longphilosophical conversation with a Ficus. Theyhave feelings, too, you know!

For the bibliophile in youDon’t you just love being able to shoot thenames of prize winning books you have readwhen your friend is going on about somedesigner shoes. This is the perfect time tostock up on ammunition by reading all thebooks on the ‘Goodreads’ list.

It happens to be that it took me 4 lockdownsto list the 3 vital things to do during alockdown. So all I can suggest now is that do

these and any of the other goals you have andmake them into a routine. You probably willhate your routine and will want to throw a fewpunches here and there. But at least you willgo to bed satisfied that you have donesomething and perhaps, as my Ficus says, youmay just end up enjoying it.

My mom says this plant is not a Ficus. I wouldlike to still call her that as she, the Ficus,doesn’t mind. G T

Diya Arora, AIS Saket, VII B

You wake up with a startDreading your sub consciousnessWish you could reverse what happenedWish you could lie there motionless

But the fear tramples youCausing you to think about itAnd reliving it is even worse

This time, even more realistic

You start to think of what scared youNot realising you were calling to itThe memories caused a sharp painAlmost like being hit by a bullet

A nightmare, ghastly and unkindClimbs up the ear and into the mindIt paints a picture of death and defeatA nightmare that makes you skip a beat

But I have always heardFace your fears, don’t run from itFor I know I’ll be stronger when I know I can stand my ground

Diya Arora, AIS Saket, VIII B

He created each one of usMoulding us bit by bitHe allowed life to flourishAnd kept this world sunlit

He created this beautiful natureHe gave us the chance to existAnd how do we pay him back?By fighting this crisis and persist

It might seem unfair, unjust This situation is certainly of unrest But we have reached till hereSo take it our stride, we must

Let’s open our eyes and heartTo the ones that need usAnd to the ones voicelessRemember, kindness comes first

Time is the greatest healerAnd we will come throughLet’s hope for the bestAnd await a beginning new

G T

G T

POEMS

The greatest healer

A nightmarelike no other