IBUZZ

SEPTEMBER 2009 SVKM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2

Pottery done by students of
IBDP 1 & IBDP 2

3rd August
Mr Fredrick George Sharps
Visit
From 5th July to
5th August
Visit to the Bisleri Factory
25th August
Teacherss Day Celebration
7th
September
Installation of Alpha Leo Club of SVKM International
School
Events
Mybriefherehasbeenquitebroad, but
in general,Ihavebeentryingtopasson
to teachers and students something of
thetechniquesI havedevelopedandthe
dicul;es I havehad to overcome over
my 18 yearsexperience in the teaching
ofTOK,EnglishHLandMathsHL.
Manyhaveaskedmefor myreac;onsto
thestudents, etc.ofSVKM.It isnot easy
to give a meaningful response to this
ques;on wi thout some ;me for
reec;on, especially since I believe in
teaching the individual rather than the
subject, especially in TOK. TOK is in
many ways an impossibly dicult and
exhaus;ng subject to teach this is
especially true in a country like India.
The IB insists that students develop
analy;cal skills when approaching all
formsofknowledgethattheyques;on
the basis for all assump;ons, and that
they ques;on the very basi s of
everything that they have been told.
India has a long tradi;on of selessly
accep;ng the authority of both texts
and individuals.It is oNen considered a
mark of disrespect, even heresy, to
ques;on established views. Unity of
beliefand conformityofviewareheldin
highesteeminmanyareas. So,howcan
a teacher broach the very concept of
analyzing religious, parental, poli;cal,
social, ethical beliefs and concepts? I
was very encouraged in my rst week
here to read in the Times of India, that
the Supreme Court had ruled, in alibel
case involving a implied cri;cism of
Gandhiji,that it wasnotthebusinessof
thelawtoregulateconcerningtheviews
of an individual. So, I thought, there is
hope that the TOK system of cri;cal
thinking, and that the holding of
controversial views is alive and well in
India. However, in the same week, just
as freedom of opinion was being
protectedtosomeextentbythecourts,
I read of the uproar concerning the
content of Jashwant Singhs book. The
oldguard s;llwishestowieldauthority
concerning what people may think or
say or write. Consequently, the TOK
teacher hasto tread prudently. Imerely
quote Voltaire and ask for student
reac;on.
I disagree totally with everyword that
you say, but I will defend to my death,
yourrighttosayit!
I am acutely aware that my varied
experienceputsme in averyprivileged
posi;on.AtLASIhave awide varietyof
na;onali;es in my classes, so that
discussionofanymaZer isalways lively
and vigorous, since there are always
students who represent points of view
that other students coul d never
encounter in their own countries. Here
at SVKMIhave foundmanystudents to
be very sensi;ve to the need to have
some freedom to express their own
points of view. I have been working,
over the past few weeks to give a very
Westernperspec;veonvariousissues.
It isnotthatIconsidertheWesternview
to be any more important on the
contrary! it is because the Western
approach is possibly not so frequently
heard here.I havetried to get students
to lookat situa;ons asfree individuals,
and to try to form genuinelyindividual
reac;ons. More importantly than this,I
have tried to convey the need for
students to jus;fy their conclusions. I
dislike the word opinion. I prefer the
word judgement or conclusion,
because these words imply a certain
amount of cri;cal thinking and analysis
followed by a decision to balance the
evidenceandcometoanal judgement.
Theword opinion all toooNen implies
liZle or no thought. Oscar Wilde once
said:
Most people are other people. Their
thoughts are someone elses opinions,
their lives a mimicry, their passions a
quota;on.
Ihavebeen trulyimpressed bysome of
the reac;ons that I have had to my
aZempts to widen the possibili;es. I
have also been impressed by the
willingnessofmanyto approach artand
sculpture with a fresh mind. Some
students are remarkably wellinformed
on topics from the Dead Sea Scrolls to
Chaos Theory. Many are very eager to
do research, and have found on line
booksthat Ihavegiven up hopeof ever
nding! Mythanks goto themfor their
help in expanding my knowledge! It is
that spirit that I assess my;mehereat
SVKM. I feel that some students are
opening up their minds to view
knowledgeinanewlight notmylight,
but their ownlight. I hopethat someof
themhaveglimpsed aliZle order in the
chaos of knowledge. I hope that some
will keep in touch via email and
facebook. Time will tell whether any
have absorbed the techniques and
approachesthatIhavetriedtopasson.I
have certainly witnessed an eagerness
to think dierently and originally and
bravely.Longmayitcon;nue.
Mr Sharps One Month Experience
Business Management Internal Assessment(IA)
Today was my final meeting with the CEO of Sanjivini hospital, the organization I have selected
for my BM IA research project. I had never thought of having such a healthy business based
discussion with such a business stalwart. But my research project had made it all possible. When
my teacher first told me about this internally assessed project, I was very nervous. The very idea
of selecting a real life firm and dealing with its business based issue made me even more unsure
whether I could do justice to handling the enormity of what the research demanded. But the task
was not as daunting as I had first thought it to be. With the IA progressing, I have witnessed
myself develop substantially as a business student. Applying textbook knowledge into my IA I
have seen the textbook practically come to life.
Amazingly every aspect of the IB learner profile is embedded in the BM IA. I first started with
finding out an appropriate firm where accessing data would not be a great difficulty. Then I tried
finding out business issues within the firm. This made me an inquirer and a thinker. But finding
out the issue wasnt the end of it. I had to communicate with the firms personnel and get
information from them about the issue, which enhanced my communication. Collecting and
collating the data from the organization and then processing it based on my knowledge,
application,analysis and evaluation skills I had acquired from the classroom interactions,
workshops and of course the textbook, taught me the importance of balanced thinking. Lastly,
through my IA I learnt that when it comes to business it is not only money and profits that play an
important role, a more significant part is played by the non financial factors as well in building a
corporate image based on societys expectations. Corporate objectives and strategies have changed
in recent times due to a more positive attitude, greater tolerance and acceptance of
multiculturalism and this has directly affected employment practices.
Even though I havent yet completed the entire essay I feel the learning experience that I am
gaining from the BM IA has set me on the path of becoming the complete IB student as I seek to
be a lifelong learner.
Niyoti Divekar
AsterixatSVKM
Howdidwe(itAsterixandObelixMr. Pullanquite approvedits
description as culture ratherthan literature on the invite into
theratherpureterritoryofEnglishLanguageA1?Well, thatwas
the contribution of the English Department to the French Day
Celebrations!We hadbegunourpreparationfortheplayAsterix
and Obelix (a beloved epic French comic series) in a rather
shaky manner because rains played spoilsport. But Mithila
chipped in with the script with a little help from yours truly
who had a soft copy of the comics. We had spent a few hours
practicing. Predictably we crashed at the rehearsals. Not to
mentionthewardrobe malfunctions!Wefeltbattered;muchlike
theRomansdidaftertheir(ightswiththe Gauls.Laughterbeing
the best medicine we decided to add more slapstick humor to
the play which would amuse the audience. Unhygeinix,
Vitalstatistix, Fullyautomatix, Obelix, Asterix, a hammer, a few
(ishes,andafewunfortunateRomanswerepressedintoaction.
As the day approached we were all suited in our costumes,
which made usfeel more intothecharacter, we played the part.
Nervousnessand anxietywere replacedwith con(idence. When
we were called to the stage at that point of time we came up
with such grace, we could call ourselves (lawless. The
performance was punctuated with loud claps of appreciation
fromtheaudience.Atthatpointoftimeweasa teamfeltthatwe
had putourheartsintotheplay,wewere truewinners,we were
one up there. This ful(illed our French dream festival in
elegance.Today,we lookuponthatdaywithprideasweshowed
nolesscharismabutjustshowered ourheartandsoul intothat
memorableplay.
Asterixa.k.a.SiddharthPremkumar,IBDPYr.2
Galleria ........Shots by Ishan Ravindranath
!
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SVKM INTERNATIONAL SVKM INTERNATIONAL

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t t h h

September, 2009 September, 2009


Clairvoyants in action

SWOT anal ysis on IPL

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-./.%0!%&%1/0.2%!"#$%#3%045%6#3.%17%01%7.&/%8%!$96.3$!%
Strengths of IPL

BC 8-"&@+1*)+&D%"9*"%&E"),2"&F@DEC&*'&3)'"1&
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&
GC The IPL has employed economists to structure
its lead so that revenue is maximized. The more
unified the sport, the more successful it is&
&
Weaknesses of IPL

1) Some fans wlll also have Lo pay for Lravel Lo
Lhe ground. 1here may be large queues
for Lhe mosL popular games. 1here may be
some dlsLance beLween where Lhe fan llves
and Lhe crlckeL ground.

2) Some Leams have overprlced Lhelr
adverLlslng/sponsorshlp ln order Lo galn
some shorL-Lerm reLurns (e.g. 8oyal
Challengers), and some sponsors are movlng
Lhelr lnvesLmenL Lo Lhe more reasonably
prlced Leams.

&
Opportunities for IPL

1) Slnce lL has a large poLenLlal mass audlence, lL
ls very aLLracLlve as a markeLlng communlcaLlons
opporLunlLy, especlally for adverLlsers and
sponsors.
2) 1he league funcLlons under a number of
franchlses. Lach franchlsee ls responslble for
markeLlng lLs Leam Lo galn as large a fan-base as
posslble. 1he fan-base wlll generaLe large 1v
revenues.
3) 1here ls a huge opporLunlLy for merchandlslng
e.g. sales of shlrLs, credlL cards and oLher fan
memorabllla. Crounds can also sell refreshmenLs
and oLher servlces durlng Lhe games.
&
Threats for IPL

1) 1he mosL hlghly prlced Leams may noL
be Lhose LhaL have Lhe early success.
8evenues wlll come from Lhe mosL
hlghly supporLed Leams.

2) lf Lhe franchlsee's fan-base does noL
generaLe lncome Lhen Lhey may noL
have Lhe cash Lo pay Lhe salarles of Lhe
besL players. Powever, lf you lnvesL ln
Lhe besL players and Lhey do noL wln
Lhe Lrophles, Lhen you may noL see a
reLurn on your lnvesLmenL. lL won'L be a
qulck reLurn on lnvesLmenL - so owners
need Lo be ln lL for Lhe long-Lerm.
&
-Shashank Dhir
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The bright morning of 4th September saw a number of eager parents and students taking their seats in the
basement auditorium. Their faces conveyed mixed emotions of curiosity, confusion, mild interest and, sometimes,
wonderment. Why? SVKM had just initiated the rst step of our future life- College placements. Madhavi Desai,
CEO of Madhavi Desai Consulting Pvt. Ltd.(MDCPL) had been invited to guide students and parents about
education abroad. Set up in 1989, MDCPL is Indias rst and leading education consulting rm. In the last 20 years,
they have personally advised over 18,000 students and conducted public seminars for Universities and colleges both
in India and abroad. The hour long session was divided into a presentation and audience interaction. The depth
and analytical approach of the presentation was strikingly impressive as was the use of statistics and empirical
evidence. Ms. Desai conducted the discussion with commendable ease and candour while managing to remain on a
focused track. Choosing the right university and place for further studies is a matter of crucial importance in any
childs career. The number and scope of options present can really bafe the minds of both students and parents
and a wrong decision may have grave consequences. The right kind of guidance is absolutely essential and this
meeting really helped iron out most of our issues. And it didnt end there. The continued presence of the MDCPL
team on our campus (weekly or as per appointments) will certainly ensure that we tread along the right path and
reach our desired destination. We Build Futures is what MDCPL profess and we look forward to the sky-scrapers
that lie in ours!
Madhavi Desais Counseling
-Mithila Saraf
Onthe25
th
ofAugust,2009,alltheBusinessandManagementstudentsof IBDPYear1andIBDPYear2wentonaeld
triptotheBisleriFactorysituatedinthesuburbsofMumbai.Onourwaythereallthebusinessjargonweweretolook
outforrang inourminds produc;onlines.....methodsof produc;on...qualitymanagement.Weweregoingoutthere
toseewhatisitthatmakesBislerioneofthemostmammothandreliablepackagedwatersellersofIndia.
As soon aswereached there, we received a warm welcome and were given the privilege of a guided tour of the
factory. Our guide gave usa detailed explana;on of the en;re process from the purica;on of water to the nal
packaging. Atrstshejustgaveusaverbalexplana;onof howthenalproductismade,butthenwhenweactually
saw the process, everything becamecrystalclear.Itwasamazing howmachines could turnasmall mould of plas;c
intoa1LitreBisleriboZleinamaZerofseconds.Wecarefullyanalysedtheen;reproduc;onlinekeepinginmindthe
guidelinesgiventousby our B &M teachers. Weasked theguidevariousques;onsto clarifyourdoubts,and she
willinglyansweredthem.
Wewentback withagreatfeeling of knowing thatwhateverwelearntinourtextbooksisactuallyapplicableinreal
lifeandthatsomedaywewillapplythisknowledgeinourlivesandlearntheartofbusiness.So,allinall thistripwasa
greatsuccess..!
- Viram Shah
Water Water Every where...............
The Leos Roar!!
The Fresh Saturday morning was
lled with vigour and enthusiasm, as we,
students of SVKM International walked
in all dressed in our best formal outts for
the installation ceremony of the newly
formed Alpha Leo Club of SVKM
International School. The 'Alpha Leo
Club which is afliated to the Juhu Lions
club is the rst of its kind in India for the
age group of students from 12 to 18
years. Being the charter batch for this
prestigious club, we were all very excited
about its happening. Eminent members
from the Lions Club of Juhu presided
over the ceremony. The Chief Guest and
installation ofcer was District Governor
Lion Umesh Gandhi. Other eminent
dignitaries present were Lion Dr. Jayant
Gandhi, Lion Milan Ajmera, Lion Ashish
Sheth, Lion Gaurang Gundavda, Leo
Kairav Mehta, and Leo Jay Shah among
many others. The installation meeting
began with the lighting of the lamp by
the dignitaries. After the invocation
prayer, the meeting was called to order by
the President of Lions Club of Juhu, Lion
Milan Ajmera, which was followed by his
speech. The president of the Leo club of
Juhu, Leo Jay Shah al so shared
information about the meaning of Leo
Club and the signicance of its activities.
The SVKM International School has
always sworn by values of quality
education and wholesome development.
To accentuate this thought, eminent
international faculty Mr. Frederick Sharp
of Leysin American School addressed the
gathering on Education is a family
commitment.
After the words of wisdom from
such eminent personalities, the event
advanced with all the students of IBDP
section being Inducted & Installed as
members of the Alpha Leo Club. This
was followed by the installation of the
Team -Board of directors, Secretaries,
Treasurers and the President and Vice
president for the year 2009-2010 by the
Chief Guest Lion Umesh Gandhi. The
ceremony was held with such grandeur
that we all realized what an honour it is
to have the designation Leo before our
names. Mr. Umesh Gandhi then
explained to us the seriousness of our
responsibilities via simple anecdotes and
meaning words and how Leo was an
opportunity to empower others and
enhance our leadership skills. He also
advised our President Archit to keep
running three factories, namely the
sweet(to speak sweetly to everyone), icy
cold(To keep his cool in difcult situation)
and love (To be loving & caring
throughout) to ensure the efciency of
t h e c l u b .
Later the new president, Leo Archit
Sureka spoke about his plans for the
Leoistic year 2009-2010 and expressed
gratitude at the provision of this excellent
opportunity. To further promise the
dedication of the club, he unveiled the
logo of the Leo club of SVKM
international .The students then sang a
soothing piece, Heal the World to
promise and ensure how we as members
of Leo club will heal the world. The
national anthem brought an end to the
installation ceremony.
Words are less to describe this
remarkable experience. I can therefore
only say that it feels great to have the tag
of Leo before our names!

-Krishma Shah (IBDP Year 1)
Charisma of pottery
On 27
th
July, 2009 all the students of the
IBDP section got the opportunity to
attend a one day workshop on Pottery as
a part of the Creativity component of
CAS activities. Here they experienced the
art of making beautiful clay pots of
varying shapes and sizes. Mr. Dinesh
Chitroda and his assistant guided the
students through the process. Many
students were fascinated by the activity
as, for most of them, it was their rst
experience. Each student got a hands on
experience of making a pot of his/her
own using the potters wheel. The
students were told to dampen their hands
to shape the pots, various designs were
created. The feeling of moulding the
mud to a shape which one desired, was
truly great. Later, the pots were left to dry.
Few of the students painted the pots with
wonderful Warli painting designs and
were presented as a memento to the
dignitaries from the Lions Club on the
29
th
of August, 2009 during the
Installation Ceremony of the Leo Club of
SVKM International School. All the
dignitaries were very pleased at the idea
of students having given them something
which they had created on their own. It
was a muddy but an amazing experience!
Mrugesha Raul (IBDP Year 1)
Musical Bonanza
In order to rejuvenate our respective
creative senses, SVKM International
School has arranged for weekly guitar
classes which takes place every Monday
as part of our CAS (Creativity, Action
and Service) activities. This activity is
responsible for weaving music into the
IBDP curriculum which chiey revolves
around the idea of holistic development.
Once were in guitar class, the
atmosphere changes completely. Students
can just let their hair down and chillax...!
This becomes the optimal time to realize
and understand how music can be used
as a great toll in order to express oneself.
We started out with an introduction to
the guitar the different parts the
instrument was composed of -- and then
moved on to understand other basic,
formal concepts like Staff Notation
and playing certain notes as well.
So try walking in sometime....
youll always nd us engrossed
in strumming some tune or the
other (irrespective of how it
sounds:-p)
Give it a chance and unveil the
maestro in you!!
Anushka Prabhu (IBDP
Year 1)
Shashank dhir (L) Rashmi Narkar (R)
Recently we have started to learn a new language, Japanese. It is a part of our CAS activity, it
comes under Creativity. We have Japanese language sessions every Monday since the past three
weeks. To be frank, I wasnt eager and excited to learn Japanese initially, because I was already
learning a foreign language, French, so it did not seem like a big deal at the beginning. But slowly
when the classes began, believe me it was so much fun and interesting!! It was good to see
everyone trying to speak in Japanese. And alongwith our Japanese teacher we have two,sometimes
three native Japanese teachers who converse with us in Japanese. It is good to listen to them and
learn the exact accent. We also play different games every week for instance identifying the
alphabets, asking number names etc. We have learnt to write a few alphabets in Japanese- it was
very difficult in the beginning but now we are enjoying ourselves. This week we learnt a song
"Shiawase nara te o tatakou" which means "when you are happy and you know it clap your hands"..
It was a wonderful experience. Initially we found it difficult to sing it but then later we could catch
up and it became a very enjoyable experience. Now we always look forward to the Japanese class
every Monday. And I hope it becomes more interesting day by day and we enjoy it.
Mansi Davda (IBDP Year 1)