Ms. Anjali Gopalan, Founder and Executive Director, NAZ Foundation, conducted an interactive session for the students of grade XI and the Breaking Barriers team on Tuesday, 11 July 2023. The session started with Ms Anjali clarifying basics like what exactly does each of the letters in LGBTQI+ stand for and addressing the commonly misunderstood, ignored and misconstrued information pertaining to these terms. This was followed by an extremely informative discussion wherein strong opinions were shared from both ends on topics ranging from homosexual matrimony in India to unequal laws, parental pressure to societal rejection and sensitization to acceptance. Students zeal to learn more about the community was equally matched with Ms. Anjali’s patience to address each query. It was a unique opportunity for one and all to gain insight into the struggles faced by today’s youth due to discrimination and set-thought process of the Indian society at large.
The month of May witnessed various sports events such as Badminton, Volleyball and Table Tennis for Classes VI to VIII. Ekta house established their lead by bagging the first position in Volleyball and TableTennis. Easc of these events encompassed a wide array of disciplines that tested the skills, endurance, and mental fortitude of our athletes. Whether it was individual or team-based, the events challenged the students in unique ways, pushing them to their limits and beyond. Here are the final results of the various events. Results SPORT WINNERS RUNNERS UP Badminton Jr Boys Pragati Ekta Badminton Jr Girls Shanti Shakti Volleyball Mixed Ekta Pragati Table Tennis Mixed Ekta Shakti
The month of April witnessed a plethora of Inter – House sports events such as football, cricket and basketball for Classes VI to VIII. Each event differed in intensity with the participants pushing each other to their physical limits. The level of dedication and competitive spirit demonstrated by each team was a clear indicator of the pride harbored for their respective houses. The diverse range of challenges were a testament to the talents and sportsmanship of our school’s young athletes! Here’s an overview of the events conducted and the medal tally. Results SPORT WINNERS RUNNERS UP Basketball Jr Boys Ekta Shakti Basketball Jr Girls Pragati Shanti Cricket Shakti Ekta Football Shanti Pragati
A three hour session on Diversity Equity and Inclusion was conducted by renowned activist, Harish Iyer, on 10 May 2023 for the members of the Breaking Barriers Campaign at TIS,VV. Harish Iyer is currently the head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Axis Bank. Harish’s valuable insights and fun references to pop culture kept the students hooked throughout. They appreciated his humour and approachability The main objectives of the workshop were to: Raise awareness about the importance of inclusivity and diversity. Encourage open dialogue and create a safe space for students to share their experiences, thoughts, and ideas. Foster empathy, respect, and understanding among students from different backgrounds. Understand why is equitable distribution important for inclusivity To let students hear real life experiences and take snippets of popular culture to understand and empathize with the problems faced by certain groups of people. Guest speakers shared their personal experiences and expertise related to inclusivity and diversity. The speakers discussed topics such as racial and ethnic diversity, gender inclusivity, LGBTQ+ rights, disability awareness, and cultural sensitivity. The sessions were informative, engaging, and sparked meaningful conversations among the participants. Students were divided into small groups to facilitate deeper discussions on various aspects of inclusivity and diversity. This encouraged students to share their perspectives, challenges, and ideas and focused on developing practical strategies to promote inclusivity within the school community. Students were encouraged to think out of the box and try to break societal stereotypes. Some amazing ideas emerged from the students, proving that this workshop had successfully helped children become more inclusive. Participants had clearly gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals from different backgrounds and developed empathy towards their peers. The event provided students with a platform to engage in meaningful discussions, develop empathy, and formulate action plans.
The International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world with different types of activities, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conferences and newspaper articles. This day encourages us to celebrate all the world’s cultures, create awareness about important cultural monuments and sites, and espouse the importance of preserving the world’s cultures. Classes VI to IX were given virtual tours of famous monuments of Goa, Agra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. This was followed by a discussion on the relevance of these monuments in Indian History and how can these be conserved in the future.
On 11 February 2023, Project Saksham, a student-led initiative of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, in collaboration with Special Olympics Bharat, held a unified sports event where students with and without intellectual challenges played together. This event was a unique opportunity for people to come together and enjoy sports while promoting inclusivity and breaking down barriers. The event was attended by employees of Macquarie, and commenced with a short presentation by Raman ma’am (Director Marketing and Communications at SOB) along with SOB youth leaders. followed by campaign president, Tishya Chandok, introducing Project Saksham to them. Football and basketball matches were enjoyed thoroughly by all participants. Students of Classes V to XI of our school were invited to play with the athletes. The event was organized by campaign heads, Tishya Chandok and Sanvi Awasthy along with a team of youth leaders from Classes VII and VIII. Vrinda Arora was the compere. At the end, a medal ceremony was held where all participants were awarded by Air Cmde Sharma, Executive Director, SO Bharat and TIS, VV Principal, Dr. Parul Tyagi.A photobooth was prepared by the art team and was much appreciated by the audience. Refreshments were served to all attendees. The event was a huge success and it was a heartwarming sight to see people working together, laughing, and having a great time. The atmosphere was filled with positivity, as everyone cheered each other on and celebrated each other’s achievements. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusivity and reminded us that we can all come together to make a difference in each other’s lives.
To celebrate and spread awareness about our rich cultural heritage, one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is one of the guidelines of the NEP. However, TIS,VV has always held this to be one of the guiding principles of the school. One of the many initiatives taken by TIS in this regard is the formation of SOCH or the Society of Caretakers of Heritage (S.O.C.H) SOCH has been especially active in disseminating awareness about various historical monuments and took the students of Classes V and VI on a heritage walk to Rajon Ki Baoli in Mehrauli on 02 and 07 February 2023. The importance, stories, facts and legends associated with the Lodhi period baoli (stepwell) shared by the well-trained student members of the club from Classes IX and XI, kept the enthusiastic participants engrossed. The information and ideas shared during the fun-filled visit was reinforced by the worksheet that the students were asked to complete afterwards.
IIT Delhi’s Queer Pride Festival, “Vibhinn” was organised from 20-22nd January 2023.As part of their All India Queer Collective Conference – Spaces in the Making, various queer collectives from all over India were invited to share their journeys. Two of our students – Sonakshi Sharma and Arnav Tanwar (both of Class IX) participated in the panel discussion as representatives of our school’s Breaking Barriers Campaign. A discourse on the struggles and the achievements of these collectives of various institutions was conducted. Breaking Barriers was the only school level campaign present among the queer collectives of universities as well as various NGOs and Trusts.
Flawless Flaws is a student-led campaign of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar which works for the welfare of acid attack survivors. This group, in collaboration with Team Awaam, the theatre team of our school, performed a play to raise awareness about acid attack survivors at District Centre, Janakpuri on 30 December 2022. The eight students who performed were Saira Bhateja, Gunamay Rakhyani, Saiansh Kwatra, Saivansh Kwatra, Vrinda Arora, Tishya Chandok, Prabhtej Singh and Harnoor Kaur. A crowd gathered at the sound of dhol being played by Shriyans. Those who started watching the performance, stayed till the very end which showed how riveting the performance was. One could see how deeply the audience was affected. At the end, the whole team along with Ms Uma Chopra received a huge round of applause and a number of viewers filled out the skin donation forms which will subsequently be deposited with NOTTO.
‘The only one who can tell you that you can’t win is you – and you don’t have to listen’ said Jessica Hill.2 December 2022 dawned bright and sunny and put everyone at TIS,VV into a mood of excitement and anticipation. Finally it was the much awaited Sports Day for the Senior School ; and participants, Cabinet members , volunteers ,teachers , spectators alike were agog with sporting fervour.The meet was inaugurated by Dr Satyapal Singh, a Dronacharya awardee and a much esteemed coach who has specially guided para-athletes to compete at both national and international sporting events. He motivated students to make physical activity a regular part of their routine and inculcate values of perseverance and resilience which would pave their way to success.The ceremonial torch was carried around the field by Tanvi Nandal , Krrish Vikram Jain, Akshita Singh and Pratyaksh , all of them stars in various sporting disciplines at both national and international levels. Track and field events including relay races , hurdles, high jumps, shot put, fun races for students, teachers and support staff, kept the crowd cheering . Each House was in a fiercely competitive mode with their respective Goal Posts decorated in the House colours in the Anime theme, with Mascots and Cheerleaders to boost their morale. A lively commentary held the audience engaged. The event culminated with the JK Sen Awards for the best Sports Girl and Sports Boy in both senior and junior categories and the trophy for the Best House bagged by Shanti House with Shakti and Ekta as runners up. Click here for more pictures