SESSION IN ECONOMICS BY MANAN CHOKSI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UDGAM SCHOOL In the wake of the questions created in the minds of the youngsters by the latest step taken by the Government, Mr. Manan Choksi, Executive Director of Udgam School for Children, addressed the students of Class XI and XII. As soon as the news about the ban on 500 and 1000 rupee notes went on air, there was palpable excitement all around. Rumour and humour ruled the day with people going berserk and thronging the ATM counters (and gold shops). A session to educate the students regarding the implications of the recent move was held in the school auditorium today. Mr Manan Choksi, a Chartered Accountant and Economist, spoke to the students about the government’s decision and clarified many doubts. He began by explaining about the nexus between cash and crime based on an US study that absence of higher currency notes has been seen to reduce crime substantially. He further elaborated about the effect of the decision across various industries. He urged the students to educate others in order to reduce panic reaction and speculation, unnecessary emotional response and misinformation. Mr Choksi educated the students about the larger picture behind the move. He elaborated the benefits that can be expected from this such as reduction in corruption, drop in terrorist activities, exposure of black money and withdrawal of fake currency. He had an interactive session with the students about the various alternatives to larger notes, loopholes in the tax laws, examples of other government policies, myths and truths of the recent policy, etc. A mock besna of 500 and 1000 rupee notes was held at the end of the session to add a little bit of drama and to drive in the point that ‘Honesty is the best policy’.

On the 8th of October, 50 students of classes 11 and 12 of the Humanities Section along with their teachers visited the Laxmi Vilas Palace, Fateh Singh Museum and the Baroda Museum and picture gallery. The trip was enriching and informative and the entire group enjoyed every moment understanding and appreciating the antiques, paintings, sculptures, scriptures, architecture, weapons, etc., displayed there. Each bit of art there had a fascinating history which the students eagerly absorbed. On the whole the trip enhanced the students’ understanding of India’s cultural , social and political past.

White-brown day celebration at Preprimary Section

Primary Section (Std 1 – 5) celebrated Diwali with lots of enthusiasm and fun. Diya signifies start of new and bright things in life. Children celebrated Diwali decorating the diyas in an innovative way. Creative rangoli designs were made and filled using sparkling rangoli colours. Lastly, Diwali is incomplete without food. Our students enjoyed the food festival. All mothers had put great effort in giving yummy things to eat . All in all, the students and the teachers had an enjoyable time together.

An outdoor activity was conducted in Class 2. It involved outdoor games like hopscotch, marbles and dog and the bone. The kids were keen and enthusiastic to learn and try out these games. Indian culture throughout history is replete with different forms of outdoor activities. Playing outdoor games fosters a spirit of teamwork, leadership skills, discipline, equality and comradeship among the kids. It also nurtures raw talent in the form of cricket and football. Certain abilities such as eye-hand coordination, quick reflexes, agility, instant decision making are honed by such activities. The list is endless. The vast plethora of Indian outdoor games in on the verge of extinction. Its about time the kids leave aside their gadgets for a while and play real games in the real world. Games which will leave a memory and will be remembered with fondness and nostalgia.

Most of us are born with keen senses and do not value them as much as we should and take them for granted. However, when we place ourselves in the shoes of people who have not been equally blessed, we start valuing them. A session of Deafness and Blindness was conducted by Sense International India for the students of Class 9. In this session the students were briefed about the different types of visual impairments. A blind fold activity was held to demonstrate the difficulties faced by deaf or blind people to sensitize the students towards those who are less fortunate. Students were also taught preliminary Sign Language to communicate. The session ended with an activity to test the knowledge acquired. 

Traffic is a matter of grave concern right now with frequent road blocks and accidents occurring due to people not following traffic rules. During school peak hours there is heavy traffic on the roads outside due to non-adherence of rules.
When the children of Junior KG were taken to a Traffic Park to explain the real traffic signals and rules, they were very excited. They were given instructions on rules to follow and needless to say not a single child made a mistake or broke a rule. They enjoyed the outing and came back with enhanced awareness about the need to follow traffic rules in earnest. We can take lessons from these young ones in everyday life including their behaviour inside the traffic park.