The doom clock

It’s Time We Save Our Planet Before The Catastrophe Arrives

Radhika Kapoor, AIS Vas 6, Alumna

Climate change concerns everyone, even someone as suspecting as a concerned citizen, who isn’t an expert but is still trying his best to come to grips with the alarming climate clock that never stops its countdown. But, unfortunately, majority of us tend to not pay any heed to it and only look after our own growth patterns - economic growth, social advancements, and our everyday successes; and in doing so, fail to realise that the growth of our planet, in terms of the number of forests, cleaner water bodies, the regularity of the seasons, the health of the beautiful living creatures, has stopped. Having fostered the notion that replacing is better than repairing, we get so engrossed in ourselves that we keep replacing the wild with the tamed, trees with plastic shades, and so on.
With an unmanageable and unpredictable climatic event taking place every day, however, Mother Earth is knocking hard and trying to wake us up from our slumber of ignorance. Statistically speaking, the number of climate-related disasters have tripled in the last 30 years, indicating how none of the nations is new to this nuisance. Though a few nations have worked tremendously – member states of EU launched the European Union Emissions Trading System in 2005, others adopted Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and so on - to right this wrong, their efforts are sure to go down the drain if we all didn’t timely band together to fight against this profanity towards our home.
For the scariest thing about all these changes is the limited time we have left to fix it. The rising temperature is more than just statistics, it is a matter of global concern. The temperature going up stems from enormous problems like melting of glaciers, heating up of the oceans, increase in the level of carbon dioxide, and so many more issues that we might not be able to control at once; the rate is unprecedented. We are hurdling towards a stage where climate change could be irreversible. Our lives depend on us, on how we act and live. We are the first generation facing such adversities and might just be the last generation that can do something about it. Thus, we need to understand the urgency and the gravity of this catastrophe. As it was said, the planet will be fine, it is us humans who will go extinct. Plus, it’s never too late. We need to put forward living examples of the things we can achieve when we stand together. The world is full of inconceivable beauties and its maintenance is in our hands. Together we should do something about it.

GT M@il

Dear Editor,
“This is in reference to the article ‘Learn while playing’ published on page three of The Global Times edition dated July 11, 2022. Gaming has become an integral part of the adolescent life of today’s generation, and a lot of times it is disregarded by grown-ups as something negative and destructive for the young minds. However, the article aims to tell the audience how games too end up teaching us a lot of things, which goes unnoticed. Minecraft, for example, is a game that teaches strategising, architecture, and jungle survival. Not to mention that its Education Edition can also teach one about chemistry and its real-life examples. A lot of these online games help in improving analytical skills, foster quick decision-making abilities, enhance hand-mind co-ordination, and teamwork. That said, I agree with the article that excess of anything is bad, which is why we must be careful in our consumption of these games.”
Amogh Sethi, AIS Mayur Vihar, VI B

Dear Editor,
“This is in reference to the article ‘Like father, like son’ published on page seven of the GT edition dated July 18, 2022. Since Mahatma Gandhi is considered as the most splendid statesman of India, his ideas and views still hold a significant position in the country’s policies and underline the most humane way to resolve many of the problems that plague our society today. GT, through this article, thus is facilitating us to understand the relevance of his policies in a globalised world and I am nothing but grateful to them for awakening us slumbering soul.”
Rajiv Mahajan, AIS Noida, X M

Dear Editor,
“This is in reference to the article ‘The pandemic diaries’ published on page 12 of the GT edition dated July 18, 2022. The eloquent piece skillfully captures and showcases the corporeality behind the COVID-19 era – of how, during the three years of the pandemic, people were introduced to new skills and arts, and how, even after being separated from their loved ones, they still managed to stay connected through a new, digitised world. In addition to that, with an easy-to-understand language and a lot of engrossing emotions, the article successfully bridges the gap between the expressive writer and the reflective reader.”
Suhani Goel, AIS Noida, XI B

Dear Editor,
“The odyssey of The Global Times simply cannot be put into words. No amount of prowess in writing and creativity can do justice to our adventure and enthusiasm, both throughout our time at Amity and in the final year of making the Contest Edition. Yet we continue to express our boundless gratitude to the GT Team for their unparalleled support and drive which has been invaluable in our personal and professional lives. To begin with, no feat or endeavour is possible without the vision of our Chairperson ma’am, Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, who offered us the platform to unleash our creativity and make a newspaper of our own.
In the GT Team, Vira ma’am’s scrupulous and prudent consideration of every idea we put forward, as well as her cheerful encouragement, motivated every team member to work to their best. At the same time, Bhawna ma’am’s explicit and illustrative feedback driven by a judgement for work well done allowed us to constantly improve. No lesser gratitude is owed to the others in the GT Team who toiled hard to make our newspaper the best it could be.
Our Principal, Divya ma’am, joins us in thanking you for being mentors to us every step of the way, bringing students across classes, sections, thoughts, and cliques together to articulate a fusion of many ideas into coherence. Also, Debjani ma’am, who has been witnessing your ceaseless nurture of us throughout the years, joins us in thanking you for your relentless support. The forthcoming Editorial Boards will always be told in mythical whispers about the offline Lays and Frooti (which we definitely miss), and the GT team will never be left un-hyped in their imagination. GT will forever be a part of us, no matter how far we fly away, and our memories will inspire us, no matter what the ordeal may be. The connection with GT will stay.”
The Editorial Board, AIS Saket
Winner of GT Best Newspaper Award 2021-22

Success Redefined

I have always known that Amitians are a cut above the rest, and I have rejoiced at every accomplishment, big or small, of my dear students. At the same time, perhaps, I have also been secretly hoping for a chance to shout from the rooftop and tell the whole world how gifted Amitians are. And now, I got this opportunity as the Board results were announced. Several of my children securing all India first, second and third positions in CBSE 2021-22 and they have achieved this during a time which was both uncertain and stressful. When I spoke with these super-achievers, I found that they have several qualities in common – they are regular with studies and completely focused on their goals. Each one of them found their own way to deal with distractions, whether it was through mindful meditation, making art or listening to music, and of course, limiting the time spent on social media!
It is not just this academic success, however, that makes me so proud today. I am also witness to the fact every Amitian is deeply imbued with a respect for human values. While doing well in exams is certainly an important goal for all of them, what makes them even more unique is that they strive to become good human beings as well. Some students have shared with me their dream of becoming a social worker or a teacher. Amity stands for the holistic development of its children and gives equal attention to developing human qualities like kindness and compassion.
So, I would like to remind all my students that while examination surely is an important aspect of your life, it is not the only criteria of who you are or what you can become. You are defined by the kind of human being you are, the hard work you are ready to do, the passion with which you follow your dreams, and the vision which motivates you to change lives for the better. Keep dreaming, keep working hard and create a happy and beautiful life for yourself that you so richly deserve.