AMITY-UNESCO RESULT
Answer: (Jarawa in Andaman, Lepcha in Sikkim,Jaunsari in Uttarakhand, Kondh in Orissa,
Bodo in Assam, Khasi in Meghalaya, Gond in Madhya Pradesh, Gaddi in Himachal Pradesh,
Rabari in Gujarat, Bhil in Rajasthan)
The echoes of giggles in a friend group, the hearty laughs with our parents, the naughty smiles that we share with our sibling – all of them seem to have a special place in our heart. And why wouldn’t it? For laughter seems to be a magic elixir that can cure all woes and make us experience undeniable joy. Proof of it all sits in the articles on the internet, boasting about how laughter is a stress reducer, pain reliever, and serotonin releaser.
But sadly, that only seems to be the lighter side of the story. Beneath the motivational messages, this laughter, not always harmonious and kind-hearted, reverberates a sinister tone. The meaning of this laugh changes when we zoom out of the picture of the one laughing and rather pay attention to the ‘what’, or rather the ‘who’ is being laughed at. Will that change our perception of LOLs? It is bound to, right? Imagine yourself sitting in the cafeteria all alone where a group of students are passing you mocking glances and snickering constantly. Wouldn’t the chuckling prick you worse than the sharpest needle, turning those giggles from once-sweet to now-sour?
That always becomes the case when we find ourselves walking on the tightrope of sensitivity, because the ripple effect of insensitive humour can shape the terrors of those around us by mocking appearances, belittling experiences, reinforcing harmful stereotypes, trivialising struggles, and triggering painful memories. A study by Martin and Lefcourt’s (1983) showcased that jokes about mental illness increased negative stereotypes and reduced help-seeking willingness. Subsequently, the study by Ford et al found that exposure to ethnic jokes resulted in more negative attitudes towards the targeted group, underlining how such humour contributes to marginalisation. We may be trying to be the next stand-up comedian, but a well-timed punchline should never come at the expense of someone’s well-being.
At the end of the day, your so-called witty comment on Twitter about a celebrity’s vulnerable moments might not reach them, but it will reach the people around you. You may have loled, with the rest of the world, on jokes about Amber Heard being a domestic violence victim, thinking it to be okay since ‘so many on the internet were doing it’, but those same jokes also did reach to the ones around you, maybe even the ones facing a similar issue, who now know that you will not be their ally when they are in need. And if we are on the topic of celebrities, let’s assume that these stars are human too. What if Adele was watching your video edits of the time her dress ripped? Will you mock her to her face just because she’s a public figure? Does that mean she doesn’t deserve any empathy from you? We’ll let your conscience answer that.
Erma Bombeck was right when she said, “there is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humour and hurt,” and this exact thin line is what defines how we look at laughter. Moving forward, what we need to understand is that the diversity of human experiences demands that we approach laughter with sensitivity and respect. Our aim is to laugh with someone, not laugh ‘at’ them. It’s a tricky balancing act, where laughter can heal wounds, but cannot erase its scars. So laugh, but only with caution.
Nurturing love for Sanskrit
Sanskrit is the language of the revered Vedas and thousands of other ancient Hindu scriptures and epics. In fact, many modern Indian languages have been directly derived from, or are strongly influenced by, this lyrical language. We, at Amity, have always recognised the importance of Sanskrit and had introduced Subhashika, an inter-Amity Sanskrit Theatre Festival in 2006. This highly interactive event has over the years evolved into a Sanskrit Shloka recital competition, where students from all Amity branches in Delhi/NCR recite or sing shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the Upanishads and other ancient Indian texts. Students also explain the meaning through enactment, skits or verbal presentations, and they are evaluated for their proficiency in Sanskrit on the basis of pronunciation, diction, comprehension, eloquence, confidence and presentation skills.
The competition, thus, becomes a platform for personality development as well. As students read, write and learn the shlokas, they also imbibe the moral values inherent in Indian scriptures. While researchers all over the world are now acknowledging the utility of Sanskrit in designing computer algorithms, it’s a matter of pride that Amity has always been in the vanguard of making Sanskrit enjoyable and relevant for the next generation.
It’s Time to Say, Hip!Hip!Hurray!
Amitians have once again achieved outstanding result in the prestigious JEE Advanced and NEET 2024. Notably, 62.5% students qualified JEE Advanced and 89.73% students qualified NEET, affirming Amity’s steadfast commitment toward quality holistic education.
Heated summer
In The Heat Will Kill You First, Jeff Goodell writes, “We simply have not come to terms with it…it is not how anyone expects to die.” This summer has been rather overwhelming as temperatures in India soared to an unforgiving 50 degrees. Inevitably, the heat infiltrated even the mundane with summer camps being cancelled, travel plans preponed, and skyrocketing electricity bills. The relentless sun mirrored the heated political climate, as debates raged on TV. The heat even marred the voter turnout in the recent general elections as the scorching sun kept many, especially the elderly, from casting their votes. For the students, the heat compounded with the pressure of results and entrance exams. And AC fires ran like wildfires. Howbeit, intense heat has not popped up like a surprise shower on a balmy afternoon. India saw extreme heatwave in March’22, the hottest since records began 122 years ago and high temperatures are now 45 times more likely. For the agricultural community, this spells disaster. For consumers, it means uncomfortably high food inflation. Not to mention, power demand is already surging. So is deteriorating the health of heart patients. Moreover, heatwaves are causing trees to shed their leaves prematurely, resulting in a ‘false autumn’. Taken together, this domino effect of consequences amounts to new realities for the people living in a warming world. The focus now needs to be on dealing with the ‘heat emergency’. We need to step up real fast, with each step directed toward turning every degree of heat into a spark of hope for a cooler, kinder future.
What if ?
Saanvi Nagar, AIS Vas 1, X D
The tiny world full of mystery
Every person dwells in secrecy
What if our hearts could dare
To chase the dreams of our life
What if stars could say and sing
And share their stories hidden
Of warriors and lamented kings
Their names carved unbidden
What if we could see past the sky
Travel above the bounds of light
To different universes, we’d fly
Exploring cosmos in shining light
What if we touch a comet tail
Feel the dust of a celestial trail
Witness planets’ unique spright
Experience the frail cosmic sight
What if we could walk on Mars
To leave our marks on astral stars
To savour moments big or small
And find joy in life’s waterfall
To what-ifs of life’s endless stream
Of possibilities and pensive dream
In every choice, we open a path
The tapestry of life creates a craft.