Self Discovery Week in Senior School, April 2015.

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Self-discovery is a lifelong journey of exploration through our inner selves, trying to discover who we are, our purpose in life and what the core values that shape our lives are. Thus, it is a great opportunity for our students to introspect on their potential, character and feelings. Like every year, this year too, we began our new academic session 2015-16 with Self-Discovery Week.

The fun-filled week, from 6th to 10th April 2015, witnessed a broad spectrum of exercises in not just the languages but in other subjects as well. After all, there isnt just one way to expressing creativity! Students were guided through self-questioning and the examination of ones own thoughts to gain a deeper understanding of the self.

When we write about our lives, as either prose or a poem, we are celebrating and preserving our memories. Students of classes VI-VIII composed poems on Myself . They also wrote about the changes they would like to bring in themselves. "Family history is the preservation of your family's culture, remembering ancestors through photographs and documented personal biographies. The knowledge of family history is important if you learn from your ancestors and live today as the borrowed time of your childrens future." Thus, inspired the students of class X enthusiastically as they embarked upon their trail to discover the journey of their forefathers Tracing our Roots. Meanwhile our senior students of classes XI-XII, mulled over the question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? What would we want as our legacy? The source of their inspiration was Dr. Randy Paushs The Last Lecture: Realisation of Childhood Dreams. The students of Class VI expressed in eloquence in Hindi on - Meri Marzi Ka Ek Din and Meri Naasamjhiyan. Class VII students wrote pieces inspired by famous personalities of their choice .They also read excerpts from cricketer Ricky Pontings autobiography. "Mathematics is a science of all sciences and the art of all arts." Thus began an interplay of mathematics and the self as the students of class VI designed a wall in their rooms with geometrical patterns. Class VII arrived at a certain single digit number derived by some prescribed method from their birth dates and explored their own traits relating to the same. Meanwhile, class VIII participated in an activity My Number My Hero wherein they explored interesting properties of their favourite number and connected them to their own lives. Students of class IX stepped into the shoes of an architect to design a room of their choice at School, coming up with unique ideas to refurbish their classrooms, labs, library, etc. In class X, they deliberated upon the utility of math in the careers they want to pursue. In class XI, they beautifully etched events from their lives in a timeline, reliving their past and projecting their futures. Memorable events of the famous mathematician Georg Cantor were read out as inspiration for ideas. Last but not the least, the seniors in class XII put on their thinking caps and shared views on the changes they intended to propose in mathematics as a discipline by elaborating on If I Were a Mathematician....

The students explored their scientific inclination through varied activities relating to science. This gave them a good platform to listen and learn from others. For instance, in class VI, by taking a short sneak-peek into the lives of a few famous scientists, students enhanced their knowledge about the same and also introspected on the common qualities they shared with them. Class VII students reflected on five skills they possessed that would enable them to become scientists. Students of class VIII pasted pictures from their childhoods and the present in order to analyse developmental and behavioural changes. The activity in class IX required the students to become innovative and present small ' inventions' of sorts, to help lead life in a simplified and sober manner. Students of classes X to XII explored the lives of some famous science Nobel laureates. Class XII science students carried out a SWOT analysis in sync with the learning that one is most likely to succeed in life if one uses one's strengths to the fullest extent and corrects one's weaknesses. The past helps us to understand who we are, and therefore, history is important. Role- play as freedom fighters, the students' admired the most was a fun-exercise for the students of classes VI and VII. Class X collected information on their parliamentary and legislative assembly constituencies, their representatives and their political parties. Students of classes XI and XII shared their indigenous rituals with each other e.g. Amritdhari Sikhs, wedding rituals, rituals related to birth and so on. From poetic to abstract, from spiritual to physical, the students finally embarked on a geographical voyage of discovery. They were given an opportunity to think, explore and experience a virtual world of their own as they imagined moving to a new place to live in. One that could be located on top of a mountain, a dreary desert, a desolate island or in a dense forest. In legal studies, students of class XI focused on What change would you like to make in the existing law. The familiarity with law enhances one's understanding of public affairs and awareness of one's entitlements and duties as a citizen. Understanding of law can encourage talented students to pursue a career in it. Class XII students wrote about their journeys so far. In economics, class XI students wrote Autobiography of Currency. Some students started their journeys as a sparkling stone, lying near the river bank, some others had their own inventive origins! Yet some other students continued their journeys beyond plastic currency and spoke about e-currency.

Students of classes XI and XII conducted a book-reading session on ' Remain Hungry, Remain Foolish' by Rashmi Bansal, in the Business Studies class. Students read about the journey of 25 successful entrepreneurs from IIM-Ahmedabad to the top. 'Explore Your Ideas' - this motto was embodied by the students in their discussion on 'Chai Point' an online tea-selling portal- another successful venture by an entrepreneur after completing his studies from Harvard Business School. In classes XI and XII students of Psychology designed business cards for themselves, 10-15 years down the line! Exotic and creatively designed cards ranging from those of CEOs, doctors, chartered accountants, engineers, a chef, a dance instructor, professors were on display with own companies, organisations, logos and taglines. This activity provided a link between what they had discovered about themselves, their aptitudes, interests, personalities and their preferred futures.

Curiosity results in learning. We believe that the more we raise the curiosity level in our students, the more we allow them to learn through self-discovery. The journey eventually leads them to self-knowledge which will guide them towards situations and experiences in which they will thrive.

Ms. Navreet Shergill, Acting Vice-Principal and Ms. Gandharvi Mukherjee.