MAIS Mirror Edition 1.

Edition One

The Team

Karun Gopal

Rahul Bhatia

Ritika Shand

Nikhil Kurien

Amit Sankaran

Atiriya Hari

Samarth Shyamanur

Shehan Minocher

Ishan Rao

Tarini Konchady

Ganapathy Hari Narayan

Sooraj Mahesh

Amrita Menon

Surya Alexander

Ms. Sheefa Mathews

MirrorAIS

August 2011Edition One

In This Edition: The Rise of the Metro.

The Shuttle’s FINAL CountdownThe Truth about Lies. India’s 5th Generation

Fighter Plane Dope on Doping...The Frank Anthony Memorial

To be or not to be...

Student led initiatives are truly exciting because

they are full of youthful energy, idealism and passionate

commitment. A student led magazine is the lifeblood of democracy itself. These students getting together to start and run a magazine are exercising

a fundamental right, of freedom and speech and

expression, enshrined in Art. 19 of India’s constitution.

Great issues of our time, contentious debates and the

most important of ideas have first found expression in

the pages of magazines run by young people. Here’s

hoping that you will enjoy the delights of Art. 19 with a

sense of responsibility, sensitivity, commitment to the

truth and a sense of humour. In these pages are to be

found the very soul of democratic society!

From the Principal’s desk...

~ Mr. Satish Jayarajan

Principal, MAIS

Page 2

September 1 is the dawn of a new era. Say no to auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, and cars because the long-awaited Metro starts. It’s been 3 and half months since it has missed its deadline and is causing shallow roads, hours of traffic and inconvenient routes. Maybe the Metro will overcome these problems, but when? The Metro was seen as a beacon of light to all who were sick of the endless traffic and bad infrastructure. By building the Metro in the way it did the government completely destroyed transport around the city. Mass detours in and around populated streets, and even cutting a populated road in half just for a station was completely insane! The public is now questioning the Metro, which promised a safe, fast and cheap mode of transportation.

The government set aside Rs. 1500 Crore for the Metro, but has it been utilized in the right manner? Has it been used for the betterment of the people, and the city? When a powerful man has resources and money a plan should come through, but has this? The BBMP allotted Rs. 20 Crore for the footpaths in the Metro corridors but the members diverted most of the money towards footpaths in their wards. “Lack of coordination between BMRC and BBMP has led to this. The misuse of funds in BBMP is condemnable; How can funds allocated for the making of footpaths in the vicinity of Metro stations be allocated for any other ward?" asked RK Misra, who is also a member of the technical advisory committee of BBMP.This really is a matter to be concerned about. The hard earned taxes put into the Metro is from our labor and ought to be utilized for our benefit, but as of now, all it has done is made our city go through a tough time.

Is the Metro worth the effort, money and problems we are facing? Is it a solution to the pollution and transport problems? Delhi and Kolkata are the two cities, which currently have a Metro. It has been seen as a success from the public eye but if we look deep down you realize that the Metro, which was initially built for 3 million passengers per day, finally carries only 1 million, despite having cancelled more than 100 bus routes in the city. It has led to the displacement of more than 200,000 people but only 50,000 have been rehabilitated. In Bangalore, the popular public opinion is that the Metro is making the cultural centers weak. We can’t compare ourselves to the European countries, who build their Metro systems in the 20th century, because they had centralized business districts. Do we? 

Lalbagh is a botanical garden in the south of Bangalore, the Metro construction planned to take away a part of this

horticultural landmark. This was luckily protested against, and prevented. Yet trees are felled, parks are lost, and there is an increase in pollution. The Garden City is fast becoming a haven; not for trees and meadows, but for waste from dig sites, and rubble from construction.

The Metro, when complete, could be a success. Providing faster, and safer connectivity and a reduction in traffic congestion, but this can only happen when the project is complete. For now, it imposes a massive burden on the city. It’s making our once proud city go against it, because of its plan to demolish buildings and trees, which may have been

standing for a hundred years. By destroying all this haven’t we lost what was actually the

true beauty of Bangalore? Understandably Bangalore is fast becoming a Metropolitan

City and in some eyes already is. But does this mean that we should give up the

environment and culture that represents our city? The frailties of governmental planning

show up in situations like this; rather than completely destroy the old remnants of

Bangalore couldn’t we find some way to move forward together?  The cutting of trees will have huge environmental consequence and will largely

take away the good of the Metro due to enraged environmentalists protesting against it. The bottom line is this: the Metro will signify a new era. While trees can be replanted, the overbearing cost of petrol and smoke emitted by cars can be put out of mind by the introduction of the Metro to our city.

This is the most awaited and the most delayed infrastructural project in our city today. After years of expending energy, money and resources, it ought to be a huge success. This is our Metro, for our prosperity. It signifies the coming of a new Bangalore. A new name, a new harbor to bring about international investments and now a new transport system to bring them all together and bring about the final step to becoming a true Metropolis

~ Ritika Shand 11 AICE

Karun Gopal 11 ISC

The Rise of the Metro.

July 8th 2011 was bittersweet for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA.] Atlantis, the last space

shuttle in service, blasted off on STS [Space

Transportation System]– 135, its final mission. On board

were Commander Chris Ferguson, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim, who piloted Atlantis on a 13 day mission to resupply the International Space Station [ISS] for the coming year. On 21st July, at 5:57 am EDT, Atlantis touched down at the Kennedy Space Center and NASA's space shuttle program came to an end – thus concluding a saga spanning two decades of hard work, grit and the development of some amazing technology.

On April 14th, 1981, the first space shuttle Columbia, blasted off on STS – 1 with Commander John W. Young and Pilot Robert L. Crippen on a mission to prove that it could actually work. Columbia was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and touched down after 2 days, 6 hours, 20 minutes and 53 seconds. Two years later, the shuttle Challenger lifted off from Kennedy Space Center and was followed by shuttles Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour in rapid succession. 20 years and 134 missions later, the Space Shuttle Program has several achievements to its credit – carrying humans into orbit, launching, repairing and recovering satellites and most notably, aiding in the construction of the International Space Station (ISS).

But despite all its achievements, the Space Shuttle has become far too expensive to continue. Each mission costs around $450 million, and maintaining the space shuttle itself costs a large amount. Shuttle maintenance costs $1.7 billion a year, and involves 25,000 workers. This is because each part of the shuttle has to be carefully examined and tested before the shuttle can be cleared for lift-off. For instance, the 35,000 thermal tiles that cover the shuttle have to be individually inspected and each tile is custom made to the part of the shuttle it covers. Also, the engines must be removed, disassembled and thoroughly inspected before they can be put together again. The shuttle is also limited in the distance it can travel. Shuttles cannot be used beyond the low-Earth orbit because they do not carry enough propellant to leave the Earth's orbit and travel beyond. Focusing on the shuttle has limited NASA's budget in other areas, such as interplanetary exploration.

The conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program may signal the end of an era, but it also heralds the dawn of a new endeavor in space exploration. The new aim is not just to build a new spacecraft, but also to build one that would be able to carry passengers beyond Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Initially, NASA began developing a new spacecraft known as Project Constellation in the mid-2000s, but in February 2010, funding was cut and the project was scrapped. The new government recommended shifting the program to private companies and NASA did so, awarding contracts to private organizations like SpaceX and the Orbital Sciences Corporation. This is highly important to the United States because after the Space Shuttle Program ends, it will be dependent on the Russian Soyuz craft. Using the Soyuz craft will incur huge expenses since each seat on the craft costs $63 million, a far cry from the $20 million per seat offered by the SpaceX on its Dragon spacecraft.

But all said and done, the space shuttle has become an indelible icon of space exploration, the ship of children's dreams. Nearly all prospective astronauts have envisioned themselves flying to space in those black and white super ships. But now, they can dream of wilder, more fantastic machines to ferry them past the Earth, to the Moon and Mars and maybe beyond.

Page 3

~ Tarini Konchady 11 ISC

The Shuttle’s FINAL Countdown

Lies You fill people with a sense of hope,Every word that you utterRolls off your tongue so smoothlyJust like melted butter Your lies are preconceivedAnd all truth has been eschewed,You don’t hesitate to deceive the naive,How can you be so crude? Weaving webs of fraud and deceptionWithout the slightest regardAs to where your actions may lead you,You only wish to remain unmarred All too soon, however, it happens,Your lies have matched your strideThey catch up and ultimately reveal youFor whom you are deep inside It is then that you look around youAt the world which you have conjured,And realize the fouls you’ve committedHow many people you have falsely lured 

As you attempt to break past the barrierThat separates your world from ours,You are met with unfriendly looks,Faces of contempt, distrust, and scowls Desperate to regain the trustWhich you have strived to develop for years,You plead and beg for absolutionAnd gradually your eyes give way to tears Unwilling at first, to forgiveThe lies and havoc you’ve created,Your friends and family begin to contemplateAll the people you’ve truly frustrated You allowed the lies to wholly consume youLeaving no trace of originality behind,You handed them the key to yourselfAnd eventually, they overthrew your mind But now that you’ve repossessed the reinsOver your mind, body, and soul,I strongly urge you to ensureThose lies never regain control.

Page 4

~ Atiriya Hari11 AICE

The Truth about Lies.

Tru!This edition of “MaisMirror” required a lot of thought, because it will set the standard to which later editions of the MaisMirror will be compared. The rest of the newspaper staff and I, along with Ms. Mathews, discussed a couple things to make reading the paper a more engaging endeavor than usual.

We decided that we would give the readers, you, more control over the different facets of the paper. Every issue, excepting this one, will have an overall theme. This theme will reflect in the layout of the paper, and also in what we write about. This theme will be selected by you, our readers. You can email ideas for themes to [email protected] and we will select one, and the next issue will be built around it. When we say “theme,” We are interested in

intelligent ideas that are easy to understand, but reflect a larger concept, relevant to the world today.

We will also be having a photography competition, in each issue, for which anyone can submit a photo, and the best one will be printed in the paper. The photos must be based on the overall theme set for the paper, which will be announced in the previous issue, or on the +2 bulletin board, depending on the designated time frame.

These are just some of the ideas that we have, and rest assured that more will follow, as we gain more insight into what you are looking for from the “MaisMirror”

The Editorial - Amit Sankaran 11 AICE

Page 5

A fifth-generation jet fighter is a fighter aircraft classification used to describe the most advanced generation of fighter aircraft. Fifth-generation aircraft are designed to incorporate numerous technological advancements over the class understandably dubbed fourth generation, including: all-aspect stealth even when armed, Low Probability of Intercept Radar, high-performance air frames, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other units within the theater of war in order to achieve an advantage in situational awareness.

By having a fifth generation fighter a country is able to safeguard its international and domestic interests better. These aircraft are ideal for various roles such as close air support, air superiority, interception and even bombing strikes. Most 5th generation fighters have ample space in their weapon bays for a significant payload of modern munitions. Most bomber aircraft have high fuel requirements and despite being able to carry more munitions are more vulnerable and will require support, fuel is a dwindling resource that no country can afford to squander. A flight of 5th generation fighters can easily level any strategic target within a single bombing run. Having such a system allows countries to have air superiority in a conflict which is key to ensuring victory. Even modern SAM (Surface-to-Air) missiles can be jammed by the advanced avionics systems of these aircraft. A superpower must be able to dominate in both the fields of conventional warfare and nuclear warfare and with the threat of nuclear winters; no country will be encouraged to use its nuclear weapons. In the coming future, countries who want to maintain their super power status will have to excel at conventional warfare. The United States for example is increasing its spending on infantry weapons and aircraft, which proves that even the country with one of the largest nuclear arsenals knows that times have changed, and the power of such weapons can no longer be flaunted around.

India has a longstanding wish to become a world superpower, in conflict to this, their neighbor and rival, China is developing a 5th generation fighter. In the interest of its national security and national interest, India should develop a 5th generation fighter of its own, due to the United States reluctance to export its own 5th generation fighters, the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint strike fighter. In order to protect its national interests and maintain a position of power over or at least equal to that of its rivals, and to do this, in a world of conventional warfare, a country’s military must be able to triumph using conventional means of warfare. The F-22 raptor allows the US states to protect its troops, perform precision attacks and maintain air superiority all while avoiding detection and keeping it safe from Surface-to-Air missile attacks and anti-air cannons.

With China on the border, and the Chinese selling their aircraft to Pakistan, both India’s rivals who intend to harm her, can and will use these in an attack against Indian soil. Indian 4th and 4.5 generation fighters will not be able to handle the large number of Chinese fighters as well as handle an attack by superior 5th generation fighters which can jam their targeting radars. 5th generation fighters are multirole and can engage a wide variety of ground based targets. This can be instrumental in stopping enemies that are approaching from the mountainous northern borders of India. In the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, Indian Mirage 2000 strike fighters required escorts to get through to Pakistani lines, which is a huge waste of resources. A fifth generation fighter can engage air targets before reaching the target, avoid anti-air defenses along the way and then escape using its powerful engines that propel it to twice the speed of sound. One of the uses of taxpayer’s money is to provide security for the citizens of India which can only be done in the current circumstances with an upgrade in defenses. Due to the project being a joint development with Russia, they will also bear some of the costs to make this aircraft, India mainly providing the software required to run the

navigation and targeting systems. Things like development come under the civilian budget and instead of spending money on other native Indian light combat aircraft projects, funds can be diverted to the production of India’s new fighter. India, as it should, is jointly developing a 5th generation fighter with Russian defense contractor Sukhoi, which already has dealings with the Indian defense industry on previous occasions. Indian defense contractor HAL has been developing the PAK FA, which is said to be capable of taking on the famed American F-22 Raptor with its superior maneuverability, weapon load, avionics and speed. The prototype first took wing on 8th December 2009. The fully functional test aircraft is said to be at August 16th MAKS air show in Russia. The plane has some distinguishing features such as: an AESA radar with a 1,500-element array, an "artificial intellect", a will have a new data link to share information between aircraft, an exceptionally large 5.1 meter weapon bay augmented by two smaller 1 meter bays at each wing root, the Leading Edge Vortex Controller, which allows it to be more maneuverable than the F-22. The Extent of India’s co-operation is not just funding. India is supposed to provide the mission computer and the navigation computer for the aircraft. It also provided the design software and other software. The PAK-FA has better speed, maneuverability, avionics, mission computers and payload than its competition the F-22, F-35 and Chengdu J-20.

The ageing F-22, is slowly losing its ability to fight off every other fighter on the market, the PAK FA may well become the new “F-22”, engraving India’s position on the world super power list, an re affirming Russia to its former glory as being one of the most reputable fighter manufacturer.

~ Nikhil Kurien11 AICE

India’s 5th Generation Fighter Plane

Page 6

During recent months, a doping scandal involving the Indian women’s athletics team has been brought to light. Six female athletes, who had won medals for the Indian team during the 2011 Commonwealth Games, and the Asian games, failed their drug tests.

Between the 11th and 14th of June, these women were tested during the National Championships. The women who had failed the dope test include Sini Jose and Mandeep Kaur, both of whom were part of the four runners that won gold medals in the 4x400m relay, as well as hurdles athlete Jauna Murmu, who has repeatedly failed drugs tests in the past; the 400m runner Tianaa Mary Thomas, long jumper Hari Krishnan and shot putter Sonia.

Mandeep Kaur released a statement addressing the accusations, “Never in my career have I used any banned substances and if there is any possibility, it could be because of the vitamin supplements that I have used.”

Mandeep Kaur and Jauna Murmu blame food supplements bought from outside the National Sports Institute in Patiala. “We bought them at the bazaar. Our coaches knew the food supplements we are having. They accompanied us when we bought them.”

Every year the level and quality of performance amongst young athletes around the world is constantly increasing. Recently, there has been a rise in terms of the prospects available for young athletes; which has caused a greater hunger among performers to achieve the highest performance level. It is every young athletes dream to reach an international level and gain the recognition that comes with it. Yet, the chances of achieving so, appear to be lower than ever.

In track and field sports it’s the African nations that dominate, in boxing and wrestling the eastern European nations, in football the European and South American countries  dominate, in gymnastics the Russians and Chinese, in rugby New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England, in archery the

Chinese and the list could go on. This could be due to better training facilities, a greater availability of

trainers and coaches, and greater physical development.

This begs the question of how India with a population of around 1.2 Billion people cannot compete and excel at the world stage in different sports. There are sports where India performs at a high level: shooting, cricket, kabadi and boxing to an extent, though.

 In the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, India placed fifty-eighth with zero gold medals. China with a population of 1.34 Billion people topped the medal tally with a total of fifty-one medals, and amongst them were 30 gold medals. India, with the second largest population in the world did not manage to achieve a single gold medal. On the other hand, Azerbaijan with a population of a little over 9 million took eleventh place in the tally.

This list of facts is not new to the Indian population, which puts a large burden on the shoulders of aspiring athletes. Sections of the population believe this to be positive as it will drive athletes to achieve; but others echo the question – what if they have already reached their peak levels? Certain athletes now choose the shortest route available to them, which is the use of performance enhancing drugs.

The scandals surrounding these athletes are a big blow for Indian athletics and sport as a whole. The victories at Delhi Commonwealth Games and Asian games have been completely white-washed by this episode, which will impact India's chances in the 2012 Olympics. This scandal has brought Indian sport into disrepute and has no doubt shamed India.

The matter of why these performance enhancing drugs are being used begs answers. It is a well known fact that India has so much raw talent and many young athletes with immense promise, but why isn't it cultivated? Why isn't it channeled in the right direction?  There seems to be however, no immediate answers to these questions in sight..

What are the most Common performance-enhancing drugs?

Creatine - Creatine is a naturally occurring compound in the body that's also sold as an over-the-counter supplement. It's primarily used to enhance recovery after a workout and increase muscle mass and strength. Creatine is popular with athletes who participate in football, gymnastics, hockey and wrestling. Side effects include weight gain, nausea, muscle cramps and kidney damage.

Anabolic steroids - Anabolic steroids are synthetic versions of the hormone testosterone, used to build muscle and increase strength. They're popular with football players and weightlifters. Use of anabolic steroids can cause heart and liver damage, halt bone growth, and result in a permanently short stature.

Steroid precursors - Steroid precursors, such as androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), are substances that the body converts into anabolic steroids. They're used to increase muscle mass. Most steroid precursors are illegal without a prescription. DHEA, however, is still available in over-the-counter preparations. Side effects of steroid precursors are similar to those for steroids.

Stimulants - Another type of commonly used substance is stimulants. These are drugs that may decrease a person’s fatigue, suppress their appetite and increase their attentiveness. Stimulants do exactly that and stimulate, stimulating the body’s nervous system, allowing the heart rate to increase, blood pressure to rise as well as the body’s temperature and metabolism. Stimulants are commonly purchased over-the-counter and available to athletes and children alike. Caffeine pills, amphetamines, diet pills, and even cold remedies containing ephedrine are

considered stimulants as well as street drugs such as cocaine.

Dope on Doping...

~ Shehan Minocher 11 AICE

Often in our modern lives students come across tough academic decisions to make. Whether it be what subjects to take or what courses to choose these choices can cause a great deal of stress on an individual. Students are forced to imagine themselves twenty years in the future and picture what kind of job or occupation they might take up. The significance of these decisions our often emphasized by over bearing parents and enthusiastic teachers. If you’re one of those bothersome students who had decided at the age of 12 you were going to pursue art or medicine that’s all very well for you, but the general consensus among teens when confronted by thoughts of their future is one of shear confusion and terror.At a young age students are often sorted out into two categories the first group being artistic and the second being more inclined to humanities or science. From my experience the lucky few student who fell into the former category have an easier time of things. These students can lay back and relax after collecting their portfolio and get into some design related field. They often end up going into film or graphic design by default. Art students may argue that there are many niches to choose from but, at the end of the day they just have to lazily choose a good college and once their foundation is done they strut into any field they see fit. For those of us who have not been fortunate enough to fall into this category life is a tougher struggle. We have numerous choices to make which affect our career path in big ways.

There are so

many fields to choose

from and all the small decisions you make

will define what field you go into. However as the grass is always

greener on the other side this is not always viewed as a bad thing. Everyone has had that experience of being told by a more senior member how life was in their day. I remember a family member once telling me with a nostalgic look in his eye about the perils of belonging to the good old days. He went on in length to describe how if you belonged to the golden age you had only three choices you could become a doctor, lawyer or engineer and how he was forced by his eager parents into (in his opinion) the most monotonous of them all engineering . A friend of his nearby who was in real estate chimed in with a smile that you could choose his occupation as well and become an outcast. The only advice one can give about choosing you’re future is to listen to your heart. At the end of the day this abstract statement holds some truth. The only person (parents aside) that can choose the outcome of your life is you and while there are so many options it is up to you to decide how you’re life will play out. No one expects you to one day frantically yell “Eureka!” and have your future planned out. You are expected to think about it and slowly narrow down your options. The way I view it is in order to discover what you want to pursue you must first decide what you don’t. This is the simplest way of finding a path in this world filled with infinite options. As you move to higher grades you would find the number of things you rather not do increase (believe me I know) and as that happens you’ll notice a foggy picture of what you might want to pursue emerge.

What is not often noticed is the fact that we use this process of elimination in our everyday lives. I relate this to an incident when my cousin and I were heatedly debating in my drawing room a topic of vital importance. As the discussion progressed things started getting more emotional and heated. The topic that was causing us both so much grief was which movie we were going to watch at a nearby theater. After a while of futile arguing we managed to decide which movie we would prefer not to see. From that point we systematically narrowed down our options. Half way through my aunt suggested that we go for some soppy love story. This just goes to show that unless your parents are of the sensible kind you must not allow them to completely influence important life changing decisions. In the end we both found something agreeable. Now you’re probably wondering why I’m driveling on about some movie, the point is this: when weighing difficult options about ones future one should treat it like you would treat day to day choices and proceed with what you feel what’s best for you. Choosing a career is a process of discovery that involves time and thought and we can only hope that when we discover what were passionate about were well prepared for it

~ Ishan Rao 11 AICE

To be or not to be...

Page 7

Page 8

~ Rahul Bhatia

11 ISC

The Frank Anthony Memorial Debate

The first round of the Frank Anthony Memorial Debate was recently held at Mallya Aditi International School. Nine reputed schools from Bangalore and Hyderabad such as Bishop Cottons, St. Paul’s, St. Joseph’s, Clarence and Sophia took part in this debate. Each school sent two students for the debate, one student spoke for the topic while the other spoke against the topic. The contesting students were given the topic an hour before the debate to prepare their speech. The topic of this debate was “Tradition and culture are obstacles to the growth of a nation.”

Culture is the way of life for a particular community; it is defined by the customs, beliefs, art, music and literature of that particular community. It is something that is encoded within an individual during childhood and remains within throughout the course of life. Culture is something that may alter slightly, but will never change. Different cultures have evolved in different ways, but none of them has changed completely. The roots are always retained. There are many cultures across the globe, including the many cultures of India, which have given her its identity.

Tradition may be defined as a custom or a way of doing something that has existed for a long time in a community. Culture and tradition are very closely related. In fact tradition is often said to be part of culture. The only difference between tradition and culture is that a tradition may change but culture remains constant. Several traditions exist throughout the world, including some very controversial ones in India.

 Many interesting and valid points were raised by the students who spoke for the topic. They said that culture has been formed for the upper strata of the society, it suppressed the education of many, and it discourages modern technology. Most students stressed that culture and traditions encourage discrimination against women and lower castes, the mention of female infanticide and sati was also made a few times.

The students who spoke against the topic too raised a lot of valid points, the most important being that tradition and culture were the two largest contributors to the Indian freedom struggle. Other important points were that culture and tradition give a country its identity, culture promotes the tourism of a country and that culture has provided a lot of employment to the indigenous population India. Another point was that culture can help in conserving the environment.

 Though the debate raised a lot of valid questions, there was no clear definition of either culture or tradition. Each student spoke according to his/her own definition which was often differing from the definition used by the other student of the same school. Many students went of topic. Some of them didn’t have a clear idea about what they were talking about. Many statistical statements were incorrect and certain historical facts had been altered. In the end it can be said that debate was interesting but had its flaws. The round was won by Bishop Cottons boy’s school.

The Newsletter of

Mallya Aditi International School.

[email protected]

Amit Sankaran 11 AICE

Editor

Samarth Shyamanur 11 AICEPage Design