Our Schools

Ekya / April 29, 2019 Posted by : administrator

The students of Ekya and CMR National Public School went on an Outbound trip to Kodaikanal. In addition to what they learn in the classroom, these trips help children actually explore and understand the things they learn. This trip opened up the world of stars to these young students and they really enjoyed themselves.

Here is a detailed report of the trip by one of our young astronomy enthusiasts, Sohan Shanbhag, from Grade 7, Ekya School, JP Nagar.

With our suitcases, all packed, twenty-six excited faces embarked on a journey to Kodaikanal. We boarded a 27 seater A/C bus at 8:45 pm on the 19th of April 2019 from Ekya School J.P Nagar, Bengaluru. We were accompanied by Shanti Ma’am and two tour guides. All of us had fun talking to students from CMR NPS and Ekya School B.T.M Layout. According to me, everybody on the bus slept well, this would keep us fresh and energetic for the next day.

DAY ONE AT APACHE ADVENTURE CAMP [20/4/19]
At 8:00 am, our bus stopped at the end of the Main Road. We got to know that our bus didn’t fit on the road that goes to our camp, so we had to go by jeep.
Four jeeps had come to take us. One of them had our loaded suitcases, and the other three took us to the camp. It was about a twenty minute drive from the Main Road.
When we reached the camp, we were welcomed by the manager and staff of the camp.

Ashutosh, Laksh, Vedant, Arav, Rishabh and I had occupied a tent which had 8 bunk beds. There were two extra beds, so we put all our suitcases in one and all our goodies and valuable things in the other. We also covered them with a blanket so nobody would get to know about our secret hiding place. The tent had an attached bathroom. Every night, we used to decide the order of brushing and taking bath in the morning. On Saturday, I got to bathe first. Unfortunately, I went in too early and the hot water was not available yet.
That morning, after everybody freshened up, we left for the canteen to eat breakfast. On our way we were stopped by two of the tour guides who walked up to us and told us that they wanted to talk to us.
They introduced themselves- Riyaz Sir was in charge of all the adventure activities. And Sneh Sir was in charge of all the astronomy and museum activities that were in store for us. Sneh Sir told us that post breakfast we would have fun while taking part in the adventure activities; including Burma Bridge, rope walking and many more.
After a sumptuous breakfast, with the company of Riyaz Sir, we went down the path towards the adventure activities. After we put on our safety harnesses, we started with the net walking activity; it was quite tough. Then, we walked on a tight rope, on a mini cylinder and even a bridge made out of logs! Zip lining while sitting on a tire was so fun! As soon as we started the zip line, it started drizzling, so we had to postpone the activities to post lunch.
After a power-packed lunch consisting of rice, rasam and many other items, we left to do the other activities. We also had to do some survival activities. We went for tea and snacks. After a short break in our tents, we assembled at the canteen for the bonfire. We had a nice time playing Chinese Whispers, singing and dancing. We later had dinner and talked for a while. We went back to our tents and had a party. We shared all the goodies we got from home. According to me, day one at our camp was fun and adventurous. We slept at 11:45 pm, after sharing horror stories!

DAY TWO AT APACHE ADVENTURE CAMP AND THE HILLS [21/4/19]
We woke up at 5:45 am and freshened up. At around 7:30 am, post breakfast, we went for a trek on the beautiful hills of Kodaikanal. We went down the hill, through large trees. An experienced farmer and Riyaz Sir accompanied us on our way. Many of us got stuck in twigs and roots, but still managed to make our way to our first checkpoint-the waterfall. Shanti Ma’am took many pictures of our group while all of us were posing. Our second checkpoint was the hilltop. This was the first time in two days that we got a strong enough network connection to speak to our families.
We went back to the tents and freshened up for lunch. After a hearty lunch, we left for rock climbing. All of us did an exceptional job by climbing above our height.
Before the tea break, we made rockets with Sneh sir. We were given all the materials needed. He taught us the fuel and chambers of a rocket. He told that the fuel for our rockets was a dangerous chemical called ‘Dihydrogen Monoxide’ and if it fell on us, it would harm our skin. Cautious but excited, we were ready to launch our rockets. All of them went really high and some of the ‘chemical’ fell on our skin. We panicked a lot and asked each other if our skin looked different.
Sir later told that he tricked us! It was nothing but the water [H2O]. We had a good laugh! Then we started our next task-making a sky wheel, which acts as a guide to locate constellations. We had to cut and stick paper. We noticed that many Harry Potter characters were named after constellations like Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black, and Bellatrix Lestrange. We later had tea and cake. Then, we went back into our tents and rested for a while. At around 7:00 pm, we assembled at an open and leveled area. Five people were sleeping and refused to come. We were there to learn how to assemble the parts of a telescope. We were able to magnify and find stars and constellations. Looking at the stars was quite fun.

At around 7:45 pm, we went for dinner. After having hot and fresh Masala Dosas, we back into our tents and rested for about a couple of hours. Later, at around 9:30 pm, we were called near the telescope to observe the Moon and its craters. All of us were talking about the Rabbit on the Moon. We had to wait for about fifteen minutes for the clouds to clear up before we could see the Moon. The Moon definitely had to treat all of us for waiting to see it! We went back into our tents and slept by 11:30 pm.

DAY THREE AT KODAIKANAL [22/4/19]
After freshening up by 7:30 am, we left for breakfast. A jeep came, and it loaded our suitcases as we were leaving the camp. We hopped on and went towards the bus. We boarded the bus and left for the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory. Over there we learned about the layers and spots on the sun and how the telescope can magnify the sun. We then had lunch at a restaurant. After lunch, we left for the Shenbagnur Museum of Natural Sciences. The animals were real, but not alive- they had been preserved. Then we went to Bryant Park. We observed different types of flowers. We played running and catching in the open ground. We left the park at around 5:45 pm. Before dinner, we played some songs on the bus. At around 7:15 pm, we went to Domino’s Pizza for dinner. We played some word games while eating. We left Kodaikanal taking with us all the good memories we shared there. This was around 8:15 pm.

TO CONCLUDE:
This trip to Kodaikanal was absolutely amazing. I would like to thank Shanti Ma’am, Ekya School and our parents for giving us the opportunity to explore Kodaikanal. We were sad after leaving Kodaikanal but at the same time happy reaching home.

More Stories From Ekya:

Explore more

Ekya / March 26, 2024

The Hot Garlic Soup Inspired by ‘The Last Leaf’ by O. Henry

Sue and Johnsy, two young artists, shared a small flat on the third storey of an old house.
Johnsy fell ill in November. She was diagnosed with pneumonia. She would lie in her bed, gazing out of the window. Sue sent for the doctor. The doctor said to Sue, “Johnsy’s condition is not so serious yet. It seems she is unable to recover because she has lost the will to live.”
Sue became extremely worried for Johnsy’s well-being and mental health. She tried to make Johnsy interested in the things around her, but Johnsy never replied with more than a noncommittal hum.
One day, Sue was painting when she heard Johnsy counting backwards. Sue looked out of the window and saw an old ivy creeper climbing on the brick wall. The ivy was shedding its leaves in the strong gust of the wind.
“They are falling faster now,” whispered Johnsy. “Three days ago there were so many leaves. Only five are left now.”
“It is autumn,” said Sue, “and the leaves will fall.”
“When the last leaf falls, I will die” said Johnsy with finality. “I have felt this for the last three days.”
“Oh, that’s nonsense,” replied Sue. “Why do you believe your fate is tied to those old ivy leaves?”
“Human life is fleeting, just like those ivy leaves,” said Johnsy. “I got sick just as the ivy started shedding its leaves. It must be an omen. The last leaf will fall, and I will slip into slumber forever.”
Sue sat on Johnsy’s bed, kissed her and said, “You are not going to die. Plenty of people fall sick in autumn, and they recover soon enough. Do you want some soup?”
“I don’t want any soup. My time is almost up, I’m sure of it,” murmured Johnsy.
Sue decided to change tactics. She was not going to give up on Johnsy.
“It is true that human life is somewhat fleeting, but that’s exactly what makes life valuable. Do you not want to see what life has to offer before you slip into slumber? Will you not miss the cool breeze waking you up, the warm embrace of sunlight? Do you want to give up the feeling of the paintbrush gliding over the canvas?” Sue quavered.
“Look beyond the ivy to that tree over there,” Sue continued. “Even that tree is shedding its leaves, but it is also growing new leaves. It is going to live for many more years, just like you.”
Johnsy contemplated for a while. Then, she looked out of the window and smiled.
“Perhaps I will have some hot garlic soup. You made me realise that life is worth living after all.”
Written by Aahana,
from grade 9A

Ekya / March 22, 2024

Importance of Literature in a Classroom.

"Literature is one of the most interesting and significant expressions of humanity" - P.T.Barnum

We as humans are social beings. We can't imagine our lives to be solitary. Literature facilitates us to understand and communicate with one another in society. It helps us explore the world around us and is a medium to express our views and experiences. So it is of vital importance that the students are introduced to literature at a young age.

Literature is necessary for students as it helps them to develop imagination, improves vocabulary and language skills and even enhances creativity. Literature helps them understand the world outside their home and school.

It is disheartening to see that literature is often not put on the same pedestal as other technical subjects like Math or Science. where it shouldn't be the case.

Literature includes different types of texts like stories and fables, myths

and legends, poetry and drama or even informational texts that help them explore other subjects. It prepares students to read and understand the real world.

There are one too many benefits of including literature at a young age. It is like an exercise for the brain, keeping an individual mentally active and stimulated.

Exposure to cultures from different countries brings in a sense of respect and tolerance, a feat possible through literature. It motivates one to appreciate different lives and their ways and also to graciously disagree with something that may not be right. The different characters the students are introduced to become a source of inspiration. They start to imagine themselves in varied situations. they learn different solutions to problems they come across.

More importantly, reading is fun and literature develops an inclination toward reading and makes them self-learners.

It can be concluded that literature is a gateway to nurturing a child’s life skills more than any assignment or task

can ever do.

Written By:

Shruthi Prakash

English Educator - Primary

Ekya Schools BTM Layout

Ekya / March 22, 2024

A Day to Remember: Juniors Bid Goodbye to Seniors with a Spectacular Farewell Party.

As the academic year draws to a close, emotions run high at our beloved school. The time has come for the juniors to express their gratitude, love, and affection for their departing seniors.

And what better way to do this than by throwing an unforgettable farewell party?

The air was buzzing with excitement as the juniors meticulously planned every detail to make it a night that their seniors would cherish forever.

The audio-visual room was transformed into a place of nostalgia and celebration, adorned with decorations to welcome the seniors. Each performance was filled with energy, enthusiasm, and dedication. Each video played, spoke volumes about the memories shared and the bonds formed throughout their academic journey, blanketing the atmosphere with a mix of joy, laughter, and a hint of bittersweet anticipation.

Our seniors were all dressed up to the nines for the occasion with the girls in a blue and white saree and the boys in black suits.

But how did all of this come to be? I am a grade 11 student and let me take you through behind the scenes of this event and how we prepared for this event.

  • Many girls formed a group and decided to dance to “Paint It Red” and “All Is Well”. Everyone’s efforts are to be appreciated as they come up with new steps and formations. Well-coordinated teamwork led to an amazing performance that got everyone cheering.

  • Meanwhile, my batchmate, Lara,  and a few teachers were preparing to sing songs dedicated to the seniors. Lara sang a melodious rendition of “When You Believe” and the teachers sang a medley of songs which got the seniors singing along as well!

  • The boys planned on dancing to the song “Galti Se Mistake” and their performance was full of creativity and humour. The choreography was inspired by the original music video of the song and they worked hard together and taught each other the steps. This performance got everyone giggling and cheering so loud!

  • It did not end with the students, even the teachers chose to step into this grand celebration. They danced on a variety of songs and each song made the seniors hoot louder. Even though they had a very busy schedule they would still take time and dedicate it to the dance practice during after-school hours. Huge kudos for their coordination and effort!

  • Mohana and Arshia came up with a very engaging script which had the attention of the audience. A small game was organised for the students where they had to write something good about one of their batchmates. Everybody put their hands together and made 32 crowns of appreciation for their seniors. A video of the seniors was made including photos and videos of their dearest memories. Last but not least, our teachers also prepared a video message for the seniors bidding farewell and wishing them the best for their future endeavours.

The day finally came. The 10th of February came. It was the day - the day for which we had been preparing for days. The graduation.

The place was set, the background screen was ready, the mic was ready and the sound system was ready. Our seniors came one by one and the auditorium was filled with chatter until the anchors came in and the event started.

After a few minutes, the head boy gave a heartfelt speech, followed by the chit game of affirmations then Lara’s beautiful performance.

The girls donned black kurtis and sunglasses and danced to “Paint It Red”, which got a round of applause. The seniors loved the “Galti Se Mistake” dance by the boys for its creativity and comedic execution and what made it better was the shorts with shirt and tie combination. The dance finale was to the song “All Is Well” which got the audience cheering for the dancers with lots of enthusiasm.

Then a video filled with the memories of the seniors was shown which made most of them emotional. The dance which everybody was eagerly anticipating started - it was our beloved teachers who completely rocked the stage with their amazing performance.

Then a few teachers gave a very emotional message followed by songs dedicated to their students. The event came to an end with video messages by the teachers,  a crowning ceremony and high tea.

In conclusion, the event was successful, and enjoyed by all the students - juniors, seniors and teachers. It wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s contribution and teamwork. It was an emotional roller coaster for everyone and a day which will never be forgotten.

Written By:

Stutee Samantray

(Grade 11, Ekya BTM)

Leave a Comment

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WEP 2019 – Experience/Learning – Students’ Account

Our Work Exposure Program (WEP) 2019 is in progress, and the students of Ekya Schools, CMR National Public School, and CMR National PU College are having some professional time at their summer internships. Our students are placed in reputed organizations such as; Advance Education & Computer Services, XLR8, Olive Planet, Play Arena, The Green Pocket, Goobes Book Republic, Vita Beans Neural Solutions, Arius Holidays, Photomojo, Reap Benefit, Bengaluru FC, Lodestar, Crazy Holidays. Many NGOs such as; U&I, Sandesh, Avasar Foundation, Key Education Foundation, Diya Foundation, Indus Action, Udhyam Learning Foundation, CRY-Child Rights and You and Reap Benefit have accepted our students for summer internships. In this blog, we have shared the students' account on their experience and learning at WEP 2019. Diya & Ashmika   Interning at Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled We would like to share our experience and the knowledge gained while working at Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. Here are the following things we learned during the work exposure:
  • Ensure you come early on your first day so that you don't get gloomy thoughts about yourself and the first day.
  • Writing formal emails when you require leave or any sort of permission to be taken.
  • To be ready to work as per the task assigned at any given point of time.
  • Working with new partners and cooperating together
  • Always communicate to the point, so that you don't end up causing any misunderstandings between your team and Manager.
KEENISHA  Interning at Green Pocket (Organising summer camp for children) The GreenPocket is a beautiful and creative place for the kids to just enjoy and spend some happy time. Surrounded by trees and nature it is a tiny little place for the kids to re-energize. We do many different activities every day ranging from dance, craft, swimming, storytelling, wall painting, field trips to spending time with the pets around. I am enjoying my time here along with the kids and have started to feel like a kid again. I thank WEP and The GreenPocket for this lovely opportunity for me to explore my childhood again and learn lessons on teamwork and unity. AYUSH ARYAN  Interning at Bengaluru Football Club I have been working for almost a month now in The Bengaluru Football Club (BFC). The work assigned was tiring as well as challenging, but it also got the best out of me. Be it inventory management, inventory stock, data entry, and being a part of the media team indeed felt great and working India’s richest football club has enriched my experience as to how remarkably excellent the club has performed in previous tournaments. I also got an understanding of the management functions in a firm and this experience would surely benefit my career in the future. I am thankful to the CMR Group of Institutions for providing me with such an amazing experience and opportunity. NIDHI SAMUEL  Interning at Photomojo The Internship programme is going on pretty well. Every day, we learn new things and most of all we get a lot of practice. It's been a wonderful experience and I'm glad to be a part of this amazing company. GAYATHRI  Interning at AECS I am learning Web Design in the internship at AECS Academy (ARENA). I also learned how to use Word press to make different websites, and the mentors here are kind and approachable. RAYAN Interning at Olive Planet (Store for Military Gear) I am having a great time at my internship. The place where I intern at, Olive Planet is a lovely place and I've learned a lot since joining. The people here are super helpful, encouraging and teach me new things. PRANAY REDDY Interning at XLR8 (Indoor Sports Arena) The working environment at XLR8 is really good and I am thankful for the work exposure program for such an initiative. It is all going good! MUSKAN RASTOGI Interning at Vita Beans My internship is going on very well at Vita Beans. I have been working on a common project called "Parentship Activities" which is based on different subjects such as; Maths, Science, Social Science, and English. We work in groups of two people with a unique topic based on the above subjects. We were asked to think of an activity based on the topic and fill all the relevant sections in Google Docs. I am now working on some special projects, and create content for social media. My experience of Interning at Vita Beans in an office environment along with professionals is wonderful. I learned how to be social and how to interact with people. This internship also helped me to advance my thinking ability and interaction skills. ANIRRUTH V  Interning at XLR8 It's been four weeks since I started my internship and I've learned a lot during this period. It's been a nice experience where we get to learn about some new sports like paddle tennis and handball. We were given the task to handle the summer camp for kids where we monitored and guided the participants. It’s a nice working environment and I thank the work exposure program for introducing such an initiative. AMINA MISBAH Interning at Lodestar Career Guidance The people here are really good and kind to us. My experience at Lodestar career guidance is really amazing. We learned how to do excel sheet works in a better way. I have learned how to research in a better way. We have learned how to coordinate with people. I am really thankful that our college gave this opportunity to us. KRITI SENGUPTA  Interning at Diya Foundation I am working at the Diya Foundation assisting the intellectually disabled people on their fine motor skills and art. This internship has really exposed me to a large section of society that I was not acquainted with. I have never met or worked with intellectually disabled people and it did take me some time to settle down in that surrounding. At times I would get so anxious as to what to say and what to do, but after a few days, I had started looking forward to going to Diya every morning. I have met so many amazing people over the course of the 2 weeks. One of the main things I have learned is to be more patient and empathetic towards others. So far, I have had a great time at Diya!

More Stories from Ekya:

Topping Grade 12 CBSE Commerce – Sudeeptha Benya, Ekya School ITPL

Sudeeptha Benya the Grade 12 Commerce topper of Ekya School ITPL with 95%, believes that being attentive in the class has helped her understand the concepts better and makes it easy to clarify the doubts immediately. With an interest in sports, public speaking, dance, her stress buster during exams was music and badminton. Sudeeptha shares her success story with us, read on to know more: Did you really expect to top the school? Not really, but I expected good marks as I had performed well in the exams. Did you have a fixed pattern of study? How did you prepare for the exam? I do not believe to have a fixed pattern of study. I always focused on being attentive in the class and understanding each and every concept taught by the teachers. I tried to clear my doubts as much as possible and revised all the topics at home thoroughly. Do solving old question papers help? Yes, it helps in getting a hang of the question pattern, important questions frequently asked in exams and also helps in time management. What was your day like during the study holidays? During the study holidays, I would practice sums and revise the concepts. I took enough breaks to calm and relax. What was your coping mechanism during the exams? what was your stress-buster? Listening to music really helped me in coping with the exam stress. I would also play badminton to keep me refreshed. What was the highlight of your success? Practice, Hard work, and Consistency helped me in doing well. And in the age of digital distractions, did you have to stay away from gadgets for the month, Not at all, but I just limited the use of it. How did Ekya help in your preparation for the Boards? The teachers provided us with old question papers and sample papers. They cleared doubts and were patient in explaining the concepts again and again. How did it feel with the spotlight on you? It feels good. The success mantra that you want to share with other students? Give time for self-study. Work Hard, be Consistent, manage your time properly and practice whatever you learn. What are your best memories from College? School trip to Kolar & Open Day Preparations.    
More Stories from Ekya:

Find A World Beyond Boundaries

Enquire Now