www.theglobaltimes.inAIS GURUGRAM 46 | EDITION XIMONDAY, JULY 27, 2020

My dear Ami-tians, as webring to you thelast edition of‘ Q u a r a n t i n especial’ editionsof your favoritenewspaper, Imust congratu-late all of you

for the exemplary inner strength youall have shown in these times. These12 weeks have been an amazingexperience for me as I saw you allmanifest the virtues of compassion,strong will and courage to steer to-wards positivity and progress. With some of you participating inWorld Teenage Reporting Projectand reaching out to your peers in theother parts of the country to pendown their endeavours to be thechange, you have shown how pas-sionate, inclusive and responsibleyou all are as young journalists. I feelimmensely proud of each one of youfor having soulfully imbibed whatyour teachers and mentors havetaught you over all these years.These are very peculiar times but re-member that you can and will al-ways win because you are a humanbeing, the one with infinite ability totransform as your favourite newspa-per will continue to be your boule-vard of creativity.G T

Dr Amita ChauhanChairperson

QUARANTINE SPECIAL

Creativityin crisis

Is this the new normal?The Shift In Educational Landscape

Aanya BhargavaGurugram 46, XII I

COVID-19 forcedmost governmentsto temporarily close

educational institutions. Ac-cording to UNICEF monitor-ing, 134 countries arecurrently implementing na-tionwide closures and 38 areimplementing school closuresin certain locations, impactingabout 98.5 percent of theworld’s student population. In India, this closure affectedabout 300 million students,out of which 150 million stu-dents are economically weak.Many schools began conduct-ing classes via Zoom or MSTeams but the lack of accessto technology hinders edu-cation for students from dis-advantaged families. Forthis, UNESCO recommendeddistance learning programmesand open educational applica-

tions that schools could use toreach learners and keep theacademic year in motion.The lack of limitations andexceptions to copyright hashad an impact on the access tostudy materials and textbooksfor students around the world.To limit disruption, the inter-national council for open anddistance education issued aspecial website to provide we-binars, tips and resources foronline teaching and learningfor the students.The disadvantages are dispro-

portionate for less-privilegedstudents without enoughlearning opportunities, be-yond school. Parents havebeen asked to facilitate thelearning of children at homebut they may be unable to doso due to limited educationand rationed resources.New Zealand appears to havetaken the most effective meas-ures to try and limit the poten-tial damages of Covid-19 onlearners. The ruling govern-ment has provided more than6000 routers to learners with-out internet access, and ap-proximately 20,000 deviceshave been made availableto those who did not haveaccess to computers, amongseveral other measures.Education is one of the mostbasic yet important rights thateveryone in this country is en-titled to. So, let’s cooperateand do our bit to help the onesin need.G T

2MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020

The year of ruinThe Havoc That This Year Has Been Wreaking On Us

Tanush GuhaAIS Gurugram 46, XI J

The year 2020 has beennothing short of bizarre;it’s as if someone stuffed

the entire human populace in adoomsday game. Every monththat we have witnessed has beena new challenge that we stillhaven’t recovered from, so let’stake a month by month look at allthe problems 2020 has thrownour way till now.

January: Barbecue Down Under + WW3?

The dawn of the new year issupposed to be peaceful,with people pretendingto be serious abouttheir resolutions,laughter and pros-perity occupyingthe air. USA andIran obviouslydidn’t get the memo,and almost sparked WorldWar 3, with the unfortu-nate shooting down of apassenger plane. If thatwasn’t enough of a fierypayload, Australia hadwildfires spreadingacross the nation.

February: Brexit +Corona + Early Mon-

soon Spring, we love you, butwhy did you invitecousin Monsoon towreak havoc on us dur-ing the rare 29 days ofFebruary? As Britain en-joyed the hangover of its di-vorce from EU, incessantrainfall blanketed India. Of

course, the cherry on top of thebiggest ever-humble pie was thespread of a new Coronavirus,with the disease gaining theCOVID-19 tag and spreadingglobally. Worse was yet to comeas WHO confirmed human-to-human transmission of this virus.

March: Lockdown With cases ballooning and panicspreading, WHO declared

COVID-19 a global pandemic andgovernments across the globestarted implementing lock-downs. Elsewhere, for sportingbugs, the Summer Olympics werepostponed to 2021.

April: “Houston, we havea problem”

4/20 will make anyone considerwhether this year was just anApril’s Fool joke or not. If all we

had suffered till now wasn’tenough, the Pentagon inadver-tently confirmed the presence ofUFOs by quietly releasing videofootage while new mummieswere found in Egypt.

May: Earth heals May was a whirlwind, yet at thesame time, enough for all of us tostart reflecting and witnessing theEarth healing. With the hu-mankind locked up in their

houses, nature could finallybreathe. Earth was slowly

recovering. Delhi’s airwas rated ‘Good’ on theAQI. Of course, Yin hasto be balanced withYang; and, DonaldTrump did give his verymuch needed ‘health ad-visory’ on drinking sani-

tiser & injecting bleach(don’t try this at home).

June: Locusts + Magnet-ism + Cyclones

June has us impressed with its‘display of destruction’. A pre-dicted locust swarm is currentlydestroying crops globally, whilecyclones on both Indian coastshave resulted in further devas-tation. To add to the misery,weakening of the Earth’smagnetic field has soundedthe alarm for satellitesfalling out of the sky (adieuTV & Netflix). *sigh* Thisyear just keeps on giving.

And this has only been halfof the year. What waits for us

in the upcoming months, wedon’t know, but we can extrapo-

late that it won’t be somethinggreat. G T

Graphics: Amish Mamtani AIS Gurugram 46, X G

MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020 3

Peculiar Dreams That We All Experience During COVIDThe lucid conceit

Sayantani Dubey, AIS Gur 46, XI I

Well, hello there, fellow quaranti-ners! Have you been havingweirdly specific and unusually

vivid dreams ever since the lockdown began?If yes, don’t worry. It is a yet another side ef-fect of the looming threat of coronavirus, andthere is an explanation to it. Scientists andOneirologists (dream experts) have beenstudying the various types of lockdown spe-cific dreams, and finally, they have answers.But first, why do we actually dream? Dreamsoccur during the REM (rapid eye movement)stage of sleep. This is when our eyes movearound, our brain is awake, and our body isrelaxed. It is also the stage when most dreamsare recalled. Since, now we are less depend-ent on alarm clocks to wake us up and arewoken up naturally, our REM sleep cycles runsmoothly and completely. Consequently, weare dreaming more and can clearly recall whatwe dream. Turns out, coronavirus has affected

the nature of the dreams we have too. Ourquarantine dreams too have their genres.Some idyllic and rosy, some evil. Others,mundane and merged into real life. Here is theanalysis of a few.Dream: Being late to classes, your dog eatingup your assignment, missing trains and trafficjams, or anything that gives you a taste of thedaily drudgery and anxieties that we often ex-perienced earlier. Analysis: You, dear friend, are missing whatlife used to be before coronavirus but then,aren’t we all? With the lockdown detachingus from our ‘pre-apocalypse’ routine, thesedreams are a way of giving our mind a simu-lated opportunity to rehearse through every-day anxiety situations. Dream: Tormenting nightmares about beingchased by swarms of bugs, catching the virus,or a close friend or relative catching it.Analysis: Nightmares have a strong correla-tion with daytime tension. The whole worldis distressed by the current situation, which

in turn has a raw psychological effect on us.Dreams like such are normal responses fortimes like these and help us the overcomeour fear.Dream: Triumphant dreams about earlychildhood memories and reminiscent dreamsof fun times with friends and family. Sunnyand happy dreams, about sun shining in tech-nicolor, and savouring dishes at the top of awaterfall. Analysis: About half the function of sleep isto rejuvenate our mind, and get us ready forthe next day. Childhood comfort makes usfeel safe and having a dream about it lifts agreat deal of stress off of us. Well, that’s about it. Just know that there aremany more of these to come and all of themwill hold a different significance in your life.And remember, what you dream is a figmentof your subconscious. What you think, youdream about. So don’t forget to day-dreamabout your life gaining the same momentumlike before!G T

MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020 4

Mahi Modgil, AIS Gur 46, X A

“Fashion is the armour to survivethe reality of everyday life.”

The day Ms Corona waltzed into our liveswith her head held high, marked a very en-lightening epiphany for many. This entirepredicament has made us realise how mun-dane life sitting at home can be. Time goeson painstakingly slow and mostly comprisesof us envisioning what our lives would belike once all of this is over. One thing is ab-solutely certain- There will be major reformsin fashion under the influence of Ms Coronaherself. But you, dear reader, have no needto fret for we present to you Look book2020: Quarantine Edition! It encompassesall the new trends you need to catch up onalong with in-style accessories.

Mask-uerade your way through thestreets

Wearing masks is so in-style nowadays, it’san absolute must-have to make your outfitlook chic and also acceptable by law! It’s theperfect item to give your look that final touchof mystique it needs and applies to all kindof styles ranging from boring Monday to

still-boring Sunday. It is an anti-discrimina-tory product that is suitable for all shapes andsizes. Don’t let the fashion police catch youwithout one, or the actual one for that matter.

Fits like a glove Gloves have made their reappearance along-side the very ostentatious Ms Corona Virusand of course, the true fashionistas know thatthey never should have gone out of style inthe first place. Make sure to keep a pair ofgloves on hand, quite literally, when goingoutside and channel your inner Audrey Hep-burn every single time. It has received lotsof g(love) from critics and adds a certainflair of sophistication to your outfit.

99.9% ApprovedThe hand sanitiser is a major scent that hastopped the charts this month. This new re-freshing scent is sure to leave you feelingready for the day, not that you have much todo but it’s the thought that counts. It has beenrecommended bymajor fashionicons like theWHO aswell as

UNICEF, basically, the entire internet hasbeen gushing over this product. It adds toyour look a sense of responsibility and noth-ing is more fashionable than a person whoprevents the widespread of a communicabledisease, one pump of sanitiser at a time.

Keep calm and wear a HAZMAT suitFor all the dedicated fashionistas out there,who aren’t afraid to take risks, this product issure to satisfy all your needs. The HAZMATsuit is an acquired taste which emanatesuniqueness, I mean who wouldn’t want tolook like a beekeeper. It provides 100% pro-tection from people so that you wouldn’t haveto undergo the torturous process of initiatingconversation with someone you don’t want to.This eccentric piece of apparel stands againstbody shaming as well as viruses.

Well there you have it, fellow fashion divas,a guide to catch up with all the latest trends.Style away!G T

Look book 2020To All The Fashionistas Out There, This Is The Time!

5

A Little Of Corona Terms In Our ClassClass of 2020

MONDAY, JULY 27, 2020

Farhan Siddiqui, AIS Gurugram 46, X E

The unfurling of Coronavirus has puteveryone inside their nutshells, andhas given us new friends, and as the

graduating session has arrived, these newfriends has become a part of our class. So,let’s hear what role they play in the class fun! Lockdown: Repeated jokes and messy hairare his niches. With promising performancein the midterm, he became everyone’sfavourite in no time, but eventually peoplelost the interest in him. His mother makes de-licious food, and he is always late for school. Masks and Gloves: A pair of inseparablefriends, they always feel the need to go out fora stroll after every period and are a part ofevery friend circle. With integrity like that ofconcrete, they can always be relied on. Pandemic: He’s the talk of the town and hasmore enemies than friends. He has the mostfollowers on Instagram, but isn’t known forbeing a good influence. The class is peacefulwhen he’s absent and teachers prefer him outof the class mostly. Sanitiser: Turned out to be a hidden gem,and is now loved by everyone! She is the

teacher’s pet, and no one seems to mind herpresence. With a charming personality, shehas proved herself time and again. Also, shesmells amazing! Red Zone:A bully on loose, he often arousescrisp trepidation in his classmates. No onelikes to talk to him, let alone be around him.He is danger pesonified.Immunity: The class tends to get dull withouther ever-charming self. Everyone takes pridein calling themselves her friend, with her ex-cellent note-making and competitive quirks.She hates Pandemic and Red Zone, and it onlyseems to get worse! Hydroxychloroquine: Came in like a knightin shining armour, but hasn’t been much helpto his peers lately. Rose to popularity at firstbut his poor performance disappointed every-one and eventually, he went into the shadows. Vaccine: The most hyped girl in the class.Hasn’t been able to reach teacher’s and par-ent’s expectations as yet, but she doesn’t seemto stop trying. She is determined to make achange and has everyone counting on her. Not much of an idyllic class, right? Coron-avirus, however, did turn out to be a greatteacher.G T

Plight of acouch

Angad GautamAIS Gurugram 46, VIII E

You are boarding a very long flight So, fasten your seat belts, good lordAnd clutch in the armrest tight Your couch’s waiting for you to board

I was once abandoned and cornered Wishing for someone to give me a hugHoping and praying for just a little snug As people their school or office revered

It’s been forever since you last embraced But thanks to China; their varied tastesNow humans are spread all over me Nowadays I am crashed on, all day

To my fright, neither the young nor oldNow give me any moment of respite With all the jumping and binging on me Even the pets bark, looking at my plight

Elbow deep in couch-potato-syndrome They now groan at being woken upThey call themselves arm-chair experts I see them as some free, idle converts

You would call it “COVID and couch”I beg you to make it “all day slouch”I have spoken a lot and tired myself out Find some other hotspot, I quit, I shout

But you know I am always here for youTo welcome you without any hesitation Even if you are tired or welled upDo come sometimes, just not so oftenG T

WORDS VERSE