24th October 2009 - The Scindia School

Qila Quotes | Old Boys' News | 7Qila Quotes | Interview | 8 VOL 5 | Oct 2009Old Boys’ NewsNalin Mehta’s(Rn ’96) book 'India on Television: How Satellite News Channels Changed the Way WeThink and Act' (New Delhi: Harper Collins, 2008) has been awarded the Asian Multimedia PublishingAward for Best Book/Best Writer on Asian Media. The announcement was made at the Asian PublishingConvention in Manila.Kalyan Banerjee (Ex Md’59) and Madhav awardee for the year 2003), has been selected by theRotary International Nominating Committee to be the Rotary International President for Rotary Year2011-2012. He thus becomes the third Indian to be the President of Rotary International in its history of105 years. Contact banerjeekm@uniphos.comLt Gen BS Sisodia (60’s), on retirement from the Army after a distinguished career, has been selectedand appointed as a Member of the newly set up Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT). The AFT has been set upby the Government of India to provide speedy redressal of the grievances of Officers and personnel belowOfficer rank. Gen Sisodia has been posted to the Lucknow Bench of the AFT which has jurisdiction of UP,Uttrakhand, MP and Chattisgarh.Insaaf, Alliance of Artists, Activists and Academicians and Control Arms Foundation of India hosted thefourth edition of ‘Cinemala Festival’ in New Delhi. The festival offers a platform to budding film makersto showcase their creativity and to interact with veteran film personalities in an informal manner. RahatKulshreshtha’s (Ex Ja ’07) 30 minute film, ‘Shackles of Liberty’ was also screened there. Describedas a human rights film it focuses on the controversial detention facility set up by the US in GuantanamoBay. It is a matter of great pride that the film has also been shortlisted for the Golden Gate Fiction &Documentary Festival, San Francisco (USA).Jaspreet Singh Walia (Ex Mj, left the school in ’92) would like to share with the fellow Scindiansthe news of the completion of his film, ‘Lamha’ which is slated for release in December/January. The film,which is a thriller, is set in Kashmir. It has an impressive star cast and a great storyline. We are sure thatthe movie will be a resounding Success. Contact jaspreet.walia@avmite.com.Dr Sudhir Bloeria( Ex Mj ’62, Madhav Awardee for the year 2004) visited the school andstayed on campus for a week. He attended the school functions and interacted with staff and students. Headdressed the students and gave them informative talks on different topics. The teachers also enjoyed aninformative discourse on J&K. All of us enjoyed interacting with him and have greatly benefited by hispresence.Divyanshu Poddar (Mj’08) has secured a B.Tech seat for aerospace engineering at IIST, Trivandrumon 100% scholarship.Rohan Borpujari (Ex Sh ’08) has got admission in Manchester University, Manchester for completionof his B.A and M.B.A in four years. We wish him all the luck.The Bhopal chapter of SOBA organised a get together at Greenwood Country Club, Bhopal. This wasattended by 70 old boys. The highlight of the evening was the felicitation of former teacher Mr ShareefAhmad.The members of Nagpur SOBA donated Rs. 14000 to Asha School run by Army Wives Welfare Fund.The DD for this amount has been sent to Lt. Gen. SPS Dhillon, National SOBA President. Nagpur SOBAhas also been very active on the social front. They had an informal coffee evening and also organisedan indoor sports meet which was attended by a large number of Scindians along with their families. Allparticipants were distributed beautifully designed SOBA badges and a SOBA table-top memento on theoccasion. The meet commenced with a Scindia-style nihari and tea and ended with a sumptuous lunch.Ed: What is that one thingwhich you would like TheScindia School to have?AA: To never part with/orchange the unique heritagesetting that we have...ourbeautiful Fort. I would alsolike to see a good and wellequipped photographicsociety/ department. If there’sany help I can be of, in thearea of sharing my experiencesin photography.........anytime!Would love to share myknowledge with the boys.Interview oface photographer AmitAshar Ex Md ’83with Mrs. Puja Pant, Editor- The Scindia School Review.Ed: How did you decide to take up photography as a career option? Were you involvedwith it while in school?AA: I happened to meet a photographer, who was in shorts and a t-shirt, in his air-conditioned studio (therewas great music playing too) with a mug of coffee in his hand, and he was lighting up a lovely model fora fashion campaign!! That was it!!....I thought to myself...'this man’s not working!! He’s enjoying himself.This looks like something I can do for the rest of my life!!' And that was the beginning! Then I worked asan apprentice with a photographer called Sanjeev Angne (India’s leading car photographer today). Thatwas my learning phase and I loved every bit of it!!Ed: You take up different kinds of photography assignments like shooting portfolios, film advertising,commercials etc. What do you enjoy the most and why?AA: Yes I take up many different types of assignments and actually enjoy all but what I enjoy the most isbeing on my own and just wandering. Being in a new place helps because everything is new and fresh.Your curiosity is heightened. The images I shoot then, are entirely me! They are not shot for anyone orto sell any product or to impress anyone. Purely my space, my way of seeing and expression. It’s verysatisfying to see a good image that way.Ed: What are some of the positives and negatives of your job?AA: Everything is positive!!! The only negative was the one you made prints from!! I can’t think of beingin any other profession!Ed: Is there any one assignment that you are particularly proud of?AA: I am very proud of an ad campaign I shot for the telecom giant TIGO for Ghana and my campaignfor RANG DE BASANTI.Ed: You had visited the School for the 25th year reunion of your batch. How was it to come back to theSchool and meeting your batchmates after so many years?A.A.- It was amazing to meet the boys and their families! The 25 years gone by just disappeared!! It waslike yesterday!!Ed: Will you ever plan to come and do a photo shoot in school? Which place in the school do you thinkis the most photo friendly?AA: Oh sure!!! If the demands of the shoot are a location like our fort then surely yes I will come andshoot there. There are so many beautiful spots there...the Mansingh palace has some very interesting andmysterious nooks and crannies. My favourite spot not photographically though, but just to experience, isthe Astachal. Love it!!Ed: Mrs. Puja PantAA: Amit Ashar