ROUND SQUARE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2019
EMERALD HEIGHTS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, INDORE

Nine students of TSRS Aravali from grades 11 and 12 attended the Round Square International Conference 2019 hosted by The Emerald Heights International School, Indore-India.

The first week of October, was one of the most engaging days of the academic year for us.   On the very first day of the conference there was a fantastic carnival-theme dinner at the school.  There were stalls for foods from different parts of the world, stalls for games and of course, a stall for ‘mehendi’.

Delegates from both regional and international schools were enthralled and danced into the night to fabulous music.

The Opening Ceremony on 3 October left us mesmerised and set the benchmark- we knew we would be a part of an amazing conference with nearly a thousand student and adult delegates from 6 continents and nearly 150 Round Square member schools.

The conference began with the address of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, a children’s rights activist from India.  His commitment to ensure that no child is exploited assured us that compassion and self-belief can ensure the progress of ‘Sarvodaya’- the world we wish to see- the theme of the conference.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a leading parliamentarian whose eloquent address left the audience spell bound.  Ms. Kiran Gandhi, an electronic music artist and women’s rights activist, Sophia, the humanoid and the first ever robot-citizen of the world, Swami Gaur Gopal Das, a popular life coach, and Major D.P. Singh, India’s first ever blade runner, were the speakers who greatly inspired us and moved us to the core.

The trips to the city of Mandu and Muketeshwar made all Indians proud of our rich cultural and architectural heritage.  Mandu, a beautiful city, is nestled in the hills and has various forts and palaces.  from the top of the architectural wonders we witnessed breath-taking views that can hardly be seen anywhere else.   We also went to Maheshwar, a city famous for the quality of its textiles and the beauty of the flowing Narmada and its ghats.  Lastly, we also participated in a 3-kilometre marathon with Major D.P. Singh for cancer, which we are proud to say that we all completed.

We all participated in different service programmes as well. Some spent time with the mentally challenged, others went to visit Indore’s deaf and dumb foundation, and still others went to paint the walls of a school and see organic farming. This is just a glimpse of the things that we did in the service programmes. These all worked towards making us better people and also made us appreciate the privileges that we have in life.

Every night, we also had theme dinners. These celebrated the flavours and traditions of different parts of India, like the north or south, and were accompanied by mesmerising performances from the students of Emerald Heights.  After each dinner, we also had a DJ, and danced well into the night as we enjoyed ourselves with our friends, both old and new.

We have all returned enriched with experiences that we shall cherish for a lifetime and have built strong bonds of friendship that we are certain will last forever!