Dr. Quleen Kaur Bijral, an alumnus of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, was recently invited as a Chief Guest at the English Language Week celebrated by Model Academy, the Prestigious School of MIER. Dr. Quleen has pursued and successfully concluded her Ph.D. study under the supervision of Dr. Vandana Sharma, Dean and Head of Department of Languages & Literature, SMVD University. The highlight of The English Language Week, as an important annual literary/cultural event of Model Academy was 'Meet the Author' in which Dr. Quleen, columnist and author from Jammu was invited to interact and share her experiences with the students. Rupa Gupta, Management Representative, Pramod Srivastava, Principal Model Academy along with Usha Gadoo, Vice Principal welcomed the author and commended her for her pioneering achievements and accomplishments.

In the session, Dr. Quleen enthralled the audience with the creative, exciting and vibrant joy of writing. While sharing her interesting experiences and anecdotes, Dr. Quleen also narrated the journey of her maiden novel “The Witch Some Witch” published by Partridge India, a Penguin Company. She further impressed upon the audience, the aesthetic as well as educative importance of reading and writing which can empower one with an agency to speak, interact and better the world. This was followed by an insightful interactive session where the students asked curious questions about her book 'The Witch Some Witch' – the primal theme, hero of the novel, message and genre. At the end of the session, Dr. Quleen on popular request also enthralled the audience with a performance of her self-composed Urdu ghazal which was lapped up with a resounding applause.

The English Language Week was packed with an array of fun filled activities that provided the students with a platform to showcase their language skills through various ingenious activities using English as medium of expression. The students of Middle wing from classes 6th to 8th presented William Shakespeare's one act play,' The Merchant of Venice'. It was a treat to see young children dress up in different characters of the play and speak Shakespearean dialogues while performing their parts. The students of Senior Secondary wing from classes 9th to 12th participated in the debate competition on the topic 'Demonetisation a Utopian Idea'. The winners of various competitions were awarded with certificates of honour. Rupa Gupta, along with Pramod Srivastava, Usha Gadoo, and Manjari Sehgal, Manager Academics, attended the programme on the concluding day. The programme was coordinated by Manju Vali, Convenor Co-Curricular Committee along with English language teachers, Samy Bajaal, Sumeera, Ambica and Priya Malhotra.