Class Trip --- 27 Elec rocks!

So rare are the events of joy and happiness in EME that they can be easily counted on fingers! It all began with "satais walk out!" call by Mr. Iatesam Nazir, at the welcome in first year. Yup it was a stupid act for some while a moment of joy for others. With it began the slogan of "class unity" as termed by Madam Sobia. Inevitably, the theme did not last for long; personal likings and disliking are very often preferred over collective interests. Nevertheless, the story goes on. The best event of my memory was the 'mud bath'! Every one was chased, trapped, deprived of the cell phone and wallet, tossed up, splash n thud! That sophisticated treatment was given to a few people, most of us were dragged in mud for a considerable distance. The best of best: Mr. Hanif put on a rare display of talent by making a frantic sprint to run away from the hooligans, alas there were a few people who intersected him.........splash and thud:p

Well i said, fun filled events are rare and yet i am prolonging the writing: its just to make up for the small data available:p. The khewra trip was indeed a great one. The trip went better than expected and washed away all the misunderstandings and scuffles developed during the trip arrangement. Thanks to the organizers Usama, Iatesam and Meer Ali. A period of silence.........then comes the welcome. Arangement of this event was a hell of a thing for Arslan Ali Shah. I give him due credit for tolerating all that crap. As for me i never took it seriously. Although the welcome was not up to the mark, yet it was still a good event ( i can't help being biased here, if i am wrong do correct pls!).

So now after being dormant........finally comes up the latest trip. Although the trip idea had been in circulation during the previous semester, yet none of the previous organizers were willing to take the challenge. Finally, how it happened i have got no clue! This time ladies took the initiative by putting forth the idea once more. After two postponements the trip was finalized.........on sms! (weird as it sounds!). Anyhow, all this stuff is irrelevant here, the matter at hand is to appreciate the class participation for this trip. Again thanks to Iatesam and Waqas for the arrangement. Yup the best part of this trip was that nobody was sure of the destination.........initially the plan was for pir sohawa but later on in the on spot polls the voters for pir sohawa lost to those in favour of murree by an outstanding margin! (it was termed a defeat worse than what sheikh rasheed faced:p). Alrite so did we go for murree? nopes! the dictator (iatesam here :p) hijacked the bus and took us to Ayubia claiming he had discovered a good track on WikiTravel site. (:p it wasn't remotely a bad decision as far as outcome is concerned).

Well yes the point of all this writing is to thank the entire class for making this trip spectacular! (even to those who made it remarkable by not coming :p). It must be mentioned here that the class must maintain the unity amongst their ranks and put their personal fights below the class matters. The organizers must be given a due appreciation cause i know its a thankless job: no matter how much effort u put in, the criticism never ends!). Electrical 27 i believe is a great class and this recent fun-filled trip is a proof of my claim!

PS: O yeeaaaah i remember! thanks to Usman Farooq for providing us some new wallpapers too ;):p

Crippled Moralities

Credit: Muhammad Shabbir

Source:http://derailedsaint.blogspot.com/2008/04/crippled-moralities.html

(Be the change that you want to see in this World)

As if from ever, we have managed to admit, even perpetually criticize, the hollow moralities that we possess as a society, yet never quite admitting the existence of the same in ourselves as individuals. Unfortunately I realized this not by mere observation but by the bitter truth hitting really hard in my face.
That eventful afternoon, I was sitting with my friend in a restaurant discussing, well not heroic or honorable topics, but the simple miseries we faced, and those too more like platitudes of lack of so

me comforts rather than dearth of some basic necessities. Little did we know that just a few moments later we would be facing a pair of gunmen bent on relieving us of whatever monetarily valuable possessions we happened to have. Yet there we were offering anything and everything that we could to save our lives. The process of being robbed was not as shocking as it was strange. They were committing the act as if they were selling some product which we weren't expected to live without. As I offered my mobile, I took up the courage to ask for the SIM, a plea which was politely rejected. Yes politely. In fact the whole deed was done without a single word of rudeness from either side, we of course not at all being in a position to express ourselves. They on their part intended not to ruin their sadistic fulfillment by spitting out abuses.
After being looted we both were filled with anger. I was angry at almost every fabric that made up our society. The police, the onlookers of the event, the government and of course the thugs. I had a sudden sympathy with the thousands who got robbed of their belongings this way. I thought of the poor people who lost their entire days, weeks or even months earnings in a single moment. But then the realization struck. I wasn't concerned with justice. It was all a collection of feelings of revenge and its side affects that I felt. The real grief I felt was for my own loss. I had known people who had been robbed and I had been sorry for them but I had never really felt this way.
Then I realized that we all use the universal moral virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope & charity not as the codes governing our lives but rather as tools of personal well being. As pathetic as it may seem, me generalizing the newly founded vice in myself over to my whole society, the fact remains that it is all true. And I am not even talking about the general hypocrisies found at the higher level like politicians, themselves former Justice Department abusers, coming to the rescue of the Judiciary or the people burning mobile connections as a protest against the Denmark cartoon scandal and buy-backing the same connections when offered a better package or the general welcome given by the people to all the military dictators to power and the disgraceful removal of the same in the name of democracy.
It is the definition of a vice that one cannot tolerate it when one is at its receiving end. We don't really care about people dying from hunger or we wouldn't be wasting food in our wedding ceremonies. We don't see it as a vice because we don't suffer from hunger. We loathe the racial discrimination that we face in foreign countries yet we racially profile other people of our own country. We don't realize that we are harsh with our juniors until our Boss scolds us. We look for short cuts, we bribe our way, we use friends' and family's influence, we lie through our teeth, we plead and we threaten because it is much easier way to get things done. And then suddenly we talk about the evils of bribery, nepotism and social manipulations just because some other person beat us in the game.
This hypocrisy doesn't just somehow magically appear up there but has roots in our very homes when a father says to his son suspecting him to be lying "Solemnly declare my child that all of your life you'll say the truth, the complete truth, nothing but the truth so help you God" and the next moment asks him to lie to the unwanted visitor "Tell him I am not home". We have a gross talent of criticizing other people for the same inadequacies and flaws that corrupt our own characters. We believe that every thing, as morally wrong as it may be, is doable if we can just find enough of other people as examples for justification. It is not uncommon for us to hear the phrase "So what, everyone does it".
No. Everyone doesn't. All it requires is an opening of the eyes. People with enough strength of character and firm moral principles don't. All we need is a firm belief in the general principles of good regardless of other people's belief in it. We need to act justly, truthfully and courageously without trying to count the benefits we can achieve from it. Any society which adheres to such principles never faces the fear of destruction or extinction. It is an Islamic teaching that faithless (nonreligious) societies can survive but hypocritical and unjust ones cannot. So let us try to shun the moral hollowness that we posses and adhere to the principles of human virtues for the survival of our society and its honor.

Mian Usman's Photos... My hankypanky

Winds of change

7:58 pm on March 24th, 2008 is the precise moment when the flag of Pakistan was hoisted in front of the deposed chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. This simple ceremony of flag hoisting by the representatives of civil society and the judiciary symbolizes the aspirations and hopes of the entire nation; a quest for a change in the unjust social system. Critics may term this symbolization insignificant but I don’t.

In the history of nations, there are several events of national importance -- only few qualify to be termed as historic. I feel no reservation whatsoever in terming this moment to be a historic for the entire Pakistani nation. Silent protests and slogans are often raised on different issues, yet it happens so rare, in our part of the world, that the majority of people stand up for some cause; correspondingly the issues on which, even, the so called ‘silent majority’ gives verdict are few and far between. All these virtues make this struggle, for the restoration of a power legal system, a landmark struggle in our history. Let’s see what this movement has brought to the people of Pakistan: a revived spirit, a renewed vision and a refreshed hope for a better future!

In the wake of this wave, the outcome of the general elections -- although not much un-expected yet remarkably significant -- has declared this newfound enthusiasm in an unparallel manner. The efforts put up by the judges, lawyers, media men, the representatives of the civil society and most significantly, first time in our history with such fervor, by students of LUMS and Punjab University, all must be given due credit. It is the efforts of these men and women that the newly elected parliament can see it writ on wall that its peoples will to see a change in the social setup.

This nation has wasted nearly a decade and a half in deep slumber; blaming the ancestors for the country’s turmoil; waiting for some leader to steer the nation in the ‘right’ direction; sitting at homes doing nothing but to criticize the state of affairs. History bears witness that after 1977, the nation had fallen into a long, seemingly endless reverie. Sporadic upraises like the efforts of journalists, writers and poets in zia’s oppressive rule did take place, but not with the sufficient intensity to bring about a change. After these symbolic movements there was a period of dead silence! --- They say that nations do not die; they just fall into a slumber. A traumatic episode is required to stir their emotions and bring them back to life.

Fig1 :Protest at LUMS against emergency

This traumatic episode came in the form of General Musharraf’s rule. The emotions of people were crushed, their egos challenged and their tolerance checked, in the war against terror, yet they remained silent. The blow on the judicial system was indeed powerful enough to bring the nation back from the subconscious-ness. People have gathered behind one man, who admittedly might not have a flawless reputation, but one who stood for the integrity of justice, who’s determination and commitment for his cause did not waiver under pressure and most importantly, who did not bow before a dictator. I admit that the men we have stood for have several fanatics and opportunists in their ranks too yet it Is the need of the hour to stand up for the rights of common man – greatest of all, an access to an open door for justice.

This movement for the restoration and the independence of the judiciary brought the common man to the street to raise a voice for his civic rights. That is the greatest achievement in our current times. What we all need here to parallel this movement through our contributions. Whoever we are, whatever we do, we can contribute to this movement by performing our respective jobs with utmost honesty and integrity upholding the national interest in high esteem.

Fig:2 Chief Justice's Rally (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200710/musharraf/4)

More than half of our population comprises of youth. It makes me feel proud that the students in particular did a wonderful job to uplift this movement, to protest in a peaceful manner against the usurpation of the basic human rights and the blatant violation of the constitution. We, the students, need to join hands: through every possible means, making best utilization of the tools available to us like the student unions (thanks to mr. prime minister) etc, to direct our energies and talents for a better and stronger Pakistan; to undo the wrongs of our ancestors, who unfortunately could not develop our homeland, to make Pakistan “one of the greatest nations of the world”.

Muhammad Uzair Sukhera

BIG MAN

Faujis are usually lucky men: they get all thats good - good salaries, good hostels, good salaries, good staafas, good salaries.

The BIG MAN is ONE lucky guy - the luckiest! I narrate to you a story not often spoken about nor has it been told before...

When once I got to his office late, he told me "kia hua? lab mein gappain lagaatay reh gaye?".... DEAD SILENCE... Now, I had but no choice: I ran towards him and kissed his feet. This man is blessed guys. He knows even though he isn't there. How could he know? How did he know? What else does he know? He once said "Mujhay pata chal jaata hai ke kon cheating karr raha hai?". Appreciate the ability of this man people. He has this gutt instinct that's never incorrect. People like these are rare but we - those at EME - are lucky that they are found everywhere.

ahem.... Back to our original story then..

When I got to know of the gift of this great man, I didn't go running out telling other people. I remained quiet. You see guys, these personalities shine out. News of this prodigious talent spread throughout the Campus. At the cafe, once on a route he called one of my colleagues - told him "jaib se card bahir nikalo". My friend was awe-struck. How could BIG MAN know where the card was? What are the chances that he would be accurate to such a degree? Travelling across the college, BIG MAN has won a lot of fans. These devout people have always been loyal to him.


After all the respect I had for him, I never went to his office for checking my paper. This time however, it was different I was brainwashed into believing that BIG MAN was human after all and can make mistakes.

"Mujhay pata hai ke tumm ne ghaltian kii hon gii... issi liye mein ne tumharay number pehle hii kaat diye aur jabb ghalti mili, to aur ziada numbers kaat diay"... such was his foreseight and justice. So, I was going back, amused as always. Suddenly, I heard him call me. "Aik keeray mein aur haathi mein zameen aasmaan ka farq hai" (wow, subhaan Allah). And I still remember these words as if they were thrown at me yesterday. Then he tells me that we are about to go for a walk... It was neither the Walk nor a Trot that BIG MAN preferred, and it was causing me alot of trouble. He would make fans instantaneously with his sleek predictions. By the time we got to pace, it was a terrific following that we had. Someone suggested that such talent has to be announced and made public.

TEA AT PACE: "Iss chai ka doodh" holding the cup higher than usual "Sahiwal se aata hai". Everyone was awe-struck - again!

MAGRIB: We decided to pray in the mosque with BIG MAN as our Imam. Humble and shy, he reluctantly agreed. Right after the Aqamah was recited, BIG MAN started running - fast and he jumped outside. Just as we were wondering, an earthquake hit and the Mosque fell down.

I haven't seen BIG MAN since he ran away at Magrib that day. But one thing is for sure: he was mighty good.



COMMENTS:
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1) You people are BIG's followers.
2) BIG men are teaching you. You are learning nothing.
3) At the ending, BIG MAN ran away because he didn't know what actually is done during prayer.
4) The Mosque falling down on us symbolizes our achievement: jo imaarat kharii hii khachii matii pe ho, ussay dhaanay mein ziada deir nahii lagtii..
5) BIG MAN running away means that once our future is ruined at the hands of poor teachers, they wont have anything to do with us again. They'd look for fresh prey. The BIG imam represents a poor teacher. The BIG administrator is a poor administrator. Magrib is when we are about to complete our day (try relating to finishing our degree education).