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LUMS & Mental Health Awareness

This year mental health awareness was a major part of the discussions and events all around campus. On 10th October in honor of World Mental Health Awareness Day, a student-led initiative led by the Student Council, Psychology at LUMS and LUMUN organized a panel talk with mental health experts to initiate a productive conversation about mental health amongst students and to address questions regarding stress coping mechanisms. Similarly, on 9th October the LUMS community service society arranged a mental health awareness day in order to contribute towards ending the social stigma surrounding the topic. Moreover, 12th February marked the epilepsy day, on which LCSS took the Initiative to set up stress management activities in the central courtyard to help spread mental health awareness. These student led initiatives and many more proved to be extremely helpful in raising awareness and answering questions regarding stress coping mechanisms. It is due to these major steps by the LUMS community that the institution’s attitude towards mental health has changed in a positive way. The admin too, like previous years, made an effort to address such problems amongst the student body.
The LUMS website recognizes that “when students fail to succeed during the 4 years of undergraduate program, it is often due to personal problems interfering with their academic performance.” Problems such as “Depression, anxiety, procrastination, lack of motivation, stress, relationship problems and substance abuse” are recognized, by the department of counselling and psychological services at LUMS, as problems that hinder a student’s progress at the institution. To help students through these issues a qualified student counselor is available in the sports complex from 9:00 am- 5:00pm. Moreover, many instructors offer their offices as safe spaces to talk with students about their problems and struggles. While all these efforts by the admin are of immense help and are extremely valuable in creating an understanding and positive attitude around campus, much more work needs to be done on part of the administration to make LUMS an institution that approaches issues regarding mental health in the most appropriate way. Many argue that the problem, on part of the institution, stems from not recognizing the role it plays in perpetuating or even causing such issues. Examples of the universities contribution to increasing stress and anxiety amongst students include an atmosphere of increased pressure and impossible expectations. The enrollment process in itself takes a major toll on mental health as it is accompanied by extreme uncertainty and helplessness. LUMS is a university where each and every day of the semester counts, from attendance to projects, quizzes and presentations. However, despite working hard enough throughout the semester the final exams (which begin a short while after the mid-terms) can discredit the hard work of the entire semester. Hence one bad day tends to overshadow months of planning and studying. Recognizing this struggle on part of the students, the university gives a week off to the students just before the finals to give them time to prepare for the big day. However, dead week, this semester (like the semesters before) did not really serve its purpose as many students reported being expected to take quizzes, turn in essays and attend classes during this week. This semester the administration made an attempt to help the students through this hard and demanding period. They put up standees all over campus. Standees that equipped the student body with coping mechanisms to deal with the stress that the dead week and the finals brought along. One standee, in the central courtyard, read “stressed? Follow the following simple steps: slowly inhale through your nose, hold your breath for two minutes, slowly exhale through your mouth.” While such messages are a great way to recognize the stress and anxiety induced in students through the increasingly demanding atmosphere on-campus, they are only a minor step in the right direction. The reactions to this attempt by the administration varied amongst the students. Some were thankful for the effort and appreciated the thought that went behind this act, some joked about the trivial solutions proposed for highly unnerving problems, and others expressed that while the thought is absolutely necessary the solutions provided are “inconsequential”. However, one thing that everyone agreed upon was that more effort needs to be put in in order to provide our campus with a more stress free, positive and safe environment. The administration and the student body need to ensure that a cooperative and supportive attitude is maintained not just before the finals but throughout the academic year. It must be recognized that while many psychological problems stem from personal issues, a stress inductive environment adds to them and might even cause them. Therefore, an effort must be made by every individual to ensure that, all necessary actions are taken to help with, and recognition is given to, problems relating to mental health. Some students suggested that the administration should take a step towards formulating a policy to ensure that the work load put on the students, throughout the year, is only as much as they can cope with. Standees with emails and numbers of the qualified counselors, or symptoms of depression and anxiety must also be placed around campus to spread further awareness. Experts state that many students do not recognize the stress, anxiety or depression they suffer from due to a lack of awareness of the symptoms, to add to the problem, many of those who do realize the symptoms do not know how to reach out and ask for help due to the stigma and shame attached to the topic. Hence an urgent effort needs to be made, especially by the administration, to reduce the stress of impossible expectations and unmanageable workload. Similar efforts must be made to reach out to all students with regular mental health screenings along with regular talks by the counselors on stress coping mechanisms and symptoms of mental health problems.
With the year and the semester ending we must learn from past mistakes and continue with all efforts and progress made. Every step taken in the right direction is invaluable, however, this New Year we must take greater action to ensure that more major and urgent steps are taken in addressing the problems pertaining to mental health.

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The Twilight Zone

*Originally published in the December Edition of the PLUMS Dispatch*

My childhood has been a war between reconciling two levels of cultural religiosity. I have reached a (perhaps still incomplete) judgment; being a Shia’a puts you on a spectrum that is constantly at a tug of war between culture and religion. My friend Amna Haider is as Shia’a as they come. With the first of Muharram, the colored clothes go in and the Alams come out, but she does not subscribe to religious practices like fasting or praying. Asad Zaidi, on the other hand, focuses more on the basic tenets of religion, treating them as central rather than the specialized traditions of the sect. Although there are exceptions, I have largely noticed that Azadaari is more a preservation of a cultural identity especially for Pakistani Shia’as, who see it as an act of resistance from the oppressive state not dissimilar to Husssain’s (RA) defiance to Yazid.

Although Partition brought Shia’a and Sunni groups together in the Muslim League, after Independence the Sunni majority established a monopoly on issuing religious legitimacy at the expense of minorities like Ahmedis and Shia’a. It might be interesting to explore why Aga Khanis were not subject to the same level of persecution, perhaps because of the political and economic importance of the Aga Khan. The bloody history of sectarianism is evident with the Hazaras in Quetta, protesting terrorist attacks by sitting with the corpses of family members in the biting cold. This history is evident in my maternal uncle, a doctor, getting death threats and eventually leaving the country. It is evident in never being allowed to go to Majalis because my father was in the government and our expression of our faith was a threat to the powers that be. However, these experiences do not get the same coverage in mainstream media which reduces these issues to meaningless statistics. We are just an “attack on Shia’a mosque leaves 20 dead”.

It’s actually called an Imam Bargah. The growing disenchantment just fuels a reclusion by Shia’a groups into their Garrison towns which become oasis communities defined by their distinct culture. My only surviving grandparent, Nano, reminisces about how when she was young, her Hindu and Sunni friends and neighbors would take part in the festivities of Muharram. Their door would be open to all, with people flocking in to try her mother’s handmade Niaz. The subcontinent accepted these culturally driven traditions outside the confines of religion and saw them as an open experience for all rather one divided on religious grounds. In Lahore still, Hindu communities in Mochi Gate participate in Muharram processions and show a great reverence for the history behind it. Perhaps, persecution despite all its evils does one good thing of bringing minorities together in a shared resentment of their oppressor. These narratives of inter-minority relations are missing from discourses surrounding sectarianism.

Now, Azadaari in my Nano’s house has crept back behind closed doors and selective invites. The microphone is kept at an optimum level where the Salam can be heard in the other room but not to the passersby outside in the street. The Niaz still tastes great, but it has become a relic. An attempt to preserve what used to be, rather than to celebrate a belief grounded in religious history. An attack on culture is tackled by further strengthening the cultural bonds. Interestingly, I have encountered many people who attempt to write our story for us. Well intentioned individuals assume that by reading articles online or doing a basic Google search about the bloody Maatam that makes their insides squirm, they understand our traditions and by extension get to comment on what they do not like about these. Without relating these actions to the horrific history of persecution and the consequent symbolism attached to these traditions they do a disservice to the communities they attempt to understand. What they need to do is to listen. Leave your depersonalized screens micromanaged by censorship laws and listen to individual stories which give you a sense of private experiences that are lost to popular discourse. This article cannot possibly claim how to eradicate sectarianism completely but it can contribute to a few more open individuals. Having more personalized discussion on individual experiences of sect can attempt to bridge the gulf between groups. That is what builds a community which incorporates the white in the flag

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Coding Guru

CodinGuru 2018
By IEEE LUMS
Post-Event Report prepared by:

• Sayed Tauqeer
• Aafaq Sabir
• Taimoor Ali
• Aiman Khizar
• Azan Bin Zahid

About IEEE LUMS:
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the World’s largest organization for the advancement of technology. Over 125 years old; it boasts a huge collection of resources on engineering and educational services for its members. The IEEE LUMS Student Chapter is one of the thousand branches of IEEE around the world and regularly arranges technology talks,workshops and student competitions.

CodinGuru 2018:
CodinGuru is a coding competition that was arranged by IEEE LUMS. The main objective was to promote coding and computer science in local community and goal was to conduct a state of the art coding competition at LUMS (by collaboration of CS Department, LUMS), that will serve as a healthy co-curricular activity.

Event Description:
The IEEE LUMS Computer Society organized CodinGuru on December 01, 2018 in Information Systems and Technology (IST) Labs at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore. In this competition 52 teams from different universities, mainly LUMS, FAST, PUCIT, BNU, COMSATS and FCCU took part. There were total five interesting problems to solve i.e. Food distribution, Dam Water Storage, Introvert Computer Scientist, Chess King and Colored Balls Sequence. Teams were allowed to use any of the three languages namely C++, Java and Python.
Automated checking was used with PC square. The event started at 11:00 am and concluded at6:00 pm.

Special Guests:
• Dr. Arif Zaman
Arif Zaman, Ph.D., is a Pakistani mathematician, an academic scientist and a professor of Statistics and Mathematics at LUMS. Before joining this university in 1994, he also served Statistics Department at Purdue University and Florida State University. His publications have been in various journals including: The Annals of Probability, Mathematics of Computation, Journal of Applied Probability, and Journal of Statistical Computation. In his student years at Stanford, he was also rumored to be one of the two people involved in creating one of the first rabbit
worms that replicated themselves over the local network.
• Dr. Muhammad Hamad Alizai
Dr. Alizai is the assistant professor of Computer Science at LUMS. He has over 10 years of experience in Germany and Pakistan as a researcher, software engineer, and technical lead both in industrial and academic settings. His research interest is in Systems and Networks. He was Awarded DAAD grant to “Greenify Older Buildings in Emerging Countries (2019-21) “.

Judges:
The judges of the competition were Computer Science Juniors at LUMS.
• Aafaq Sabir
• Taimoor Ali
• Saad Khan
• Soban Ali
• Naima Samreen
• Azan Bin Zahid

Event Proceedings:
A total of 52 teams arrived at the registration desk. They were registered and settled by 11:00 am. At 11:00 am, the competition rules were explained to the teams.The judges introduced themselves and the testing software (PC^2) to the teams. Moreover, the marking scheme was also shared with the participants. To give the teams a how know of the testing environment, a test run was conducted. in which they submitted a pseudo problem provided to them. This process lasted for an hour.Teams were then sent to Pepsi Dining Center (PDC) at 12:00 pm where they had
lunch and rested for about an hour.

By the time, the teams arrived after lunch, their secret accounts had been set up into PC^2 and the platform was all setup for them to start coding. The coding started at a high note and there was a strong competition between the team “Nemesis” and “Hackermen” from the start. The hustle was increased with the ticking of a live scoreboard. In the last hour, the eyes were all set on the scoreboard and positions were changing with the difference of seconds. Eventually, after a very strong competition, “Nemesis” made it to the top of the scoreboard. After the exhausting session of coding, we arranged refreshments for the teams
until the results came out. The result was compiled while the participants were having tea and were announced
by Dr. Arif Zaman in the closing ceremony right after the refreshment break. The results were as follows:

Winner: Nemesis – Waqar Ahmad, Muhammad Hasan (PUCIT).
1st Runner Up: Hackermen – Ammar Tahir, Abdul Mannan (LUMS).
2nd Runner Up: StrawHats – Usama Ikram, Junaid Haris (PUCIT).

After announcements of the winner and runner ups, the distribution ceremony was held at 5:15 pm in which certificates were given to the participants by the judges. The honorable guests Dr. Arif Zaman and Dr. Muhammad Hamad Alizai were specially invited to distribute prizes to the winners and IEEE team members.The event was greatly successful in achieving its main objective i.e. to promote coding and to motivate the programmers. This event helps us to understand that what is the potential and skill in this nation, which is great, but there is still need for such big events to be organized in other parts of our country, so that more youngsters can come out and take part in such kind of events, as they are the next generation programmers for the most emerging fields in the world.

 

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4th World Inter-universities championships barcelona

23 No, 2018: The LUMS sports team just landed back in Pakistan after participating in the 4th World interuniversities Championships held in Barcelonaa, Spain from 14th to 18th November. The championships included thirteen sports and included around eight universities from thirty countries. LUMS was the only representation of Pakistan in the mega event. LUMS teams participiated in Tennis, Futsal, Badminton, Swimming and Volleyball. The seventeen member LUMS squad included Taha Nadeem, Nubira Khan, Altamush Saeed, Emaan Yousuf, Maira Abid, M Waqas Majeed, Zohaib Yousaf, Hammad Mansoor, Syed Muhammad Maaz, Ali Shayan Sikander, Ayman Irfan, Ali Bin Rizwan, Aliza Khan, Zainab Salman Anwar, Momina Hashmi, Muhammad bin azhar, Muhammad Zaid Maqsood
We witnessed sportsman spirit and the drive to win in every match. LUMS teams did fairly well in all sports. Star performances came in tennis, where LUMS’s Muhammad Bin Azhar (Class of 2018) defeated Lille University France 10-5 in a very well fought out match. LUMS also gave a very good fight in Futsal, where it lost to defending Champions from Slovakia 1-4 after keeping the scoreline 1-1 till the second half. Vice Captain of the football team, Ali Shayan (Class of 2019) scored the only goal.
It shows that LUMS students are not just limited to academic excellence but they can also compete in sports at the biggest platforms in the world. The 5th edition of the championships will be held next year in Paris, France.

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Sunlo: Podcast Reviews!

A podcast is literally like a radio show on the Internet, with the added bonus of it being recorded before-hand so you can download it and listen to it whenever you want. You get to listen to something entertaining while going for a jog, or on your way to PDC or to the gym. There are so many podcasts on different topics available for free. For Iphone users, there is a whole separate app for all podcasts that are available.

One thing always stands out to me when it comes to listening to podcasts is, that I get to listen to people discuss specific topics within a restricted amount of time, and because it’s mostly guest speakers talking about their experiences, struggles or something they love, it is very informative and fun to listen to. It’s like watching National Geographic or CNN but with all the banality removed.

There are podcasts of all kinds: News-based, TedxTalks, fiction stories, business and cultural insights; basically something for everyone.

If you want to ever give podcasts a try, listen to the ones down below. These are some of my personal favourites, and I hope you enjoy them!

 

  1. Lore

Narrated by Aaron Mankhe

Lore is an American anthology which talks about frightening history behind common folklore. All of the episodes are unique and 17-35 minutes long, each addressing a different tale rooted deeply in myths and folktales. From the origin of the phrase “Saved by the bell” and the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula, to talking about the Salem Witch trials in 17th century France, Aaron Mankhe makes each one of these episodes extremely interesting and eerie to listen to.

Lore earned the “Best of 2015” from iTunes, and in 2017, Vallhala Entertainment developed a short television series which goes by the same name. Although not all the podcast episodes have been adapted to TV episodes, the ones which have been adapted are wonderfully executed by combining documentary footage and cinematic scenes to tell horror stories and their origins.

 

Notable Episodes:

Episode 1: They Made a Tonic

 

 

2. Imaginary Worlds

Narrated by: Eric Molinsky

This should be a must-listen podcast for anyone who’s looking to talk about their favourite fantasy movie or novel. Eric invites various guests over and dives deep into the world of fantasy and science fiction with them. From discussing famous fictional worlds of Harry Potter and Hunger Games, to talking about long-running genre tropes of ‘Saving the Girl’ and ‘Sexy Robots’, imaginary worlds is an intriguing series that goes beyond the surface-level coverage of the genre.

What makes this podcast unique from all the others is, that it isn’t an extended interview or a talk-show style podcast. Instead, each episode is played out like a segment from NPR’s This American Life or Planet Money shows. He mixes his reporting, clips, and interviews to form a nicely packaged story. For example one of his episodes, “Then they Fell” where he talks about immersive theatre (Did you know such a thing existed?!) and shares his experience through a series of videos that he made when he went there.

 

Notable Episodes:

  • Faith in Fantasy: a discussion between a Minister, Rabbi and an Alwaez (Maulvi) about the religion in dystopian fiction.
  • Fahrenheit 451 Still Burns: Neil Gaiman, Alice Hoffman and other people come together to discuss how Fahrenheit 451 is a kind of masterpiece that seems like a different story every time one reads it and what lesson there is to be learnt each time.

 

 

  1. The Allusionist

 

Narrator: Helen Zaltzman

This podcast speaks to the word nerd in everyone. Ranging from 15-30 min episodes, a lot of the questions are about the origins of a phrase, or why some languages are ignored and the difference between British/American accents and spellings (that personally, is my favourite topic to talk about)

 

Notable Episodes:

82- A Novel Remedy: Which book do you read to make yourself feel better? And why does it work? A clinical psychologist and a linguist talks about how patients in post-WW1 Britain were soothed by Agatha Christie novels.

78- Oot in the Open: Imagine you are born and raised in a household speaking particular language but then you go to school and that language is banned. Speaking that language will have physical and psychological repercussions – this my friend, is the predicament of the Scots language.

68- Curse Soup: Stephen Clews, manager of the Roman baths at Bath, shows us the curses that were sloshed around amongst people when they wanted to vent out their anger or frustration on someone. (This one’s a pretty funny and interesting podcast to listen to when one of your instructors’ is being irrational lol)

 

  1. Lit Up

 

Narrator: Angela Ledgerwood

The description of the podcast, on the iTunes Podcast, literally describes “Lit Up as a sanctuary for people crazy about books, stories and the literary life. Angela Ledgerwood, talks to the world’s most provocative thinkers and writers about the power of stories, the importance of literature in 2018, and why they’re compelled to create the work they do.

Lit Up is also about pushing the boundaries and revealing the messy and complicated – rarely talked about – parts of what it means to be human. No topic is off the table and no conversation is too weird, too personal or too controversial. There have been writers like Mohsin Hamid talking about immigration and life in Pakistan and Anna Patchett, the writer of “Bel Canto” opening up about what inspires her fiction.

 

Notable Episodes:

Trevor Noah on his memoir, “Born a Crime”

Jami Attenberg on being a woman in NYC and finding success 

 

  1. How I Built This

Narrator: NPR

For all the SDSB majors who have emerging entrepreneurship ideas in their heads and want a boost or a guideline to go about them, there is this one podcast I want you to listen to which will be really helpful. This podcast tells the story of successful companies in the words of their creators. Host Guy Raz speaks to a different entrepreneur in each episode, and has them recount how they built their business. The real draw for listeners is the calibre of guests that the show manages to attract: past episodes have featured the brains behind prominent startups including Instagram and Airbnb, but also more mainstream business leaders such as the executive chairman of Starbucks and the founders of Ben & Jerry’s. It’s an intimate insight into the history of well-known brands, and great inspiration if you’re looking to get your own business idea off the ground.

This series is more about the personal journey than the gory business details since most of them are surprisingly dysfunctional and fluky. The entrepreneurs are also unexpectedly humble, personable and warm; which makes them all the more inspiring.

 

 

 

 

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YOUR AMAZINGLY ACCURATE MONTHLY HOROSCOPE!

Libra – Sept 23 to Oct 22
You will be faced with shock and despair when you realize no one cares about how many midterms and quizzes you had in one day. Try not to cry.

Scorpio – Oct 23 to Nov 21
Your problems will come to an end as soon as you realize that partying twice a week (Thursdays and Fridays) can keep your liver healthy and your morale boosted as you look forward to the next week! Happy hours can be 24/7.

Sagittarius – Nov 22 to Dec 21
Avoid going to the gym this month as embarrassment awaits you when you learn that working out and brownies from the Khoka do not go together. Take a moment to appreciate all the pizzas and burgers that you have been consoling yourself with!

Capricorn – Dec 22 to Jan 19
Your GPA prospects improve significantly as you find out that the person you copied off from in the last exam turned out to be a CS major. Rejoice!

Aquarius – Jan 20 to Feb 18
If your life isn’t going the way you want, have another go at blaming someone else for it. You might get it right this time.

Pisces – Feb 19 to March 20
Avoid calling your parents this weekend because they’re finally starting to get over the trauma you put them through by not calling them since the semester started.

Aries – March 21 to April 19
You will realize very soon that the song “Body by Loud Luxury” is not the only song that you can dance to. Consider focusing on your playlist a little more. This is a good month to stop listening to Cardi B. For good.

Taurus – April 20 to May 20
Your ideas about how feminism is cancer are irrelevant. Do not make a fool of yourself. The #NotAllMen movement should only be about how full of yourself you are.

Gemini – May 21 to June 20
Every dog has its day. Some day in this month might be yours. Emphasis on the ‘might’.

Cancer – June 21 to July 22
A disappointing month awaits you as your prospects of finding love go down the drain. Even the rishta aunties on LDF these days can’t hook you up. Raise your morale by calling out all the couples in the student lounge.

Leo – July 23 to Aug 22
It is okay to cringe occasionally, or maybe all the time because of the sheer stupidity around you. If you don’t cringe at all then your only responsibility is to know you’re the stupidest person around.

Virgo – Aug 23 to Sept 22
This will just be another month of not remembering names and referring to everyone as Buddy, Hero or Boss. Nothing to worry about, though. Most of them don’t know your name either.

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Diwali at LUMS

Often called the festival of lights, Diwali commemorates the return of Rama, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu, to his people after being exiled for 14 years, during which he fought and won a battle against the demons and the demon king, Ravana. It symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The five-day holiday is annually held in autumn during Ashwin, the seventh month of the Hindu calendar and typically falls between the middle of October until the middle of November, which is also the time of harvest, and so represents wealth, prosperity and wisdom.

Last night, the LUMS community joined their Hindu friends on campus to celebrate Diwali, which was organized by the Hum Ahang society at LUMS. The Central Courtyard was decorated with traditional earthen diyas (candles) and colorful rangoli artworks- patterns created on the floor using colored rice or powder, and was lit up with colors, lights, and music. The event began with a short video about what the LUMS community associated with Diwali. For many, it meant happiness, enjoyment and harmony. Shortly afterwards, members from Hum Ahang performed on Dhol Baje, London Thumukda and a Dhandiya dance. This was followed by volunteers from the crowd taking the floor to sing a song or poetry, or dance to mehndi medleys or attan; the latter of which was none other than the request of our attan fanboy student council president. Students ate mithai, danced with bhangras, and took happy pictures in their desi attires.

Diwali is being celebrated on campus since the past three years, for which Hum Ahang is to be accredited. There is a significant number of Hindus who are a part of the LUMS community, and many of these are students who are unable to go back to their homes and celebrate this religious festival with their families. Therefore, it is essential for others to practice empathy, inclusivity, and inter-faith harmony, and create an atmosphere of festivity for them on campus, which is their home away from home. Moreover, in times such as the past week which created an air of anguish, loss and sorrow, it is necessary for us to keep reminding ourselves to not give up. The Diwali celebration helped us recollect ourselves, our moods, and our spirits.

 

 

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Kashmir National Youth Summit – A perspective

 

The exhausted LUMS student struggling to pay attention after 12 hours of travel, Pakistani. The girl from Hazara, Quetta narrating the story of her life in the constant shadow of fear and discrimination. Pakistani. The students from the KIU nimbly jumping across the hill of Pir Chinasi and throwing snowballs at each other. All Pakistani.

Between the17 – 19th of October, students from across the country convened in the halls of The University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir for the “Fourth National Youth Conference on Peace Building and National Integration”; a four day conference meant to create a platform for the youth to inspire and be inspired, to share and to hear stories, to sing and dance and represent, to celebrate their differences and to celebrate the fact that we are still all Pakistani.

The conference was set into motion on the first day by a series of talks; talks by key figures of the area who riled the audience up with their passionate words. These included the likes of Shehrayr Afridi (Minister of State for Interior) who so captivated the audience that he was called upon to deliver a second speech on the same day.

   On the second day however, the mic was passed on to the youth. The overwhelming, palpable energy of this segment of Pakistan’s population truly brought life into the various activities planned for the day by the societies of LUMS including LUMUN, LPS, EMS, LCSS, IEEE and PhotoLUMS. In the panel discussions, the students laid their claim not just to Pakistan’s tomorrow, but its’ today as well. In another talk, girls from BUITEMS laughed about being mistaken for Chinese and talked about their precarious lives in a city they’re targeted in. In the parallel discussions, all the students brought their heads together to discuss and present solutions to the multiple issues being faced by the country; from the lack of ethics shown in disagreements to the role of youth in reconstruction of the national culture. From there, the students divided into two batches. One headed to the beautiful, serene Red Fort sitting proudly by the river side. The other headed to SOS Village where they spent the time running on the grassy lawn with the kids. In between the laughter and the awe, the disparities between the groups slowly but surely began to dissolve.

Once the set went down, the grounds of the university slowly began to echo with a mix of traditional and modern tunes. The much-anticipated Cultural Night finally commenced. In the ensuing activities the vibrant cultural spectrum of the country shimmied to the spotlight. Students from UAJ&K took center stage with hair-raising musical performances and an eye-catching fashion show. The students from Gilgit presented one of the most zealous performance of the night with their traditional music and dance. Students from LUMS recited a few self-written ashaar coaxing warm applause from the audience and put on a play inciting roaring laughter.

After the play, one of the actors spoke a few words that stayed with me for the rest of the night, “Through this play we wanted to show characters from different backgrounds, different languages, different personalities. The fact that they can do still pull off a good comedy, theatre’s most difficult feat, means they can do something as simple as living together, accepting each other, tolerating each other and respecting each other’s individuality”.

And in the warm glow of the bonfire, it all seemed so obvious. Our dances and gestures might differ, the style of our dress may vary, our music might clash. But in the end, the lines blur and the colors and the tunes seep into each other till all that remains is the most beautiful blend of such unique composition that the it leaves the world in awe; the blend of Pakistan.

The next day, participants were able to truly witness this blend as they were let out of the four walls of the university and into the green valleys of Pir Chinasi. In the cool breeze, the students finally found the space and time to open up and connect as individuals. As we trekked and talked, we wove a web of similar hobbies, thoughts, concerns and fears; a web that connected us vastly different individuals from vastly different backgrounds. Who would have thought? We were ordinary students talking about ordinary things in the most extraordinary settings. It was surreal.

And then, just like that, it was the end. Three days of a rollercoaster ride, with management hassles and cool winds and long speeches and hearty laughter and creamy chai. We were at the end. As the bus rolled down the hills, I felt a void opening up inside me. We have been told we are Pakistani. We have been told we are brothers and sisters. But we have never been given a chance to feel that, to live it. We are all missing something we’ve never had; a chance to connect. A chance to speak up and talk and listen and brainstorm. Three days is not enough. A lifetime might never be enough to learn all that has passed or all that still exists. But we need to at least begin. And the youth needs to take these steps. The youth needs to step up and create these opportunities, these platforms. Our energy, our talent is unparalleled. We need to take the reins and conquer not just tomorrow but today as well. And we need to do it standing together as Pakistanis.

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Movie Review – Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

Imdb: 8.8/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Sally Field

“I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it’s both.” – Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is a 1994 film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It won 6 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Director. It’s hard to pin down the genre of the film, but the most appropriate description would be that it’s a mixture of comedy, drama and romance. Tom Hanks plays the role of Forrest Gump and Sally Field plays his mother.

Early on in the movie it is revealed that Forrest has a crooked spine and a low IQ. Forrest’s condition looks a lot like autism but this is not specifically mentioned in the movie. Forrest is incredibly optimistic and shows a lot of perseverance. Without actually ever intending to, he ends up achieving remarkable things. These include becoming a football star, meeting John F. Kennedy, getting a medal of honor for the war in Vietnam, defeating the Chinese national team in table tennis, becoming an original investor in Apple and finally, running across the country for several years. The events of history are unfolded through Forrest’s eyes. While Forrest’s life is dramatically changing as he achieves all this, there is one constant in his life that keeps coming back – his childhood love, Jenny. The movie heavily focuses on the relationship between Forrest and Jenny.

Tom Hanks has done an incredible job in the movie and it is not surprising that the most appealing element of the movie is the character of Forrest. Viewers are captivated by his charm right from the start of the movie and it is his both, his simplicity, and his undeterred determination that wins their hearts. Forrest Gump is a man who has never let his disability become disabling and perhaps that it is why this movie is so inspirational. It contains a message for all of us who tend to get weighed down in the face of difficulties. Another one of Forrest’s defining values is sincerity. Forrest shows utmost sincerity to anyone he develops a relationship with, be it his friend Bubba or his Lieutenant Dan. Jenny, although admittedly very annoying at times, represents what it feels like to be growing up. She is confused, stubborn, selfish and often makes very questionable decisions but Forrest sticks by her through it all. The movie contains an important theme of unconditional love.

The movie is unconventional, there is no shocking climax, no antagonists and it could even be argued that it does not have a well defined plot. However, the movie is bound to leave a mark. The direction and dialogue are profound and impact full. Viewers are bound to feel a plethora of emotions as the movie progresses and the movie will have you both, laughing, and crying, many times at the same time. There are many lines from the movie that are still remembered today, such as “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know which one you’re going to get next.” If the movie had to be described in one word, I would choose bittersweet. It will leave you feeling terribly emotional, but in a good kind of way. The movie contains many life lessons that cannot be explored within the breadth of this review, therefore I urge you to watch the movie if you haven’t already.

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Acts of Strangers Part 1

That day, on my way to school, I found myself aboard my dad’s motorbike. My van driver had an emergency and couldn’t come to pick me up, my brother was away north on a trip with his friends and my father left earlier than usual for work. I was only learning to ride a bike at that time, there were a number of high speed traffic roads to be crossed and there was very little time left to reach the school where an exam awaited me. I didn’t know how tense this first time experience of riding a motorcycle would get.

I got on the bike, my feet barely touching the ground. I kicked once; twice; thrice; a little harder the fourth time, almost tipping over on the other side, but start it did and thus I began my journey. I showed all the signs of a noob rider; I went slow, panic-braking at every little thing, pulling the clutch without letting off the throttle, or releasing it suddenly and causing a jerk. I kept hoping to miss the occasional traffic jams, to go slow and steady until I smoothly reached my destination. But whatever wrong can happen, will happen I guess. Approaching a cross-road, I could see traffic clustered in the middle; cars against cars, desperately fighting their way out of the mess; deafening horns blowing continuously accompanied by occasional shouting and cursing from the drivers. Out of the frying pan and into the fire I thought.

I couldn’t turn back, given I wasn’t confident enough to make my way through the oncoming traffic had I turned, and even if I could, the alternative route would have cost me 15 more minutes which I couldn’t afford, without considering the possibility of another traffic jam. Reluctantly, I decided to dive into the stuck traffic. It was a nightmare; I lost sense of where I was and where I should be; cars and bikes constantly rushing past me while I struggled to make way. I came upon the actual crossing where traffic from all four roads met each other. There was a window of car-less space. I tried to move through quickly, stalling the bike instead. I started it again, this time on the third try. I tried to get through on the next opportunity, this time being more careful, but the bike seemed too heavy to move. A very loud train-horn from the car behind me honked furiously, along with a sharp voice shouting at me “Move it already, boy!”. I had reached my breaking point; the stress was to much for me to go through.

Suddenly, I heard another sharp yet kind voice from my left, coming from a rickshaw driver. “It’s alright. Take it easy, it’s fine”, he said. Those words seem like a soothing blow of breeze against my face. I looked at him; a sun-burnt, wrinkled, mid-40s face was turned towards me with an assuring expression on it.

“You’re in second gear,” he said, “shift one down”. And I did. The bike was now light as usual. I was amazed at how he could judge that just by looking at the bike move. He brought his rickshaw halfway forward, blocking the car making its way from our left. “Come alongside me” he said, and I obliged. The car on his left honked, so did the one behind him since he had stopped, but he paid no heed to either of them. Gradually, one step at a time, he kept clearing path for me throughout that mess, patiently too since I stalled twice more, causing both of use to be downright drowned in the ensuing curses and honks. I was indifferent to everything around me, falling into sort of a trance, with my focus only on that sharp and kind voice, doing everything it asked me to. It ended, nevertheless, and when the traffic thinned down and I prepared to carry on my journey he pulled up to me and asked “Can you go on from here?”. I managed a weak “Yes, thank you”. He nodded and pulled away, leaving me wishing I had brought this short apprenticeship of ours to a better conclusion.

This made me realize how much seemingly trivial actions can mean to someone else. We all need to hear a few kind words every once in a while. We all need someone to hold our hand and walk us through that little road that we find tough to tread on. You don’t have to have large sums of money or influential powers to help someone. What matters is recognizing the needs of others; lighting the little candles on your part. A little nod, or a smile, or a compliment can brighten up someone else’s world if they feel alone or anxious. Particularly if they are on a stalled bike in the middle of Lahori traffic.