Elysee Treaty Seminar

Written by Maryam Tajalli

“It was miraculous to watch two countries wounded by war, come together in peace” – Tilo Klinner, German consul general
A seminar on the legendary Elyse treaty was held at IBA on September 13th, 2013. The seminar was particularly special to IBAians as it was the first to be held in the Alumni Student Centre. The guest panel consisted of The Consul General of Germany; Mr. Tilo Klinner, The Consul General of France; Mr. Christian Ramage , and a distinguished authority on German foreign affairs and an economist; Dr. Klaus Dielmann. Graciously receiving them at IBA were Dr. Ishrat Husain, Dr. Framjee Minwalla, and Dr. Noman ul Haque.

The Conference room at the Student Centre was filled with students long before the seminar started, depicting clearly how the Treaty Seminar was a much anticipated event. Sadia Godil of the Social Sciences club came on the stage first, giving a brief introduction of the seminar. She invited Dr. Ishrat and Dr. Noman Ul Haque for a foreword in which they thanked the respected guests and appreciated the students’ interest in the seminar. Finally, Dr. Framjee handed over the stage to the two general consuls.

The journey into the lush and passionate history of the two countries was emanates from 1870; the first Franco-German war. Mr. Klinner and Mr. Ramage took turns narrating to us the ebbs and flows of the France-Germany relations that led to the treaty. They emphasized how a document transcended into something so strong that could bind the two countries into one nation. Several highlights of the treaty were presented to us including a France-Germany Youth Office which enabled large exchange of students between France and Germany, spreading the feeling of unity amongst the masses. Those present were also shown the common history course book of both the countries, to emphasize the importance of harboring friendly emotions into the students. Mr. Ramage told us the economic stability twinning cities brought, along with termination of any leftover enmity. The light and casual dialogue kept the students keen and interested as the consuls would throw in a joke every now and then.

The most beautiful detail of the Elysee treaty, the March at Champs Elysees made the deepest impression on the audience. The French and the German army marched side by side as a powerful depiction of their friendship in 1994 on the same land on which the German had once marched to humiliate France. Dr Dielmann hoped that one day, Pakistan and India would have a good enough relationship to have their armies march side by side, without any grudge. Mr. Ramage admitted that although the relationship and policies of Indo-Pak are different from the Franco-German condition, it’s important that a common ground be reached and the threat of war be finished for good.

The Social Sciences Club deserves praise on painting the event into such a thought provoking and captivating picture. However, Dr Noman did feel that there was a lack of finesse in the refreshments part of the event. Apart from that, the guests and the hosts were all praise: “The Q&A session was very impressive”, this was the exact sentence Dr Noman Ul Haque, Dr Dielmann and Mr. Ramage replied with when asked to comment on their experience at IBA. “It was good to see two weeks of so much hard work and so many sleepless nights come together so perfectly at the seminar” said Nabeel Shafique, the organizing head of the seminar. The students and the guests agreed on the seminar being a success and said they look forward to be a part of similar future ventures.

Avant Garde 3.0

Written by Warda Imran

Bonjour, readers!

Woah, this is my first blog post about the first society event of IBA in my first year, talk about firsts, eh? Yes, people, I am talking about the awe-inspiring event hosted by our very own Entrepreneur society, “Avant Garde 3.0” on 9th and 10th November. I had the honor of working as a part of the Management Team, under Muhammad Zubair in participatory affairs, and so I can acknowledge the amount of hard work and effort put in. You may all be wondering (those of you who did not attend) about the workshop and its content, let’s explore.

Avant Garde 3.0 is, essentially, a workshop about time management, sleep management and clarity of vision; it was conducted by Mr. Suleman Ahmer, CEO of Timelenders, who took out time for this 2-day conference and guided the participants how to attain success by managing these three very vital components of life. I sneaked up a chance to speak to Nabaz Khan(part of the Management Team for this event) who was present at the venue to give us an outlook to how it was conducted, “It was a fantastic learning experience” he stated, telling me that he learned various things as he heard Mr. Suleman Ahmer speak and now has learnt how to bring discipline to his life in terms of sleep and time management. He also claimed that the responsibility he carried as an MT member also gave him ample of time to learn how to handle several crisis situations that he and his colleagues had to stitch up before the event, just in time to make it perfect.

To get a good view of how the participants felt about this event, I had the chance to speak to Haris Sheikh who was a participant, he claimed that it was “interesting and engaging” particularly in regards to the second day of the workshop. He said he learnt that all of us experience several sleep disorders and Mr. Suleman Ahmer advised everyone on how to manage and get rid of these orders by providing several practical solutions, both in regards to Islam and medicine. I asked him if this workshop proved effective and how much of an impact it had on him, to which he laughed and said, “I’ve begun to follow the advices that were given” Wow! Sounds like Avant Garde did its job right!

Finally, I spent 5 minutes with the esteemed Manager of the Entrepreneur society, Zaid Moosani, who gave me a little idea about his effort in this event. “It was a wonderful learning experience! I got to work with the freshman officially and it felt great to know that this society has really good members and helpers” he gushed as he explained the thrill of having successfully pulled off the first society event at IBA. “It wasn’t like any other event, there was no dancing, no music, no partying. It was a sober, sophisticated event. People came in to actually learn” I guess we have to agree with him here as this event was a clear-cut corporate event, shaping future businessmen and entrepreneurs and grooming their skills. Moosani also claimed that he was terrified at first, dreading a lack of registrations but to his relief and surprise, he was flooded. An overall population of 250 people attended this event blending in the corporate aura and culture that submerged the auditorium that weekend. They all exited that hall on Sunday with new visions and horizons, new sleeping habits and a new attitude towards life and time. Here’s to the Entrepreneur society for pulling off a great event, Kudos!

Cheers,

Warda Imran

The Day When A Ferrari Decided to Visit IBA!

Written by Ayesha Rehan

"Vroom!" went the Ferrari on Monday, the 4th of November. Not literally, but that sound did echo in the Main Campus of IBA from morning till late evening. Credit goes to Shell Helix who brought the real Formula One TM experience to the campus. The Shell Helix university drive was all about participating as a team to participate in the Formula One TM Simulation Game and thus getting a chance to enjoy the Grand Prix 2014 in Malaysia!

Days before the event finally took place; the hype was slowly created by the Shell Ambassadors in IBA. Students rushed to register along with their friends, eager to be part of the mega event. The Shell Helix team also kept texting those participating in the competition, increasing the excitement fever even further. The night before the event, the representatives stayed as late as 11.00 pm in the campus; seeing the “Dome” being set up and making sure that everything was right on track. What increased the level of excitement even more were the pictures that were uploaded on Facebook live while the gargantuan “Dome” was being steadied.
The morning of the 4th dawned with everyone hurrying to the university to see with their own eyes what promised to be a big surprise. They were not disappointed. Right outside the Auditorium was the very 'Shell' they had seen in the pictures the night before, only now it was covered with a bright red cover. Here and there posters had been put up broadcasting the event and the fact that a Ferrari stood a few steps away from them, and it was the real thing! So it wasn’t much of a surprise to see students gathering in groups around the entrance of the dome, eager for a peek inside. Student representatives could be seen hastening around the campus in their bright red shirts. It was around eleven that the event kicked off, the same agents going to each table in every café to announce that the competition was now on. The thrill that ran through the student body could be felt. Those not attending classes rushed immediately to the gigantic dome, while those stuck listening to lectures were counting the minutes till the end of the sessions. The engine sounds could be heard echoing throughout the ground and the Adamjee building, drawing people towards the dome like a magnet. Those who hadn't gone inside it were standing gazing at the “Shell” eyes wide open.


Shell had mainly launched this event as a way of attracting the younger generation, by capturing one of the main areas of inerest, 'racing'. While this may be said to be true mostly for guys, nonetheless girls could be seen participating actively in the competition(no comment on their driving skills).The student representatives performed their roles well, taking care of the inside as well as the crowd outside. Photographers were present too, capturing shots of enthusiasts with the race car, as well as those playing the Simulation game. There was a compere as well, who was going around asking people what they thought about the “Dome” and all that it held within. He also kept announcing the top teams of that moment, further increasing the level of determination in the participating teams because, admit it, who wouldn’t want to go to the Grand Prix in 2014!
Going around listening to random students' comments about the Shell Drive, most of them were super impressed. On being asked about the first thought that entered their minds when they were confronted with the layout of the ground, answers were mostly along the range of "wow", "outstanding", "mind blowing". So overall it can be said that the event was a great success. The students were happy, and so was the Shell team, because they managed to get a great response, worthy of the amount of effort they put it. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if they visited IBA again the next time they plan on holding such an event!

Media Flash

for registrations, check its event page

The holiday-less celebration of Dewali

Written by: Maryam Tajjali and Bakhtawar Ali

"I miss spending Dewali with my family," said Meena Kumari in a melancholy tone.
Strolling around the university all day, we wondered whether the Hindu students wanted Dewali to be considered a national holiday across the country. Dewali is the biggest and perhaps most vigorously celebrated event in the Hindu culture. Underneath the sheet of colors, and fireworks that glitter the nights during the festival, there are a crux of festivities which relates to prayers being offered to their gods.
It is intriguing to know that the attachment and indulgence associated with this occasion are very similar to that tied with Eid. Also, like Eid, its dates are decided by the moon calendar and they fell on Sunday and Monday, 3rd and 4th of November, this year. We have always wanted and prayed the fourth day of Eid be declared a holiday, so the fact that the Hindu student body is not granted a holiday even on their "Eid" seemed overwhelming.
One of the questions asked to the Hindu students on the campus was “Do you want the university to be closed for Dewali, even though Hindus in the institution are a small minority”; the responses varied- some were defiant, others were compromising. Upset about spending Dewali away from her family, one of the freshmen quoted "The festivities end late at night and I wouldn't have been able to attend classes early morning the next day, we shouldn't be deprived of our holidays just because we're a minority". Another freshman had a different take, “It’s inconvenient, but I don't expect a university of thousands to shut down for less than a hundred people". The variety in responses did not just end there; a junior year student referenced to India's holiday policy in the following words, "Our government should implement a policy regarding the monitory events as our neighbor (India) does, which allows both Eid and Dewali to be a gazetted holiday". It was further asked whether they wanted to be excused from attending classes during Dewali. This turned out to be controversial as although majority of the students were willing to take the offer, some of them felt that having to miss classes was equally inconvenient.

To widen the scope we then went to non-Muslim faculty members. It was a pleasant surprise that the government of Pakistan does recognize minority holidays. Mr. Manoj from the city campus told us, "IBA allows Dewali holidays as an option to its staff as it's a gazetted holiday by the government of Pakistan". The students not getting an off while the teachers enjoyed optional holiday seemed rather unfair but Mr. Roger Eli shed light on a different point of view: "Student life is when you're making something of yourself so you can't afford to stand against the rush and be left behind. The staff is merely enjoying the perks and payoffs of the efforts they put in to get where they are."

Interestingly, Pakistani Christians are lucky to have Christmas coincide with the winter vacations and Muhammad Ali Jinnah's birthday. However, they too are denied holidays on occasions like Thanksgiving and Easter as students or private sector employees. The Christian students we came across were generally just happy that they get to celebrate Christmas with wholesome zeal and zest, "our other occasions are secondary compared to Christmas". A highly esteemed member of IBA teaching staff, Professor Leon Menezes said the taking up the optional holiday can be a burden in itself "if faculty takes leave, he/she will have to conduct make up session later."

The students and teaching faculty at IBA generally think that although closing the University for every Minority’s Events would be a drastic step, it's only reasonable to at least allow the students leave on the days of their festivals. Just because they're a smaller group does not mean their feelings are any less important and giving them holidays on their festivals would make them feel much more welcome and valued. We approached Professor Bilal Munshi with this problem and he replied with what is the-cherry-on-top to this argument "You guys get off for all your Eid days, if Hindus getting Holidays on Dewali makes them happy- Why not?"