NEDAASC NEWS · 2015-07-09 · Arshad Javed Syed President [email protected] Moqueem Ansari Secretary [email protected] Mansoor Khan Vice President and Treasurer [email protected]

Board of Directors Arshad Javed Syed

President [email protected]

Moqueem Ansari

Secretary

[email protected]

Mansoor Khan

Vice President and Treasurer

[email protected]

Syed Shariq Reza

Director [email protected]

Dr. Farhat Siddiqi

Director of Publications [email protected]

Ahmed Ali

Director

[email protected]

[email protected]

Zaid Ahmed

Director of Scholarships [email protected]

Ahsan Rehman


Arif Zaffar Mansuri

Director of Marketing

[email protected]

Naim Siddiqui

Director

[email protected]

Dr. Iqbal Ahmed


Dr. Farhat Siddiqi

Past President [email protected]

Contact Information: www.nedaasc.org Mr. Arshud Jared Syed (714) 200-3915 Mailing Address: 739 North Main Street Orange, California 92868 (USA)

NEDAASC NEWS

MARCH 2012

N.E.D. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Fellow NEDians,

Here we are with our Newsletter for the year 2012. A lot happened during the

last year in terms of activities of NEDAASC. Unfortunately we will not be

able to cover everything in this Newsletter but believe me there is plenty of

good stuff for you to read, enjoy & reminisce about the old but gold NED days.

As we do every year we held our scholarship fundraising and entertainment

function which was a success. And keeping with our tradition our beloved

Ashraf Habibullah was the keynote speaker. The Vice-Chancellor of

NEDUET, Engineer Abdud Kalam was also in attendance as our Chief Guest.

We went totally non-traditional this time around for entertainment. A group of

Gora (all American) entertained the crowd with Qawwali. The audience loved

it. Mr. Akhtar Faruqui of Pakistan Link has written a nice article about it.

The Board of Directors had a dinner meeting with the visiting Dean of

Engineering at NEDUET, Dr. Sarosh Lodi at Mujib‟s residence for discussing

our graduate fellowship program at NEDUET. The meeting was very

productive, the food was simply excellent and Mujib Ahmed‟s hospitality was

superb. Dr. Iqbal Ahmed has written an article about it.

This year the National Convention was held in New Jersey. The Convention

was a phenomenal success. Safwan Shah has described the feelings of the

NEDIANS so nicely in his article.

Enough of my yak yak. It‟s time to start reading. Enjoy.

Dr. Farhat Siddiqi

Civil, 1965

Director of Publications

In This Issue:

Editor’s Note

Outgoing President’s Column

President’s Message

NEDAASC 2011 Scholarship Program Update

Nedians Demonstrate the American Spirit in

Supporting their Alma Mater

Way to Go, Dinshaws!

NED – The Road to Fantasy Land via Memory Lane

Summer 2011 Sojoun to NEDUET

NED Diary

NED Meeting with Dean of Civil Engineering

50th

Anniversary of the Freshman Class of 1961

NED – A Poem

mailto:[email protected]










http://www.nedaasc.org/

NEDAASC NEWS - March 2012 1

OUTGOING PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

By Dr. Farhat Siddiqi

Civil, 1965

A lot of exciting and productive things happened last year. The best of all was finalizing our

graduate fellowship program for NEDUET. The Board of Directors (BOD) of NEDAASC has been

debating this topic for many months. Although providing scholarships to the bright and needy

undergraduate students at NEDUET is a noble cause and we will continue to do that, but NEDUET is

no longer a College to be utilized for teaching only as it used to do when it was a part of the

University of Karachi until the late 1970‟s. In addition to teaching undergraduate students a

University conducts research through its graduate program. We all understand this. That‟s not the

issue. The issue is the availability of research funds and staying true to our goals. We want to help

NEDUET in providing funds commensurate with our resources.

The BOD approved MS Assistantship Award to be called “Ashraf Habibullah Graduate Fellowship” in honor of a

gentleman and an NED Alumnus who has done so much for NED. Luckily, it just happened that Professor Sarosh Lodi

was in the United States recently on some official business. We seized the opportunity and had a casual, relaxed dinner

meeting with him to discuss the fellowship program. Based on the discussions at the meeting Dr. Lodi has agreed to take

charge of this fellowship at NEDUET and be our contact person at the University.

Very recently Dr. Lodi has submitted a research outline for the first fellowship to be funded by NEDAASC. The BOD

has evaluated the research program and approved its funding by NEDAASC. As a member of BOD, Dr. Iqbal Ahmed

will represent NEDAASC in the coordination of all efforts related to this program with NEDUET.

We have increased the number of scholarships to 40 which are awarded to the under-graduate students. The feedback

about our scholarship program by Dr. Lodi is very positive. It was heartening to hear from Dr. Lodi that NEDAASC is

viewed very positively at the University for all it is doing to help the students. We do intend to increase the number of

these scholarships. In keeping up with the tradition of holding annual functions for raising scholarship funds, we held a

well attended and well liked function. As always Ashraf Habibullah was the keynote speaker. Keeping his tradition, he

announced a donation of $25,000.00 and challenged the audience to match it. On behalf of BOD and on my own behalf

I express my tremendous gratitude to Ashraf for his generosity and for always being so supportive of NEDAASC.

Incidentally, Engineer Abdul Kalam, Vice-Chancellor of NEDUET also attended the fundraising event and he thanked

Mr. Ashraf Habibillas and all other NED alumni for their generous contributions towards the scholarship program.

The 7th International Convention was held in New Jersey. Five BOD members including Ahsan Rehman, Ahmed Ali,

Zaid Ahmed, Moqueem Ansari and myself attended the Convention to represent NEDAASC. The Convention was a

huge success.

As people say, “time flies”. The last two years flew faster than ever. My two year term as President ended on December

31. The BOD has unanimously elected a great NEDian, a perfect gentleman and my dear friend Arshad Syed to be the

new President of NEDAASC. He took over the office of Presidency on January 1, 2012. Everybody genuinely wishes

that he extends the activities of NEDAASC to a higher level than ever before. During my term as President I received

full support and tremendous love from all members of the Board in everything we undertook. I will always be grateful

for this support and love. However, I will continue to be the Director of Publication and will do my best to put together

great Newsletters for your joyful reading.

God bless everybody at NEDAASC. I wish health and happiness to all the NED Alumni around the World and soon-to-

be Alumni at NED.

May Allah grant his blessing to our Alma Mater to continue on its ascend towards becoming a World Class University.


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Arshad Javed Syed

Civil, 1971

As I take the new role of leading this young but very active NED alumni association, I have

been asked often what is the motivation for spending my time and resources for an institution I

left 40 years ago. Although there are many reasons, I will share with you the main one.

I strongly believe that NED has played a huge role in my life. It has helped me in leading a very

comfortable and respectable life. It awarded me an engineering degree and the skills to pursue

an advanced degree in the United States at a cost of couple of dollars per month. As father of

three kids attending major universities in the US, I am reminded again and again the wonderful

deal I got from NED. You may not know that NED has always been and still is the least

expensive engineering school in Pakistan. I hope you agree with me that all alumni owe a lot to our alma mater. So what

can you do to pay back this debt? Here are some suggestions:

1. Become a member of the association. Annual dues are only $50.

2. Contact other NEDians (I am sure you have several old friends from NED) and encourage them to become a paid

member.

3. Consider sponsoring a scholarship. We currently award 40 scholarships. We can certainly do more with your help. It

is only $200 per year and remember your donation is fully tax-deductible. We are a not-for-profit organization 501

c-3 (Taxpayer Identification No. 83-0504469).

4. If you are interested in sharing your knowledge on an engineering subject which may be of interest to the

students/faculty of NED, we can arrange a webinar or a technical seminar at NEDUET.

5. If you are planning to visit Pakistan this year, make plans to attend the international convention to be held

November 30 through December 2, 2012.

6. If you have another suggestion or have time and resources to share, please attend our monthly meetings.

7. We are organizing the collection of technical banks and journals to be donated to NEDUET.

Hope to see you soon and have a happy and prosperous year.

APPEAL FOR DONATIONS

NEDAASC urges all NED Alumni to contribute towards NEDAASC‟s Scholarship Fund. There are many students at

our beloved Alma Mater who are struggling to make ends meet and facing financial hardships while they are working

hard to complete their education at NEDUET, get a degree and begin their professional career. You can contact any

member of the Board of Directors to discuss your contribution efforts with him or just simply mail a check for whatever

amount you wish to donate.

NEDAASC is a non-profit organization with 501c-3 status. Consequently all donations made to NEDAASC are tax

deductible.


NEDAASC 2011 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM UPDATE

By Zaid Ahmed

Civil Alhamdulillah, NED Alumni Association of Southern California (NEDAASC) continues its

commitment of providing scholarships to the deserving students of NED University of

Engineering & Technology, Karachi, Pakistan (NEDUET). These scholarships were awarded

based on Need-Cum-Merit basis. Only low income family students are selected and then ranked

on the basis of merit. These scholarships cover full annual expenses of the students including

annual tuition fees and other miscellaneous university fees/expenses.

In the year 2011, a total of 40 scholarships were awarded to the deserving students of NEDUET.

Out of a total of 40 scholarships, 13 were awarded to the new first year engineering students. The

remaining 27 scholarships were renewed and continue to the same 2010 NEDAASC scholarship recipients of second,

third and final year students who passed their respective fin al exams and met other eligibility criteria. One scholarship

recipient from the first year class and 2 recipients from the second year class of 2010 did not pass their final exams and

their scholarships were cancelled and discontinued in 2011 as per the established criteria of NED Students Affairs

Office. The scholarship funds were distributed accordingly to the respective successful students through the NED

Students Controller and Directorate of Finance Offices. The total NEDAASC scholarship funds distributed during 2011

were Rs. 665,800.00. In accordance with NEDUET 2011 Fee Schedule, the NEDAASC Scholarship amount for 1st year

engineering class recipients were Rs. 21,100 each, and Rs. 14,500 each for the 2nd

, 3rd

, and final year engineering class

recipients. A complete list of the successful recipients for the 2011 NEDAASC Scholarship is attached on the following

page.

The Board of Directors of the NEDAASC would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to all of our donors,

members of NEDAASC, fellow NEDIANS, and all other well-wishers for their generous support and help and who

made these achievements possible. And we look forward to their continued support to our scholarship program in years

to come, inshaAllah. In addition, we also would like to thank the NEDUET Student Affairs Office and the NED

University Management for their constant support in the processing and coordination of the NEDAASC Scholarship

program. NEDAASC also plans to continue with at least 40 scholarships available to NEDUET students every year

onward, inshaAllah.

2011 NEDAASC SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

No. Name of Applicant Discipline

1 Syed Muhammad Hasan S/o Syed Zia Uddin

Petroleum Engineering

2 Khair Un Nisa D/o Azeem Khan

Polymer & Petrochemical Engineering

3 Obaid-un-Rehman S/o Mohammad Yonus

Automotive Engineering

4 Urooj Arif D/o Arif Mahmood

Electronic Engineering

5 Kapil Dev S/o Chetan Kumar

Electrical Engineering

6 Arsalam Ahmed S/o M. Saleem Sheikh


7 Mohammad Fahad S/o Mohammad Khan

Ind. & Mfg. Engineering

8 Shereen Fatima D/o Mohammad Qamar

Software Engineering

9 Saira Yousuf D/o Mohammad Yousuf

Civil Engineering

10 Syed Suleman Shikoh S/o Mohammad Ahmed


11 Sonia D/o Abdul Sultan Rodani

Telecommunication Engineering

12 Abdul Suboor Khan S/o Abdul Qadri Khan


13 Faisal Fida S/o Fida Muhammad



2011 NEDAASC SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS (Cont’d)

SECOND YEAR ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS


1 Syed Muhammad Rashid Hussain S/o Muhammad Hamid Hussain


2 Maisam Ali S/o Hur Hussain

Computer & Inf. Sys. Engineering

3 Shehla D/o Muhammad Taj Khan

Civil Engineering

4 Salman Abbas S/o Syed Muhammad Zafar Abbas


5 Sana Waseem D/o Ahmed Waseem


6 Rao Muhammad Ali Saleem S/o Saleem Ahmed Rao


7 Nauria Gul D/o Arif Gul

Electronic Engineering

8 Syeda Samia Tousif D/o Syed Tousif Ul Hasan Burney


9 Mariya Husain D/o Syed Zahid Husain


10 Faryal Tahseen D/o Syed Muhammad Tahseen

Textile Engineering

11 Kashif Ahmed S/o Touqueer Ahmed


THIRD YEAR ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS


1 Ingila Ejaz D/o Ejaz Ahmed Siddiqui


2 Aisha Iqbal D/o Muhammad Iqbal Javed

Civil Engineering

3 Anila Saghir D/o Muhammad Saghir


4 Hadiqa Amber D/o Shabbir Ahmed


5 Bilal Ikram S/o Muhammad Ikram


6 Abdul Ahad Manzoor S/o Manzoor Jamal


7 Faraz Ahmed S/o Karamat Ullah



2011 NEDAASC SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS (Cont’d)

FINAL YEAR ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS


1 Nosheen Maqsood D/o Maqsood Ahmed

Bio-Engineering

2 Sana Jaffery D/o Syed Shakeel Abbas Jaffery


3 Muhammad Waqas Sualaheen S/o Muhammad Sualaheen

Metallurgical Engineering

4 Irsa D/o Ameer Ahmed Alvi


5 Hareem Siraj D/o Sirahuddin

Bio-Engineering

6 Umar Bin Rashid Tauni S/o Muhammad Rashid Tauni


7 Syed Muhammad Furqan Ali S/o Muhammad Ali


8 Afshan Naz D/o Abdul Majeed


9 Muhammad Waqas S/o Ghulam Rasool Shaikh


ESSAY COMPETITION

NEDAASC holds an Essay Competition every year and all students currently enrolled at NEDUET are urged to

participate. This Essay Competition has been a popular activity for the students at NEDUET. Once the essays are

received by NEDAASC through proper official channels at NEDUET they are handed over to our select members of

judges. These judges independently score each essay following the established criteria approved by the members of the

Board of Directors.

Based on the scores assigned by the judges, the following students have secured the first three positions in the 2011

NEDAASC Essay Competition.

1. Kulsoom Iqbal Rs. 35,000

2. Muhammad Faheem Rs. 25,000

3. Kanzah Zia Rs. 15,000


L to R: Dr. Farhat Siddiqi, Mujib Ahmed, Vice Chancellor NEDUET Abul Kalam

NEDAASC Board of Directors

NEDIANS DEMONSTRATE THE AMERICAN SPIRIT IN SUPPORTING THEIR

ALMA MATER

By Akhtar Faruqui (Pakistan Link)

Pakistanis in the United States often pride on their `American' identity. But not many of them share the American zest

for fostering education and technology that has served as a singular stimulus to all-round economic and social change in

the United States. The NED Alumni Association of Southern California, and a small group of visionaries, provide a

glaring exception to this disconcerting `Pakistani American' trend.

In the short span of five years, the NED alumni's successes have been many and, what is more, sustained. Outgoing

president Ahmed Ali proudly asserts the accomplishments “are nothing short of extraordinary,“ and rightly so. The

number of scholarships given to NED students alone has quadrupled during 2008-2011. Besides, quite a few well

meaning initiatives have been taken to induct a wholesome change in the teaching program of the NED University of

Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan.

A function at the Cerritos Sheraton on Saturday, June 19, to `meet

and greet ` Vice-Chancellor Abul Kalam, turned out to be a rare

concourse spotlighting the alumni's sincere strivings to give a much

needed fillip to technical education in Pakistan. Described as a

`transformation al figure' by Engineer Ahmed Ali, the octogenarian

Vice-Chancellor truly deserved the compliment. Said Ahmed: In

1996 when he took over NED, there were only four undergraduate

programs at the university, now there are 22! In 1996, it took six

years to complete the four-year degree program, today it takes four

years to complete the four-year degree. In 1996, between 350 to

400 students received the bachelor's degree, in the convocation on

February 20th this year, 1771 students graduated, including over 200 who received their post-graduate degree.

VC Abul Kalam made a profound impact on the gathering with his impeccable demeanor and edifying observations. He

paid glowing tributes to the university faculty, describing its members as “solid gold,“ and showed appreciation for the

“awakening in the US that the alumni should do something for the students.“ He apprized the gathering of the growing

number of students graduating from the university 1771 in 2011 of whom 38.5% were girls. The Vice-Chancellor asked

the NED graduates to maintain a regular rapport with the alma mater and urged those intending to visit Pakistan to “drop

an email defining your expertise and we will be able to arrange your lecture at the NED University ...“

The NED University of Engineering and Technology (NEDUET) offers degrees in 19 disciplines along with masters and

doctoral programs, its students body is 7000 strong, and the faculty is not gender-based women and men are in about


L to R: Dr. Farhat Siddiqi, Key Note Speaker

Ashraf Habibullah, Mujib Ahmed

Qawwali performance by Fanna-Fi-Allah group

Section of the audience

equal numbers, claims the alumni's newsletter. Engineer Ashraf Habibullah presented the evening's keynote address

laced with hilarious anecdotes and witticism. He furnished fresh proof of the adage “boys will be boys“ and his

reminisces of life spent in Pakistan led to spontaneous bursts of laughter time and again. The lad, who failed five times in

getting admission to a Catholic school and mistook the word monk to be the feminine of monkey, today heads a leading

American software company that is successfully executing prestigious projects in 150 countries of the world! Many in

the audience realized, though belatedly, that being dumb at school like Einstein, has rewards later in life.

Habibullah endeared himself to the audience with his plain talking

and earnestness: he owed a great deal to his teachers who “instilled

in me the quest to learn, transformed me into someone who was

trying to learn ...“ and proudly recalled “the things that NED did for

me.“ Before concluding his scintillating address deserving the best

superlatives he announced a handsome donation of $25,000 for his

alma mater.

Dr. Farhat Siddiqi, President, NEDAASC, welcomed the NED

alumni. “NED has done wonders for us all,“ he acknowledged, and

added, “I grew up dirt poor in Karachi running around bare feet

because my mom couldn't afford to buy me the new sandals. For the last

17 years I have owned an engineering company in Orange County. It's

all due to the love of my parents and almost the same kind of love from my teachers at NED. “NED was short of good

furniture but was never short of love and support. The Silicon Valley is full of NED alumni who founded or co-founded

numerous technology firms. NED produced world famous engineers including the world renowned structural engineer,

Ashraf Habibullah ...“

Earlier, outgoing President Ahmed Ali presented an introduction to

NEDIANN-NA while Iqbal Ahmed furnished an introduction to

NEDAASC. Sharing impressions of his visit to the NED University

of Engineering and Technology in the alumni's newsletter, outgoing

President Ahmed Ali made several incisive observations: “I came

away from my tour with the belief that the alumni can make a great

difference by supplementing the resources available to NEDUET.

The university and its staff will be well served if all of the chapters

under the NEDIAN-NA umbrella can provide seminars via satellite

or in person at the campus, which could be of a few hours, days,

weeks, semester or an entire academic year. We have had some

success in this area but we need to develop a more comprehensive outreach

program. Other areas that we should work on are to develop a mentoring program for the students and provide assistance

in writing technical papers for presentation at national and international symposiums and conferences. In addition, we

can help students interested in going overseas to locate sources of funding and scholarships ...“

A qawwali presentation by the Fanna-Fi-Allah group, the only

American traditional qawwali party performing in Pakistan, India

and the USA since 2001, was an enlivening feature of the evening.

Aminah Chishty Qawwal has been a leading force in the art of

Pakistani tabla. A student of the great Ustad Dildar Hussain Khan,

Aminah has performed at the shrines of Pakistan's great saints. With

the blessings of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's lineage they aspire to

represent the might and magic of this sacred music. In the West.

Their performance was memorable. Clapping in unison and raising

their voice to high decibels to resonate in the spacious hall, the

Fanna-Fi-Allah group appeared to cast a spell on the charged and

appreciative crowd.


WAY TO GO, DINSHAWS!

By A.H. Cemendtaur

Civil

I am at a gas station. I start talking to the Iranian cashier. The young man asks me where I am

from and then surprises me with, "My older brother studied in Pakistan."

Who would like to go and study in a country where bomb blasts and suicide attacks are a

routine affair, I wonder to myself.

“Really? Where did he study?” I ask him with disbelief.

“I am not sure if you would know, but it is called the NED University,” he tells me. My jaw

drops, I feel goose bumps.

"I know NED. It is my university," I say with excitement, shaking his hand.

The young man tells me his brother was off from his studies, for a year,

“because during that time Pakistan was at war with India.”

I try to guess his age, his brother's age, and then wonder in my head if it is 1965

or 1971 he is referring to.

The cashier keeps going, “But still, that university gave have him very good

education. He was unstoppable in his career in Iran.”

My eyes well up--a sense of pride permeates my soul. This young man has just

given me enough energy to keep me going for weeks. These are the things you want to hear about everything you are

associated with: your parents, your children, and the schools and colleges you attended.

Educational institutions don't believe in birth control, they keep on producing

children: sons and daughters who leave the nest, but are always emotionally

attached to their alma mater. And the progeny shares a wonderful camaraderie.

You just say you are an NEDian and I spontaneously feel a gush of fraternal

love for you--we are the children of the same mother.

Whenever NEDians meet, they figure out a real connection between each other,

be it through their NEDian siblings; the teachers that taught them; the lecture

halls, classrooms, cafeteria they sat in, or the hostels they lived in; or prominent

student leaders they know of. It is the NED experience that changes with time,

but still remains common because of the three letters: NED.

My NED experience included taking the 'point' bus to the campus in the morning, meeting energetic leaders of various

student political organizations, being taught by wonderful teachers throughout the day, sitting in the air-conditioned

auditorium listening to Nazia Hasan, eating Biryani at the cafeteria, and engaging in entertaining conversations with

fellow students.

Unlike the lyrics of a popular song by Bryan Adams, I have learned to cherish

each day as the best day of my life...but still, those NED days were indeed

special: the educational foundation that university built, supports me and my

loved ones to this day; and the friendships I formed with other NEDians still

comfort me every day. All this because of a few generous citizens of Karachi

who spent money to build an educational institute, and the children of a

philanthropist who decided to donate a large chunk of their father's fortune to

financially strengthen the institute. You have done a marvelous job, Dinshaw

family!


The NED Auditorium and the Fountain of Youth

NED – THE ROAD TO FANTASY LAND via MEMORY LANE

by Kamran Haque

Electrical, 1991

For Engineers and Doctors Only: “Engineer or Doctor, Doctor or Engineer”- That was what all

the welcoming kids at an elite school answered The Queen Elizabeth on her first official visit to

Pakistan in 1961 said with a smile and asked: “What are you going to be when you grow up ?

The “Doctor-Engineer” slogan was adapted as rhetoric to an ideal (and the only two „do or die‟)

career paths within the common educated middle class families- and perhaps a pursuit to an ideal

life that promises a fleet of servants (Khansamas), Chauffer driven cars and huge Mansions with

24/7 Private Security Guards (Chokeedars) – and above all one of the best choices of “brides to be”

for the most eligible bachelors – known as Doctors or Engineers.

As a byproduct of the same career rhetoric and being surrounded by Doctor Uncles (& Aunts) and Engineer Cousins as a

kid, I was by default driven to be either one of them i.e. An ENIGINEER– above all the idea of having the best fleet of

the most beautiful, articulate, educated and talented ladies available (implanted by my dear Mother …) once an Engineer,

was the most fascinating of all as compared to not be somebody and standing on the other side of the fence (quite

disturbing to my little ego as a kid) – This idea changed the song Ko Ko Koreena for me:

“Mayray Kheyalon May Chaaee Hay Eik Surat Ghurwalee Key

Nazuk See Sharmelee See, Masssum see Bholey Bhalee See”

Ladies-to-Be: “Jee Meyn Burra Ho Kar Engineer Bunno Gaa …” – that was a typical answer I was pulling out of my

back pocket with style, anytime (and every time) I was asked about my future plans– just like a young ambitious (show

off) cowboy in the Western Movies drawing out his gun from his holster with lightening speed followed by a tip of the

Hat. In return I used to receive lots of praises with smiles and wows, especially by the moms of “ladies-to-be” making

me naively think “ Aa haan – so that’s the lineup process of the princesses that Ammi talks about” And Baqol Shaer

Kay:

“ Aay Taareefayn Kurnay Walee Aunty, Aaj tum Mehmaan-e-Khaas Ho,

Ya Jiss Ka Bunnuga May Damadh, Kya Tum woh Kush Naseeb “Saass” Ho?”

The Motivations: The wishful thinking of the „lineup process in 100’s and the family praises to be a future Engineer

with all the goodies to come, became one of the key driving factors to study hard and get the “percentage –with good

grades” required to land in the prestigious NED University – the top engineering school known to my family and the

mothers of all the ladies-to-be!

The Landing Zone: I still remember the morning of March 1986,

when I anxiously awaited in my front-yard for the newspaper boy

(who amazingly rode his Honda 50 with one hand and accurately

tossed the roll of new-papers in houses with robotic precision while

sprinting through the street in a flash – without stopping). With the

roar of his Honda 50 my heart pounded as it was the day when results

for intermediate a.k.a „Inter‟ were getting published. And then

suddenly the „big-fat-thick-long‟ roll of newspaper appeared flying

high in the air like a propeller appeared on the horizon (Jung,

Hurriyath, Nawa-e-Waqt, & Dawn all combined) freezing moment in

slow motion – with a hope that it lands where I always wanted it to

land and not where it will hurt - for the rest of my life !!! (If you know

what I mean…) Luckily being athletic I was able to make a good catch,

slid off the rubber-band from the roll and dug through the stack of newspapers to the section “Inter Ka Nateejaa”

scanning for my “Roll Number”. “Yeah-Haa!!! I was on my way to NED … let the line up begin...” Unfortunately for a

lot of my dear good friends the newspaper landed somewhere else!!

The Destiny: My Day One at NED University (yes NED was no longer a college) was interesting as I stood in the line to

fill out the application for admission, the very friendly representatives from student organizations (officially banned in

those days by Late General Zia - but unofficially active) approached me and offered assistance (and friendship). In those

days there were four disciplines to choose from: Computers, Electrical, Mechanical and Civil Engineering offered based

on percentage of merit i.e. Computers on the top and Civil at the bottom (no offense to my Dear Civil Engineering


Friends) – and that‟s how it was structured followed by Dawood Engineering College as a typical destiny for folks who

couldn‟t get into these four disciplines. Beyond Dawood College, it was NED‟s next door neighbor – The Karachi

University. The academic destination for my friends whose news-paper landed somewhere “else”, fortunately or

unfortunately, is all subjective to this date as it has defined the destiny for so many of us in so many different ways.

Electrifying Career path: I chose Electrical Engineering since I thought it was the closest match to my electrifying

personality (haha) and the idea of being “Mechanical” (pronounced as “MaeyKay – Nikal” or “Maykay Jaao” sounded

like a Ghar-Damads) or being “Civilized‟ (definitely not me) or “Computerized” (way before getting out of control) was

not so appealing.

The Dry Fountain of Youth: The admissions were followed by the orientation-day where we (the Naeay Punchee) were

given the Campus tour which we found quite fascinating. The symbolic Auditorium, that stood right in front of the

legendary “dry fountain of youth”, gave a bold statement about the Campus exposure and appreciation to student

activities that has expanded its wings from vibrant social program to the latest and the greatest Rs. 1/ = movies in early

80‟s. However at a closer look the sight of chained padlock and spider webs behind the peek-through Auditorium glass

door revealed that “boat” has long been gone due to the ban placed on Student Union and extra-curricular activities few

years back – How disappointing! It is not what I envisioned this campus to be …. No wonder the fountain was dry!

“Kayee Saal NED upnay bund “Audiotorium” Pay Rotee Hay

Buree Mushkil Say Hota Hay “Fountain” May Paanee Peyda “

ARRA= Andaa Respect Rehabilitation Association: Respect the “Andaa(s)” and Rehab the “Andaa(s)” was the slogan

that Mehdi Hasnain, Khalid Nazim and others from Mechanical Engineering enchanted and was well received by others

– especially due to its unusual philosophy it was quite tempting to folks like me. The idea is to create a virtual or

alternate world of “Student Life Fun without a gun” with no political motivations or affiliation whatsoever. On its

opening day a bunch of students (including myself) marched through out the NED campus enchanting “ Naaraeh

Andaaaaa …. Jeeaaaay Undaaaa” while holding the posters and banner of the “dear egg”. Where AARA was appreciated

by most of us there were few who thought this idea as being lame and those were later invited to a breakfast of

“Andaa‟s” at the fountain area. The entire campus was curious about the nature of this event and lined up in the corridors

to watch the event unfold – As planned the guests “Computer Folks” arrived at the venue. Soon after their arrival a

server (me) wearing a wolf mask, a bow tie, on roller skates appeared from one of the corridors holding the tray with

variety of cooked Eggs. The server swiftly skated towards the fountain and skillfully stopped at the fountain serving the

breakfast to the guest – while the entire campus watched this unusual event with interest, smiles and with a new hope for

the days ahead –fun filled activities which later lead to the re-opening of the auditorium for extra-curricular student

activities (after many years) and formation of many student bands like, Ocean Emotions, Medigineers and all time

famous “Live Wires”. The era also marked the beginning of 15 year long musical career of the famous solo singer and

fellow NEDian – Ali Haider. Finally the chains were gone and the Auditorium came to life!!!

The Real Plan: The 4 year Engineering Curriculum comprised of 8 semesters. This was changed from classical annual

system with a hope to distribute the study load evenly across twelve months – discouraging the traditional “end of the

year-study-before-the-finals” style typical to annual system. The class representatives (CR‟s) were designated to define

the weekly class schedule. The first day of my class I was able to make quite new friends with the gang of old friends

whom I have known since 7th

grade through college – and now in NED. Perceived as funny, outgoing and socially

entertaining within the known majority of my class mates and decade old friends I was by default nominated as the Class

representative (CR). On the first day of the class there was this young tall well built Professor in a gown entered in the

class and all of us naive inter-pass students stood up in respect. He introduced himself and started calling out roll

numbers – As he started writing some high end equations on the board another young Professor entered in the class and

acclaimed that this was his class and the other Professor had no right to teach this class as NED administration has

kicked him out due to allude misconduct. To our surprise the argument heated up and the new comer slapped the

Professor on his face in front of the new-bees followed by huge laughter of the Seniors watching this whole drama

unfold. We were instantly notified that this was just a stunt that our seniors had pulled on us – and even the guy who

was acting as a Professor was kept in the dark of the real plan – had to be “slapped” in front of the new comers. And that

the Slap was going to be Real!!!

“Hum Nay Un Ko Dekha, Angle Budal Budal Kay,

Unhonaey Humay Maaree, Sandle Budal Budal Kay”

The Devine Law of Outing: It was cloudy and drizzling (a rare day) – According to student traditions that was the day

when there should not be any classes and the NED student law called for an outing. In respect and recognition of the

divine law of outing majority of the class voted for a no class day, boarded on Zahoor’s Pointe (NED bus) and headed to

the beach (Hawks-bay). The law also required to be back by 1:20 pm – the official time for the students to be off the


NEDians in Swat valley– Me and Ayaz (Front), Ashir and Mubeen in the middle and Anwer and Ikram in the back – All together since 7th grade through NED!!!

The very colorful graduation day of our last class and finally being an Engineer– Me in the center with Accordion with all my good time friends!!

hook and go home. The Electrical and Computer Engineering students always went together, while Mechanical and Civil

did their own thing. To maximize the fun the student travelled on the roof, hanged from the post on the bus doors and

exchanged comments with the passer buys – en route to the beach all

the way from University Road, Hassan Square, Tariq Road, Chorangee,

Sher Shah, and final destination – The Rocky French Beach (as we

called it).

The poor Traffic Seargents and Constables were typically greeted by

Out load slogan of “ Ooooohhhh Tullllaaaaaay or Ohhhhh

Undaaaaay” which they gracefully (sometime not so gracefully)

replied with gestures of their own choice – even if that required

dropping their paints off (while controlling traffic) and paying respect

in their own way to the budding Engineers.

The trip back to NED to meet the 1:20pm return time always required a stop at Mr. Burger‟s (Tariq Road) and a detour

from the PECH girls college – with the entire fleet of futures Engineers sitting on the roof top of the NED Bus just to

have an opportunity of vista-views to wave & shout at their cousin sisters or the ladies-to-be!!!

“Hazaron Lurkeeya Aesseyn, Kay Hur Larkee Pay Dumm Niklay,

Per Jiss Larkee Pay Hum Phislay, Wo Ghar Say hee Kum Niklay”

Laughter – Order of the Day: A typical day at NED started with a gathering of friends at the Cafeteria, where fresh

samosa‟s with “Dudh Patee” was served in the mix of Jokes and Gossips. The trend was that every other week one

would have to pitch in with a new joke – The Laughing out loud was always the order of the day. The “Gup-Shup”

session spanned from all sort of issues, stories and ideas. One of the geniuses came up with an idea of designing touch

sensitive pocket size wallets instantly expandable into big-long-round duffel bags – Secret Touch Sensitive Leather

Ingredient “Circumcised Skins”!!!

The Engineering Study (Mustee) Tour: One of the greatest perks of

being in NED and something to look forward to was the engineering study

tour offered after 4th semester. In essence this is NED sponsored and a big

chunk of money was reserved and given to students for a Trip to Northern

Areas of Pakistan – I study portion is all subjective. This by far is one of

the most memorable trip that one could have – The “Mustee Filled” train

trip from Karachi to Lahore, Lahore to Islamabad, The Bus trip to Muree,

Swat, Peshawar, etc. sure is one of a kind experience. This is the time that

you truly appreciate and learn about the hospitality and friendly attitude of

the People of Pakistan – the simplicity in behavior and innocence in

everything they do leaves a lasting mark. One early morning as the Train

passed by a local village we saw folks sleeping on “Charpaee” with their

“Dhotees” stretched from navel up all the way to their heads preventing

morning flies from crawling up their faces – Guess they were never

bothered with the gang of flies hovering over the area down below!! As

per Zohaib Hassan (Late Nazia Hassan’s Brother):

“Zara Chera To Dikhaaaaaooooooo, Aur Tohra Sa Muskuraao”

Definitely we did not laugh a little - Later we were told that they do

this in respect to every student train that passes through their village

due to some past bitter experiences.

The Graduation Day: One of the most colorful Traditions that we

observed and inherited from our seniors was celebration for the last

day of 8th semester Class by playing colors. I remember that at the

last day of our 8 th semester we all came prepared with colors, water

spray guns that portrayed a mere expression of the joy of reaching a

milestone of a life time. The Fountain of Youth was filled with water


The graduation party of class of 1991 and dinner at AVARI Towers ….

and colors were mixed for water guns to be filled – we congratulated each by rubbing colors, chased each other in the

fountain area and corridors of NED with laughter and joy of finally being an Engineer. I still remember leading the

gang of my friends singing songs of joy on the Accordion!!!

“ Hay Mubarik aaj Ka Din Rass Aaaeey hay Suhaneey …….Shadmanee Ho … Shadmanee ….Shadmanee Ho …

Shadmanee”

The day continued with celebrations well into the evening followed by a dinner party at a local hotel.

The Kings and the Queens: Queen Elizabeth in 1961 - knowing the answer of every kid‟s aim in life to be an “Engineer

or a Doctor” - later in her address stated: “I am very pleased to know the answer of each kid about his/her career path

leading to a be a successful Doctor or an Engineer – however

I am very surprised that none of them are planning a career

in “Teaching” – Good Teachers are the lead architects of the

character, social attitude and behaviors of the future

intellectuals, scholars, scientists, doctors and engineers who

are responsible for the core foundation of the nation to be

built.”

I couldn‟t agree with Her Majesty more – As I look back I

am very thankful to all the great Teachers who helped me

climb the ladder of my career. From the early days of

school, to Intermediate, to NED and beyond, I have no word

of thanks that could match the value of contributions of our

teachers that helped me to be where I am in life. Their

kindness, dedications and sincerity towards our success

holds the highest gratitude in my heart – as they are the True Kings and Queens who have ruled so many hearts for the

rest of their lives.

For me the imaginary ladies line up never happened as I ended up in the line myself and got lucky as I have always been

a Happy Go Lucky Guy – and that is what I wish for all my friends and fellow NEDians. It brings me great comfort and

joy that all of my friends found their destined career and comfort in life – regardless of the “newspaper” landing zone -

as we are all born with our destinies and earning paths.

May life treat all of them kind and well – Hope you all find your Fantasy Land as well!!

ANNUAL FUNCTION

Every year NEDAASC holds its annual function. The primary purpose of this function is to provide an opportunity for

the Alumni residing in the Southern California area to connect with each other, revive the memories of the old NED days

and have fun with a well organized entertainment program. Funds for scholarships are also raised during this event. The

members of the Board of Directors are in the process of organizing this function which will very likely be held soon after

Eid. We will keep you informed.


Speakers panel at the TECHELITE 2011 Competitions

SUMMER 2011 SOJOURN TO NEDUET

By Ahmed Ali

Civil, 1971

As always, visiting Pakistan is rejuvenating and memorable. Of course, it would not be

complete without visiting NEDUET. My three days at the university were full of activities that

were informative and the meetings productive. I am pleased to share a few of these remarkable

events with my fellow NEDians.

TechElite 2011 (7-21-11)

On my first day visiting NEDUET,

I attended the TechElite 2011

National Competition. This is an

all Pakistan IT competition hosted by Department of

Computer & Information Systems Engineering of

N.E.D University of Engineering and Technology.

The Department of Computer & Information Systems

Engineering has been organizing this IT competition

since 2007. From its inception, the event has been

able to attract a huge number of industry

professionals, academicians and students from all over

the country. Besides creating opportunities of inter-

networking, the occasion provides students with the

opportunity to show their talents in front of the

decision makers of the job market. This has not only

benefited students but also the employers.

As the NEDian North America Chair, I was invited and honored to speak to this very dedicated group of youngsters

involved in the TechElite 2011 competition. A total of 350 talented students from 30 universities across Pakistan

competed for professional creativity and excellence. 1000 plus attendees from different IT organizations, software

development houses, and Mass Media organizations visited this mega event. There were 5 competitions that took place.

The competitions‟ assessment criteria were set by experts from the industry. A team of senior industry personnel was

formed to judge each competition.

Summary of TECHELITE 2011 Competitions

COMPETITIONS

Teams

No. of Participants

University’s Participating

Speed Programming (SPP) 45 135 08

Software Project (SWP) 10 30 06

Mobile Application Development (MAC) 05 20 04

Network Competition (NWM) 15 45 08

Software Model and Design (SMT) - 60 12


NEDAASC scholarship awardees with VC, ProVC’s, Registrar and NEDAASC’s Ahmed Ali

Senior Minister Pir Mazar-Ul-Haq representing the Governor and Chancellor of NEDUET.

NEDAASC Scholarship Award Ceremony (7-25-11)

The award ceremony for the NEDAASC

scholarships took place at the Lecture Hall,

CCEE of NED University. I joined the Vice

Chancellor Engr Abul Kalam. Most of the 40

scholarship recipients were present at the

ceremony and each of the 13 first year students

were given their checks. Upon the completion

of the official planned check handing event, we

were treated to a tea reception to meet and

greet. There, I had an opportunity to receive

feedback from several scholarship recipients as

well as the NED staff that manages the

program. It was very pleasing to see that a

significant number of the awardees were

females.

All of the students appreciated the generosity

of NEDAASC for making their dreams to get the best

engineering education possible. It was heartening to note

that the 9 senior year students (first scholarship batch)

were overwhelming in their appreciation of the help they

received and showed a lot of promise in pursuing higher education in Pakistan and abroad, provided they could receive

financial help. NEDAASC and the umbrella organization NEDIAN-NA is reviewing their commitments to see if and

how they can raise the funds to further the careers of the qualified students. Some of these students have the additional

financial burden of helping their families and therefore choose employment locally. Congratulations to the 9 graduating

seniors (the first scholarship group that NEDAASC committed to and made it possible for them to complete their 4 year

bachelor‟s degree program).

NEDUET 19th

Meeting of the Senate (7-28-11)

The NEDUET 19th

Meeting of the Senate in the Senate

Hall was a significant event that I was fortunate enough to

attend since the Senate Session is a closed session for all

practical purposes. The meeting was chaired representing

the Governor and Chancellor of NEDUET by Senior

Minister Pir Mazhar-Ul-Haq.

The session accomplished its goals with presentations of

Annual Statement of Accounts approval of university

budget, annual report, future plans and other items of

significance on the agenda, including the highlights of the

Vice Chancellor delivered by Senior Minister Pir Mazhar-

Ul-Haq .


Salman, Safwan Shah and Tanvir Malik are in panel

discussion, NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at

Hilton Hotel, NJ

Salman, Safwan Shah and Tanvir Malik are in panel

discussion, NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at

Hilton Hotel, NJ

Zia Mohiuddin in NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at Hilton Hotel, NJ

NED DIARY

By Safwan Shah

Electrical, 1985

I had the opportunity to attend the 7th Annual NED Alumni Convention in New Jersey from 7-10

October 2011. This email is to share with you some of my impressions.

One word – Amazing!

For sure, the 3-day Alumni Convention from October 7-10 2011 is testament to the organizing

skills, significance of the NED brand and success of the NEDians across the world. NED Alumni

Association of Tristate (NED-ATS) were the organizers. The location was an upscale Hilton Hotel in Parsippany near

Morris Town, New Jersey. NED-ATS must be applauded for executing a world class event and making it possible for so

many NEDians to come under one roof and demon-strate that NEDians are truly there for NED.

Attendees were from the entire US, Canada, England and a few

who had traveled from Pakistan (an elected MNA of NED origin

being one from the Pakistan contingent.) I am sure there were

other countries represented too but these were the folks I met and

spoke with.

Participants from Alumni associations of Alberta, Chicago,

Silicon Valley, New England, DC, Southern California and

Houston were in attendance.

Day 1 - Oct 7, 2011

I got there at about 5:00pm after a direct flight from SFO. At

the hotel check-in I was greeted by the staff and along with a key to my room I was provided a welcome package that

included the agenda and program details for the next 2 days. Very slick.

There were a number of NEDians walking around the hotel. The final

preparation/setup for the evening reception and entertainment was going on. I

could see volunteers working feverishly to setup fancy banners, floor standing

signs and registration tables.

At about 6:30pm the evening dinner was announced. As I looked around I was

wondering if these arrangements were an overkill. A huge hall with decorated

tables and stage was behind the food service area. There was easily enough space

for 200 or more people.

Well, by 8:30pm, there were easily 200 plus people there. In fact, I wouldn't be

surprised if even 300 people were at this preliminary reception.

In the inside hall there was a musical program by local talent, which I didn't focus much on. The sheer delight of meeting

old friends was enough to keep me occupied. From Silicon Valley there was Ali Hasan Cemendtaur, Mukhtar (Mike)

Zaidi, Ashraf Habibullah, Farrukh Sana, Khalid Tai and I am sure some others that I didn't know. It was an impressive

beginning. Time went in a flash and after a few hours I figured I should do a time-check - it was 2:00am and I still had

invitations to at least 2 other group meetups that were going on in various suites in the hotel. What had happened is that

some batches had planned well in advance and had booked connected suites. I think one was the 86 batch in Mechanical

(Cemendtaur's). I dropped in for a minute and there was one guy on a guitar ... having a blast. The other meet-up that I

eventually didn't attend was the 1984 Civil Engineering group ... there were 27 people in their suites I was told ...

By 4:00am I returned to my room. BTW, the dinner was superb - kababs, nihari, free flowing chai to follow. Just

superb.


NEDIANS are listening panel discussion in NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at Hilton Hotel, NJ

Zaid Ahmad, Ahsan Rehman, Shoaib Siddiqi and Dr. Farhat Siddiqi of NEDAASC were in attendance at the convention.

Day 2 – 7:30 AM

As I walked down I noticed that the entire event had moved to a huge

hall configured as a theatre room. Outside the hall there were at least 10

stalls with various businesses selling jewelry, clothes, vacation tickets,

insurance services, etc. In addition, there was another section where a

very extensive continental breakfast arrangements had been made. Over

the next 90 minutes we had breakfast, walked the stalls, met and greeted

each other.

At around 9 AM the conference segment began with a keynote by

NEDian Salman Siddiqui. A very impressive speaker who happened to

be my neighbor in Karachi over 30 years ago. Salman spoke about the

energy crisis in Pakistan and also introduced his start-up around Solar

System integration services. He described a solar energy solution to make

NED self-reliant and free of load shedding. What impressed me was that he

had a ready solution to offer and he had a plan to make things happen. It came as no surprise to me that several high-

powered NEDians seized the moment and were talking to Salman about how they could help.

After the keynote there were 2 panel discussions followed by Q&A. The 200 plus people in attendance were very

engaged around the topics. The first topic was on entrepreneurship and the speakers included an NEDian who employs

over 450 people in his consulting firm. The other panelists were also effective in inspiring the attendees around

entrepreneurship. I wish folks like Idris Kothari, Asghar Aboobaker, Amer Haider, Awais Nemat, Zulki (he sponsored),

Zoaib Rangwala, Naveed Sherwani, Raghib Hussain, Rehan Jalil, Imran Qureshi and Sabahat Ashraf (plus many more)

were there too. Hopefully, next time.

The second panel discussion was around how NEDians can help NED. I

enjoyed the session but felt it became too focused around social issues.

Perhaps that can‟t be avoided with the sheer complexity of the prevailing

environment.

By noon the discussions were over and a massive lunch feast was there to be

enjoyed. I do remember that the kababs melted in the mouth.

By 1:30pm we were all on our own. I spent the time in various meetings and

planning sessions for galvanizing the NED community and figuring ways to

make the NED movement sustainable, year after year. Besides that I went to

the stalls and bought some gifts.

At 5:30pm I was back for the showcase event - evening entertainment. The agenda had Hussain Haroon (Ambassador to

UN), Zia Mohyuddin (no intro necessary) Mohammad Ali Shehki (ex NEDian), Alamgir (a frequent performer in NED

events of the 80's) and Ashraf Habibullah (NED 1969). I must admit, I am a fan of Ashraf Habibullah. He illustrates the

spirit of NED better than anyone I know.

To my surprise I saw very few people this time. By now I was so used to seeing a crowd of NEDians wherever I went

that it came as a surprise until someone pointed me to that massive lobby area of the hotel and said that hors d'oeuvres

were being served there. As I walked up I was almost stunned by the crowd of several hundred NEDians and their

families. The lobby had several tables with Pakistani appetizers and beverages to please anyone. I guess I was also taken

aback by how well and formally the people had dressed for the occasion.

At around 8:00pm the entire event moved to a massive hall for the 650-700 guests. Everyone was assigned seating. We

all had to get a wrist band for getting entry because the event was sold out days in advance.

For the next couple of hours there were speeches. Nothing of note there until Ashraf Habibullah got the mic and he

weaved his magic. There is something about his style that resonates perfectly with NEDians. The several hundred people

were laughing and clapping the entire 20 minutes he spoke. Indeed, he is a treasure. Someone to be proud of.

A very fancy sit down dinner followed and several presentations around videos and photographs of NED were shared.

These videos were sponsored by the organizers and some professional videographers had been hired to go to NED and

create them. Very very impressive work. I hope they make them available on YouTube and other sharing sites.


Respected guests are enjoying in NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at Hilton Hotel, NJ

NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at Hilton Hotel, NJ

Badar Bhatti, Dr. Shams, Dr. Farasat and others are enjoying in NEDATS Alumni Convention 2011 at Hilton Hotel, NJ

After the dinner and the various festivities the musical event began ... I think it was almost midnight by then.

The first was Zia Mohyuddin. He is quite incredible. For the next one hour

he had the audience spellbound. Ghalib, Mushtaq Yousafi, Ashfaq Ahmed,

Iqbal, ... flowed freely. It was hard not to be awed by his skill and class.

He is a national treasure.

Then came Shehki. I hadn't seen him for over 25 years. It was such a blast

from the past. I still remember my early days at NED when Shehki had

graduatd but would come back for various reasons (perhaps suppl'is) and

once he sat in the cafeteria to sing a song. An interesting sight was when

Shehki came singing into the audience and saw Mohammad Haseen standing

in front of him. While singing he shook hands and I think they even embraced

each other.

Alamgir came in at 2:00am and took the level of cheer even higher. One could feel the energy in the room as Alamgir

went through his songs. It was touching when Alamgir asked for help when he began singing Jugni. Apparently his

doctors have warned him to not over extend himself. Given the nature of the song he tends to get so zoned that he can

worsen his health (he is waiting for a kidney transplant). The event ended at 3:00am.

Day 3 - 8 AM

The same hall that was used for the reception on the first day was used for the

farewell reception. The breakfast was Paratha, Qeema, ... need I say more. This

was the 5th or 6th meal over three days. There were easily over 100 people

there. I was there till 11 AM when I left for the airport. Ran into Zia

Mohyuddin at the door and asked him what NED meant to him - his answer

"Aapka, hamaray watan ka future hai, isse sambhal kay rakhiye."

In the 6 hours or so of the return flight, I thought a lot about the whole NED

experience. Are these events meaningless? Do we get any outcome from getting

together? Is it worth flying several hours and spending several days and also

hard earned money?

I don't have a spiffy answer. All I can say is that something incredible happens each time when people get together in

these events. The news reaches students at NED, they derive motivation and inspiration on learning that the alumni are

connected and meeting every year. The local NEDians that come to these events make new connections, get new ideas,

some get jobs, others start companies, some make business partners and a few

just have a good laugh and go away. I really believe that 90% of self-

actualizing is the realization that others just like us have already paved the

way and built the ladder that we can climb.

Having lived in the U.S. for over 22 years I am as cynical as the other guy.

There is no shortage of social causes and boil the ocean dreams that I hear

every day BUT everything pales in comparison to my bond with NED and

NEDians. I know that I am not the only one who feels that way ... there were

hundreds of NEDians, many who are financially not well off that attended

these events. They came to feel better, feel connected, feel important, feel

young, feel inspired, feel needed. Why do we always need an earth shattering

cause to get together? For me it is enough that we are NEDians and have a

shared set of experiences. Having said that, I would be remiss to not mention that practically everyone that I met was

doing something for NED ... sending books, hiring, donating money and time, you name it. The faculty that was visiting

also mentioned to me that the best thing NEDians could do was to bring the several thousand NEDians alumni together

and connected. This will create the strength in numbers that is needed to bring any change.

So, should NEDians get together every year in an Annual Alumni Convention? My vote is yes. It sure beats the alumni

meetings of my Stanford Business School and Boulder events.


NEDAASC MEETING WITH DEAN OF CIVIL ENGINEERING IN SOCAL LEADS TO

THREE-PRONGED AGREEMENT

By Iqbal Ahmed

Civil, 1981

The NED Alumni Association of Southern California (NEDAASC) Board of Directors met

recently in late September 2011 with the Dean of Civil Engineering, Dr. Sarosh Lodi, on the

sidelines of an official trip to the Los Angeles area. He was accompanied by Dr. Rashid Khan on

this short visit on behalf of NED University to purchase equipment for laboratories in the Civil

Engineering Department. A dinner meeting was hastily arranged by the Board for September 30,

2011. Mr. Mujib Ahmed, as on many other occasions, opened up his home to host the event with a

wonderful dinner. Even though the dinner meeting was put together on extremely short notice, and

it was a Friday evening, the event was well-attended not only by the Board members who made the

trip from as far away as San Diego, but also by other members of the NED community.

The ambience for the dinner meeting was spectacular and stunning with conversations and discussions taking place by a

fire-pit under the open sky next to the soothing sights and sounds of an infinity pool overlooking the breathtaking valley-

view from high atop the soaring hills of San Dimas. The marvelous setting made for a great discussion between the

visiting NED professors and the NEDAASC Board members. The evening started with people sipping on drinks and

nibbling on hor d'oeuvres and reminiscing about their times at NED and the start of their graduate student careers here in

the US. Mr.Mujib Ahmed regaled the group with stories of his many run-ins with his professor and graduate program

advisor. Unfortunately, after partaking a delicious dinner, the group had to proceed hastily indoors as the skies opened

up unexpectedly for an unusual Southern California rainfall. The discussions continued over dessert and chai in the

warmth of the cozy and welcoming living room of the Mujib residence.

Mr. Ahmed Ali and Mr. Mujib Ahmed brought up the need for better coordination and communication between NED

University and NEDAASC, lamenting the fact that the NEDAASC Board had not been informed of this visit. Dr. Lodhi

agreed with the need for better communication. He indicated that with the passage of time more and more of NED‟s

faculty and staff would become familiar with the various alumni groups in the different cities of US and would keep in

mind the need for closer coordination.


Mr. Moqueem Ansari and Mr. Arshad Syed brought up the critical issue of the need for better marketing by the

University to get alumni involved in donating their time and money for the betterment of NED. They gave examples of

American and European universities that have large alumni affairs departments professionally run by full-time staff. The

Board members and the visiting professors had a lively give-and-take about the philosophy of alumni participation and

the pros and cons of marketing to get alumni involved. There was general agreement that NED had made progress in

this direction, but that much needed to be done.

The dinner meeting was very successful and apart from providing a great venue for social interactions it ended up being

very productive as it yielded some very useful and substantive discussions on matters of great import for NEDAASC‟s

continuing work. Dr. Farhat Siddiqui, then-President of NEDAASC, and Mr. Ahmed Ali, past-President of NEDAASC

and Chair of NEDAN-NA, led the discussions by apprising the visiting professors of the NEDAASC‟s organizational

make-up and the programs and projects that had been undertaken to-date. Dr. Lodi provided a detailed description of the

facilities at NED and the efforts being made to create a research environment at NED.

The NEDAASC Board members, especially Dr. Farhat Siddiqui and this scribe, expressed a fervent desire to expand

NEDAASC‟s repertoire of projects to help the nascent research programs at NED, which struck a chord with the visiting

professors. A productive discussion ensued about the different ways NEDAASC could help with agreements reached in

some major areas.

People finally said their goodbyes and the meeting adjourned around 10 pm. And around midnight the Board members

received an email from Dr. Lodi summarizing the three items that NEDAASC and NED had agreed on pursuing:

NEDAASC agreed on considering funding of one fellowship for one year to support one graduate research

student at NED University. Dr. Lodi would act as the contact person from the NED side and agreed to provide

a one-page summary of the research proposal to NEDAASC on his return to Pakistan.

NEDAASC agreed to provide research students an honorarium of Rs. 15,000 per research paper if the research

paper is published in the journal of international repute. The criteria for the research journal of international

repute were to be agreed upon later.

NEDAASC and NED University will collaborate in organization of webinars to be given by southern California

alumni for NED University students.

Since the dinner meeting, the NEDAASC Board has received the research proposal from Dr. Lodi and has agreed in

principle to fund the stipend for a graduate student for the research project. It is anticipated that the funding will amount

to about $3,000 per year. The Board appointed Iqbal Ahmed as its liaison to work out the details between NEDAASC

and NED University. In subsequent meetings, the NEDAASC Board also voted to name the stipend, the Ashraf

Habibullah Research Fellowship, in honor of NEDAASC‟s main benefactor. The other two agreed-upon projects are

also in progress, with the Board voting to provide two honoraria for research papers per year.

All in all, it was a wonderful meeting and great progress was made in expanding the programs supported by NEDAASC.


50TH

ANNIVERSARY OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS OF 1961

By Dr. Farhat Siddiqi

Civil, 1965

Many classmates of the 1965 graduating class met for a weekend in December, 2011 to celebrate the

50th

anniversary of the 1961 Freshman class. The memorable reunion took place at the Monte Carlo in

Las Vegas, Nevada. The classmates came from throughout the United States, United Arab Emirates

and Pakistan. Ahmed Ali of NEDAASC (accompanied by his wife Parveen), Kamran Mirza and

Kamran Haque of SCOPE and NEDians attended the reunion as our guests. You may be wondering

why the 50th

anniversary of the Freshman Class of 1961 rather than something of the graduating class

of 1965. After losing several classmates everybody was anxious to see each other sooner than the 50th

anniversary of graduation in 2015.

It was three days of joy, old conversations and the ever present laughter! It was the older version of 1961-65 classmates

who were talking and many a times acting stupid just like they did when they were young.

Saturday evening of December 19th

was an evening of a formal dinner and speeches. Kamran Mirza was clearly

unhappy as I was as the Master of Ceremony of the function, pulling legs of his favorite teacher, Dr. Firasat Ali. Fakhar-

e-Alam was the keynote speaker and Maarij Kirmani and Mansoor Muzaffar were the poets of the function. Rafique

Sharif, Umar Hamidi, Sadiq Ali, Majid Palwala, Firasat Ali, and Shakil Ahmed also spoke at the function. Dr. Arshud

Mahmood presented a slide show of pictures of our NED years. Majid‟s wife Zorina recited a Hamd. Frank D‟Abreo

played the violin. Kamran and I sang a duet, a combination of “Hai Apna Dil To Awara” and “Bunder Road Se

Keemari”. The combination was unique as two different songs were sung blended together. Overall, the reunion was a

lot of fun – a memorable weekend in Las Vegas!


ڈی ای این

شوق مظفر منصور

ہنر و علم درسگاہ مری اے رہے جگمگاتی ہی یوں سدا تو

کی انجم و ماہ تیرے روشنی رہے مٹا تی ظلمتیں قدم ہر

کر کھل کھلے کلی ہر اک تیری ہو گلشن فخر جو ہو گل ایسا دیکھیں جدھر پر ارض کرہ

ہو ٓاہن نقش سمت ہر تیرا

دیوار و در ہوے پھیلے تیرے طرح کی امیں دل مقدس ہیں

ماہ و سال گزرے میںدامن تیرے طرح ثبت ہیں یقیں کی وہ میں ہم

پر در ترے گے ٓائیں بھی اور

گر نغمہ سر ، شوریدہ سے ہم رکھنا کھلی سدا باہیں اپنی ہنر و علم درسگاہ مری اے

Mansoor Muzaffar, a 1965 Civil Engineering graduate of NED Engineering College recited this poem at the 50-Year

Reunion of 1961 NED Freshman Class. The Reunion was organized by Dr. Arshud Mahmood, Dr. Farhat Siddiqi and

Maarij Kirmani. The 50-Year Reunion was held at the Monte Carlo in La Vegas, Nevada on December 19, 2011 – and

was attended by 1961 Freshman Classmates who came from throughout the United States, from United Arab Emirates

and from Pakistan.

Documents

NEDAASC NEWS · 2015-07-09 · Arshad Javed Syed President [email protected] Moqueem Ansari Secretary [email protected] Mansoor Khan Vice President and Treasurer [email protected]