By Anam Tassadaq
Of 3rd yr.
Love is inevitable. The more you believe in it, the more vulnerable you are. Each one of us, those who've been blessed by Cupid and those as well who've been overlooked by him( poor them ), at a particular time in life, believe love to be the greatest of all Earthly joys. Every human has his own highly idiosyncratic perception about love. I personally believe that a man is incomplete until he falls in love. A man in love is still incomplete until he gets married and then, as they say, he's finished! Unlike what many of us think, love is not just a dopey feeling or a quirky emotion, it's a complete phenomenon, both physical and emotional, as esoteric and cryptical as the theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein( who actually believed that gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love). It's truly, intensely,pathetically complicated. There is this one special person who makes your world paradise and turns your...hell! It's when you let someone in your dreams and the person then drives you nuts! Nonetheless, this orison, this pious supplication of a 'truly loving heart' helps you grow from within and without (well, not actually), helps you discover new potentials hitherto unexplored, adds sunshine to your days, smiles to your face and years to your life(I'm not quite sure about this one). It definitely takes you one pace beyond others. It's less about a kiss and more about intimacy and togetherness. It's not just about falling for someone, it's about having someone to catch every time you fall. It's less about you and more about the other person!
But the irony is that love never comes without pain and suffering and anguish. Usually when a person falls, he merely breaks a leg but when you fall in love, your entire world turns turtle and the worst part is that you can't just hide this topsy-turvy havoc-stricken state of yor life from your friends and not-so-friends alike. Love demands patience, longanimity and is definite to drain all your stamina but then.....love is inevitable!
Of 3rd yr.
''Once in awhile, right in the midst of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale''-Anonymous
Love is inevitable. The more you believe in it, the more vulnerable you are. Each one of us, those who've been blessed by Cupid and those as well who've been overlooked by him( poor them ), at a particular time in life, believe love to be the greatest of all Earthly joys. Every human has his own highly idiosyncratic perception about love. I personally believe that a man is incomplete until he falls in love. A man in love is still incomplete until he gets married and then, as they say, he's finished! Unlike what many of us think, love is not just a dopey feeling or a quirky emotion, it's a complete phenomenon, both physical and emotional, as esoteric and cryptical as the theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein( who actually believed that gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love). It's truly, intensely,pathetically complicated. There is this one special person who makes your world paradise and turns your...hell! It's when you let someone in your dreams and the person then drives you nuts! Nonetheless, this orison, this pious supplication of a 'truly loving heart' helps you grow from within and without (well, not actually), helps you discover new potentials hitherto unexplored, adds sunshine to your days, smiles to your face and years to your life(I'm not quite sure about this one). It definitely takes you one pace beyond others. It's less about a kiss and more about intimacy and togetherness. It's not just about falling for someone, it's about having someone to catch every time you fall. It's less about you and more about the other person!
But the irony is that love never comes without pain and suffering and anguish. Usually when a person falls, he merely breaks a leg but when you fall in love, your entire world turns turtle and the worst part is that you can't just hide this topsy-turvy havoc-stricken state of yor life from your friends and not-so-friends alike. Love demands patience, longanimity and is definite to drain all your stamina but then.....love is inevitable!
Laiba Khalid’s:
FIRST YEAR CHRONICLES
Episode: 1
‘How it All Began’
1st year, a common occurrence at KEMU – occurs every year. Every year a new generation of nerds and geeks is enslaved in the name of modern medicine, and the older one gets a fix of stress relief. For those of you who are wondering where I am at, it’s called ragging.
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After years in lifeless primary and secondary institutes, months in hard knock academies, and for some of us here, certain days right there on the roads, we finally got to our dream university. Kind makes one wonder what dreams we people have. I mean cutting dead people and learning about equally sick human parts. I kinda wanted to write more, but yeah, that’s about it. And when we graduate, a further array of road protests await us. Yes YDA, fresh blood is en route.
First the entry test got scheduled only 15 days after our FSC exams, then the change in eligibility criteria as well as the admission criteria followed by a storm of protests , court writs and campaigns against the injustice...with the whole movement starting primarily on … well ‘’Facebook’’.
1st year started with a blast. 2 HODs changed and so was the curriculum. The pressure of studies was more than ever. (YEAHHHHH!! More books, books, booooks)
But we luckily always managed to get a break and relax by indulging in extra-curricular activities. The membership forms submitted to societies were surely record breaking. I’ve heard of certain society presidents who’re now using most as toilet paper.
KAPS alone had 85+ members from our class. They declared our class to be the most talented one and so the posts were announced on merit. Meaning the largest class ever in the history of KEMU consisting of 326 students, that wouldn’t fit in the AUDITORIUM!!, let alone the lecture theatres, fitted everywhere else just perfectly!
And we were the last class to have our class photo on our orientation day in ‘poor’ Jillani pavilion (R.I.P.)
To start with, the much awaited welcome party was organized after ages in KEMU but the odd thing about this one was that the party ‘guests’ had to fund it themselves LOL (well our respected seniors couldn’t afford a class this big ! ) Also half of the entertaining performances were by the 1st year students. These included a skit directed by Muaaz bin Saeed, musical performances by Abdul Moiz , Moeed Ahmed, Hasan Mehmood Lak, Hamna Khan, Farah Javed and ofcourse the rappers Muaaz bin Saeed and Aamer Sohail. 1st year singers, guitarists, actors, and rappers rocked the night! (Most of us had never been to a part before, so understandably the party didn’t end until 12!).
The catering was no less lavish than a ‘walima ceremony ’. Never expected this party to be so awesome!! (This could be the first time party goes talking) And we would like to express our sincerest gratitude to 2nd year who organized our very first event. (Not really though: p)
So this was our beginning... yet more was to come, dreaded tests as well as sports events.... but this will be continued, in the next episode of First Year Chronicles!
(Written by LAIBA KHALID)
My world is a twisted one. There is an amalgam of creatures that inhabit it. It is not unlike your world or that of anybody else’s for that matter. The only difference is of the way we perceive, look at its inhabitants.
There are those who are just too noisy to bear. Incessantly talkative, driving around in flashy cars, signs of pomposity, looking down upon others as some measly low-life. The world never runs short of such snobs who presume they’re better than the rest; think that they’ve been endowed with traits and possessions far superior to what others have. At times like these I wonder: who would the sufferer complain to? After all, arrogance runs wild in this materialistic, self-centered world, doesn’t it?
Then there’s a certain population that is the exact opposite. A quiet, desolate one. Complacent with their circumstances, they live on sometimes in such a manner that nobody knows of their existence. Their days are shadowed by their introvert selves, and nights kindled by lonely thoughts. Whether they worry, conceal secrets or bathe in some silent bliss, people seldom know. Their lives are uninterrupted and uninfluenced by the rest. They do not need to holler about how they wish to lead their life; they simply do. Makes me wonder: is silence really the key to a peaceful life?
I look around and find how different happiness means to different people. For a young girl, shopping for her favourite stuff is an ultimate moment of glee. For a daughter, the tears in her mother’s eyes sparkling proudly at her recent achievement signify an indescribable basking in joy. For a student, happiness is the relief at her hardwork being appreciated. For a friend, it is those handful of priceless laughters over silly jokes that resound in the echoes of time forever. If happiness really is so multi-faceted, why is there so little of it that can be seen around?
Every other emotion is likewise. Anger, betrayal, humility, sincerity, hurt, humiliation, coldness… in my world, every emotion has a face to it. Though distinct in their characteristics, they’re not mutually exclusive. Anger manifests as a result of betrayal or hurt. Greed leads to dissolution of loyalty causing indifference and humiliation at the same time. It is not unlikely that the most bizarre of combinations may exist simultaneously, e.g. a person warm to his very core about a certain aspect, cold-shouldered in some manner, may be apparent as an astonishingly cruel one, a description that fails to complement his actual profile! With all these conflicting emotions in mind, I ask: is there a way to dig out perfect harmony among all humans?
My world houses all this, and much more. To capture the very essence of what it has to offer, and to study it thoroughly, I shall have to dare to take a plunge away from reality. I may even lose myself in order to come to terms with the mysteries it presents forth; I might lose all my strength in trying to untangle them, because… my world is one that lies within me.
There are those who are just too noisy to bear. Incessantly talkative, driving around in flashy cars, signs of pomposity, looking down upon others as some measly low-life. The world never runs short of such snobs who presume they’re better than the rest; think that they’ve been endowed with traits and possessions far superior to what others have. At times like these I wonder: who would the sufferer complain to? After all, arrogance runs wild in this materialistic, self-centered world, doesn’t it?
Then there’s a certain population that is the exact opposite. A quiet, desolate one. Complacent with their circumstances, they live on sometimes in such a manner that nobody knows of their existence. Their days are shadowed by their introvert selves, and nights kindled by lonely thoughts. Whether they worry, conceal secrets or bathe in some silent bliss, people seldom know. Their lives are uninterrupted and uninfluenced by the rest. They do not need to holler about how they wish to lead their life; they simply do. Makes me wonder: is silence really the key to a peaceful life?
I look around and find how different happiness means to different people. For a young girl, shopping for her favourite stuff is an ultimate moment of glee. For a daughter, the tears in her mother’s eyes sparkling proudly at her recent achievement signify an indescribable basking in joy. For a student, happiness is the relief at her hardwork being appreciated. For a friend, it is those handful of priceless laughters over silly jokes that resound in the echoes of time forever. If happiness really is so multi-faceted, why is there so little of it that can be seen around?
Every other emotion is likewise. Anger, betrayal, humility, sincerity, hurt, humiliation, coldness… in my world, every emotion has a face to it. Though distinct in their characteristics, they’re not mutually exclusive. Anger manifests as a result of betrayal or hurt. Greed leads to dissolution of loyalty causing indifference and humiliation at the same time. It is not unlikely that the most bizarre of combinations may exist simultaneously, e.g. a person warm to his very core about a certain aspect, cold-shouldered in some manner, may be apparent as an astonishingly cruel one, a description that fails to complement his actual profile! With all these conflicting emotions in mind, I ask: is there a way to dig out perfect harmony among all humans?
My world houses all this, and much more. To capture the very essence of what it has to offer, and to study it thoroughly, I shall have to dare to take a plunge away from reality. I may even lose myself in order to come to terms with the mysteries it presents forth; I might lose all my strength in trying to untangle them, because… my world is one that lies within me.
By Anam Fatima
Of 2nd yr.
I look at the flickering t.v screen. My countrymen, an abysmal picture of disconsolation. Wretched streets teeming with wretched people .Our masses, burning with anger, discontent, insecurity. They’ve been robbed all of them by those they deemed their saviors. Distrust is etched along the tired lines of their worn out faces that tell stories of their fruitless toil, while rage pours out foaming through their mouths accusing, questioning and even imploring for an answer….
No food, no electricity, no employment, too little to live on and too many mouths to feed, they lament as each one takes turn on the microphone. Some of them want to commit suicide and others want to sell their kids. The T.V reporter after hearing them through sweeps them with a satisfactory glance and then faces the camera with a victorious expression, assured that he has scored some big point. Then he goes on pompously with his own little commentary about the deplorable state of the ‘masses’.
Go over this picture once again. There is a man threatening to sell all of his nine kids in his protest against poverty. He becomes the focal point of our media and is showered with sympathy from all sides. His life story is told ten times yet no one asks him a simple question. Why did he have nine kids in the first place when he could afford barely one? This question addresses the root of his problems, but is sadly not considered significant enough to be put in front of national television audience. The real irony is that the small privileged segment of our society which can well afford to have 10 kids almost invariably opt for a smaller family size. These kids get everything that all children deserve: an idyllic childhood, best education and best opportunities. Then there’s this destitute with his 10 kids. One always wonders what could possibly possess a poverty stricken man to exponentially increase his misery. Children are indeed blessings ,but when their parents cannot pass anything to them except poverty, disease and hunger then I’m afraid we need to redefine the terms. Isn’t it cruel on part of the parent? Its injustice to the existing children and injustice to the coming child. A handful of these children may attend school, but in the long run what difference does it make? The deplorable standards of a govt. school not to mention the lack of teachers and overcrowding of students , combine that with the child’s domestic environment where the mother is always busy with his younger siblings, and we have a perfect recipe for disaster. The child may runaway from school at a younger age and become a criminal, and even if he gets a high school diploma he’s most likely to end up as a low paying clerk .In the cut throat competitive world of academics, except for a handful of exceptional kids there is simply no place for a govt. school matriculate. So, the people who are opting for larger families, definitely don’t have their kid’s welfare in mind. What else could be the reason? CHILD LABOUR? Perhaps yes! This possibility seems the most harrowing one but its true in many cases. Poor households send their little daughters to work as housemaids, while their sons go to factories or automobile garages, working in grueling conditions, while their parents receive their paychecks. Appalling! Isn’t it? Parents are putting up their children for slavery. Their sons and daughters are beaten and abused and their childhood stolen for reasons unknown to them. How can they blame their demanding mistress, or their brutal master, when their own parents put them in this hell? Who can they blame when they grow up into thieves and liars ,because there was no one to teach them right from wrong? These children grow up into walking landmines, an easy prey for the manipulative minds. They are the hitmen , who go on death rows while the real gangster roams freely .They are the foolish weapons of political parties, rebels without a cause ,burning up tires and buildings, raising slogans the meaning of which they don’t understand. And finally they are the blind believers of a holy man, fed up with this life, ready to blow themselves up in hope of eternal salvation, or maybe to settle a score with the society.
Overpopulation is no longer a ticking time bomb. It has already exploded and the devastation has shaken the very foundations of prosperity. High mortality rate among mothers and infants, inaccessibility of health facilities, depletion of resources they are just naming a few among a plethora of problems stemming from overpopulation. But I regret to say that there are people in this country who are so blinded by their idea of righteousness, that they will point fingers towards everything from government, to bureaucracy to America, blaming them for the lack of planning. Simple answer is if the people themselves are not willing to plan their families, then how can the govt. deliver in such a scenario when people are bent on social suicide. Statistics indicate that over 75% of population has knowledge of family planning methods, yet only a meager 1.5% practice them. Awareness is there but incentive and firm implementation is needed. Here comes the role of media. They’ve been trumpeting their horn for a long while now. It’s time they start doing something more than mere speculation. How about Mr. Hamid Mir taking a trip down Lahore’s slums and this time not just letting people sing songs of apathy but actually confronting those who’ve made lethal choices for themselves and this country.
At the same time child labour on every level should be abolished. We need to start from our homes, in discouraging this evil trend of child maids. Govt. laws should effectively punish not only the employers of child labour but the parents of these children as well. We need to pave way for a future where children are cherished like flowers, not mutilated like weeds.
