Class of 84 Quiz by Naveed Yazdani

Following are 10 names of our class mates and below that is a list of 10 attributes. Your job is to match the Right person with the Right attribute.

1. Abdul Mannan Baber
2. Nasir Javed
3. Saqib Bukhari
4. Athar Usmani
5. Waqar Farooqi
6. Kamran Hussain
7. Kamran Hameed
8. Saroosh Hamid
9. Saeed u Zaman
10. Saeed u Din

Attributes/Concepts
1. Zaheer Abbas
2. RD Burman
3. Phil Collins
4. Automatic
5. Commrade
6. Computer
7. Married bhai
8. Unmarried bhai
9. Handsome
10. RJ Last

Thanks and have fun.
NAVEED YAZDANI

GAMMA...I remember
By Kamran Hussain, Iffat Saud and Shahid Bashir

Well some people have fond memories of Gamma. I certainly do not have fond memories of him although some are funny memories.

I remember that he failed almost the whole batch in a substage that he took... in fact three substages in a row and then the stage as well. This was part of the reason that I fell out of favour with my father who although he was not a strict disciplinarian used to keep an eye on my academics. It is certainly embarrassing when one has a certain reputation and is failing repeatedly in tests.

I remember he took the supple of one of the first substages of the Upper limb region. This was in his office and we were waiting anxiously outside. Interestingly the question he asked me was not anatomical in nature at all. He asked me to recite the Namaz for the Fiqah i Jafaria. Probably because of my name. I had been told beforehand not to argue with him so I stayed silent as telling him that I was not a Momin was tantamount to him asking me even more difficult questions about the Sunni faith. He relented and said that I was a good boy and to prove it I should get my hair cut and he would only pass me I would show him my newly cut hair before everyone had their viva.

You should have seen me bolt out of his office like a jackrabbit.

There was then the next problem.... I was out of money and could not find Asaad and the other friends anywhere. I was without any transport as some clever fellow had rung up my father and told him that I was dating girls everywhere in my car... my father’s only conditions on the use of the blue Mazda 808 was no girls in it and home by ten pm.....and of course one of the friends who knew of this played a practical joke. In addition, I had just finished my money in the cafeteria.

So there I was running to Masson Road down the Mall cursing Gama and my luck... sweating away.... Anyhow got to Masson Road... got a military cut as I had just had a haircut a few days ago, promised to pay the barber another day, hopped into the banned item... almost without petrol and drove like a madman to the anatomy department. I just got there in the nick of time as Gama was about to leave, showed him my haircut and passed...without having to recite the Namaz for the Fiqah i Jafaria.

There is also another aside to this. When we were in third year, we were having dinner and Gama turns up at my home with another dangerous looking Moulvi... meyn langh reyan sahn tey sochia tenun mil lawan. And in the next breath said I need to get to Mozang Chungi. When in the car he said that, he needed to get to Bund Road. I dropped him off on Queens Road making an excuse my parents needed the car. Probably just as well considering his later reputation

Kamran Hussain

___________________________

I also remember the day when I had to appear before him for my substage and failed as I had no idea how to make bhindi ki sabzi (He should have asked Bhindi about it) in supply I again flunked as i had no idea of bagan ka bhurta third chance was my lucky one as I knew dua-a-qunat. By the way now I make excellent bhindi ki sabzi and bagan ka bhurta ,thanks to Dr Ghulam Ahmed. May he rest in peace at high ranks.

Iffat Saud

____________________________

My lasting memory of GAMA is when I appeared before him in a substage. As soon as I sat down a peon who he had asked to get a drink for him came back and refused to get it. He got angry and started swearing at him and carried on for a good five minutes. When he finished you can imagine my state, he asked me one question and said go away. Of course I failed and that was the only substage I ever failed. Afterwards, he said in front of the class ‘menoo patta se anu aunda se me ung he fail kar deta’

Shahid Bashir

Gamma and Anatomy
By Malik Mubeen Awan
Well the blog by Naghmi Shirin reminded me an exhaustive four days of teaching by Mr. Gamma ( Ghulam Rasul ) who was Assistant Professor of Anatomy during our years 1977-79, with Madam Prof Toquyyia Abidi who used to come to the department on her Old MORRIS car. I recall Mr. Gamma behaved like a typical Moulvi in class & indeed, he had good Knowledge of Human Anatomy, too.

Dr. Ghulam Rasul (Gamma) was always wearing White Shalwar-Kamees, a Jinnah Cap on his head & a beard on his face.

Mr. Gamma announced that he is going to deliver very important lecture on Histology of Stomach. We were all made to realize to take quick notes during his lectures & it was imminent that he would ask the same questions during sub-stage & stage Exam. Well! Dr. Gamma started his lectures on Histology of Stomach & it was early winter days when it was too cold to reach the Anatomy Lecture theatre at sharp 8:30 a.m. However, we managed to be there at sharp 8:30am. Dr. Gamma started his lectures on Histology of Stomach. He kept on lecturing for four days with diagrams & notes written by him on the black board. We kept on copying the same with all the fear in mind that each word is very important & he may ask the same questions during exams. After full four days of exhaustive work up Dr Gamma announced at the end of fourth day, “OK, this was all about the histology of a BIRD's STOMACH.....Now we start HUMAN STOMACH”...!!!

I also remind that Dr. Abdul Mannan Babar (now Professor of Surgery) was one of the most favorite students of Dr. Gamma. He used to work long hours till late in the evenings with him & assisted him during his research as well & was also his companion during his many publications in various journals. Dr Abdul Mannan Babar conducted on research on Human Placenta with Dr Ghulam Rasul. I feel sad to know that Dr. Gamma has died sometimes ago. May his soul rest in peace.

GAMMA and the GIRLS
By Naghmi Shirin

Dr Ghulam Rasool popularly known as GAMA was our Asst.Prof. of Anatomy. I am sure most of you are very familiar with this interesting personality of our first two years. When we entered KE, we found all our teachers were quite liberal though the atmosphere was a bit reserved. Then we came across MR.GAMA!! I do not know who gave him this nickname, but it caught on like wild fire.
He was a perfect example of hypocrisy. At that time Gen. Zia ul Haque had taken over and the country had started drifting towards fundamentalism. He had ordered all the girls to wear dupatta on their heads in his classroom. We used to cover our heads as we went in the class and removed it as soon as we came out [he knew that]. Our parents had taught us to dress modestly and never forced us to fully cover ourselves like 'burqa' etc. Therefore, we considered it an intrusion on our privacy, and a religious show off.
The sub stages taken by him were hilarious. He would often ask recipes of different dishes. Once he gave top most marks to the student, who told the recipe of 'Pulao'. If he fancied some girl student, he would ask very easy questions. If he was not in a good mood, he would simply say that they should be thankful to God that they were becoming doctors, otherwise some very beautiful girls were becoming nurses. For some it was a nightmare to appear before him. He was particularly tough on girls who always covered their heads. [This, I could never understand] However, he was not vindictive. If he failed someone in one exam, he definitely passed her in supplee.
Whenever I think of him, I cannot help smiling and... But DR Sahib is no longer with us so we should forgive whatever grievances we had at his hands.He died last year of cancer. May God rest his soul in peace. Amin!

MURREE CLASS TRIP-2
By Naveed Yazdani

The train journey was decorated with songs, card games, luddo and what not. Shazib's family greeted us at Gujranwala railway station with eatables, which we gobbled up in moments.
We reached Islamabad University hostel around nine in the evening. Group 2 lodged itself in a huge room. We sang songs and played some in-door cricket. I think we (me, Shazib and Asaad) gathered small stones from the lawn and when all were sleeping; we took the ammunition out and started targeting Azhar, Najmi and Mannan. At first, they thought something was falling from the roof but then our laughter, which was no longer muffled, disclosed it all.
I have (to this day) never spent much time in communal life. For me it was a nightmare to go to a public toilet. In addition, its walls were full of graffiti and I could not lift my eyes in sheer embarrassment. But when I looked up to pull the ancient lever, I was greeted by one of the rudest comment of them all. It said: ANGRAIZ KE PUTR FLUSH KHARAB HAI.
That was it for me and I almost ran back to the sleeping area where Najmi was probably remembering his girl friend and Mannan murmuring something about Coolie's (I am not sure if I can recall the spellings) fracture in their sleeps.
Naveed Yazdani

Qayyum remembers the Murree Trip

Of course It was a memorable trip. during the journey my friends taught me how to play cards as I have no idea about it "being a paindoo". We stayed in one of the TV room of the hostels in Islamabad university. Early motning next day I found many "smart group" colleagues running towards the canteen. Later we came to know the reason for this big rush. girls from our class were strolling outside and taking breakfast, so everybody was busy impressing them. Of course it was a rare moment or chance to walk alnongwith the "elite and choosen few girls" of our class. We visited Cadet College Hasan abdal but I think not on the first day as Iffat wrote. Camp fire was in the open and not along the poolside. But we could not continue long as the "Jamiaat Leaders" of University interfered as they thought that our gathering is a threat to islam. Anyway It were memorable days with lot of photo graphers everywhere especiaaly capturing the girls with their shutter.

Abdul Qayyum

Off they went to Murree and I did not go. This is perhaps one of the biggest regret of my KE days. On the other hand, for the people who did go, it was more fun that way. You see, by the time I made up my mind to go there was one seat left. The minute I announced that okay, I would go, I found out that ‘Jeeja Ji’ has taken the last seat. Judging from the stories I heard of the trip, Jeeja Ji was quite a hit, particularly with the girls.

Iffat Saud and Naveed Yazdani were among the lucky ones who did go on that trip.
Below are their recollections.


Yaadon Ki Barat By Iffat Saud

With our bags n beddings packed, we left for Islamabad from Patiala Block on a 5 days trip. We had our lunch at Cadet College Hasanabdal, arranged by one of our colleagues. After lunch, we had a guided tour of the College. We reached Islamabad in the evening. Our base camp was Quaid-e-Azam University Hostels where we girls (nearly15) accommodated our self very nicely in one biggggg room .First day we went to Simli dam where we were supposed to have a lecture by one of our demonstrators but neither he nor we were interested. We had our lunch there by the side of the Dam. On our way back, we stopped by the river. Some of the boys went for hicking and we followed them but at places, it was difficult for us girls to climb the mountains and was immediately helped by our class fellows.
Next day we headed for Murree and on our way against our expectations, there was snow on the mountains--- it was March. This gift from the skies tempted us to get down and have fun. Someone came up with the bright idea of sliding down on the snow from the top. The snow helped to create a smooth slippery surface and we all started taking turns. It was so much fun! We also had snowman competition; ours was one with Aliya's scarf wrapped around the neck and a pine straw replacing the cigarette. We all gathered around it and took pics. I still have them with me. On our way back, Aliya's hands were ice cold which made her cry and we had to stop by a khoka to heat them. We strolled on the Mall and had ice cream and went back to hostels
At nights, there were campfires or dinner by the poolside and there we discovered the hidden talents of our class fellows. Someone wrote a poem on each and every one, one of the guys played flute and others entertained us with songs.
Folk museum, Shakar Parian, and Labs were few other places we went.


Trip to Murree By Naveed Yazdani

I think Irfan Shami and his friends were a major force behind the whole idea. Nearly all the class went on this memorable trip. The group was so large that was subdivided into many sub-groups.
I was given the charge to manage group 2. And what diverse personalities this group had. Asad Alamgir, Shazib, Mannan Baber, Najmi, Azhar, Nadeem Noor, I mean they were a challenge in themselves. Who could one convince Asad and Shazib? How could one tame Najmi? How do you handle Mannan without Harrison and Love and Bailey? These were on my mind but once the trip officially kicked off from Lahore Railway station (platform 2), the sheer excitement and enjoyment dimmed all the queries of my mind. The afternoon of 22nd March 1982 in Lahore was glorious; golden mellow sunshine with a slighty crispy breeze. What a combination of dying winter and budding summer

BASANT ON TEMPLE ROAD
By Nauman Mufti


Punjab University announced the results of first professional exams. All my friends including myself had passed. Now it was time to celebrate!

Arif Agha, Aquil Haider, Tajummul, Shahid Bashir, Afzal Saeed and others had all thrown wonderful parties at their homes. I wanted to do something too, but my family was in Karachi and cooking a feast by myself was out of the question.

I was living at my ancestral home on Temple Road. The two storey house was at edge of the street very close to Mozang Chungi and Abid Market. From its rooftop I could see Butt Jewelers across the street and the signboards for Shezan Bakery and numerous electronics and home appliances stores. One day at the start of February I took the stairs to the rooftop and looked skywards, I saw kites everywhere. Basant was only a week or so away. It was there I had an idea. Why not invite my friends on Basant to a rooftop party. There was one problem however. What could I do for food? I considered getting some snacks from Shezan but that did not seem right. I mentioned my dilemma to my aunt who readily offered to cook for us. Gratefully, I accepted and the party was on!

In addition to my friends mentioned above, I invited my friends from the hostel including Qayyum, Sadiq Zia, Talha, Mateen and others. I think Aamir Ali came as well.

Besides kites, we had a small cassette player and some empty tin cans. Kites of all sizes and colors filled the sky. I forget who among us was a better kite flyer. Therefore, whoever wants to claim their expertise kite flying please go right ahead. Whenever someone from our roof cut a kite, we screamed ‘Bo Kata’ at the top of our lungs. Our neighbors on their roof tops were much better equipped with powerful stereosystems with massive speakers, but they were no match for our full-throated vocals supplemented by drumming of the empty tin cans.

We stayed up until sunlight was replaced by reddish hue of the sunset and thus ended an afternoon to remember.

THE CLASS MAGAZINE LISTEN
By Naveed Yazdani

It was October 1979, immediately after the Mangla trip when I, Saroosh Hamid, Salman Munir, the two Saeeds, Imran Afzal and Fouzia Shoukat took out LISTEN. We used to sit for hours in a cramped printing press in Old Anarkali opposite Kapoor Thala Building, busy in proofreading, negotiating rates and having brain storming sessions regarding the articles and contributions. The magazine was a hit but that is not what I want to share. My memories are around the deep trouble, which the magazine could have caused to us.

In fact one article 'Sixty Minutes in Physiology Theatre' written by Nasir Javed (181) almost imposed a DC on us. Physiology department (especially Shahid Nadeem) and Union (Jamiat) found it very offensive and they infuriated Madam Nusrat Waqar against us. We had some extremely anxious moments before the diplomatic skills of Sohail Kiyani rescued us.

Another memory intertwined with LISTEN is that of Saroosh Hamid. What an individual! He was real daredevil and if challenged would do anything (including jumping off a running train). He had what is called guts. I was very close with him for about a year. Along with his memory, a song (Atee Raheen Gi Bahreen) is etched in mind. He used to love it. I am very careful by nature and the most adventurous part of my life is that period which I spent with Saroosh. He had many rare qualities. He could do anything for friends without considering whether it was day or night or cold or rain. He was like that. Sudden and sad demise of his dad changed him and I think the added responsibilities sobered him to a great degree.

I have had no contact with him for over quarter of a century. If come across these lines, do contact me Saroosh.