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