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Since long, my son Taha Ali had been insisting that I should go to Baltimore and meet Haider bhai. Haider is a family friend, a young civil engineer from the prestigious NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi and has established a small firm in Baltimore. He had offered Taha a job in his firm so that he might be able to bear his expenses while he studied in Maryland.
One fine morning I set out for Baltimore. Haider had advised me to ring him from Baltimore station so that he could pick me up. Having reached Baltimore, however, I decided to go to his home on a cab on my own. I took a cab from the Baltimore station and showed the black taxi driver Haider's address. I had been warned to be careful while dealing with blacks. On the contrary, the driver whose name was Yaseen turned out to be a nice person. He was a Muslim. It was all green on our way to Haider's apartment. I started talking to Yaseen and asked him if he felt the pinch of recession. He said George W Bush was responsible for the recession. Yaseen told me I might face security check in the apartment building and that he would stay there until I went inside.
Haider was amazed that I succeeded in reaching his apartment on my own.
Haider's wife Saima is an electrical engineer and a position holder throughout her career. A very simple woman. They also have a beautiful three-and-a half-year old daughter named Batool.
Life is busy in Baltimore as elsewhere in the United States. Haider's wife Saima remarked, 'Aap ko dekh kar mujhe apne taya yaad aatey hain.' (You remind me of my elder uncle). I didn't react immediately. Next day I asked Saima who her taya was. She said his name was Shabbar Azmi. Shabbar and I had been at the university and we were also distant relatives.
He was a full time worker of the pro-Chinese faction of the party and an activist of National Students Federation (Rashid group). He was a student of journalism at the university. He got a job in Daily Musawaat in early 1970s, an organ of Pakistan People's Party. Things were in bad shape in Musawaat and employees wouldn't get salaries for months altogether, but I don't remember if he ever complained.
When Musawaat was closed down due to financial problems, he joined daily Aman and is now its news editor. He used to live in Korangi, a lower-middle class locality in the suburbs of Karachi.
On Saturday, Haider showed me the heritage of Baltimore. Pearl Harbour is here and it has been preserved. There are wonderful, multi-storey bookshops. Batool became very familiar with me. She would not allow anybody to watch anything on television except cartoons.
I would ask Batool, 'Are you an artist?' she would say: 'Ya!' I would ask if she wanted to become a doctor. She would say 'ya!' If I asked if she wanted to become a scientist? She would again say: 'ya.'
The locality where I lived at Baltimore had Muslims, Jews and other people but everybody would cooperate with each other. However, everybody was worried. 'It's a shit world you know,' remarked a gentleman who had a puppy. I asked him what his profession was. He said he raised puppies to sell them.
Brenda Hurford, the property manager at WillowBrook where Haider lived, was always cooperative. I would tell her time and again that I couldn't unlock the door and she would unlock it for me. Once I said, 'Brenda, I am leaving shortly. Would you like to have coffee with me.' She said: 'Bring coffee for me tomorrow.' Strange world! I remained there for a week. Haider called me when I reached Alexandria and said, 'Batool is missing you. She is asking where uncle is.'
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Best Colleges for Vocational Courses in IndiaSince long, my son Taha Ali had been insisting that I should go to Baltimore and meet Haider bhai. Haider is a family friend, a young civil engineer from the prestigious NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi and has established a small firm in Baltimore. He had offered Taha a job in his firm so that he might be able to bear his expenses while he studied in Maryland.
One fine morning I set out for Baltimore. Haider had advised me to ring him from Baltimore station so that he could pick me up. Having reached Baltimore, however, I decided to go to his home on a cab on my own. I took a cab from the Baltimore station and showed the black taxi driver Haider's address. I had been warned to be careful while dealing with blacks. On the contrary, the driver whose name was Yaseen turned out to be a nice person. He was a Muslim. It was all green on our way to Haider's apartment. I started talking to Yaseen and asked him if he felt the pinch of recession. He said George W Bush was responsible for the recession. Yaseen told me I might face security check in the apartment building and that he would stay there until I went inside.
Haider was amazed that I succeeded in reaching his apartment on my own.
Haider's wife Saima is an electrical engineer and a position holder throughout her career. A very simple woman. They also have a beautiful three-and-a half-year old daughter named Batool.
Life is busy in Baltimore as elsewhere in the United States. Haider's wife Saima remarked, 'Aap ko dekh kar mujhe apne taya yaad aatey hain.' (You remind me of my elder uncle). I didn't react immediately. Next day I asked Saima who her taya was. She said his name was Shabbar Azmi. Shabbar and I had been at the university and we were also distant relatives.
He was a full time worker of the pro-Chinese faction of the party and an activist of National Students Federation (Rashid group). He was a student of journalism at the university. He got a job in Daily Musawaat in early 1970s, an organ of Pakistan People's Party. Things were in bad shape in Musawaat and employees wouldn't get salaries for months altogether, but I don't remember if he ever complained.
When Musawaat was closed down due to financial problems, he joined daily Aman and is now its news editor. He used to live in Korangi, a lower-middle class locality in the suburbs of Karachi.
On Saturday, Haider showed me the heritage of Baltimore. Pearl Harbour is here and it has been preserved. There are wonderful, multi-storey bookshops. Batool became very familiar with me. She would not allow anybody to watch anything on television except cartoons.
I would ask Batool, 'Are you an artist?' she would say: 'Ya!' I would ask if she wanted to become a doctor. She would say 'ya!' If I asked if she wanted to become a scientist? She would again say: 'ya.'
The locality where I lived at Baltimore had Muslims, Jews and other people but everybody would cooperate with each other. However, everybody was worried. 'It's a shit world you know,' remarked a gentleman who had a puppy. I asked him what his profession was. He said he raised puppies to sell them.
Brenda Hurford, the property manager at WillowBrook where Haider lived, was always cooperative. I would tell her time and again that I couldn't unlock the door and she would unlock it for me. Once I said, 'Brenda, I am leaving shortly. Would you like to have coffee with me.' She said: 'Bring coffee for me tomorrow.' Strange world! I remained there for a week. Haider called me when I reached Alexandria and said, 'Batool is missing you. She is asking where uncle is.'
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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An array of unconventional career options
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Ragging rights and wrongs
Indian universities and higher education institutes seem to be caught in a time warp teaching things
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Role of Media in the moulding of youth
