Humans of GIK is back with a bang! For all those who are a fan, HoGIK has always had a distinct picturesque way of capturing images and inking scintillating thoughts of the beautiful humans of GIK.
Being huge fans of HoGIK, we would HIGHLY recommend you, yes you the reader, to go and like the page and stay up to date with all their posts. Lead me to HoGIK now. Now then, let us begin.
#11 – The Great Israr!
Posted on: 11/13/2015
“I have been here since the time of Batch 18 and have served each and every student with my shakes and tea.”
#10 – You Define Your Comfort Zone.
“I want to improve the quality of education and students in Pakistan. When I was an engineering student in College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Rawalpindi (EME NUST), I realized that the standard of teaching in my country is very poor and I’d never be able to achieve my goals if I followed the conventional methods.
Owing to this, I spent hours and hours doing online courses – even that wasn’t enough as I wanted some practical experience as well and therefore I got a job as a design engineer at a firm during my last year. It was one of the most challenging tasks in my life. I would attend my college until 5 pm in the evening and would go to my office afterwards and worked there until midnight. I had to sleep in my office owing to transport issues in Islamabad. I’d sleep for 5 to 6 hours every day and get back to my college early in the morning. I did all of that just to become a better engineer, and it was a very good learning experience. My final year project was also appreciated by my faculty teachers — it came in the news as well!
Now I’m here at GIKI, spending some time as a lab engineer and relaxing a bit so that I can pursue my masters and be a good educator later in my life.”
#9 – You Lose When You Give Up.
When is the time that you felt most broken?
“Normally when a person is in their academic life, they go through stages when they think that their life’s pretty useless. What happened with me was during my BA exams, some people made some false cases against me, just to let me down. Owing to that my exams got canceled, and I got disqualified for a year or so. I had to pay a pretty huge fine. It felt like my career had come to an end. Overcoming the feeling of being frustrated and stuck was tough. Somehow things worked out and I came out as the topper of my class.
The second time was during the first month of my Ph.D. in Netherlands. Everything was on the right track. Due to an issue at the airport, I was told to leave the country within the next 7 days. They were like, ‘Pack up and go to your country. We don’t need people like you.’ That time put a lot of mental pressure on me. I couldn’t even tell that to my family — otherwise, they’d have got worried. That case went to the court and it prolonged for a year. I wasn’t sure if they’d let me continue my Ph.D. Because I was right, I finally won that case, but it cost me one year of mental stress. If you stop giving yourself up to the situation, you’ll always have a path.”
#8 – Power and Empower.
“I used to own a Sony Cyber-shot camera when I came to GIKI and at some time in my life, I got to learn about the existence of DSLR cameras. At first, when I got my hands on a DSLR, I was very surprised to see the power it gives you in capturing images. I got really passionate about it and bought my own camera.Throughout my 3 years at GIKI, I have worked day and night to learn new photography skills. I’ve snapped lots of places — Lahore, Islamabad, Bahawalpur, Kaghan, Naran, Niagara falls and even New York City. My photos have been featured in many national newspapers, I have given many workshops on photography and have won various competitions as well. It’s been a long journey and I still got to learn numerous things. Photography is a very powerful tool and my aim is to use this tool to portray a finer image of Pakistan throughout the world! Photography is truly a love affair with life.”You can follow Uzair Aziz’s Photography here.
#7 – Believe in Love.
“I believe in love, a heaven on earth. I believe it’s impossible to have a dark heart even if you have committed many sins in the past. I believe a person’s feelings have no boundaries. I believe life is something more than indulging ourselves in these classes & customs. I believe it’s a blessing to have a broken heart.
In 2011, I had many questions in my mind. One of the questions that changed my entire life is ‘Why God is so kind to me when I don’t even bother to acknowledge Him?’ He never replied but gave me everything I wished for. I wasted many years of my life around glittery dust and it was the reason whatever I have done in the past never made me content. I left everything. ‘Temptation of getting impressed by people and love of things vanished’. I understood that life is something more than that. It’s far easy to be different than not being known. I saw the love dripping from nature – I started loving myself.
Joining GIKI in 2012 fulfilled one of my dreams. I failed in understanding the values people over here had and ended up engaging myself in a better company of books, dreams, poetry, painting, and nature. I met a lot of people, interacted with them, but still remained less expressive because I was impressed by ‘His’ silent style. I was so impressed by Him that I forgot everything I was once passionate about. He taught me so much that I just moved far away from these worldly desires. In path of knowing God, I failed to perceive bad intentions of people. Being judgemental made me find nothing but love in the heart of His creation. This gave me many lessons but His eternal hand on me gave me the courage to face everything. One should always love Him and His creation because what’s worth dying for, if not love!”
#6 – Perceptions and Expectations.
“When I first came to GIKI, I was literally shocked to see its beauty. I belong to Karachi and I worked as a BBC journalist in Islamabad –- my perception for a place like Swabi was that it couldn’t have as good institution as compared to big cities, but GIKI is completely different from the outside world.
I like it here, it’s a pretty cool place. People over here are smart and amazing. Roaming the streets of GIKI during the night has been one of my best experiences ever.”
GIKI BlogPost is recruiting.
Traditions are that if something that you do is greatly appreciated, you would want it to be carried forward. As time closes in, one of the founding members of BlogPost looks set to graduate by the end of next year which leaves a vacancy for someone willing to carry the torch forward.
It is, therefore, we look for someone from their sophomore year with a knack for writing, creativity, photography, photoshop, exploration and storytelling. Someone who can carry the pride of being a GIKian as a reminder to the alumni, a reminder to current students, that GIK is truly one of the best places to be in.
Interested people can sign up for the job by filling out the form so that we can get in contact with you. To apply for a position at GIKI Blogpost, follow the link HERE
#5 – I am what I chose to become.
“Did you just speak English?”
“What do you know?”
“Can’t even stand in public without shaky legs and you want to speak?”
“Oh the fat kid wants to play football?”
“Get out of the class; oh your older brother was so much smarter than you!”
With all of this running in my mind, I can easily say that it was a tough start for a young kid. No matter how much I wanted to reach the top, people would never let me. Taunting, teasing and laughing at me all the time, it was just not working out.
“Maybe I needed to change my school, maybe I should just accept defeat or maybe I could fight back”. My mind map, right in front of you.
I fought and I fought hard, not with the world but with myself. I had to make myself believe that I could speak English; I could know more than the others, I could speak in public and that I could play football. I wanted to work hard to be different, not to conform to the societies “common sense”. I only had to listen to what the inner voice had to say, the rest was just background music. The mission started; I read books and articles about personal development, speaking in front of the mirror, running and playing for hours. My parents thought I had gone crazy but only I knew I just reached sanity. Only I saw a boy desperate to prove a point, to answer the unanswered and to face what he had been running away from. Change was inevitable.
I’m not what happened to me, I’m what I chose to become.
Today, I can proudly say that I’ve made it. I have done what was portrayed as impossible to me, done what I thought I could never do. I’m an engineering student in one of the most prestigious institutes of Pakistan with a rapidly growing network, an intern at Coca-Cola and Schlumberger, international intern at Malaysia, in the starting lineup for my university football team and I’ve had the honor to get 3 awards for public speaking and project management at an international conference.
My words to you all are very clear, never give up and always believe in yourself. Never care what the world says about you, always regard the present moment and never lose yourself to the past or the future. Life is too short, learn to love what’s around you and everything would become simple.
#4 – The Lala We All Adore.
Seen in Raju’s Kingdom.
When he got to know that his photo will be posted on the internet and will probably be seen by alumni, he got very cheerful.
#3 – ‘King’ of Tuc.
“Towards the end of every year it all gets very gloomy for me. That is the time when you see a batch graduating. You spend four years serving and having a good laugh with them and graduation is the time after which you probably ain’t gonna see them again.”
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Raju runs a restaurant named ‘Raju’s Hotel’ and he’s the ‘King’ of tuck. He recently started serving steaks, pasta, lasagne and some other amazing stuff. Don’t forget to try them out whenever you’re in GIKI!
#2 – Where there is a will, there is a way.
“It all started eleven years ago, in 2005. I had to begin my education—completely from scratch. I remember my class fellows making jokes at me because of me being comparatively very old. Being from a Pashtun family, I knew nothing about Urdu and English. That always shattered my confidence. I belong to an uneducated family, so it was very hard for me to pursue education. There was no one to guide me. Luckily, I got a teacher who transformed my whole life in a couple of years.
With his guidance and my hard work, I passed seven classes in just TWO years. Then I got FATA scholarships for class seven ‘til HSSC part II. At the same time, I got admission in Military College, Jhelum and Cadet College, Razmak. But I went to Fazle-Haq College Mardan. I did my O levels there and I got 6 As. I was also among top fifty students of Pakistan selected for National Physics Olympiad during my first year of HSSC. After HSSC examinations, I applied to ETEA entry test and got the highest marks—580!—in South Waziristan agency. At the same time, I applied to GIK Institute and obtained sixty-third position in entry test. Again I was offered full-fledged scholarships by the government until my eighth semester.
I’m immensely glad to say that I am a full-fledged engineer just in eleven years of my life. And that, too, from one of the most prestigious institutions of Pakistan. I’d also like to confess that I am married since the fourth semester. I have a sweet daughter named ‘Aasya’. I am totally satisfied with my life. I can’t wait to go back to my area and educate my tribal people.”
Honorary Mention: The road to independence is one filled with thorns.
“I am an only child, and it has its own pros and cons – from shopping insanely when I feel down to having no one to play with at home, it’s been a love-hate relationship. But when I turned 19, I discovered it was not just about sharing toys, it was the biggest responsibility I will ever have to face. The responsibility of two people who’re just alive to see me happy, and whose sole life purpose is to provide me with all the luxuries of the world. It was then when I realised that in order to be their shield, I have to learn to stand alone, stand independent and the quest for independence turned me into a bitter and rude person, because that’s when I realised that the road to independence for a girl isn’t just difficult but full of thorns like ‘no one likes blunt girls’, ‘so you don’t want to lose weight and look pretty? That would just solve all these problems, you’ll have guys roaming around you to do your work’ and much more.
These comments hurt, so to overcome them, I became sarcastic, so people would avoid passing such comments because I would just taunt them back with a much stronger comeback. Soon this became a part of my personality, but the only taunt that still pierces me is when someone refers to my struggle as that of ‘becoming a son’. That was never my motif. Yes, sons are great, they are the support mechanism of their family but all I want to be is a daughter and this struggle will end the day when a little girl will run up to their parents and tell them ‘I want to be a daughter just like her!’”
#1 – Saving lost children.
“The very first thing that comes into my mind are those humiliating words throughout my struggle that always used to make me think if I’m really different from others.
In ECLO (Educating Child Labors Organization)’s initial days, I heard many sarcastic words like:
‘Kal ka bacha hai, khudi beth jaega’
‘Naya naya junoon hai, thore arse mein thanda ho jaega’
‘Sab kuch fame ke liye kar raha ha, social work to aik bahana hai’
And when ECLO was established, they said:
‘Pesa banane ka naya business dhund lia ha, kaam kisne karna ha’
‘ECLO ka sara pesa Aqib ki ‘Ayaashiyon’ pe lagta ha’
And so on…These words always increased my motivation level. Rather than getting discouraged I used to smile at them, saying myself that they don’t know what I’m thinking. Now, what basically changed my whole life from being materialistic to a ‘selfishly selfless’ man is the story behind ECLO. I was on way to college back in February 2012. It was almost seven in the morning, and extremely cold weather. Suddenly our bus stopped and I saw a small child crossing the street. He was rolling down a tire to make it reach the workshop across the street. He literally didn’t have anything warm to wear, except some mere torn clothes. I saw him and then glanced at my younger brother sitting next to me. I couldn’t find any difference between them. Same body, two hands, feet, ears, and everything. It made me think about the reasons behind that small child working, especially in extremely cold conditions–on the other hand, my brother almost of the same age, covered all over in warm clothes, and going to the most expensive school of that area. This thing got stuck into my mind and woke my inner conscience. I found some pieces of paper, also known as ‘Money’ to be the ultimate cause of that difference, and so I started my struggle to remove that cause.”
“Initially I got a very pessimistic response. Everybody seemed to discourage me. I still remember the words of my group of friends, ‘Dekho Aqib akela change lane nikla hai!’ — followed by a huge laughter. I remember the time when I used to try discussing my ideas with them, but they never took interest and always humiliated me, sarcastically labeling me as ‘Gandhi Je’ or ‘Quaid-e-Azam’. I used to give them an apparent smile, but deep inside I was bearing a lot. I actually made that de-motivation a source of my motivation and always used to tell myself that I had to prove them wrong in judging me. I never gave up and ignored all that humiliating criticism, with a sole hope of one day to come — the day that would prove me right.
Slowly and steadily, I witnessed people coming and we started to multiply. I started alone, but now we are becoming more numerous as each day passes by. I remember starting with just 5000 PKR that I had at the time and ended up with an annual budget of 70,000 PKR after a year, enrolling 7 poor children to school. I was overwhelmed. That year I attended more than 40 public gatherings in just two months of summer, trying to motivate people to come along. We reconsidered our plan of action, removed some flaws, set our target for next year and focused on achieving it. By the end of second year, we ended up bringing 41 poor children to the school, with an annual budget above 700,000 PKR (Alhamdulillah!) — This year, we aim to bring 100 poor children to schools with an estimated budget of almost 2.5 million PKR (In sha Allah!). I remember that we used to have our meetings on a footpath and I’m proud of it.
For a system to be established, it needs to pass four stages; ‘Forming’, ‘Storming’, ‘Norming’ and ‘Performing’. Every stage has its own intensity, and it reduces with the next stage. We have passed the first two stages and have entered the stages of ‘Norming’ and ‘Performing’ simultaneously, with just a slight intensity of storming still being there. The system has been established (Alhamdulillah!). We just need to set targets and focus on achieving them. That is what I dreamt about — to establish such a transparent system which strengthens itself every year, and proves itself to be an asset for the country in future (In sha Allah!). I’m living my dream and never intend to give up. That’s what brought ECLO to where it is today. I’ve made the smile of my poor children my motivation and I can live my whole life with it, without having any materialistic desires. I’m satisfied and always thank Allah for the life He has blessed me with.”
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Mr. Aqib Javed is a final year Mechanical Engineering student at GIK Institute. He is the founder of Educating Child Labors Organization (ECLO). This is the second post in series — I encourage everybody to read the previous post and if you like what he is doing, kindly share these posts on your wall so that we may spread the message throughout Pakistan and may someone powerful/influential help this organization. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Be a part of this change. To learn more about ECLO: http://on.fb.me/1NUcA9P
And there you have it. HoGIK for many of us has transformed the way we look at people. Everyone has a story to tell. We just have to listen.
First of all, we would like to thank HoGIK to sending us a list of their favourite pictures. If you think there is a post deserving to be part of this list then please comment below. Don’t forget to go and follow HoGIK at https://www.facebook.com/HOGIKI/ .
A GIKI BlogPost Original
This blog is taken from the GIKI BlogPost and all the credit goes to them. All thanks to GIKI Alumni Association and to the one and only Rayyan Zahid (Batch 24) – Vice President Marketing – GIKI Alumni Association.
Rayyan Zahid is serving a role that aims to grow and maintain one of the greatest collection of human capital in Pakistan. His responsibilities revolve around building a nexus of opportunities from a network consisting of 6000+ professionals from 70+ countries that are part of the alumni association. He also served as Assistant Manager E-Commerce for Reckitt Benckiser in the past and is currently settled as Climate Reality Leader in United States.
