Author: Ali Qasim

Lahore (Qasim Ali)

A group of talented students from Kinnaird College, Pakistan, recently participated in the highly anticipated Summer School Program organized by Rennes School of Business in France. The program, which focused on sustainable development, global diplomacy, cultural entrepreneurship, and cross-cultural management, provided an enriching learning experience for the students.

Throughout the program, esteemed professionals such as Prof. Jennifer Ramsay, Mr. Rizwan Anwar, Ms. Maha Jamil, Dr. Sami Bajwa and several other experienced professors delivered insightful sessions, exposing the students to valuable knowledge and experiential learning. Their expertise and guidance enabled the participants to broaden their horizons and gain practical skills in various fields of study.

In addition to the academic pursuits, Rennes School of Business is proud to announce its participation in the Second Edition of the Choose France Pakistan program. This program, initiated by the French Embassy in Pakistan, aims to foster collaborations between the two nations and promote educational opportunities in France for Pakistani students. Kinnaird College for Women is committed to strengthening the educational ties between Pakistan and France, further enhancing academic exchanges and cultural understanding.

The students and participants of the Summer School Program expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the French Embassy in Pakistan and Ms. Sabine Vermillard, Attaché for Educational and Scientific Cooperation, for their instrumental role in developing such remarkable opportunities for students. Their support and efforts have opened doors to a world of possibilities, empowering students to explore their potential on an international platform.

Kinnaird College takes immense pride in the achievements of its students and recognizes the invaluable contribution of Rennes School of Business and the French Embassy in Pakistan in nurturing the academic growth of Pakistani students. This endeavor has not only expanded their knowledge and expertise but has also strengthened the ties between the two nations.

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

A one day workshop on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Nutrition was conducted at Kinnaird College on 23rd May 2022. The workshop was organized by Kinnaird Centre for Learning and Cultural Development. Students of Food and Nutrition department participated in the workshop. Dr Sidra Farooqi from Shalamar Medical and Dental College led the seminar which concluded with students having an insightful understanding of the topic. The session was interactive and the participants had a good time asking questions from Medicine and beyond.

IBS is a chronic disorder that affects the large intestine and causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea. It creates immense physical and social difficulties for the patients affected with this condition. Stress and certain foods etc may trigger symptoms in people with this disorder. Researchers have investigated probiotics and a variety of dietary supplements for IBS.

The workshop focused on the standard and complementary management of IBS through lifestyle changes which was mostly about dietary modifications.
It was centered around all the new diets that have been recently introduced for IBS patients and every food that they could avoid to lead a healthy life.
The students found the workshop interesting and had a prudent outlook for more such workshops in the future.

Director of Kinnaird Centre for Learning and Cultural Development Ms Maha Jamil shed the light on the need of Practical Exposure for Professional development and appreciated the passion Young Women who were attending the workshop to being a positive change in the society .

This Workshop is a series of Activities to Achieve the UN Goal for Zero Hunger and Healthier Lifestyle.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Sahir Ludhianvi, one of the key figures of progressive writers association, legendary Urdu Poet and song writer passed very tempestuous and emotional time in Lahore in pre-partition era and two initial years of independent Pakistan. Lahore, the cultural capital of sub-continent gave Sahir his first poetry book “Talkhiyan”,  Amrita Pritam’s romance with Sahir blossomed in Lahore and his bonding with peers like A Hameed, Ibn-e-Insha, Fikar Taunsvi, Qateel Shefai, Hameed Akhtar and Sadaat Hasan Manto remained integral part of Sahir’s Nostalgia in Bombay where he passed his later life as a  leading film lyricist.

Many such enlightening memories from Sahir Ludhianvi’s life in Lahore were traced and presented in amusing session at 50th Thaap Talk entitled “Sahir Ludhianvi’s Lahore, Lahore’s Sahir Ludhianvi” , held at Thaap Gulberg Lahore on Friday evening. Raza Naeem, noted translator and literary activist presented extracts from his research on 6 years of Sahir’s Ludhianvi’s life passed in Lahore from 1943 to 1949.  He gave a deep insight of Sahir’s life , his residence at Abbot Road near Lakshmi Chowk Lahore, his life style, philosophy of life. Raza  mentioned the struggle behind publishing his first poetry collection “Talkhiyan” which later became best seller poetry book and how film makers use to keep its pocket edition in their pockets.

Raza Naeem described that Sahir came to Lahore at the age of 21 when he was expelled from college in Ludhiana for romancing a girl.Young and heartbroken Sahir headed to Lahore,the cosmopolitan city and  Cultural hub of sub continent at that time. Sahir stayed with A Hameed, Ibn e Insha, Fikar Taunsvi at Abbot road and started his struggle as a poet. Although his poems were quite popular but nobody was agreed to publish its poetry collection.

Gurbaksh singh, editor of Illustrious Sawera magazine published pocket edition of Sahir’s first collection entitled “Talkhiyan” which became an instant hit and still one favourite book of Urdu Litertature lovers. Raza Naeem also narrated the incident of Sahir’s first meeting with Musician R D Burman after his migration to India in which R D Burman showed him pocket edition of Talkhiyan.

While shedding light on one of Sahir’s enduring poem Taj Mahal,Raza Naeem narrated that poem displays a unique consciousness about a cultural and civilizational asset and is also an outstanding in terms of its impact.

The talk was well attended by lovers of history, Art and poetry. Secretary to THAAP Ar Mehreen Mustafa and Hosts of the evening Professor Pervaiz Vandal and Prof. Sajida Vandal thanked the speaker Raza Naeem for presenting well informative and rich session.The speakers also answered various questions asked by participants about Sahir Ludhianvi.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

*International Museum Day; The power of Museums*

ICOM Pakistan organized a panel discussion to mark the International Museum Day on 18th of May 2022 at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. The event began with an opening note by the Principal of Kinnaird College Dr Rukhsana David who is also the Chair of ICOM Pakistan. She gave a short history of ICOM and museums in general.

She shared that each year there is a theme for the International Museum Day and this year it was the Power of Museums. This year the idea is to try bring about a positive change in the community through three lenses:
The power of achieving sustainability, the power of digital innovation and accessibility and the power of community building through education.
She said it was indeed heartening to have museum professionals on the panel to discuss and share their knowledge about museums.

Dr.Christina Menegazzi , a professional on heritage and museums delivered a talk followed by the panel discussion with former Director Lahore Museum, Dr. Saif ur Rehman Dar, Dr. Muhammad Hameed, head of Archaeology Department , Punjab University and Mr. Mujeeb Khan, keeper of pre –Islamic art collection at Lahore Museum.

Students, faculty and guests showed a keen interest in the panel discussion on museums and appreciated Kinnaird College for Women and ICOM Pakistan to have arranged this very interesting and informative session on museums.

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Lahore (NUT-DESK)

After a forced hiatus of two years due to the pandemic THAAP has decided to hold the its annual THAAP Conference – 2022, in November. The theme of the 11th international THAAP conference is “Archaeology and Living Cultural Legacy of Harappa Civilization” and Scholars are invited to research, write, and present papers at the conference to be held on November 25, 26 & 27, 2022.

Interested scholars from all over the world are invited to participate and write a paper on the proposed theme; they have been asked to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words till 1st March 2022, at thaap.conference@gmail.com and pvandal59@gmail.com , outlining the thought, research and presentation that you will make at the Conference. The actual paper shall be 3000 to 4000 words. The Paper Selection Committee will inform the selected paper readers after which the complete paper will be due by Oct 2022.

The creative force behind Thaap conference, Pervaiz Vandal shared that the extent and age of the Harappa Civilization has been established by recent archaeology and culture studies as being more than 10,000 years old covering area beyond the immediate Indus Valley to Gujrat and Helmand region of India and Afghanistan. Language is a living carrier of cultural traditions and its study has thrown up important clues to the understanding of history of the Punjab, a sector of the region.

Harappa culture is the label now in common use to define the broader Indus Valley Civilization that with every new archaeological discovery and insight from culture studies never ceases to amaze with its beauty and complexity. The residents of this region are the inheritors of this unique culture that shows an unbroken link through centuries. There are present day facets of culture, belief systems, language that can be traced back to pre-Harappa times and help explain the particularity of our region and social behavior. The three day conference will give thought provoking details about the land of 5 (7) rivers, Punjab. The language script remains to be deciphered, there is no sustained long term program of archaeological investigation, there is lack of political coordination among the three countries that house the remains, and there is hesitation to accept Harappa Culture as a common heritage.

During the three day conference, various sessions of research paper reading, cultural talks and other literary gatherings will be held at THAAP secretariat. Writers, Scholars and Cultural lovers will attend the proceedings.

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