March 04, 2016: Jahangir Siddiqui Auditorium at IBA City Campus came to life with smiles, warm hugs, and excited chatter as long-lost friends and colleagues reunited for a night to bid farewell to Dr. Ishrat Husain. The night was also a tribute to the extremely prolific tenure of Dean & Director Dr. Ishrat Husain, who is to retire from services on March 10, 2016.
The Alumni Community showed an overwhelming response to the event, and e-invites - in addition to the 400 passes – had to be arranged to accommodate the abundant requests, as nobody wanted to miss out saying good-bye to one of the best and most dedicated Deans IBA has ever witnessed. There were myriad requests for reservations, last minute calls to arrange passes, alumni reaching out to Alumni Office through Facebook, email – you name it. The excitement, as chaotic as it was, was understandable. It is under Dr. Ishrat Husain's tenure that IBA Campuses transformed tenfold coming at par with the most prestigious universities around the globe.
The event opened with guests arriving at the venue around 8 PM. It was an electrifying atmosphere as guests laughed and hugged each other like long-lost friends reunited. As exclaimed by a management team member on the registration desk, “Look at how happy they all are!” and indeed, they were. Guests entered the newly built JS Auditorium, registered at the desk and went on to get seated inside the lavish auditorium. The gorgeous stage décor received appreciation by all and sundry: stage background was ornately decorated with beautiful flower vases along the periphery, while foreground displayed the traditional qawali setup with white chaadar and floor cushions (gaddis) spread across the stage floor - all set for a spiritually rejuvenating performance later in the evening.
Once the guests had settled down, Dr. Ishrat took the stage for his address to the alumni community gathered at the venue. His speech was rather distinctive – in that, he rose up to the occasion and quite frankly expressed his disappointment with the IBA alumni in forming solid Alumni Association(s) that could rally support from established alumni across the globe in giving back to the institution that played an instrumental role in their success.
Ending on a humbly positive note, he said that Deans and Directors would come and go, but what remains is the institute’s output in the form of its alumni and graduates, and stressed upon the need for greater collaboration and cohesion among the alumni.
Earlier, Mr. Hamiz Naqvi, Manager Alumni Society gave his welcome address, who acknowledged the efforts of his team in arranging this elaborate night for alumni to enjoy, and hoped that everyone would have a good time.
In recognition of his services, Dr. Husain was presented with a shield by Mr. Shahid Shafiq, Alumni Representative on the IBA Board of Governors, Mr. Haris Tohid Siddiqui, Acting Patron, Alumni Society and Mr. Hamiz Naqvi. A senior Alumnus, Mr. Etrat Hussain Rizvi, as a toke of his appreciation, presented a rug to Dr. Husain.
Later, the guests were led to a scrumptious dinner arranged in the foyer of the recently inaugurated Aman Towers. The breezy night, coupled with an elated atmosphere and good food, provided for a perfect evening of reunion and the stage was set for a highly anticipated qawali performance by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad.
Swaying to the melodious renditions of “Mann kunto Maula” and “Chaap Tilak”, audience was left in a trance. The mesmerizing Qawalis provided a spiritual climax to an exciting evening of reuniting with long-lost friends and colleagues.
The night concluded past midnight, as guests started to depart thoroughly satisfied with a night well-spent. The event was possible because of the dedicated efforts of the student Alumni Society, and its members, in collaboration with the IBA Alumni Office. The Alumni Homecoming/Reunion Dinner is an annual feature, aimed at connecting the alumni back to their alma mater. The Alumni Office hopes to make such events possible in future as well with renewed vigor and efforts.
