PART 6: NED NOSTALGIA (1978-83)

Civil Engineering Department

Civil Engineering Department had same undeclared special status of what Tariq Road had in Karachi in 1980s. First, it was located in the front of NED campus. All civil engineering labs and workshops were located at the front. All point buses would drop the students at this location and boys would go through the aisles of civil engineering department to their respective departments i.e. Mechanical and Electrical which located at far end of the campus. A Bank Branch and Stationery store were also located here (Later, they were shifted to a new small building on NED approach road for Faculty). Similarly, Canteen, Girls Common Room, and a double storied Drawing Hall were located in the vicinity of our department. The corridor between outer wall of Girls Common Room and Drawing Hall served as point for social cum political activities. Two large notice boards, one either of IJT and PSF, were installed here where these organizations would announce their respective daily programs.

Around break time, this point will get swarmed by boys for two purposes; to watch and keep an eye on every girl entering and leaving Girls Common Room, and indulge into social cum political activities, raise slogans in favor and against their respective parties and adversaries. The amazing thing about this place was; despite getting into heated arguments, debate and raising slogans in favor and against, the boys never scuffled upon, never touched opponents’ arms or necks or threw fists at each other. However, they fought ferociously in verbal terms, hurling tantrums and criticizing policies and leaders of their opponent parties.   

The large Drawing Halls covering two floors as its name indicate were built for helping students to prepare large drawings on the flexible boards that could be lifted upwards and adjusted downwards. These Halls also served as examination centers for civil engineering students because both floors could accommodate nearly a 100 students. (From students’ point of view, it was an ideal examination center for cheating). Ground floor of Drawing Hall was also used for holding Book Fairs at the start of every new semester, thus helping the students to buy branded technical books at discounted rates. Informally, students would also use these Halls for indulging into some extracurricular activities such as experiencing their singing instincts, some would do paintings, and most of all, it also served couples to sit and chat in peace while others envied them watching through windowpanes.

If we could play cricket in the classrooms we would have definitely done that but alas! All corridors and small & large parks in front of classrooms and around were used for playing cricket by students whenever they had some free classes. Students didn’t spare even the windowpanes of the ground floor of Drawing Hall; the flying tennis ball (wrapped with adhesive tape) broke much of them within no time while playing cricket. One could also watch some good and quality cricket played regularly in the large open area surrounded by Civil Engineering Department, Canteen, Auditorium, Central Library and Administrative Block, and by the side of central Fountain.

Tahir Nisar, our classmate, was a first class cricketer and used to represent NED in the national cricket tournaments. During our free classes or while in wait for Mr. Abdul Quddus Alvi Sahib, we would go behind Civil Lecture Hall and play cricket. Tahir would hit big sixes on long on/ off position. I would prefer to field in that position for catching but his sixes were pretty long and hard to catch.

Else, still waiting for Alvi Sb in Civil Lecture Hall I would stand silently behind a group of “top” students and enjoy their chatting while they discussed course contents, preparing and appearing for TOEFL and GRE exams, and sometimes try to test English vocabulary of each other by asking meanings of difficult words.  

Civil Lecture Hall was (is) a large and wide room enough for accommodating about 200 students to attend combined classes, seminars or such lectures. Alvi Sb was fond of conducting combined classes ostensibly to save his time because he was a busy engineer doing his consultancy, official administrative matters (being head of Civil Engineering Department and Dean of Faculty later) and teaching, all along simultaneously. He was a matchless teacher. We used to attend his lectures in a pin-drop silence.

It is also an undeniable fact that we did not spend as much time in learning from Alvi sahib’s teachings as much as we wasted in waiting for him. He was irregular and would keep us wait for his class most of the times. Hence, all subjects that he taught us were hardly covered as much as 50% percent of the prescribed courses.

Once while delivering a lecture (probably in Structure Analysis) to joint A, B and C (or A & B) Sections in Civil Lecture Hall, Alvi sahib came up with mentioning three terms: Significant, Considerable, and Reasonable. He suddenly asked the class to classify these terms from lowest to highest rank.

I was baffled. Much of the class too, and hid their faces or lowered their gaze so that he wouldn’t point it out at them for reply.

Sir, Reasonable, Considerable and Significant, came a sudden and confident reply from Sohail Ghulamali.

Alvi sahib was pleased over the reply. All were relieved over it, at least I, surely.

Another unforgettable but deplorable incident; I fail to remember when it happened, may be in the third year that somehow due to Alvi Sahib’s prolonged absence from taking the classes, students reported to the higher authorities about his habit of skipping the lectures. Besides, due to Alvi Sahib’s tough, livid and inflexible attitude as well as internal political of teachers and in connivance of student union, we were brainwashed to go for a boycott of Alvi Sahib’s paper during our examination. So, all was set on the exam day. As soon as question paper was distributed among students, we, without taking a glance at the question paper, stood up and started shouting that contents of the question paper were not covered in the lectures and began chanting; out of course, out of course. Other teachers and invigilators also supported the boycotting students. Much to the embarrassment of Alvi Sahib, boycott remained successful. I regret that day.

Few words about our Faculty: Of all the teachers I learned my civil engineering from, Alvi Sb stands tall and spearheads the list followed by Makhdoomi Sb, Afaq Sb, Kidwai Sb, etc. Let me confess here that I hardly understood Khalid Sb’s Maths lectures. Kidwai Sb was much easier to comprehend to.

A funny thing about Afaq Sb’s lectures: On initiating his lecture he would draw a small member (T-beam or I-beam) on the blackboard. We would follow him by drawing the small member on our copy. As the lecture would progress he would keep on adding loads, actions, reactions, draw stresses, strains, bending moments, diagrams, etc, with coloured chalks. The initial figure and subsequent loads would intermingle in such a way that it would hardly be comprehensible on a piece of paper with one coloured ballpoint pen and if I didn’t reproduce it on a larger scale back home immediately it would never be understood.

During breaks in lectures or in the recess time we would gather around our gang leader Sharafat and Muhamamad Ali acting as his deputy, as their ardent followers. This gang was notorious in making fun of and joking with others, creating funny nicknames of other students especially girl students and hurling indirect flying jokes at them. Jinn Baba, Duck, Auntie, Chhota, Lorry Adda were some of the nicknames of some NEDian girls conceived by Sharafat and propagated and enjoyed by all. Continued in Part-7: J-1 Hostel